fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/062007/06262007/293401Traveller's Rest is an elderly-equine rescue facility in Spotsylvania Date published: 6/26/2007
by elizabeth krietsch
Betty is a horse in her early 20s, but she lives an alternative equine lifestyle.
She doesn't spend her days grazing the fields. Because she has pemphigus, a rare skin disorder that flares up when she is exposed to sunlight, she has become somewhat of a night owl, leaving the barn only after dusk.
While this may be a difficult situation for many horse owners to deal with, Betty has found a comfortable home at Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary in Spotsylvania County.
Chris and Mike Smith started the nonprofit organization in 2003 and have had about 20 horses pass through their 20-acre facility since. There are 16 horses at the farm.
The farm is designed for horses with health problems and special needs who have no other place to go.
"It's sort of like an assisted-living facility," Chris Smith said.
The Smiths refer healthier horses to other locations, and they don't take in horses from owners who just don't want them anymore.
Being the only elderly-equine rescue organization in the area, Chris Smith says she receives many more calls about horses who need a place to go than she has space for. Traveller's Rest is filled to capacity because of limitations regarding funding, manpower and space.
Meredith Barlow, an equine dental technician from Mechanicsville, is one of the only regular volunteers at the farm. She spends a lot of her time doing dental work but she also helps with day-to-day farm tasks.
Barlow says Traveller's Rest is a great place to learn about horses, and she encourages anyone with an interest in horses or animals to volunteer.
"They're an awesome organization and they help so many horses," she said, noting that the Smiths also offer advice on horse care.
Many of the horses at the facility have troubled pasts. Chris Smith often wonders what happened to break their health.
A horse named Valentine is a good example. When he came to Traveller's Rest he was drastically underweight and missing half his molars. He was thought to be 30 years old, but it turned out Valentine was only 15. It was his deteriorating health that made him appear older.
Luckily, the Smiths knew how to address Valentine's special needs. Otherwise, he might have died.
Situations like Valentine's are part of the reason the Smiths work hard to educate the public on dealing with horses that have special needs.
The Traveller's Rest Web site--
www.equineelders.org --outlines simple and relatively easy horse-care measures. For example, softening feed for horses with missing teeth can make all the difference in helping them eat and gain weight.
While Chris Smith knows her facility is a lifesaver for many horses, she still hopes for a time when horses won't need to be rescued after developing serious age-related health issues.
"Our ultimate goal would be we don't need places like this," she said.
Elizabeth Krietsch: 540/368-5036
Email: ekrietsch@freelancestar.com
Please stop by and visit TREES' table at the Virigina Dressage Association's show Sept 14 -16 at Rose Mount on Rt 208 (courthouse Road) in Spotsylvania. This three-day show is sponsored by both the Fredericksburg and Charlottesville chapters of VADA. 