Beech Brook Farm Tennessee Walkers & Equine Rescue
From AlexBrownRacing
Contents |
Basics
Web Address: Beech Brook Farm Tennessee Walkers & Equine Rescue
Address:Beech Brook Farm Equine Rescue, 125 Fishtown Road, Mystic CT
Phone:860-705-8456
E-mail:beechbrookfarm@yahoo.com
Paypal link: paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-done&login_access=1282397465
paypal email: beechbrookfarm@yahoo.com
Fundraising Drives on ABR: December 2009: 12-7-10 Black TWH mare with Star from AC4H $480
December 2009 Black gaited pony from AC4H $265
December 2009 Camelot Painted TWH raising funds for $300 someone else pulled paint @ funds applied to AC4H TWH
January 6,2010 #674 bl TWH gelding,funds for bail/transp$425
January 27, 2010, Camelot #958 chest TWH gelding, fundsraised for bail $400
Feb. 2010, AC4H broker TWH mare 02-16-12 funds for bail 525
Feb. 2010, Camleot #316 TWH SSH gelding funds for bail 484
Mar. 2010. Fundraising for Camelot #766 funds for bail 285
Mar. 2010 fundaising for Camelot #772 funds for bail 408
Mar. 2010 fundraising for #766 (Stella) vet fund for procedure for pleuropneuonia. Funds for procedure ~ 1000 (funds raised from ABR, FB, private donations),
June 24, 2010 #324 TWH $875(funds raised through ABR, FB, private donations)
Aug 2010 #994 TWH mare- bail paid by Danielle ($335), other funds raised through FB and private donations
Media stories: (link to stories about rescue) http://voicemagazine.epubxpress.com/ March09 page 9
Hartford Channel 3 feature of our rescue http://www.wfsb.com/community/22672564/detail.html
Description of Rescue
501(c)(3) as of September 1, 2009, Mystic CT, 14 acres, We generally have 6-12 rescues on site, 2-4 at a nearby farm that we have privileges at with 1-4 additional rescues in foster homes. We are a temporary rescue not a sanctuary- we rescue, rehome and place. In 2009 we saved 14 horses and so far in 2010 we have taken in 26 horses/minis/donkeys. In order to have room to save more rescues we must place the ones we have. Horses are evaluated in hand, doing ground work and under saddle (if they are broke) and then goals and training plans are developed for each resident of our rescue. We have a trainer that works with some of our horses that may have particular needs that are best met by a professional trainer. Our farrier is Cory St. Peter and we have several vets: Jonathon Jeffreys in North Stonington, CT, Dr. MOrrone in Stonington CT and Salem Valley Vet in Salem CT. We use the equine dentist at Salem Valley Vet. The source of our rescues: kill pen, auction, owner surrender. Fostering requires completion of a foster application and farm inspection or pictures and references. Adoption requires an adoption application and contract (links on our web site) which include farm inspection,vet and farrier checks and references. We have ~20 volunteers, We have an education and outreach programs that includes scouts, religious organizations and schools. The owner (Deborah Finco) lives on the premises. We specialize in rescuing gaited horses but also rescue "long ears". Our board consist of no more then 10 members and is currently made up of Deborah Finco, Kathleen Crockford, Jill Thomas, Mary Lou Fogg, Lola Liepold and Kathy Freeman. Deborah has CHA certification is a member of the Conecticut horse council and Connecticut volunteer horse patrol as well as a member of TWHBEA and a rep for their trail initiatives in CT and RI.The combined number of years of horse experience of the 4 current board members is 50+ years. Our approach to rehoming rescues involves natural horsemanship with an emphasis on asking the horse to do something for you rather than telling or forcing a horse to do something. We want to establish a relationship of trust and respect with our rescues. We have several volunteers who are animal behavioralist, others that are experienced equestrians, others that have experience working around the barn and others with fundraising and marketing experience. Our rescue is a member of the Mystic CT chamber of commerce.
Our facility consist of a 3 stall barn and tack room, a small dirt paddock (100 X 100 feet) with a run in shed for 2 horses, a larger 1.5 acre grass paddock with a run-in shed, tack room , run-in shed combo that allows for 4 horses and additional hay and tack storage. We also have a small grass paddock for turnout and riding (~ 80 X 120 feet) and a seperate paddock ~150 X 90 with a mini sized run in for donkeys and minis. We have a round pen attached to our barn for turn out as well as doing round pen work. We own a 2-horse trailer and truck to trailer horses in the event of emergencies. We have miles of trails and access to a nearby 2000 acre state park that we can ride to from our farm. Photos of our facility are on our web site. As an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and be more green we purchases 2 solar water troughs to use this winter to provide fresh thawed water to the horses without having to have plug in heating elements (although we still have some troughs with these. Our long term goal is to replace all troughs with solar troughs). The units will pay for themselves in a single winter.
Funds for our rescue come from donations, fund raisers, adoption fees, angels from our angel program, sponsors and grants. There are no paid members of our organization it is entirely volunteer based. Any donors who contribute dollars or donations such as hay, feed etc. towards a particular horse acquired through Camelot or AC4H are put on distribution email lists where they receive regular updates and photos of the horse while it is at our rescue. Adopters must provide updates and photos annually and after an adoption, donors who donated for that horses bail, transport or medical needs will receive updates annually when the rescue receives them from the adopters.
Upon arrival all rescues from brokers or kill pens that do not have vet records, are seen by a vet and vaccinated and wormed. Farrier visits are scheduled within a month of arrival and sooner if possible. Horses from brokers and kill pens are quarantined for 3-4 weeks and are not available for adoption until after that period.
Rescue Network
List of other rescues this rescue works with. AC4H NEER HHER
FOB Horses
Feedback from FOBs
From volunteers who have visited the rescue etc which may include relevant links to the discussion board about the visit.
From: lovetogait39 Jan-12 7:54 am To: ALL (169 of 494)
44468.169 in reply to 44468.168
I had begun sending a small amount of money to one of the local rescue organizations. But the last two donations that I sent the money was not acknowledged. I worried did they get the funds, but I saw the last donation tally rise on the website for the exact (odd) amount that I gave, so they did receive it. I really liked the organization, but I feel a thank you is in order. So I will no longer give to them. Beech Brook Farm has sent personal thank you replies and even photos to the small amounts I have given. Way beyond what I expected and if I have extra and can give, it is rescues such as her's that will receive my money. Receiving or not receiving a thank you is certainly no indication of the level of care the rescue is providing, but it is an acknowledgement that I feel should be provided.
From: FedEx0228 Jan-11 1:30 pm
To: melody1963 (30 of 494)
44468.30 in reply to 44468.23
I've only been involved with this forum (& only signed up to post on it in the past week) for about 6 weeks. I have sent some donations to a few of the rescues & I welcome this subject because I have had the same questions. From my personal experience, I have to say that Deborah at Beech Brook Farm Equine Rescue does an incredible job of making people who donate feel as if they did a good thing. She sends frequent updates & photos & seems to always have time to respond to an email with lots of unsolicited info about how she runs her rescue. I feel like she's open & honest about what she's doing. One of the other rescues that I donated money to never so much as sent a "got it, thanks" & as I've watched this forum, I've become increasingly suspicious about what they're doing. Needless to say, I won't be sending them any more money. So rescues, my advise to you is that if you want to encourage people to send money your way, make sure you keep them included in your updates & let them know how the animal(s) they helped rescue are doing! :) Carla
Questions from FOBs
FOB Questionnaire for Rescue and Sanctuary Officials
Notice to Question Responders:
The FOBs have developed these questions as a way of getting to know the rescues through information pertaining to business and operating practices. Completion of the questions is not required or necessary in order to request and receive funding. However, it is suggested that you do so as individual ABR donors may use the questions as a determining factor regarding their support. Questions are to be addressed only by the person with legal authority to represent the rescue or (in cases of unincorporated rescues) the owner. Supporters and/or volunteers should not address the questions. Answer all questions. Failure to answer all questions could result in a negative perception of the management and operation of the rescue. By answering the questions on your rescue’s WIKI, you are attesting that all information provided by you is absolutely true and correct to the best of your knowledge. The person responding to these questions has the obligation to amend any and all responses that are no longer correct based on changes in business and/or operating processes. Questionnaire (33 Questions)
1. As the person completing this questionnaire, what is your position with regard to the rescue? I own the rescue and am the President on our BOD.
2. Is the rescue incorporated? Yes with the state of CT. If so, do you have the legal authority to speak for the Board of Directors? Yes Who are the members of the Board of Directors (please provide an email or other contact information; if your website provides this information, please identify your website URL in this answer) (Note: The names of the Board of Directors for incorporated businesses may be validated by calling the office of the Secretary of State.). Names of board members are listed on our website at this link http://beechbrookfarm.webs.com/aboutusvolunteers.htm
3. Is the rescue a 501 c 3 IRS rescue? Yes. When was this exemption granted? September 1st, 2009 If the exemption has not been granted, when did the rescue commence the application process?
4. What is the physical address of the rescue (Note: Satellite views of most, but not all, locations are available at www.googleearth.com)? 125 Fishtown Road, Mystic, CT 06355. Google earth photos are not current and do not show new pasture and run in sheds
5. What is the legal nature of the property upon which the rescue animals reside (personal property, property of the corporation, rented property, other as described.) How many foster facilities are associated with the rescue? Personal property. We currently have 5 approved fosters but are always reviewing additional applicants for suitability.
6. Is the facility a rescue, sanctuary or both? Rescue
7. At the time of this questionnaire, how many equines reside at the rescue and any foster facilities associated with the rescue? 10 reside at facility and three reside at fosters
8. What is the date on which the rescue or sanctuary took in the first animal and since that date, how many have been adopted out or officially transferred to another rescue? April 2007. We have placed 27 rescues since this time.
9. What is the primary source of financial resources which pay for the maintenance and emergency needs of the rescue’s equine residents? What is the source of any supplemental funding (please separate local fundraising, ABR fundraising and any other internet fundraising such as Facebook)? Approximately what percentage does each source make up for the total funding of the rescue? Primary source of funding is equally split from donation and fundraisers we do and ~ 80% of our budget. We have 4 major fundraisers per year. Fundraising through ABR and other internet fundraising provides less than 10% of our annual budget. When donations are not sufficient to meet needs, the owner provides the money needed. In 2009 that was 20% of overall operating budget.In 2010 donations and dolalrs from fundraisers and grants are only slightly behind operating expenses
10. What percentage of your budget do you spend on each of the following: bail (22%); feed. hay and supplements (30%) ; veterinarian (13%); farrier (4%); land (purchased or rented); maintenance of facility (equipment and structures.)25%. These figures are for 2009. We added additional fencing, run in sheds and a tack room which results in higher operation expenses than we would generally expect for a normal year.
11. Who physically provides for the care of the rescue’s equines? Is there an attendant at the rescue 24/7? During an emergency affecting the primary caretaker(s) , who would provide care for the animals. The owner is on the property 24/7. We have 20+ volunteers that rotate through during the week and weekends who provide care, grooming, training etc. In the event of an emergency, the head volunteer who is also a BOD member would assume care of facilities with support from other volunteers.
12. What information is discussed with the Board of Directors and at what intervals do you have meetings. Per our by-laws we have monthly meetigs. We discuss finances, fundraisers, goals: long-term and annual, operational and facility needs.
13. How many volunteers do you have and what is the nature of duties they perform? How often are you assisted by volunteers? We have 20+ volunteers who rotate through facility and provide support 6 days a week. THey clean, groom, do ground work with horses, ride if they have been approved for riding,do minor repairs to facilities, help with fundraisers, recruit additional volunteers. The head volunteer and the owner oversee training for volunters. All volunteers receive a training packet and instructions that outline facilities approach to care, communication policies etc. upon approval for working at our facility. ALl volunteers sign a waiver of liability as well.
14. Who is your primary veterinarian? Is he/she available as a reference? We have 3 veterinarians- Dr Jonathon Jeffrey (Primary vet) in North Stonington CT, Dr. Morrone in North Stonington CT and Salem Valley Vet in Salem CT. Either can be contacted as a reference.
15. Who is your farrier? Is he/she available as a reference? Cory St. Peter from RI is our farrier and can be contacted as a reference.
16. Where do you shop for grain? Who is the manager? Is he/she available as a reference? The owner oversees all feeding and obtains hay primarily from local farmers and grain is purchases through a variety of feed stores in the area: Flemings, Stonington Feed and Agway. Depending upon our grain needs different stores carry different brands and we shop accordingly.
17. What is your primary source of hay? Local
18. Describe what the status of the animals would be if the primary caretaker(s) became suddenly unable to provide care for both the short-term and long-term? The lead volunteer whom also is a BOD member and the spouse of the owner of the property would assume responsibility for care along with support from the volunteers.
19. What is your procedure for adopting animals (please discuss your pre-adoption and post-adoption processes.). We have an adoption application and contract (on our website on he adoption page). The contract stipulates post adoption follow up requirements. As part of the adoption process we contact references, farrier and vet and do sight visits or in some cases get photos if a site visit is not possible.
20. Once an equine is at the new home, how do you approach follow-up of the animal? Our adoption contract requires annual updates for the first 3 years with photos and proof of vet care. However we ususally follow- up with email correspondance during this time. Depending upon proximity to our rescue we will also visit the site several months post adoption.
21. Do you have an adoption contract? If so, how is the subject of breeding handled? Yes, breeding is not allowed
22. Once an animal is taken into the rescue, how is its level of training evaluated? We evaluate it first doing ground work and then under saddle. This is done by CHA certified instructor and when needed input from a trainer.
23. What is the rescue’s program for basic ground training of equines that have that initial level of need? We have a general training approach that has 5 stages that starts with basic haltering and progresses to more advanced riding and evaluation on trails. Each stage has goals that must be met prior to moving on to a more advanced stage. We have trainng sheets with goals for every rescue and a lead and secondary volunteer assigned to each rescue. We keep daily records on what was done with each horse and have a weekly check sheet to track progress (or regression) so we have a nice summary of where horses are in their training and can show such to prospective adoptees.
24. What is the rescue’s program for starting horses that have that level of need (please include at what age you would start an individual horse.)I am not sure what you mean by this question. Horses are not started under saddle until they have sufficient bone development; however ground work starts at a very young age although time doing such may be very short due to their limited attention span.
25. What is the rescue’s program for the retraining of horses to make them more adoptable because their present training level is not conducive to adoption (e.g., the OTTB who needs to be training for another activity?). We have a trainer that works with us to retrain horses
26. What is your experience with regard to initial training and retraining of horses and other equines that serves to support that you possess the ability to be successful with such activities? My lead volunteer owned and operated a riding facility for 15+ years and the combined equestrian experience of our 4 current board members is over 55 years. We also utilize a trainer to work with horses that need specialized training.
27. What is the rescue’s program for the retraining of horses that exhibit traits likely brought on by improper training? They will be retrained after a thorough evaluation and training plan has been devised.
28. How does the leadership of the rescue approach end-of-life decision for the equine residents (please discuss the circumstances for which such decisions would be necessary and what life-ending procedure(s) would be utilized?). We base this on guidelines put forth in the AAEP Care guideline for equine rescue and retirement facilities as well as the "Basic guidelines for Operating an Equine Rescue or Retirement facilities" put out by the Humane Society of the US. Our means of human euthanasia would be by injection.
29. Would the rescue’s leadership and/or caretaker(s) consider shipping to slaughter as a possible life-ending method? No our rescue does not support slaughter under any conditions.
30. Are you open to a request from donors for pictures and/or other information about a rescue animal that has received funding via ABR? YES. We send email updates to all donors who have contributed to a specific horse. They receive photos and summaries on a regular basis. We create email distribution lists for each individual horse that is supported through fundraising efforts so we can keep the donors up to date regarding the horse they helped support.
31. What ABR members have you personally requested to assist with fundraising posting (please name them by ABR call name.)Not clear on question here. We generally post a request through the ABR fundraising thread or through other sites FB,Equine BB, etc. ALl horses that have been rescued in part due to cntributions from ABR membersare listed above on this WIKI site
32. Do these ABR volunteers have their own WIKIs (if not, please ensure that they secure them.). Again not clear on question, I am the only member of our Rescue org. that has a wiki site.
33. This questionnaire is entirely voluntary but could have bearing on decisions made by donors to provide the rescue with financial support or not. Given this reality, is there any additional information you would like to provide to heighten a positive perception of your rescue.
We encourage site visits by anyone. All animals upon arrival are quarantined for 3+ weeks. They have a vet and farrier assessment within a week of arrival or sooner if a medical condition warrants such. Horses are on quarterly worming schedules and are UTD on vaccines within 2 weeks of arrival. In addition to our rescue work we have a BOD member who oversees education and outreach activities that involved education others about the horrors of horse slaughter and showing what we do to prevent such and what the community can do to get involved. We try to answer EVERY email we receive that is related to the work we do. We welcome suggestions for how we can do a better job and we appreciate ALL the support we get from ABR members and others since we could not do what we do without this support.
