Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary “HAPPY TALES” Animal Stories and Updates SPRING 2004 Newsletter In this issue: HAPPY TRAILS 4th ANNUAL • Happy Trails Awards . pg. 2 SUMMER PICNIC/FUNDRAISER: • Letter from Director, make plans now to attend! Horse Poem .................. pg. 3 We weren’t able to have a Fall public. We • Summer Picnic & Festival this past season due to enjoy Fundraiser ............pgs.4&5 the incredible amount of work we having all have had here at the sanctuary, the people •Development Committe, the overwhelming number of who Recipes, Upcoming Events animals needing care, and not support ....................................... pg. 6 enough volunteers to organize an our rescue event of this magnitude properly. work visit • Thank You’s ................ pg. 7 We made the difficult decision at the sanc- • Adopting A Horse,...... pg. 8 the time to cancel the Fall Festi- tuary, val. So we will be making up for spend time • Senior Citizen Horses pg. 9 this by having the biggest and with the animals, and see the best ever Happy Trails Annual progress we are making with the • Welcome to Corona, Summer Picnic/Fundraiser to be facility. Briteny’s Column ....... pg. 10 held on Sunday, June 27, 2004. VOLUNTEERING TO • Awesome Adoptions, Visiting We are in the midst of HELP WITH THE PICNIC: Happy Trails................ pg. 11 planning the festivities, and would like you Fun activities are being • Fun Photos ........pgs 12 & 13 planned for the day, and as always we will need volunteers to help • Story of Dutchess ....... pg. 14 coordinate and arrange everything to be a from pre-picnic special promotions • Animals Available For and signage to helping out the day Adoption ..................... pg. 15 part of this annual, fun- of the picnic by helping staff • Chicken and Duck Rescue, filled day booths for crafts, sales of Heaven’s Trail (Pet Cemetery) when Happy t-shirts and baseball hats, infor- mational tables, refreshments and Update ............................ pg. 16 Trails opens it’s gates to the • Ordering Logo Apparel and Continued on page 4 Donation Information.... pg. 17 (left) What a great group!!! These • Story of Isis, Sadly Missed college students from Hiram College Animals .......................... pg. 18 chose to help out at Happy Trails as their community service project. • Madonna the Pig, Follow up These were some of the most hard- on Tundra ....................... pg. 19 working, fun-loving, eager-to-help group of students that came our way. • Misc. .......................... back pg. They cleaned out pig shelters, chicken coups, moved heavy straw bales, and hauled manure into the field. Many thanks to them and to Hiram College for continuing to choose Happy Trails on a regular basis for their community service projects. page 1 Nancy Conring Receives Girl Rachel Salzer Scouts Hidden Heroine Award! Accepts Awards For Volunteer Congratulations to Happy watches over and cares for any Trail’s very own Nancy Conring for needy dogs, cats and other Work With Happy being chosen to receive the Girl assorted animals in her own Trails Scouts of the Western Reserve neighborhood. Whew! Hidden Heroine Award! Whenever anyone calls Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctu- At a recognition dinner held Nancy, her husband, Chuck, will ary has received recognition based on on March 11 at the Akron Women’s often say, “Nancy’s out feeding the work of our dedicated volunteer City Club, something somewhere.” and current Happy Trails President, Nancy was Nancy daily sets a shining Rachel Salzer. Make A Difference Day recognized example of how people should put activities of food and supply collec- for her forth that extra effort to care tions ranked Happy Trails in the top 40 nonstop for our furry and feathered projects in the state. work friends who rely on us for their Also, word has been received that concerning well being and comfort. Rachel’s work at Happy Trails will be included in stories of community the care When Nancy first started service in an upcoming book. Empow- and well- helping out at Happy Trails, she ered Girls: A Girl’s Guide to Positive being of had her own animal family consist- Activism, Volunteering and Philan- animals ing of an assortment of lucky dogs thropy will be released in May. Within every- and cats. She has since opened it’s pages can be found the story of where. her heart and home to a variety Nancy proudly holds one Happy Trails and Rachel’s work on Not of chickens, ducks and rabbits, of her rescued chickens. behalf of the animals. The book is only does and added them to her growing affiliated with Duke University. Nancy hold the important position outdoor family. Chuck always has of Treasurer on the Happy Trails the concern with Nancy that the Board of Directors, she works a outdoor family will become his full time job, donates time every indoor family! Equine Programs weekend to the care of the farm Congratulations, Nancy, for of Happy Trails animals residing at the sanctuary, receiving well-deserved recogni- makes time throughout the week tion for all the work you do on Acknowledged in to haul pigs to the vet, returns an behalf of abused, abandoned and amazing number of phone calls, neglected animals! Happy Trails is Upcoming Horse organizes hay deliveries, trans- very proud to have Nancy on our ports goats to their new homes, team. The animals are the lucky Rescue Book helps plan fund-raisers, schedules recipients of her love and care, Annette Fisher, Executive Direc- volunteer times at Happy Trails and we think the world of her! tor of Happy Trails was more than community events booths, and happy to participate in an interview for a book concerning horses rescued from the track due to her personal passion for taking in Standardbreds. Bill Heller, author and writer for the Thoroughbred Times of New York is working on a book entitled “After the Finish Line.” This book will take an in- Board of Directors Website/Data Management depth look at the lives of track horses Annette Fisher, Exec. Director (330) 296-5914 Chuck Conring ...................... (330) 773-1478 once their career is over, and how Rachel Salzer, President ........ (330) 221-4929 Bingo Concession Coordinators rescue groups play an important role in Sara Linden, Vice President ... (330) 569-7188 Maggie Godfrey & Sara Linden their destiny. Nancy Conring, Treasurer ...... (330) 733-1478 In a chapter about Standardbreds, the race horses that pull the carts, Anne Keres, Secretary ........... (330) 273-2663 Thank You To Our Special Advisors • James Masi, Attorney Happy Trails will be given recognition Becky Albright ....................... (330) 877-0091 • Joy Wagner, Attorney for our work with this wonderful breed Russ Fisher ........................... (330) 296-5914 • Char Miller of equine. Happy Trails has success- fully rescued and found loving homes Debbie Friend ........................ (330) 628-0192 • Dr. Gary Riggs, DVM and staff for a good deal of ex-race horses and Maggie Godfrey ..................... (330) 296-5914 (Barberton Veterinary Clinic) ex-buggy horses from the Amish • Rachel Whitehawk of Whitehawk Ranch John Keres ............................ (330) 273-2663 community. Look for this informative book by Bill Heller to be coming out at page 2 the end of the year. Many of us have letter from the director lost a beloved equine friend — here’s a tribute Dear Friend of Happy Trails, to all of our I really didn’t want to go see the horses who have movie “Seabiscuit”. Any movie that crossed the could be remotely sad in any way I Annette & Duesie try to steer clear of — there’s always Rainbow Bridge enough drama here at the sanctuary that I really don’t need to go in search Don’t cry for the horses of more. However, I was talked into beautiful mare had a leg injury and That life has set free seeing the movie about the Thor- was going to be of no use to her owner. A million white horses oughbred racehorse named The owner of the injured horse pulled forever to be Seabiscuit, and I’m glad that I did. I out a gun and prepared to shoot the Don’t cry for the horses found an answer to a question that I horse as others stood by and some even Now in God’s hands have been asked many times and was helped to hold her down. Seabisuit’s As they dance and they prance never quite sure what to say. trainer stepped in and offered to “take To a heavenly band I have been questioned from the horse off his hands”. The owner time to time about why we try to save couldn’t understand what anyone They were ours as a gift some of the horses that are not would want with a lame horse, but But never to keep rideable. There are some people who after a moment of disbelief, put away As they close their eyes have reasoned it out that we should his gun and handed the horse over. Forever in sleep pick and choose only those that we The trainer wrapped the horse’s leg Their spirits unbound are sure will be “fixable” enough to and used a special root under the On silver wings they fly ride and work again. “Well you wrapping. To make a long story short, A million white horses know”, they often point out, “you the rescued horse became the best Against a blue sky can’t save them all.” As though we friend of Seabiscuit and traveled Look up into heaven are delusional enough to pretend that everywhere with him as his constant You’ll see them above we can! companion. The horses we lost How do you explain to someone But to backtrack: after the trainer The horses we loved that when you are called to a neglect had wrapped the leg and the horse was situation to provide help, that you munching grass contentedly, the trainer Manes and tails flowing simply cannot look the sad, pathetic, was sitting on the ground near the They gallop through time half-starved horse in his kind eyes horse.