Vets castrate a young colt while the next candidate awaits his turn’. Hig resolution version available on request.

The BEVA Trust joined up with the BHS and SPANA this month to pilot two separate projects to help horse welfare at home and abroad. Seven veterinary volunteers assisted with a UK-based equine castration and microchipping day organised by the BHS, while in Morocco two volunteers provided valuable teaching support for SPANA’s veterinary teams.

The BEVA Trust is the British Equine Veterinary Association’s philanthropic arm and was established almost 50 years ago. Historically the bulk of its expenditure was small grants relating to travel and education but following a review last year the Trust’s focus has changed. BEVA members expressed a desire for the Trust to focus on voluntary veterinary participation in charitable welfare projects. The two pilot projects were very well subscribed with more than 40 vets volunteering their services for the limited places available.

Seven volunteer vets worked non-stop on the pilot castration and microchipping project in Hampshire earlier this month. BHS welfare officers identified local horses that needed gelding and/or microchipping and arranged the logistics for the day. Then vets gelded 28 colts and stallions and microchipped and issued passports for a total of 45 horses over the course of the day.

The initiative was an important trial run for further clinics proposed over the coming year. The scheme aims to educate owners, establish links with the veterinary profession, reduce accidental breeding and help with identification and traceability of horses. The BHS estimates that by holding 12 successful castration clinics they could prevent the birth of thousands of foals over the next two generations. In addition, working with horse owners to passport and microchip their horses will increase the number of horses being correctly identified.  Not only will this help to protect the food chain but it will also improve the traceability of fly-grazed and abandoned horses.

Martin Peaty of The Barn Equine Surgery in Hampshire was one of the volunteer vets. He said: “Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies contribute to an oversupply of foals and eventually unwanted horses, which is a major welfare issue.  In addition colts and stallions are more difficult to look after and find good homes for. It was great to be involved with like-minded colleagues in this project to help take positive action to tackle these problems.”

Lee Hackett, Director of Policy at the British Horse Society (BHS), continued: “Thanks to BEVA Trust vets our castration and microchipping project is set to make a real difference to Britain’s equine over-population problem, which is the root cause of the majority of the welfare problems we encounter.”

The second BEVA Trust project saw two vets flying out to Casablanca in Morocco to help provide teaching at SPANA’s Annual Congress. SPANA’s vets work in the field, often in challenging conditions with limited availability of expensive tools or medicines. Chris Pearce, who runs the Equine Dental Clinic in Dorset, lectured on dentistry. Caroline George of Lambourn Equine Vets taught wound management using lectures and a practical workshop.

Chris Pearce said: “We met vets from Mauritania, Ethiopia, Mali, Tunisia, Jordan and Zimbabwe as well as from Morocco – such lovely people and all trying to help the working equids of Africa. Thanks to SPANA and to BEVA Trust for their initiative and invitation – I wish I could have stayed longer.”

Jeremy Hulme, chief executive of SPANA, said: “We’re very grateful for the assistance given by BEVA Trust – and to Chris and Caroline for their fantastic contributions. We were delighted that they were able to share their knowledge, expertise and skills with our vets at our CPD event, improving their knowledge and skills to ensure that horses, donkeys and other working animals in some of the world’s poorest countries receive the high quality veterinary treatment they so desperately need.”

Julian Samuelson, Chairman of the BEVA Trust Committee said: “We are encouraged by the very positive response by BEVA members to the call for volunteers. BEVA will review the success of these pilot projects and consider continuing and expanding its support of this type of pro bono initiative.”

To find out more keep an eye on www.beva.org.uk.

Terrence the Rooster

As always we have a number of animals who are waiting for a loving home to finally call their own, please forward this mail on to anyone you think may be interested in any of our residents below.

Terence the rooster is looking for a new home.

Having grown up with his brothers and sisters he now gets picked on by the other boys and has had to be separated from them. Do you have a flock of hens who could do with a man in their lives?

This beautiful boy (as yet unnamed) is a 5 year old, 15hh gelding. He is well handled but we are not sure if he has been ridden as we do not have enough hours in the day to assess him properly. If anyone would like to take him to work with him or even come up to the sanctuary to help work with him please contact us.

These two have had a few expressions of interest but no solid offers of new homes yet. Please share far and wide to help us get them a loving new home! They are good with people, kids and other dogs! They are also house trained.

Harriet

Harriet was found collapsed on the side of the road near to the sanctuary and is now looking for a special forever home to call her own.
She would like an indoor home with mature owners where she could (at times) be the centre of attention but also have her own space as she sometimes likes to keep herself company without being disturbed.

Raymond

Raymond is a 15.2hh, red&white, 14 year old gelding. He would make a lovely companion or possible light hack. He has a lovely nature and gets on well with other horses. He loves human attention and would love a home where he could be spoiled!

The Fonz

“The Fonz” is a 3 year old, 14:1 hh gelding. We have yet to assess him for handling and riding but if you are interested please get in contact.

Huckleberry

Huckleberry is a 5 year old gelding, around 14.2hh and currently unbroken but is well handled. He will make a lovely riding horse for someone. He is very intelligent and a real character!

Angel

When we rescued Angel she could barely walk due to her severley overgrown feet – our farrier didnt think they had ever received any care….

Teddy

Teddy came to us after running wild at a local forest park and was quickly running out of time as everyone else who tried to catch him couldn’t get close enough and were running out of options despite their best efforts.

Angel and Teddy are a very special re-homing case as they must go together. Having both come in to us in a very bad state, they have bonded so well together that we do not intend to separate them. If you would be interested in offering them a home together please contact us.

Angel and Teddy would like to be re-homed together

Roisin McGinn, along with horse Jake, is pictured presenting the cheque to Stephen Thompson from the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Photo: Karenann Toney Photography, Ballycastle

December 13th in Ballycastle, a group of over 30 festively dressed horses, riders (and even dogs!) raised £1300 for charity, with subsequent donations being made after people saw the event covered in local newspapers.

Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary, in Antrim will be having a Christmas sale event at the charity’s log cabin on Sunday 30th November 1-3pm.  There will be Christmas goods for sale, pony rides, tombola, mince pies, and refreshments. Everyone is welcome to come along but wear appropriate footwear as the recent heavy rain has taken its toll on the busy working yard.

This year’s Christmas cards will be available to buy. The cards as always feature Crosskennan animals; Mimi one of the resident cats, Missy the German Shepherd as featured in the CLAS Newsletter now happily rehomed, and equine rescues High Towers, Evie and her foal Reuben. Cards cost £3.50 for a pack of 8 cards or £10 for 3 packs.

Thomas and Jake, two of the charity’s sponsor animals, are pictured getting ready to give pony rides for a small donation to their friends.

Please help us to continue our fight against animal cruelty in NI by making a donation towards our work. 

You can make donations to Crosskennan in several ways:

• Text: Send “CLAS52″ followed by the donation amount in £ to 70070 (eg “CLAS52 5″)
• Post: Cheques or Postal Orders payable to “CLAS” sent to CLAS, 26 Crosskennan Lane,   Antrim, BT41 2QY
•   Via the Donate button on the website or facebook page
•  Visit our Wish List on Amazon

Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary, 

26 Crosskennan Lane, Ballynoe, Co.Antrim BT41 2QY   Reg Charity No. XR16305

Tel: 028 94465384 or email crosskennan@hotmail.co.uk

You can also help Crosskennan Lane by donating via the methods below:

Online: http://www.justgiving.com/Crosskennan-Lane-Animal-Sanctuary1
Text: Send “CLAS52″ followed by the donation amount in £ to 70070 (eg “CLAS52 5″)
Post: Cheques or Postal Orders payable to “CLAS” sent to CLAS, 26 Crosskennan Lane, Antrim, BT41 2QY

Young carers often lack self-confidence, find it hard to make friends or be bullied because of their family circumstances. For young mental health carers, these factors are compounded by negative stereotyping of mental illness.
They are also likely to have more restricted life choices than their peers and are three times more likely than other children to experience mental health problems themselves. They often live in a family unit which struggle financially as a family unit because one or both parents cannot work due to their mental ill health. With a high absenteeism rate from school, they are torn between their education needs and their caring role.

CAUSE , a registered NI charity, supports carers of people with enduring mental illness. A unique peer-led organisation, all of its frontline team and senior management have direct personal experience as a mental health carer. One of CAUSE’s strategic priorities, aims to provide safe, quality support to those children and young people who continue to be affected by any caring role of mental health within their family, to raise awareness of young carers and to support and influence change effectively.

CAUSE’s Young Carers Equine Programme enables young carers to be with their caring peers whilst learning how to deal with issues that evolve from their caring role; be sign posted to other young people’s services and support organisations as well as being offered much needed respite from their caring role. Helping to reduce both isolation and marginalisation experienced by young mental health carers, the programme also helps stamp out the associated stigma.

Anne Holland, Fundraising Manager for CAUSE stated, ‘The emotional and physical benefits of companion animals are now being established in psychiatric hospitals and elderly care units and there is well-researched evidence that spending time with animals can have a direct calming influence. Our Young Carers Equine Programme will offer young carers a unique opportunity to improve their own mental well-being by working with the natural behaviour of horses alongside a specifically designed therapeutic programme. Taking place outdoors it will provide young carers with the chance to experience a rural environment and reconnect with a more natural way of life. For those young carers who have been subjected to long periods within mental health caring or experienced severe family difficulties or deprivation, this is a very rewarding and stimulating therapeutic intervention. 

Our 2014 Schools Show Jumping Challenge to be held on St Patrick’s Day at Portmore will support this new and unique young carer’s programme. As part of our Christmas Appeal, we are asking the equestrian world to get behind our young carers by organising a fundraising event or by making a donation.’
You can help transform the lives of young mental health carers and siblings by:
Texting FOAL14 £3 to 70070
Online at www.justgiving.com/youngcausecarers
For further information call Anne on 90650650 or email fundraising@cause.org.uk