What We Do, Why It Matters, and How You Can Be Part Of It All

It happens all too often. I will get to the horse lot as the sun rises, feed up, train horses, lead rides, work on the pasture development, host a few programs,and give a tour or two to guests from out of town, only to wrap up the day by having a family who is interested in our program stop by to learn more about what we do.

Invariably, I forget to mention several aspects of our unique non-profit 501(c) 5 breed conservation program. We do much more than could be imagined, all with volunteers and no paid staff.

But what we do is expensive. Our monthly hay bill runs from $4,500.00 to over $6,000.00. And we are growing by leaps and bounds. Beth and I purchased nearly twenty acres adjacent to the horse lot for the use of the program. We are working hard to convert it into pasture with a riding trail around it. We recently obtained super rare colonial Ossabaw hogs and heritage breed Red Bourbon Turkeys. Our new weekly home school programing has increased the number of winter participants who are out on Friday's five fold. Our environmental educational programs that revolve around soil and water conservation are attracting heightened interest. We installed a deep well which gives up the capability not only of watering all of the horses, but also irrigating our pastures, which will make for happier horses, reduced hay bills and less run off and erosion.  

Beginning today we are launching our first Thirty Day, Day of Giving fundraising effort. And for each of the next twenty nine days I will post details about everything that we do in our horse lot--rare breed conservation and promotion of nearly extinct strains of Colonial Spanish horses such as Corollas, Shacklefords, Marsh Tackys, Choctaws, Grand Canyons, and Galicenos , riding programs, a special daylong session for home schoolers, natural horsemanship, application of permaculture principles for soil and water conservation, the PTSD program for patients at the local Veterans Hospital, programs offered for those who have survived sexual assault, performing living history, teaching natural horse care and promoting natural hoof care, raising and displaying heritage breed hogs, goats, chickens and turkeys,.....and a music program in which participants learn early American songs and play and perform on a host of ancient or folk instruments, including banjo, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, autoharp, harmonica, bouzouki, boudhran, cajon, fiddle, and wash tub bass.

And best of all----I am certain that I have forgotten to mention some of the things that we do.

Many of these programs are provided at no cost to participants and even for those with program fees we have never turned anyone away for inability to pay those fees.

Here is how you can help over the next month. First of all, go to our brand new web page at www.millswampindianhorses.com and make a contribution directly on that page.

Secondly, and equally important, please share each of the posts on this blog for the next twenty nine days with all of your friends and most especially, with groups that have an interest in any of the things that we do in our program. (That is quite a broad swath of interests as you can see when you let sink in the range of activities set out above.)

We work very hard on this program because we get to see the difference it makes in the lives of the people in our program. We work very hard on this program because we understand how important it is to prevent the extinction of these horses.

Contributions to 501 (c) 5 organizations are not tax deductible.