SUNSHINE HORSES NEWSLETTER January 1: Happy Birthday to

SUNSHINE HORSES NEWSLETTER
JANUARY/FEBRUARY EDITION, VOLUME 3
Officers:
January 1: Happy Birthday
to All Our Horses!
President-Kate Starr
Vice Presidents-Mary
Minkoff, Robin Young
Secretary-Pat Paice
Treasurer- Kelly Holt
Volunteer Coordinators-Pat
Paice, Theresa Melnick
Veterinary-SEVS, Early
Winter Equine, Dark Horse
Veterinary, North Country
Veterinary
Farrier-Scott Case
Newsletter-Emlyn Clark
Website-Terri Del Falvero,
Emily Dengler
Table of Contents:
Jan/Feb Review-2
Horse of the Month-2
Adoptions-2
Meet the Breeds-3
Donators-3
Health & Wellness-4
Sun Fact-4
Volunteering with Heart-5
Quiz-5
Wish List-6
Available to Adopt-6
Helping Horses,
Helping People
1
January/February Edition, Volume 3
January/February Review
What a winter it’s been! Thank you to every one of our volunteers for braving the cold temperatures
at Little Apple and the Fairgrounds so our horses can be cared for every day. Your dedication is what
makes us the organization that we are. Bear with us as we continue to keep warm in this Central New
York winter, and remember to keep thinking spring! We’ve also had a fantastic beginning to our year
with almost all of our horses sponsored. A huge thank you to all of our sponsors for your donations and
generosity. Without you, we would not be able to continue our mission. We’d like to say a special thank
you to Erin Murnane, whose birthday wish was to collect donations for Sunshine. Thanks Erin!!!
We did have a sad goodbye in February. Our wonderful old boy Hummer passed away on the
nineteenth at the age of twenty six. He was a charming and endearing horse and was a true gentleman
to all of our volunteers. His fun personality will always be remembered by everyone at Sunshine.
Our Hearts for Horses fundraiser was also a huge success! The horses loved getting valentines
from their human friends and we loved seeing all of the hearts everywhere. Our overall winner was
Firefly, but an honorable mention had to go to Calvin. Molly certainly got the biggest homemade heart
from her sponsor Vicky Cole! We raised over $600 in valentines. Thank you to everyone who bought
their favorite Sunshine horse a heart!
The internet has been more than helpful this past year in bringing in new volunteers and adoptions.
For 2014, we are adding an Instagram account to our online arsenal. Now you can check us out there
as well as at our website, Facebook, and Twitter. Great ways to keep up with all of the exciting things
happening at Sunshine!
Horse of the Month
This is our handsome guy Calvin! Calvin is a 6 year old, 16.2
hand thoroughbred gelding who only raced a few times in his
career before an injury retired him early. He’s an energetic
young guy who is looking for a new career. He would love to go
home with someone who will help him reach his full potential as
a riding horse. He is a lovely horse with a winning personality.
Due to the bone chip in his right front knee, Calvin is limited to
walk/trot riding.
Adoptions
Here’s to the horses who were adopted this month!

Howie
January/February Edition, Volume 3
Meet the Breeds: Friesians
Friesians are the quintessential Barbie dream horse with their magnificent
manes and stunning conformations. They originally came from Frieslands,
Netherlands, where their ancestors carried knights into battle. Later, they
were prized for their powerful gaits and used as both farming horses and as
trotting racehorses.
The Friesian has a baroque body type, with a muscular neck, sloping
shoulders, a compact body and a low set tail. Their legs are shorter, but still
strong. They have small ears that accentuate their Spanish heads. The
average height for Friesians is 15.3 hands; although it is not uncommon to
find shorter or taller ones. Solid black is the most common coat color,
although chestnut can be found in the breed as well. The Friesian also has a
distinctive wavy mane and feathered lower legs.
Friesians have a rapidly growing fan base in the United States and
Europe, where they excel as carriage horses, dressage horses and as
pleasure riding horses. Dressage is often where they shine the most because
of their brisk, high stepping trot and fluid, controlled motions. They are a
nimble breed that is often described as gentle, willing and energetic.
Thank You for Your Donations
Thank you to the following people and
companies for supporting Sunshine
Horses, Inc. Your donations will help us
continue our mission.
Mary Minkoff
Duke and Karen Strache
Mark Dengler
WNY Harness Horsemen’s Assoc.
Erin Murnane
Michele Treinin
The Williams Family
John & Deb McCarty
Bob & Ann Marie Bogigian
Pat & Bill Linnemeyer
Diane & Bill Sestak
Rob Mules
Robin Young
Nila & Jack Ferrand
Pat Paice
Kelly Holt
Pam Leahey
Laurie Roberts
Barb & Wayne Rasmussen
Deb Crawford
Martha Marshfield
Vicki Cole
Janet LaFrance
Howard & Michael Ouriel
Diane Zarzecki
Amy Weimers
Chris Petosa
Jeff Porter
Bob Hodgeson
Jan & Dave Lower
Therese & Larry Walsh
Tioga & Vernon Downs Racetracks, LLC
Davy & Vanessa Rowland
Karen Schwarz
Chris Berry
Dawn & Gene Ellis
Vitale Robinson Companies
Kathy & George Hafele Jr.
David Brawley
Mike Morris
Brett Colley
Jen Sansone
Barry Segel
Craig Martin
Lai K. Wongchan
Christine Callahan
Gerald Krusper
Brett Mowers
Marisa Jones
Laura Moore
Jane White
Lillian Diegel
Janet Detota
Pat Johnson
Heather McCrone
Catherine Barzycki
Barb Metcalf
Beth Smart
Carol Zeitler
Ahnia Young
Gail & John Roscini
Amy Casale
Emily Dengler
John Lerner
Denise Vespa
January/February Edition, Volume 3
Sun Fact of the Month
Health and Wellness: Hay
Hay is one of the most important parts of any horse’s diet. It contains a
For all of our English riding fans out
variety of nutrients required for a healthy animal, especially fiber. Grass
there, let’s see how well you know the
and legume hays are the two most common ways to provide your horse
parts of western tack. There may be a
with the required fiber needed for their diets. Beet pulp is also an easy way
quiz later!
to provide your horse with forage when hay is unavailable. Legume hays
typically have a higher amount of protein in them when compared to grass
hays. Some common forms of grass hay include timothy, fescue and
Kentucky bluegrass. Common types of legume hay are alfalfa and clover.
Hay is cut and dried in the field before it is baled. The earlier cuts of
hay contain the most nutrients since the seed heads have not had time to
mature and the stems of the plants are not as tough. This is called the first
cutting. Nutrient levels will vary because of plant maturity, pasture
management, fertilization and environments.
Another common way to feed has is in a cubed or pelleted form. This
makes the nutrient content more consistent and also stores easily.
However, it is a good idea to soak them in water to make a slurry before
feeding to reduce the chance of choke. Cubed hay is commonly seen in
alfalfa.
Haylage is another way to provide your horse with forage. It is made in
the same way that silage is, except round bales of hay are sealed off and
fermented. This is a common practice seen more in Europe than in the
United States.
Good Quality Hay
Poor Quality Hay
Low moisture content
Dampmold
Green coloring
Brown, yellow or blackened (mold)
Smells sweet
Musty or rotten smell
No mold/dust
Dusty or moldy
No weeds, trash, etc.
Lots of weeds and other debris
January/February Edition, Volume 3
Quiz of the Month
Volunteering with Heart
Think you know Sunshine
My name is Kerry Lerner and I have been volunteering at Sunshine
Horses? Test your knowledge
Horses since the summer of 2012. My Dad and I found out about Sunshine
with this quiz!
horses since the stable was just down the street from our summer camp. My
1. What is Howie’s racing
name?
2. How large is Large?
3. What is Townie’s favorite
treat?
4. True or False: FeFe has a
white sock
5. What breed of horse is
Red?
Dad used to work at his Grandpa’s barn when he was a kid. He told me all
the exciting experiences he had with horses. That made me interested so we
decided to volunteer. When we first started everyone was so friendly and
taught me simple things like how to brush, halter, lead a horse, muck stalls and
much more. Soon enough I could do all of those things myself.
The best thing about Sunshine Horses is the companionship and love
you get from the horses and the other volunteers. We support each other
through the tough times like when we said goodbye to Chip, Hummer, and Jet
last year. We work together as a team to keep the stable clean and the
horses healthy. We share joy like when we waited for Scarlett to deliver Sunny,
or when the horses went out in their first snowfall. We laugh together about
Pilgrim’s antics and when he eats alfalfa from a hamburger bun; not to
mention the look on Battleshipp’s face with his tongue hanging out or when
Rummy scratches his face on my Dad. We celebrate when we find someone
to love and adopt one of our horses.
We plan to keep volunteering for Sunshine Horses as it is a worthwhile
experience for us. Everybody has something to offer the horses, a chance to
make new friends, and learn about horses and teamwork.
-Kerry Lerner
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mudriggin
15 hands-not very large
bananas
True
Morgan Cross
January/February Edition, Volume 3
Available for Adoption
Battleshipp
Molly
Boss
Classy
Dragon
Contact Us
Calvin
Sunshine Horses, Inc.
C/o 7105 Kingdom Rd.
Memphis, NY 13112
Email:
[email protected]
FeFe
Beauty
Dakota
Firefly
Emme
Prince
Website:
www.sunshinehorses.org
Don’t forget Facebook!
Twitter (@nysunshinehorse)
Instagram (sunshine_horses)
Mouse
Rummy
Wish List
Every donation we receive is
gratefully appreciated!
No White
Scarlett
Red
Nicki








Serengeti
Walden
Raffle
Townie
Billie
Dee
Large
Cookie
Hay
Grain
Sawdust or Wood
Shaving Bedding
Blue Halters
Training Equipment
Lead Ropes
Fly Masks/Sprays
Treats
Tack
Sweet PDZ stall refresher
Coolers
Monetary donations are always
welcome as we also need to pay
for vet and farrier bills,
medications, feed, bedding and
other equipment.
You can also sponsor a horse
every month. Sponsoring can
cover anything from a farrier
visit to a full month’s care!
Caviar
Finn
Daisy
Joe



Donate by volunteering! Come
and join the Sunshine family!