Saving Grace

Every day in my cozy little world begins basically the same: coffee and the newspaper. At times there are variances to this routine but, for the most part, this simple "get my coffee, go out and get the paper/ pick up the cat who has to be carried into the laundry room to his food plate, and settle quietly on the end of the sofa with the hope no one sees me or tries to speak with me until 20 minutes after the last drip of coffee has been licked from the cup" works pretty darn well for me. I'm careful about what I read in the paper. The atrocities we as human beings inflict on one another wound my soul. What's worse, with the economic situation being what it is, an entire segment of society is being abused and neglected in record numbers: the animals (as if the wives, kids, and old people weren't enough). Talk with the real estate agents who are sent out by the banks to look at foreclosed homes and they'll tell you about the animals that have been left behind, slowly starving to death, because their people, their Families, were no longer able to care for them. As our frustrations rise, abuse of animals climbs in equal measure. It is a sad reality of our society that the most vulnerable are its first victims.

As a young girl, I fell in love with the guy on the other side of the fence. I was four or five, he was about the same. He was tall, blond and liked to eat carrots. In the afternoons, I would climb over the fence and sit in the Weeping Willow tree in his yard and watch him roll in the dirt. His name? His name was Star. It was 1972, fresh out of the '60's, and those hippie names hung around like white cat hair on your favorite black coat. This particular love child, though, happened to be a horse and they don't really care what you call them. Aside from the ponies at the County Fair, Star was the first horse I ever rode, and the first I ever fell off of. I and one of the other neighbor girls who was trying to vie for Star's affection, were given a ride (bareback, no less) around the pasture. She did a terrible job holding her front position and we wound up bouncing right off the back of my beloved. Ahh, it's true--you always remember your first. Star turned out to be one in a long line of equine love affairs. There was Sugarfoot, Jimbo, Sun, Bo, Dusty, Mr. Magoo, and many in between. A love of horses runs deeper and different then with any other animal. People are either horse people or they are not; the gray area that exists with cats and dogs does not apply here. It's the smell when you place your cheek on the neck of a horse. The feel of running full speed across a field; just you and the horse beneath you. The touch of a horse's mouth as s/he nibbles the treat you've offered. It touches your soul and connects you to God, or it doesn't.

As humans, we've taken these animals from the wild, domesticated them, made them our beasts of burden. In return, we have obligations to these animals. Pick up the paper, go on the Internet, you'll find people from all walks of life not living up to their obligations. They love their horses, but don't feed them or have the money for veterinary care. They're hoarders and horses, rather than cats or dogs, are their animal of choice. Horses, when locked in stalls or left for days and weeks at a time in their paddock without care, slowly and painfully starve to death. For those of us who see these animals as the noble creatures they are, this sadistic and inhumane treatment is beyond comprehension.

But wait, this isn't going to be a total downer post. It was just necessary to have some background before moving on to the real topic: The Grace Foundation. In short, the Grace Foundation is an equine rescue and rehabilitation facility here in northern California (El Dorado Hills outside of Sacramento). The Grace Foundation currently has over 125 horses in their care. These animals come to them starved, abused, neglected. The owners did not willingly, in most cases, give these animals up. Instead they were seized by the local humane society after legal action was taken against the owners for abuse and neglect. Some horses have come to the Grace Foundation in such bad shape that humane euthanizing was the only option. Fortunately, the numbers of animals that have been saved far outweigh those that have been lost. At the Grace Foundation, these horses are given a second chance at life. Horses are not put down because they are old or blind or no longer "serve a purpose". They are, instead, allowed to live out the rest of the days of their life in peace and cared for in a manner they should have known all along. The Grace Foundation also takes in, when necessary, other animals. At any given time, you can look up on the hills and see a flock of sheep grazing. Or go over to the cow pen to see Milkshake, the cow; or Gavin and Garrett, the two calves rescued this past summer. There are the requisite chickens and goats who wander the barnyard looking for grain dropped by the horses, and dogs & cats constantly underfoot.

Everywhere you look at Grace Foundation you are reminded of the atrocities that humans inflict on those they deem lesser than themselves. But as Peter Parker's uncle told him in Spiderman, "Remember Peter, with great power comes great responsibility". The Grace Foundation takes that responsibility seriously. Now the money plug. The Grace Foundation needs money for food, supplies, medication, everything. Hay prices are astronomical and with more and more horses needing care, resources are stretched thin. Please, visit the Grace Foundation. Read about who they are and what they do. Here's their web link:

http://www.thegracefoundationofnorcal.org/index.html

Please read their story, watch the video of how and why Beth DeCaprio started the Grace Foundation. If you can donate any monetary amount, go to the "donations" link on the site. PayPal makes it easy and all donations are 100% tax deductible. If horses just "aren't your bag" or want to make a difference a little closer to home, please remember the SPCA and other animal rescue organizations all need your help. Thanks!