The Unseen Work That Keeps the Sanctuary Alive

During the relatively short growing season here in the northwest North Carolina mountains, many things need to be accomplished before the ensuing winter (I know, we hate to think about winter during these wonderful warm days, too, but c’est la vie!).

Because the soil is quite acidic here, lime is applied to the pastures, annually, if resources permit, to adjust soil pH which improves grass growth and overall forage quality. Then fertilizer is applied (usually every other year due to the cost) and is more readily available to the grass once the pH has been adjusted.

Prior to any work on the grass, debris must be cleared and removed or burned (conditions permitting) in order to spread lime and fertilizer. This year, that was much more of an issue after Hurricane Helene and the subsequent ice storm.

Damage from Hurricane Helene in Ashe County.

The roads on the farm are also subject to much “abuse” in the winter. Freezing and thawing makes them less stable and then spring rains can come with a vengeance and create ruts and washes. We work on our roads year round with a box blade to try and mitigate the “destruction”, but without application of gravel, there’s only so much that can be done. Normally, we only spread a thick layer of gravel in areas that are particularly subject to ruts and washing, such as slopes (and on this farm, that accounts for a lot of roads) but all of them need some light layer of gravel spread on them, pretty much annually.

All of these things are essential for “farming”, which is what we do to keep the farm available and safe for the horses. The horses don’t know all of this! All they know is when there is nice green grass to graze on when the warm summer sun shows up and it’s just good to be a horse in a pasture!

Funds to accomplish these “chores” are not the “sexy” part for donors. It feels more rewarding to provide grain and meds and supplements and stalls with shavings and exercise and socializing programs to improve chances for adoption and make room for others, but none of that would be possible without maintaining the farm, itself.

So this initiative is in addition to what we need to feed and care for the horses’ direct needs.

The pelletized, Dolomite lime Is sold in 50lb bags and applied at 500lbs per acre. Each 50lb bag costs roughly $35.00/bag. We will lime roughly 10 acres this year. (~$3500.00)

We will skip fertilizer this year to save costs.

Gravel is $500 per tandem truck load. Normally, we would spread about 20 loads, but we can stop after any given load if we feel like we have covered enough, i.e. there is no minimum. (~$10,000.00)

The debris has been piled up and cost roughly $5000.00, done over multiple days, over multiple pastures. Now it has to be hauled away or burned. That will involve some labor cost (even the burning, because you can’t leave these burning piles of brush, alone. They have to be tended).

Once the debris has been consolidated, we can bush hog the pastures to even out the growth and allow the lime to settle down thru the grass, to the ground. Our tractor and bush hog will do this job, so we can do this without additional cost, other than some diesel fuel.

These really are bare minimums, just to be able to do it again next summer!

At this same time, we are purchasing hay to store in the barns for feeding during the winter months. It is much cheaper to buy it now when the farmers are cutting and baling the hay, rather than waiting until it is cut and baled and stored by someone else and getting it then, with added cost.

Last year, we used 400 square bales at $8.50/bale and 52 round bales at $35.00 per round. Our usage depends on the number of “residents” that we have at any given time and their health and overall condition. These are last year’s prices, so we don’t know if they will hold or not.

We can’t do this without you. While these aren’t the most exciting or heartwarming projects, they are the foundation—literally—that allows us to continue rescuing, rehabilitating, and caring for the horses who depend on us. If you’re able to help, whether it’s covering the cost of a bag of lime, a bale of hay, or a load of gravel, your support will go directly toward keeping the sanctuary safe, functional, and ready for the next soul who needs us. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a tangible difference. Thank you for being part of this work.