News – Page 3

Hurricane Harvey Shelter at Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church

September 1, 2017 By Karen White

We have all seen photos and video’s of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. Most of us have wished that there was something that we, personally, could do to help the victims.

Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK is supporting Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church as they set up a temporary shelter for displaced victims of Hurricane Harvey. The church has the capacity to shelter 50 – 75 people, but needs supplies. People will be arriving soon and they are trying to prepare in advance.

Some of the needs are:

Volunteers
Sheets
Blankets
Pillows and pillowcases
Towels
Water
Toiletries (shampoo, facial cleaner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, tampons and sanitary pads, Q-tips, etc.)
Clothes (new underwear and socks, gently used clothing of all sizes)
Disposable plates, cups, utensils, napkins
Monetary donations can be made at www.ocpres.com.

You can drop donations off at:

Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church, 6000 S. Hampton Rd., Dallas, TX 75232 (214-339-2211)
Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK barn, Roy Crawford Agricultural Complex, 2415 Sunny Meadow Rd., Lancaster, TX. We will deliver all donations to the church.

We appreciate your caring and your help.

North Texas Giving Day is Sept. 14, 2017!

August 25, 2017 By Karen White

WHAT IS NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY?

North Texas Giving Day is an opportunity for you to help nonprofits, like Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK, by donating money towards their organizations. The total dollar amount of donations towards an organization determines whether and how much they will receive in bonus dollars from the North Texas Giving Day organization.

WHY GIVE TO GABBY’S SANCTUARY ARK

To us, it means a chance to increase the funds in our operating fund that are used for feed, hay, vet bills, nutritional supplements, classes for the volunteers and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Agricultural lab students in Lancaster ISD. Besides benefitting rescued animals, you will be contributing towards the education of our youth.

Although primarily working with the Agricultural students, we hope to start with the youngest students and go through the grades, teaching them about animals and respect for all living creatures.

WHEN IS NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY?

North Texas Giving Day falls on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. This year, you can schedule your donations as early as Thursday, Sept. 7, and they will be posted on Sept. 14.

HOW DO I GIVE?

Go to https://northtexasgivingday.org between Sept. 7 at 8:00 a.m. and Sept. 13 at midnight to schedule a donation early. On North Texas Giving Day, Sept. 14, you can donate from 6:00 a.m. until midnight. All donations that were scheduled early will be posted on Sept. 14.

On the North Texas Giving Day website, search for Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK on the Leaderboard. From there, follow the instructions to make your donation

Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK is working with other nonprofits in the Cedar Hill area to raise awareness and donations. Donation stations will be set up at various locations in Cedar Hill, such as restaurants, the library (Sept 7-14) , and Hillside Village (Sept. 7, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.). Someone at these stations can help you with the donation on a computer. A list of locations and times will be posted soon.

THANK YOU!

We appreciate all of our donors, volunteers, and supporters throughout the year. North Texas Giving Day is an opportunity to make your donations go a bit further with the bonus dollars provided by the Communities Foundation of Texas. Please continue to support Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK through your tax deductible financial donations, time, and talent.

GSA Success Story: Addy

August 21, 2017 By Karen White

Sometimes, we at Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK like to brag about our successes. Let’s talk about Addy!

ADDY’S RESCUE

Addy arrived at Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK on April 30, 2015 after being bought by Staci Hamilton, one of our volunteers. She was rescued from a feed lot in Oklahoma less than 24 hours before she was to be sent to the slaughterhouse.

Photo by Elyse White

Addy was about 4 years old when she was brought to us. She had been abused and starved, but was always trusting and affectionate with humans. Later, we discovered that she had started a successful and winning racing career at the age of 2. Race horses are tattooed with an ID number inside their mouths. We discovered someone had tried to scratch out or tattoo over Addy’s ID to hide her identity.

ADDY’S REHABILITATION

In addition to Addy’s weakness, malnourishment, and scrapes, her leg had been injured. She started her rehabilitation by eating as much as she could. She quickly began putting on the weight that she needed and received the proper supplements for nutrition. She was exercised gently as her leg healed. It took a long time for her leg to gain enough strength to support a rider. Addy has healed and excelled.

Photo by Lily Bragg

ADDY’S REINTEGRATION

Now it’s 2017 and Addy is winning races again! She loves to run, loves to win, and she loves Staci as can be seen in the photo’s below.

Photo by Lily Bragg

ADDY’S SUPPORT TEAM

You can be a part of Addy’s Support Team by visiting our Virtual Feed Store and making a tax deductible donation. All donations go to providing feed, veterinary and ferrier services to our rescued horses and support of our other animals.

Upcoming Groundsmanship Class

August 8, 2017 By Karen White

August 19, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.

ABOUT THE CLASS

On Saturday, August 19 at 8:00 a.m., Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK is offering a groundsmanship class taught by Scott Shepherd of 4Shepherds Horsemanship. A tax-deductible donation of $10 entitles you to participate in the class, eat lunch, and enjoy the day with our equine buddies.

The class will take place at the Roy Crawford Agricultural Complex, 2415 Sunny Meadows Rd., Lancaster, TX.

WHAT IS GROUNDSMANSHIP?

Groundsmanship refers to the art of training a horse while remaining on the ground instead of riding the horse. You can gain the horse’s trust, teach the horse different maneuvers, and correct bad habits.
WHO IS SCOTT SHEPHERD?

Scott Shepherd has been around horses in different capacities all of his life. He served with the Dallas Police for 27 years. He joined the Mounted Unit in 2008 and trained the new horses and new riders coming into the program. Scott believes in gaining the respect and trust of any horse he works with. He believes in fostering a horse’s willingness to work and creating a soft, confident horse is the objective of each ride and training session.

A Place to Learn

July 16, 2017 By Karen White

Recently, Scott Shepherd from 4Shepherds Horsemanship presented a program on groundwork training for horses. He started with Gracie, who was donated to Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK by Scott and has since been adopted. Gracie remembered her training and performed well.

Groundwork includes: getting the horse to trust and cooperate with the trainer, working on problems that the horse may have, and exercising the horse in a controlled setting. During all of this, the trainer is standing and not riding the horse.

Bella was up next. She didn’t like to have people handle her feet and lift them off the ground for cleaning, checking for injuries, or trimming her hooves. After gaining her trust, Scott used a rope to add enough pressure to encourage Bella to lift her foot. This exercise will have to be repeated by the Gabby’s ARK trainers to teach her to allow the action consistently.

Scott gave Bella some exercise while training her to go the direction that he wanted. This exercise is done in a circle, with the horse on a long lead rope and the trainer in the center of the circle. Bella seemed to enjoy stretching her legs.

More Opportunities Coming!

More classes will be scheduled for this fall, including safety classes. Some will be open to the public, and others will be restricted to the Lancaster ISD STEM students. A calendar of events will be published on this site once dates are confirmed.