Hay: We go through about 5 semi-truck loads of square bales and 250 round bales each year! Many of the horses we save are underweight and malnourished when they come to us, and high quality hay is always needed. We also get some FAT horses who need to lose weight, so even lower quality, “diet” hay is welcomed as well! When it comes to hay, if it’s mold free and safe for horses… we’ll take it!
Round Pen Panels: When we get feral and fractious horses in, sometimes it is easiest to move them with chutes at first. Setting up round pen panels is an easy, safe way to do this. Round pen panels also allow us to set up temporary pens for a variety of situations. We would also love to have an outdoor arena, and round pen panels would be great to use for this as well!
Railroad Ties, Stones, Building Materials: We are in the process of saving up materials for our large outdoor horse obstacle course! This course will allow us to take our training to the next level as we help these horses become fearless trail mounts, mounted patrol horses, and just all-around good citizens! When put up for adoption, we can then showcase our horses’ special talents… making them more attractive to potential adopters! If you are interested in sponsoring an obstacle for our course, contact us!
Gravel/Lime: With horse trailers constantly coming and going, we are always needing to “manicure” our driveways and paths. Gateways are a magnet for mud, so putting crushed limestone down eliminates the problem! Contact us for information on how to donate a load of gravel. It’s easier than you think… make a phone call, pay over the phone, and they deliver it right here!
Horse Tack and Supplies: Buckets, bridles, saddles, oh my! We get a variety of horses in a variety of shapes! Having correctly fitting tack is an absolute MUST when teaching these horses that humans are actually nice. We will take new or used tack (dirty, clean, old, we don’t care!). Please no broken or dry rotted equipment.
Supplements/Grain: We go through a bunch of supplements and grain when rehabilitating horses! Ulcer and gut supplements are the most popular, but we also need hoof and fat supplements as well. Some of our favorites include Daily Gold, EquiPride, Uckele GUT, Farrier’s Magic products, and Cool Calories. Many different horses means we can use most supplements and always have horses in need! The same goes for grain. Any and all feed donations are appreciated! If you don’t want to make a drop off, you can even call in a grain order to our local feed store! Shade River Ag’s number is 740-589-6000. Tractor Supply’s number is 740-594-1892. Both places know us well and would be happy to assist you! You can buy a bag of grain (any brand, any type) over the phone and just tell them that it is for Bella Run Equine! Shoot us a message letting us know and we will pick it up!
Dog Collars/Leashes/Toys: When we pull a dog, all they come with is a paper collar with their ID number on it, sometimes not even that. When they leave us, we like to send them with a collar (med-large sizes are most needed), a leash, and a few toys. Some of our dogs have never had toys before, and we like to provide a variety for training and entertainment purposes. A mentally stimulated dog is a well behaved dog!
Dog Beds: After a long day on the farm, the dogs in our program come inside and crash on their beds. When adopted out, we often send their beds with them so they have a familiar spot in their new home. We are always in need of new dog beds (or gently used beds that can be put in the washing machine).
Medical Supplies: Many of our horses and come in with injuries and wounds. Being able to treat many of these on-site is great, and being prepared with all of the necessary supplies is even better! Any and all medical supplies are greatly appreciated. VetWrap, gauze, and wound ointment are all things that we burn through daily. Needles (20g x 1” preferred) and sterile syringes (all sizes) are very expensive, so when a vet prescribes an injectable medication, it helps save money if we don’t have to purchase the needles and syringes. Anything we can not use here will be sent to another local non-profit that can use it!
Gift Cards: Sometimes it seems like we are on the road more than in the barn! Hauling horses to and from the vet, picking up owner surrenders, and hauling horses to their new homes really adds up! Gift cards for fuel are an excellent way to help us get there! In addition, gift cards to stores like Walmart, Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc. will also help us buy the supplies that we need right now!
Trees: Donate a tree in honor or memory of someone, and know that it is making a difference here at Bella Run! This may seem like a funny thing to have on our wish list, but we don’t have many trees in our pastures. We will protect the trees from nibbling ponies, and the end result will be a beautiful way to help our earth and our horses. Of course we have run-in sheds for shelter, but we would love to be able to provide our horses with more natural shade when they are outside. Planting trees is also a great thing for the planet, so why not?
Rubber Mats: Mud at gates, bathing areas, and water tanks is not healthy or safe. Placing rubber mats in high traffic areas is an easy way to protect our ground and prevent further issues/injuries that mud can potentially create.
Water Tanks: Bringing in new horses constantly means that quarantine is important for herd health. Having separate water sources is number one. Any size tank can be utilized here, new or used!
Dewormer and Fly Spray: Parasite control is a big part of getting our horses healthy. While flies are painful and irritating, internal parasites (worms) can cause a whole slew of issues! We are very grateful for any type of dewormer!
Run-In Shelters: Several companies make PORTABLE 3-sided shelters, and maybe someone may have one that they aren’t using anymore and would like to donate? Having more shelters would mean that we could house even more horses here at the farm. For a more permanent location on-site, if you would like to sponsor the building of a permanent run-in shelter here at the farm ($2400-$3600 depending on size), please contact us! To thank you, you will receive your name on a plaque at the entryway of the shelter!
Horse Store Gift Certificates: Horse and barn equipment is expensive! Gift certificates to online tack shops like Big Dees, Chicks, SmartPak, Jeffers, and State Line Tack would allow us to get what we need right when we need it!
A Commercial Grade High-Capacity Washing Machine: Oh boy… this is a big one! Horse laundry is ruining our volunteers’ personal washing machines, and frankly, those smaller machines are not even doing the job well. Laundromats in the area have blacklisted all horse blankets, and pressure washing simply doesn’t get the deep dirt out. If you know of a laundromat that’s going out of business, or are interested in donating a big boss washing machine, please contact us! This would simply make us giggle with joy!
We are proudly sponsored by Espoma, who provides us with WONDERFUL clean bedding for our trailers and stalls! Sani-Care is a great product and we are very fortunate to be able to have it for our horses (www.sani-care.com). We just want you to know that if you are shopping for us, you can skip the shavings aisle and pick up a different item on our list! Thank you!