Christmas at Earth ARC

Open house is a chance to meet some of the residents

There are currently 23 horses at the Earth animal rescue centre, the majority of them elderly.

All come from people surrendering the animals; Earth ARC never purchases horses. The state some are in when they arrive is pretty bad. The day Becca was rescued, her right eye had been punctured. Becca is now 20 and will probably stay at Earth ARC for the rest of her life.

Other people have also purchased horses off of meat trucks and sent them to the farm.

“People don’t realize but horses get depressed, they really do,” said Raven Jackson, manager at Earth ARC.

As someone who spends a lot of time around horses, Jackson has observed their interactions and their emotions toward new people, as well as the people closest to them.

“The only difference between people and horses is that horses understand human and horse talk, but people only understand people talk.”

Jackson believes horses have a deeper connection with humans than many realize, and they go through tough times as well.

Earth ARC has a variety of other animals including everything from goats to cats and sheep.

The assistance that’s provided, isn’t cheap, however. Earth ARC has to spend approximately $20,000 a year on hay alone. The ranch is run strictly by volunteers.

On Sunday, Dec. 9, a Christmas Open House is planned where there will be decorations, drinks, hot chocolate and hot cider, a bake sale, 50/50 and tickets sold on a Christmas gift basket. Admission is free and it runs 1 to 4 p.m.

In addition to the Christmas open house, open houses are held every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. where people can get a tour and be introduced to the horses.

The rescue centre is at 644 Heron Road, Four Mile Brook.

If people would like more information about Earth ARC, they can check out their Facebook page with upward of 3,000 members.

“If all of the members on that Facebook page sent one loonie, that would make a difference,” Jackson said.

There is an account at the East Coast Credit Union under Earth ARC, set up for donations.

And Earth Arc is always looking for more volunteers.

“Anyone can come on Sunday and I’ll give them a shovel,” Jackson chuckled.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Becca is a horse that was rescued by Earth Arc. She is pictured here when she first arrived. At the time she was underweight and had damage to one of her eyes.