Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Sanctuary in struggle to survive
Lockdown leaves staff and the horses they care for without food
LOCKDOWN has left 40 rescued horses struggling to survive at a sanctuary near Plettenberg Bay.
Debbie Fermor and her staff run Hog Hollow Horse Trails at the foot of the Tsitsikamma Mountains on the Garden Route. Fermor has a passion for horses which she rescues and brings back to the farm, and they earn their keep by taking people for rides on horse trails in the surrounding forests and mountains.
“We work with animal rescue organisations throughout the country,” Fermor said.
“The horses come from townships, drought-stricken areas, owners who can’t afford to look after them any longer… Some of them come from the polo and horse-racing industry, some from the logging industry in the forests in Knysna. We train them all up on our trails.”
When lockdown began, Hog Hollow Horse Trails could not offer rides, and the farm was left without an income.
“It changed everything,” Fermor said. “We are a non-profit organisation so if we don’t have cash flow coming in, we can’t do anything. We had to put our staff on leave and we applied for unemployment (benefits) for all of them.”
While she scrambled to provide assistance for her nine staff members who were suddenly left without an income, she also had to think of how to feed the horses in her care. It usually costs R1 000 per month to care for each horse, including feed and farrier visits.
“At the moment we’ve got zero income to buy food,” she said.
“With cash flow grinding to a halt, our horses were luckily accommodated by our neighbours. They all opened their farms to us, so we take our horses to graze there. If it wasn’t for the neighbours I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Assistance from the nearby farms gave most of the horses fresh grass to munch on for now, but being restricted to only the food growing on the ground forced Fermor to make a very tough decision about some of her older, weaker charges.
“There were some older horses I knew wouldn’t survive on grass alone, without supplements, and they had to be put down. It’s been very traumatic for us.”
Fermor is also considering selling off the two large draft horses that usually pull a vintage carriage around wine farms for a scenic wine-tasting experience – another source of income for the farm.
Along with two staff members, she is working the farm for anything that can help bring in cash.
“We’re taking the horse manure, turning it into organic compost and selling it. We’ve got lots of wattle on the farm, so we’re chopping that to sell as firewood. We’ve also dug three vegetable gardens. We’re basically doing everything we can just to survive.”
Fermor is also doing what she can to assist her staff.
“I’ve applied to all the tourism relief funds but nothing has come through. With whatever money we can generate, we buy some mealie meal and flour. We have also shown them how to plant their own gardens and given them compost and seedlings.”
Fermor decided to turn to crowdfunding to help maintain the farm until they are allowed to welcome customers again. She is also hoping she will be able to invite volunteers to the farm to help with the immense task of taking care of 40 horses.
“The situation is becoming more and more desperate,” she said. “Not knowing how long we have to do this for is making it very difficult.”
Despite the hardship the lockdown has brought to Hog Hollow, Fermor said it has not been without valuable lessons, like the importance of having different income streams.
“We have to diversify,” she said. “For me lockdown has been very hard, but also amazing. It’s brought me awareness to be grateful for what we do have, and to see the kindness and support around us.”
To find out more or to donate, see facebook.com/HogHollowHorseTrails.