To a rescued ex-racehorse, a warm winter blanket can be a matter of life or death. Just ask Kathryn (Kate) Papp, DVM, founder of PA Racehorse, Rehoming, Rehabilitation & Rescue (PARR), whose main facility is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
A 501(c)(3) organization that rehabilitates, rehomes and supports Thoroughbreds after the end of their racing careers, PARR recently received 25 new, 1,200-denier turnout blankets from the WeatherBeeta/State Line Tack blanket donation program. The timing couldn’t have been better, as the rescue’s blankets were in poor shape, replacements would have been expensive and winter was coming on.
“To have the support of WeatherBeeta is everything,” Papp said in a new video by A Home For Every Horse (AHFEH), which has partnered with WeatherBeeta, State Line Tack and Horse.com to bring benefits like this to AHFEH-registered rescues like PARR. “Our horses here—especially the ex-racehorses—have been kept in stalls, so the blankets are necessary, because they won’t grow the coats that they need,” she explained.
Without the extra warmth, it can be difficult for these Thoroughbreds to maintain weight and body temperature in cold weather, which in turn can lead to illness. But, like most rescue organizations, PARR—which routinely cares for 20-30 horses at its main facility—relies on volunteers and donations to keep going.
It’s a mission of mercy, and one that Jessica Manson, senior account director at WeatherBeeta, said is dear to her heart. As she related in the AHFEH video, the blanket donation program (which premiered in 2018) is available through Horse.com and StateLineTack.com. When a customer purchases any WeatherBeeta Ultra or Premier blanket, Horse.com, State Line Tack and WeatherBeeta will donate a WeatherBeeta ComFiTec™ Classic Blanket to AHFEH. Info about the qualifying rescues is then sent by AHFEH to WeatherBeeta, which selects the ultimate winner.
“A Home For Every Horse is honored to be a part of the WeatherBeeta and State Line Tack blanket program,” said Amanda Bodkin of AHFEH. “It’s important to have programs like this to support our rescues and help alleviate some of their costs, as blankets can be expensive, and with long winters, we want to make sure that all horses that need a blanket have one.”
Thanks to this joint charitable effort, all of PARR’s rescued or rehabbing/rehoming Thoroughbreds now have adequate cold-weather coverage, “ … as long as they don’t play tag with their teeth too often in the fields while wearing them,” Papp said, smiling.
“Programs like A Home For Every Horse and responsible, ethical, philanthropic companies such as WeatherBeeta are role models for all genuine efforts to help horses in need,” she continued. “Their efforts trickle down all the way from the top and make their way to those who can truly use their help—and to organizations like ours, who may not have the manpower or time to seek out more publicity and/or who try their hardest not to continuously be soliciting the public for donations.
“We at PARR try our very best to be self-sufficient, as well as efficient, and to provide the absolute finest care to our animals without burdening others. A Home For Every Horse and WeatherBeeta make it possible for us to survive and do more by removing one less worry from our to-do list!”
For more information about A Home For Every Horse, to view the video about PARR and to learn about adoptable horses, go to ahomeforeveryhorse.com. To learn more about PARR, go to http://www.paracehorse.org.
About AHFEH
A Home For Every Horse was created in 2011 as a result of a partnership between the Equine Network, the nation’s leading publisher of equine-related content, and the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition (now the United Horse Coalition). The program provides a resource for 501(c)(3) horse rescue organizations. The A Home For Every Horse program helps connect rescue horses in need of homes, in over 700 rescues across the United States, with people looking for horses. To make the connection between rescue horses and homes, rescue organizations can list their horses for free on Equine.com, the world’s largest horse marketplace, where they can be seen by 300,000 visitors each month. Rescue organizations involved with A Home For Every Horse are also provided with many great benefits from the sponsors involved with the program. A Home For Every Horse specifically works with sponsors to help provide much-needed assistance to rescues around the country. Purina has donated feed to eligible rescues through A Home For Every Horse for the past eight years. Absorbine, WeatherBeeta and Tractor Supply provide many great donations to rescues that are featured events attended by A Home For Every Horse staff each year.
