Can’t believe we haven’t put a post on our website for so long, yeah we’ve updated and added pages but between the phone always ringing, going out doing checks on reports we get, veterinary appointments, supply runs, the actual care of the animals at the rescue, trying to keep up with maintenance of our facilities, etc and of course we are volunteers who also have jobs and responsibilities aside of the rescue. One of the things that has clearly fallen through the cracks is keeping you updated with what is going on at the rescue … our lack of updates on our website & social media channels could lead you to think we have gone into hibernation … chance would be a fine thing!
In this NINETEENTH year since our formation, we find ourselves wondering:
- Has anything changed for the better for the animals in this country
- Could we do something to help bring about more long-term welfare improvements
- Are there initiatives we could get involved in or even create that would not require large financial resources
We have ideas, lots of ideas, but we would love to hear from you if there are projects you know of or are involved in that you feel would be a good fit for us to join. We hope to be available to do talks for schools, scouts, youth clubs, etc once they’ve recommenced after the summer and would like to get them involved in helping to create age-appropriate educational materials that will be compiled into an online resource that can be freely accessed by other schools, groups, clubs, etc to reach even more people.
Over the past few weeks we have attended a few agricultural shows where we have chatted with lots of people of all ages and walks of life, it brings such joy when we get to meet people who have rehomed animals from us and get updates on their progress (or lack thereof!!). Tomorrow, Sunday 2nd of August, we will have a stall at the Ruan Summer Fest, which promises to be another fun family event, so be sure to stop and say hello if you are in the area.
Did you know we make leads, collars, leadropes, etc to help raise funds for the rescue? We sell these at our stall when we attend events, and they are also available to buy in Petstop Discount Warehouse in Ennis & Oranmore. If you are looking for a specific type of design or colour, get in touch and we will tell you if we can make for you.
In light of our reduced grant funding from the Department of Agriculture in December 2025 we have had to cut back on some of the assistance we would normally provide and dip into monies we had set aside for our long awaited much needed haybarn so we were delighted to be selected as one of the organisations you can choose to support through the Blue Token Campaign by customers of Tesco’s Shannon Banks store until the beginning of September.
Do you care about the environment and biodiversity … A new booklet, “Biodiversity on Irish Equine Farms”, has been published by Teagasc equine specialists in collaboration with research colleagues in Johnstown Castle and biodiversity specialists. The new booklet highlights how practical farm management decisions can contribute to protecting and enhancing biodiversity while supporting healthy soils, pasture management, and the welfare of horses. Actions such as allowing hedgerows to grow tall and wide, allowing field margins to flower, improving soil health using organic manures, and adopting appropriate grazing strategies can all contribute to enhancing biodiversity on equine farms, ensuring the resilience of the equine farming sector. The “Biodiversity on Irish Equine Farms” booklet is one of a range of Teagasc resources addressing farmland biodiversity and the protection of the Irish countryside. The new booklet can be accessed here
EQUINE CENSUS 2026 – Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, has today launched the New Equine Herd Profiles and the Equine Census 2026. The Equine Herd Profiles mark another significant step in equine traceability and welfare, by linking every equine to a physical location, a responsible person and tracking movements from birth to death or export.
Equine Herd Profiles are an operator’s view into the New Central Equine Database of the equines that are deemed to be under their care and control and linked to their Equine Premises Registration Number (EPRN). As part of the Equine Census 2026, operators will receive a hard copy of their Equine Herd Profile.
Operators can check their profile and complete their census return by registering with MyAgfood.ie. Operators need to ensure that their profile is up to date by reporting movements of equines onto or off their establishment.
Profiles will be required to: Sell or export, Access supports/grants and Complete the 2026 Equine Census (31 July). Full press release here
We will leave our update there with the promise that we will try to do better with posting news, updates, sharing of information, etc on our various media channels from now on!
As always, thanks for your support; we can’t do what we do without you