01/09/11

A Look Back at 2010

2010 was a year of continued growth for Ray of Light. While the facilities and number of animals did not change substantially, we did grow in several other respects.

The New BIT Program

One of our most exciting developments was the establishment of our BIT program. Our head instructor, Sue Macauley began the program as an effort to help educate current or potential horse owners and horse-handlers how to develop and use training programs using the language of the horse. The feedback for the program has been excellent, and the progress of the students and their desire to learn has exceeded even our highest expectations. This kind of educational experience is valuable to horse and human alike, and is exactly the kind of work that parallels our mission of improving lives of humans and animals by developing positive connections between each other and with life.

An Improved On-Line Presence

Another area of growth for us was in the technological arena. Our new website was launched early in 2010, and continues to grow and improve. We hope that this site will become a place where friends and fans of Ray of Light will check in regularly to stay informed of news, developments, and program and event schedules. And speaking of friends, we are also now on Facebook. We hope this will be another way to keep you informed of upcoming events. Our partner, the Save-A-Buck Tack and Gift Shop has also launched a new website to add the convenience of shopping on-line to its repertoir. It is also developing its own newsletter to inform subscribers of upcoming inventory, deals, and shop news. The website and newsletter are both works in progress, and we look forward to seeing them grow.

Continued Partnerships

Our relationships with others who share some of our missions and goals were strengthened in 2010. We hosted several clinicians including Anna Twinney of Reach Out to Horses. We are pleased to know that many of these educators will be back again in 2011. To see their dates, please check our program calendar. We also appreciated the strong comittment from volunteers, both new and old. These volunteers generously help us in quieter but equally meaningful ways.

Hellos and Goodbyes

2010 was also a year of both hellos and goodbyes. The birth of chicks and lambs at the farm made for a very exciting spring. We acquired new animals including the peacocks Indigo and Ink, a mammoth donkey named Stretch, and one new school horse, Lance. We also made room for horses and ponies in need, including the four mustangs (Dylan, Maverick, Algebra, and Cheyenne), the paint Lucy and two miniature horses, plus the 10 Premarin (PMU) foals who arrived in October.

We said goodbye to several animals too, some of whom left for new homes, and some whose lives on earth ended this year. We mourned the loss of our longtime friend Billy the goat, our reliable Laddie the Fjord pony, and our relatively new addition Stretch the mammoth donkey. Those sad losses were somewhat buffered by the joy of finding new homes for some of our fosters, including the miniature horses who had arrived with Lucy, the 2-year old PMU colts Peanut Butter and Homer, former school horse Patches, longtime resident Levi, the four rescued mustangs, and three lucky PMU foals.

Our Goals for 2011

In the coming year, we hope to continue our path of growth and learning. We will strive to fulfill our mission to facilitate the formation of positive connections between people and animals. We will try to provide a safe haven for animals in need, and continue to promote animal care and understanding through our educational programs.

If you would like to help us achieve our goals, please join in on our programs, support our partners, volunteer some time, or contribute to our cause by making a tax-deductible donation.

Thank you for your support! We look forward to another wonderful year!