What's happening

26 February 2018

Have you seen the new editions of Young Reds and Mini Reds?

Hello, Red here!

BRRRRR! It’s been so cold and wet recently it’s hard to believe that spring is just around the corner! To brighten up your week, the lovely team at Redwings has been working hard on the latest editions of Young Reds and Mini Reds, and from the sneak peek I’ve had they’re brilliant! Keep an eye out as they should be arriving on your doorstep any day!

For my younger pals, aged three to seven, the Mini Reds activity book is packed full of fun facts, horsey games and lovely stories. In this edition, meet our horse and donkey superheroes and have a go at making your own stand-up horse!

Young Reds magazine is for those of you who are eight years and older. It has all the latest news from the Sanctuary plus quizzes, collectible fact files, Tucker’s diary and loads more. The latest issue is a ‘Rescue special’, find out what it’s like to be part of the Redwings transport team and why adorable donkey Martha is the recipient of our ‘bravest resident’ award. Plus make your own Redwings coin collector and be inspired to fundraise to help your favourite Redwings residents!

If you don’t already receive Mini Reds or Young Reds, click on the 'Join up' link at the top right of this page and fill in your details to get your FREE copy!

 

20 February 2018

Red’s Shed: shhhhh! What you need to know about horses and sleep

Hi, Red here! It’s time to learn a little bit about how we four-legged friends get our sleep. Shhhh, we don’t want to wake anyone up!

Horses, ponies and donkeys are a lot different to humans in the way that we sleep. Whilst you go to bed in the evening, sleep through the night, and wake up in the morning, we don’t sleep that way at all.

In fact, adult horses sleep for less time overall (about three hours – can you imagine?!) and in much shorter bursts throughout the day. So horses tend to drift off quite a lot, but they don’t stay asleep for very long – maybe even just a few minutes at a time!

When you come to see us at Redwings, have you ever noticed that you rarely see us lying down? That sometimes does happen when we’re very relaxed, and some of us do this more than others, but normally we stand up all the time – and that includes when we are asleep!

That’s actually impossible for a human to do, but we have special locking knees that stop us from falling over when we’re having a snooze. We do this because we have pretty straight backs and we can't get up quickly, so we were designed to sleep standing up just in case a predator came along and we need to leave in a hurry!

Luckily, we haven’t got to worry about that here at Redwings, as the lovely people who work here all really care about us and make sure we are safe. Snuffles and his friends certainly look relaxed whilst having a sleep here!

So the next time that you come and see us, have a close look to see what we are doing. If we are standing still and not moving much, you might have caught us having a sneaky nap!

 

30 January 2018

Thanks Izabella!

We’d like to say a massive thank you to Izabella, who’s just turned 10 years-old and who has been busy raising money for Redwings. 
 
Izabella is such a huge fan of our four-legged friends – especially Zippy, who lives at Redwings Ada Cole – that rather than getting presents for her birthday earlier in January, she asked for donations to Redwings instead! How amazing is that?!
 
Izabella raised the grand total of £165, which is enough money to fill 16 of our vet unit stables with cosy shavings for poorly horses. Zippy and his pals are really pleased and feel very lucky to have friends like Izabella! 
 
From everyone at Redwings, with four legs and two – thank you Izabella for thinking of us and for raising money in such a brilliant way. 

Have you raised money for Redwings? We’d love to hear about it! If you’ve been a fab fundraiser, write to us at Young Reds, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Hapton, Norwich, NR15 1SP or email [email protected]

 

18 January 2018

Red's Shed: How do horses cope in the winter?

Hi!
 
January is here and so is the winter – brrrr! Have you ever wondered how horses are able to live happily in winter months?
 
It might not surprise you, but horses are much better at coping with the colder weather than humans. Here’s why…
 
Layer of fat – Like many grazing mammals, we gain weight in the summer by eating lots of nutritious food, so that we can survive the harsher winter conditions (although the goal is to have the same healthy amount of fat all year round). This means that for healthy and fit horses, we are perfectly equipped to get through winter without the need for extra food or rugs – clever, huh?
Skin – Our skin has two layers: a waterproof layer, and an insulating layer. Our skin also has special oils that makes water run off like a duck’s back. So it’s important that we aren’t washed too much in the winter, otherwise it may strip us of essential oils and we could catch a chill, being less waterproof!
Coat – If you visit Redwings over the winter, you’ll see that we grow extra fluffy winter coats. Our coats are really clever, because they have special layers especially designed to trap pockets of air. This insulating layer keeps the heat in and the cold out. The hair also points downwards, which means that rain and snow is deflected away from the skin – very important for staying warm.
Nose – Have you ever been out in the cold and noticed that your nose is freezing? We horses keep our noses warm with lots of warm blood, pumped around the nostrils, as the skin is more exposed and less hairy than the rest of us.
Eyelashes – Next time you visit, have a good look at our eyelashes. You’ll see that they are nice and thick, so they are really good at protecting our eyes from strong winds and freezing temperatures.
Mane and feathers – These areas of long hair are naturally designed to keep our head and legs warm. Put your hands underneath a long mane and you can feel just how warm it is, just like a blanket!
Group huddles – When it’s really cold, we horses huddle together to make sure that we conserve energy and don’t lose too much heat.
 
There are also ways our carers help us to stay fit and healthy in the colder months at the Sanctuary:
 
Daily checks – At Redwings, we’re checked four times a day to make sure that we’re fit and healthy.
Shelter – Field shelters and natural shelters like trees and hedgerows help protect us from harsh weather.
Providing the right rug when needed – For some horses, such as those who are very young, old or unwell, or those who are clipped because they do a lot of exercise, they we may need a little extra help keeping warm in especially cold temperatures, so you might see them wearing a rug. It’s also important to make sure rugs are taken off when temperatures rise, perhaps during the day, so we don’t get too hot.
Fat checking – Every two weeks our carers do something called “body condition scoring” where they make sure that we have enough stores to get through the winter, but at the same time ensuring that we don’t get too fat.
Providing the correct nutritious hay – It’s very important that humans make sure we’re eating the right food so we have the energy we need for the winter. And that they spread fresh hay around if it has snowed as it’s not always easy to find underneath!
Ensuring a plentiful water supply – It’s also important that the water we have isn’t frozen over in very cold weather and is still drinkable.
 
So next time you visit us in winter, all wrapped up in coats, scarves and gloves, remember just how clever horses are at coping with the cold temperatures!