We are excited to announce the selection of Blue Star Equiculture™ as the recipient of the 3rd quarter funds from Dynamite’s Year of the Horse Project. Located at the Burgundy Brook Farm in Palmer, Massachusetts, Blue Star Equiculture is a vision born out of the hearts of like-minded individuals who feel the need to respond to the current, increasingly dire situation facing homeless horses, especially working draft horses. Blue Star Equiculture is a working horse rescue and sanctuary committed to helping horses, humans and Mother Earth. In concert with the community, they help working horses live out their days in comfort and dignity and help humans connect with, care for, and be better partners to horses and Mother Earth.
Blue Star Equiculture’s mission is to provide retired and homeless working horses a sanctuary, the opportunity to be useful and positively improve their lives, while bringing education, equine awareness, skills and healing to the community and the environment. They are a sustainable, productive, organic farm powered by horses and humans. They also provide workshops on organic land care that are open to the community. Blue Star researches and promotes history in conjunction with local historical societies and offers horse-drawn tours, increasing awareness of our rich past and the value of our lives with horses. Overall, they want to reconnect people with horses and the earth.
Blue Star Equiculture takes in homeless or unwanted horses and retired or medically-challenged horses and gives them the time and space to heal and acclimate. Those that are physically able are allowed to acclimate to their new surroundings in the Blue Star herd and then are trained for new skills, or their long-held training is refined.
The skills that the horses develop include driving, agricultural, riding, therapeutic or showing skills, depending on their unique personalities and abilities. Blue Star Equiculture horses are not “lawn ornaments,” unless that is their special skill. The timeline on such development and eventual rehoming has no limit – it could be weeks, months or years, and in fact any knowledgeable horseperson knows that a horse’s education, just like ours as humans, is never complete.
Blue Star Equiculture will not deny any horse in residence on the farm a forever home, provided that home is appropriate to the horse’s mental and physical well-being, bearing in mind that Blue Star may well be that horse’s sanctuary for the rest of his life.
Blue Star Equiculture is affiliated with professional organizations, such as the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and the Carriage Operators of North America.
We applaud the work that they do for the animals and the people they touch. Their work ties directly into Dynamite’s vision: Improving the lives of all creatures! Congratulations Blue Star Equiculture! Dynamite is honored to partner with you and bring recognition to the work that you do.
From August 1 through October 31 5% of all equine TNT sales will be donated to the Year of the Horse Project fund to benefit Blue Star Equiculture. Be sure to check our Facebook page over the next few months for other ways to help this fabulous organization.