10/05/2007
Harmoney Hill gives new life to horses
By: Catherine Sager
Horse rescuer Tina Murray visits two of her equine charges, Allie and Mint, at Harmony Hill in Schodack. Photo by Catherine Sager. |
SCHODACK LANDING-A passion for animals has led Tina Murray to follow a rewarding but sometimes heartbreaking path. As founder and director of Harmony Hill, her work is the rescue and adoption of horses and donkeys.
"I've had animals my entire life," Murray said. "I had my first pony when I was five." Animals have always been a passion for her and she thought she wanted to go to veterinary school, but realized early on that it was not the right path for her: "I went to a clinic when I was nine years old, and passed out from the smell."A graduate of Maple Hill High School, Murray bought her home in 1998. The house had plenty of room for her eight horses, two donkeys, two llamas, two goats, two cats and seven dogs, and let's not forget the ducks and chickens. One horse, two donkeys, the llamas, goats, cats and all the dogs are Murray's. The rest of the horses and donkeys are available for adoption.
Murray has always had horses; she competed in hunter/jumpers up until the time in 2004 she saw Ringo.
On her website she explains the story of Ringo and how, for several weeks in the bitter cold of January, she would drive past the paddock where he and another horse were pastured. Clearly, Ringo was cold and hungry.
She began calling around to see if there was an organization specializing in the care of abused or neglected horses. "I was pretty naive at the time, and only then realized that there was no help readily available for horses."
Over the years Murray had occasionally taken in horses and found new homes for them, but she had never come across an animal in such bad shape as Ringo.
"I couldn't just do nothing," she said, and for her this was the "light-bulb" moment in which she found her niche.
She contacted Ringo's owners to see if she could help them buy feed or educate them in the proper care of an older horse who is competing with a younger, stronger animal for feed. After a week or so, it became evident to his owners that the best course of action for Ringo would be to simply turn him over to Murray. Ringo, it turned out, was only 22 years old and a registered thoroughbred. She picked him up and brought him home to begin the long road to recovery.
It takes a tremendous amount of care to keep equines healthy, said Murray: "A lot of people don't know about de-worming and farrier [blacksmith] care or equine dental hygiene." Paid for out of her pocket, Ringo's recovery was quite expensive, "and there were no other rescue resources out there to assist with his care."
After Ringo there were others; soon Murray decided to turn her passion into a not-for-profit organization and Harmony Hill was born.
She discovered that rescuing horses was her calling. Since then, it's been a part of her life. She gets calls almost every day asking for help in placing a horse or surrendering an animal that is no longer favored.
"Sometimes people will want to trade up for another horse, but don't want to turn the horse they have over to an auction, because you never know what will happen to the horse once it goes to auction." There are 10 horses and donkeys at Harmony Hill; Murray has room for 12 but tries to keep room for emergency neglect cases.
Managing the organization alone, with the help of a daily visit from a pet-sitter, Murray's day is full. From 5:45 in the morning, her routine revolves around the care of her animals. First, she takes care of the horses, donkeys and llamas, making sure they have food and fresh water. Murray has to match up the seven horses, each with its own personality, appropriately for feeding time and as pasture mates. "If a certain horse is bossy at feeding time, I just put him in a stall until everyone has had enough and then they all go back out."
Then she lets the ducks and chickens out, after having them in shelters overnight to protect them from predators; feeds the dogs, lets the cats out and showers before heading to her job at the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society in Menands.
After a full day there, she heads back and cleans stalls, waters everyone again, and puts everyone back into their shelters. "When I get home, the donkeys are waiting to be fed, the cats are here to greet me, everyone gets fed and given fresh water and put into their shelters for the night. It's not bad."
And she loves it. "There's not one day when I've woken up and thought 'oh, God, I've got to go outside.' The day it's no longer a joy and turns into more work than fun, will be the day I'll give it up." Keeping the size of her organization manageable helps ensure that the work doesn't overwhelm her.
With a degree in business management, she is director of operations at Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society, which has been providing shelter and care for lost, abused and unwanted animals since 1887. Murray is comfortable with managing the staff and running the 20-year-old animal care facility. "The greatest part is that I'm with the animals all day and can truly make a difference."
Harmony Hill is an all volunteer organization, with no paid staff or administration. Its major expenses include general operating costs and care of the horses. Most donated funds are directed toward veterinary care, farrier services and feed. The cost to care for an equine ranges from $10 to $15 per day, depending on the necessary individual care.
Donations are gladly accepted by credit card through PayPal (www.paypal.com ). Harmony Hill is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization; 100% of all donations go directly to the care of the animals.