We’re looking for 100K Farm Friends to donate $5 so we can raise $500,000 to build a covered arena for our horses and guests. Please consider becoming a Farm Friend today. Your $5 donation can make a big difference in the lives of our horses and guests!
Here’s why a covered arena is necessary:
A covered arena protects our horses and riders from the harsh Florida weather conditions where the heat index often reaches above 100 degrees which can cause heat exhaustion to both horse and rider.
Sand heated from the sun creates deep sand footing, which strains the horses’ muscles and ligaments, much as if we were to try running on beach sand. A covered arena willkeep the sand from drying so quickly and help prevent injury to our horses.
A covered arena will also provide protection from the rain. During storms, the horses cannot go out for exercise or free play. After it rains, the floor is muddy, which negatively affects their muscles, tendons, joints and hooves. Since the rainy season lasts six months and it rains daily, this is an ongoing issue for our horses.
Good footing is very important to a horse’s overall well-being. However, trying to maintain good footing in the daily heat and rain is nearly impossible. As a result, many of the interactions with the horses have to be cancelled. This includes many of our programs, classes and weekend activities such as our camps, Mommy & Me, Multisensory Farm Academy, pony rides, horse rides and riding classes.
Besides protection from the rain and heat, a roof will also give the horses a cool area to run and relax when they are let out for free play.
A covered arena will have a variety of uses, such as a gathering place for our community with events such as our Annual “Fall at the Farm” Pumpkin Patch. Without a roof, the events risk being cancelled due to the weather. Given the number of visitors to the Enchanted Forest and our Farm, this has a big impact on our community.
Become a Farm Friend today and you’ll be automatically entered in our ongoing raffles to win such prizes as: passes to our weekend activities, free pony rides, Meet & Greet with your favorite farm animal, VIP tour of the barn and more exciting surprises! Give now. Our horses thank you!
