Sunshine Animal Sanctuary

The 4 rescued souls of the sunshine herd @sunshineanimalsanctuaryaz would be extremely grateful if y'all would share this Gofundme link and/or donate $1 or more to help us build an emergency vet fund.

As an animal sanctuary, you should always be prepared for medical emergencies/situations. We need to have funds readily available to pay for vet visits/care in emergency situations. Equine care is not cheap and with emergencies the "on call" or "Emergency visit" fees will be an additional cost on top of the vet exams, care, medication and/or procedures necessary to care for the animals. We will rest a bit easier once we have this funded.

We are a registered 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization in Arizona. All donations are tax deductible. The funds raised will be used for Vet visits/care for the sunshine herd. Updates on the sunshine herd's daily life are available on Instagram, FB, Tik Tok and our website.

RJ (BLM donkey), Ireland (Unhandled yearling), Denali (Alpine wild horse) & Lil Bobby (Alpine wild horse) deserve the best life I (Kelly, founder of Sunshine Animal Sanctuary) can possibly give them and any support from good human's out there will be hugely appreciated.

Sending y'all sunshine & smiles!

With gratitude,

Kelly :)

***Funds from this Gofundme are directly deposited into our Non Profit Bank Account. Our Sanctuary is noted as the recipient on the Gofundme. Transparency is key and we are always happy to share receipts and information.

Lil Bob, our 2 yr old Alphine wildie is off to a 30-day board and train with our awesome Farrier Blaine and his wife/trainer Brooke!

The 30 day board and train with pickup/drop off included (which is monumentally huge and helpful) w/full feed/care is $600. Our tiny sanctuary doesn't have excess funds in our bank account to pay for this very important training so the cost will come from my (Kelly - Founder of Sunshine Animal Sanctuary) personal pocket. I would be extremely grateful if anyone is excited about this training and would donate towards this cost.

Lil Bob is getting big and is at the age where he needs daily work to help him become the good citizen we all know he can be! We want to be safe at the sanctuary and be able to handle him for farrier visits, vet visits, training practice and everyday life with ease. I work 4 jobs- teaching kindergarten, tutoring, teaching swim lessons and my 4th job being the sanctuary (chores/care/social media/fundraising). I don't have the time that Bobby needs to develop into the well-mannered horse he absolutely can be. Farrier Blaine and Brooke are going to work with lil Bobby daily for 1-2 hours on groundwork and manners. He is going to be a tired and happy boy having a job learning new skills. The goal is for him to learn, progress and get in the headspace and routine of safe and respectful behaviors. He's going to do great! Brooke will send frequent updates via video to me so I can see the training in progress. I will drive the 45 minutes to their ranch to visit lil Bobby weekly. Brooke and I have a signed contract for this 30-day board and train outlining exactly what she'll be working on with him and it's clearly noted that he will NOT be ridden and that is not part of this training. She has Banamine on hand that I've given her in case of an emergency and we also discussed the plan for her vet to be called if any emergencies were to arise as our local vets don't service the area that the training ranch is located in.

We were all so impressed with how well and brave lil Bobby was during loading into the trailer, trailering, unloading into their round pen, meeting new horsey neighbor friends and settling into his new apartment digs aka his stall with an Ireland look alike gelding named Riser next door to him and already making friends! :) He's gonna rock it and get an A+ .

I'm so at peace with this decision and eternally grateful to Blaine for being our awesome farrier and telling me his wife trains colts. To Brooke for helping train Ireland/myself and taking Bobby in for this training. I'm grateful that Brooke has incredible parents too who came to help with the trailer loading/hauling/unloading/hay unload and clearly love their horses and our lil Bobby already! 4 awesome humans and a bunch of neat horsey friends for lil Bobby to interact with during his 30 day training time at their ranch. He is safe and with good people! LEARN MY BOY, LEARN SO MUCH!!!! See you soon lil ninja, I love you!!!!

Fencing is paramount to creating the best sanctuary layout and home for Sunshine Animal Sanctuary & our 3 beautiful rescued equines.

we started off & running over a year and a half ago w zero fundraising done to purchase the continual need for new panels & gates as we expanded their areas.

We went from one small rectangular paddock for all 4 sunshine herd members to what you see now enveloping the entire 2.5 acre property.

❇️The geldings 100x90 paddock

❇️The fillies 100 x 100 paddock

❇️A midline fence line separating their paddocks

❇️3 stalls on the far end of the paddocks

❇️A chute/stall area attached to the fillies paddock

❇️A roundpen

❇️A corner area where tack & tools are stored

❇️A corner area protecting one of our street lights

Strong fencing for equines is important for the safety and security of the horses, the property, and the people who work with them:

We purchased panels & gates from Tractor Supply

We purchased larger size opening panels & gates from Arizona Fence & Barn.

We’d be grateful for any support! $5 donations help us eek away at the remaining $1900 bill.

Feed the sunshine ☀️ herd for one 1️⃣ day!

If anyone wants to donate ONCE or multiple times on here to feed the herd for a day $14.25 for a BALE (10-12 flakes which feeds em for one day, sometimes a bale only has 10 flakes) that would be greatly appreciated!

Thank y’all for being on this sanctuary journey w us & supporting the ☀️ herd in whatever way you do!

Feed the sunshine ☀️ herd for a week - Donate $130

A bale of hay is made up of about 10-12 flakes. Each herd member eats 3-4 flakes daily.

3 equines x 3-4 flakes daily = 9- 12 flakes daily.

Grateful for ANY donations at all y’all! $1 is appreciated!!!! It helps, & brings my heart ♥️ peace & hope when donations come through to help this incredible sunshine herd family.

Sending smiles across the miles to y’all!

Kelly

Ireland 3 1/2 yr Tennessee Walker

Liil Bobby 2 yr Alpine gelding

RJ ☀️ 20 yr young BLM gelding

Denali our angel forever 2 yr Alpine filly

$5 Friday for our fencing bill

We’d be grateful for any donations towards our hefty fencing bill. We’ve spent almost 10k on fencing panels/gates to set up a safe, organized and awesome double pasture, working roundpen, stalls, & turnout area for the sunshine herd.

We’re hoping to slowly chip away at our looking fencing bill w help from anyone out there who’d like to financially support this project we completed for the herd’s safety & well being.

Thank you

RJ is not feeling well and our vet Dr Hulse is on her way to the ranch to help him. He is having symptoms of colic. I’m hoping he is going to be ok and Dr Hulse will take excellent care of him:

I have no idea what the vet bill will be but it will include an emergency after hours visits, likely meds, exam etc

RJ and I would be incredibly grateful for any help at all w the bill. I’ll share the bill once I have it.

ill update here & on social media as well once things are settled and I have information.

thank you,

Kelly

So much MUD and dirt has brought the need for an additional hay trough for the boys pasture!

The cost is $133 at our local Tractor Supply store! I’m picking one up today so it’d be INCREDIBLE if anyone donates to help cover this bill for the boys of Sunshine Animal Sanctuary!

We have our 2 yr old Alpine wildie gelding, Lil Bobby and our 20 yr young BLM donkey RJ who share a pasture & feeding area. They eat together frequently but definitely enjoy their space at times. We currently have one hay trough & 2 feed mats but the feed mats still get very messy w the dirt/mud.

We do everything possible to prevent sand colic by having mats/troughs to put their hay in. They obviously do throw some hay out on the ground but the troughs are MUCH better than the mats at lowering the amount or dirt/sand ingested when they’re eating!

INFORMATION - Sand colic in horses, also known as impaction colic, is a condition caused by the accumulation of sand in the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain and other symptoms. It's particularly common in areas with loose, sandy soil where horses are fed on the ground or graze short grass.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Cause:

Horses inadvertently ingest sand while grazing or eating hay from the ground, especially in sandy areas.

***Prevention***

The most important factor in preventing sand colic is management and reducing horses' access to sand.

Feed off the ground: Use tubs, haynets, or feeders to prevent horses from ingesting sand with their food.

Provide adequate fiber: A diet rich in hay and other fiber sources can help the digestive system move sand through the colon.

Consider psyllium: Regularly administering psyllium can help to bind and remove sand from the digestive tract.

Manage pastures: If possible, avoid grazing horses in sandy areas or pastures with poor vegetation growth.

$5 Friday for the sunshine ☀️ herd l

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The sunshine ☀️ herds biggest need right now is paying off our gigantic fencing bill. If you’d like to donate towards that, every dollar helps cut that bill down. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I am extremely grateful to everyone currently or in the past who has donated on Patreon monthly or to any of our many Gofundme’s that have helped ME ‍♀️ take care of the sunshine ☀️ herd .

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Love , the sunshine crew

Ireland

RJ

Lil Bob

Denali

‍♀️ Kelly

Farrier Day is Sun 2/9/25. Farrier Blaine is coming to trim all 3 sunshine herd equines hooves. The cost is $70/equine which makes our upcoming bill $210.

Any donations towards this regular hoof care ️ is appreciated! We run a responsible sanctuary and the sunshine herd gets all the care they need to be healthy and happy. Thank you to anyone who decides to help us w this upcoming farrier Bill. I’ll post receipt of payment to Blaine on Sunday afternoon for 100 % transparency as always.

Thank y’all so much for your support!

Kelly, RJ, Ireland, Lil Bobby & our sweet Denali in spirit.

My dad’s bday is on 2/3. He’s been gone for 8 yrs, yet the grief feels like he left us yesterday . My dad was a gem of a human & showed me how special animals were, passing along his enormous animal loving ❤️ to me. He never got to meet the ☀️ herd or see Sunshine Animal Sanctuary open (we’re less then 2 yrs old). I know he would’ve fallen in love w Denali, Ireland , lil Bobby & RJ . He would’ve thought this sanctuary was incredible & been proud to be a huge part of it. He was the brilliant northern ⭐️ in my life & the hole he left behind was massive. The world was always on axis as long as my dad was around. He lit up ⭐️ every room he walked in w a smile so big & genuine it made others smile just seeing it n feeling his genuine joy n warmth ☀️. He always had that twinkle in his eye that was a lil bit mischievous but in the best & funniest ways. He had piercing blue eyes that radiated peace, patience, kindness & love. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I named lil Bob after my dad because he was the very 1st horse I ever adopted. The meaning behind the massive efforts I put in to fundraise, educate & rescue the Alpine wild horses was life changing & one of my proudest efforts. My dad would’ve backed my efforts . Lil Bobby was the 1st Alpine foal we rescued. His personality at 2 yrs old now is hilarious w a gigantic touch of naughty lol shenanigans that embody my dad’s all in fun mischievous ways. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I named RJ after my dad & his phenomenally gentle, kind, loving, patient & forgiving soul is my dad %. RJ reminds me of my dad every single day. Oh, how I wish my dad could’ve met & loved this ☀️herd. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. My dad is the inspiration & motivation behind what I do & in opening a 501c3 sanctuary. He was an entrepreneur & very successful. His work ethic was unmatched. ⭐️Grateful my mom @lkilmain2 is beside me on this journey.⭐️. If you’d like to help us in honor of RJ & Lil Bob that would be awesome!

We have enormous fencing bills to pay off, shelter we’d like to add on the other side of the pasture, more street lights we’d like to put up & groundwork training costs we’d love to have funds for when donations come in!

We’d love ❤️ 2️⃣ NEW PATREON signups too!

Fencing Friday for the sunshine herd!

We've put up fencing for 2 pastures, 3 stalls, a roundpen. Fencing is expensive but incredibly important for the sanctuary.

Each panel cost between $130 & $160 per panel. We needed to put the fencing up as we moved in to our new home in Oct 2022 and then as we expanded on the property we continued purchasing fence panels and gates. This is our main outstanding project to work on getting funded alongside our emergency vet fund. We’ve spent thousands of dollars on fence panels & gates. This is our 1st active fundraiser to ask for help w fencing. We’d be very grateful for any help w this large but necessary expense for the herd.

Thank you for your support,

Kelly & the sunshine crew