The Standardbred Retirement Foundation has announced the details of its ‘12 Days of Giving’ initiative.

The SRF currently has 376 Standardbred retirees under its full care and expense.

Thank you so much for helping with these tax-deductible necessities for the horses in need. We wish you a very happy holiday season and all the best in 2020.

Details surrounding the 12 Days of Giving initiative appear below.

1. Fill the hayloft for one month for the geldings who wear down the earth as they pace back and forth checking out the nearby fillies and mares $1,200.

2. Senior feed for a month for one of the very golden oldies - $125. There are so many in their late twenties and thirties, what a very sturdy breed with so much heart!

3.Retire one of our companions to your farm and let the smiles begin, a priceless gift for a horse, or how about sponsoring one at our farm in any amount monthly. To sponsor a horse click here.

4.Fill the hayloft for a month for the fillies and mares who strut around and tease the geldings over the fence- $850

5. Stall guards, we don’t even have one. For our last event, so guests could enjoy nuzzles from our horses, SRF borrowed them. Three are needed at $36.90 each with shipping included. You may purchase and send, or donate and we will do the ordering! A link to the least expensive can be accessed here.

6. There are currently 20 Standardbreds in particular that are in dire need of immediate attention. Can you offer a home (priceless); make a donation in any amount to help one, should a home be available; foster one; or sponsor one so SRF can take him/her in and find a home? A new horse may be with SRF for as long as year; a full year of sponsorship including hoof care, worming dental etc. is $4,500. This situation for these particular horses is urgent, your help here is truly life saving.

7. SRF's horses live long healthy lives in fields with sheds, so preserving hay by using hay racks saves a great deal and keeps the bossy horses from the sweet and meek so all can keep their bellies warm this winter! Two hay racks are needed - $249 each

8.Be SRF's special sponsor for the Elitlopp fundraising trip in May; This makes our very important fund raiser possible. $4,000.

9. A pedicure! When these noble warriors come out of the rural communities in particular, after working so hard plowing fields and serving as transportation, it is horrifying to see their feet (and their teeth). Not one angle on a foot matches another, and all are so long in their toes yet have heels about four inches high, like stilettos. It’s just $35 to trim once, but most need several trims to get them right. Would you bring us the blacksmith for one or more, please?

10. Just like us, horses’ teeth need regular care and the older ones need it more often. Their teeth break and fracture, wear down, move, and loosen. Please help one or more in any amount $40-$160 depending on the actual need of the horse sitting in that dreaded chair.

11. A new server - we are an Apple (Mac) based non-profit and are in need of a new server due to upgrades on software. The Apple Mac Mini fits our needs perfectly with a 3.6Ghz 6-Core Processor, lots of storage (for all those gorgeous horse photos), and a super fast processor for running our databases. Cost range from $1,200 to $1,600, depending on storage purchased.

12. Wormer, my goodness. With 377 we go through a lot of wormer. Boehringer-Ingleheim is generous during the year, but we can’t expect them to donate it all. When on sale and in bulk, the cost is about $1.99 to $5.50 each. Eqvalan, Zimectrem or anything similar that is Ivermectim paste, and any number of them is appreciated (click here).

Need a gift giving idea? Sponsoring a horse is perfect! Who needs another ugly sweater, anyway? Any amount monthly, or one time makes a great gift, and if it totals more than $250 we will send an SRF sweatshirt to your favorite person (click here).

To make a tax deductible gift please contact Tammy at 609-738-3255, you can also visit SRF's website at adoptahorse.org. Please make a note in your payment, or mail to: SRF, 42 Arneytown-Hornerstown Rd., Cream Ridge, NJ 08514

Thank you for changing their lives, there are very few people who have a love and respect for these noble horses. Please don't assume someone else will help, these horses are in need and every day SRF spends approximately $3,500 just to keep them fed. Only 4 per cent of SRF's funding comes from harness racing organizations, more than 80 per cent comes from people like you who care. Thank you and we wish you happy holidays and the best of good luck in 2020!

(With files from the SRF)