MontanaQuest

September 13, 2021
River Pines Horse Sanctuary
120 Rive Pines Road
Missoula, Montana 59804
406 207 6105
www.riverpinesfarm.org

Dear friends of the Sanctuary,

I hope you are all enjoying this cooler, beautiful weather September has brought after a very hot summer!

This summer has brought with it a very hot hay shortage like I’ve never seen in my lifetime! It has driven hay costs up more than double what they’ve been in the past.

In addition, our longtime hay supplier notified us in July that they were selling their hay out of the country this year and would not have hay for us going forward.

With prices per ton at $400 or more and getting higher all the time, I have secured enough hay for the year, but the pressure to pay is on us now as we haul it home.

We’ve been gifted $20,000 for hay so far this year and need another $9,400.00 ASAP to be able to bring home the rest of the hay being saved for us. There are 3 good farmers holding this critically needed hay for us right now, but we urgently need the cash to pay them as they will not hold it for long with hay in very high demand – and, they can raise their prices and sell it any time if we don’t pay now.

Without this additional hay we will run out of feed for the horses in January at which time it’s predicted hay will be at its all-time high of $500-600 or more/ton…if there is any hay to buy by then. These horses need your help now - please look deep into your heart as you make this much needed donation now.

Please help support our amazing horses with all you can give today!

You can make a donation through our Venmo account: -Montana (no fees)
On our website: www.riverpinesfarm.org (paypal charges us about 3% of your donation)

Thank you again for your generous support! Please remember, we are a 501c3 in good standing and our ID # is 82-3927871. You will receive a donation receipt for your tax records.

Thank you from the whole herd!

Shari Montana, Founder and President

HOME | River Pines Horse Sanctuary | Missoula, Montana River Pines Horse Sanctuary is dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship & play.

RIVER PINES HORSE SANCTUARY YOUTH CAMPS 2021
120 River Pines Road, Missoula, Montana 59804
www.riverpinesfarm.org 406 207 6105

MEET THE HERD
Future Facing, Empowered and Resilient

Our summer Youth Program is a fun outdoor, nature-based day camp located on River Pines Horse Sanctuary near in Missoula Montana! We are dedicated to providing Equine-Guided Experiential Education and Life Skills Development through non-mounted horse activities, hiking, games, creativity and healthy food.

…designed to be the fun adventure highlight of the summer!

Day campers will:
 Experience increased self-confidence and social skills in unmounted horse activities
 Learn to access their inner wisdom through equine-guided experiences
 Discover and acknowledge individual core values with peers
 Address strength-building character traits – while hiking, exploring and creating in our 22 ½ wooded acres on the Bitterroot River
And then, leadership naturally evolves…
Creativity and confidence soar with a daily emphasis on nature immersion, physical well-being, mental competency and healthy lifestyle choices. We focus on individual needs, gifts and abilities while nurturing the desire to step outside comfort zones and celebrate the resulting success!



Kids develop positivity, leadership, confidence and resiliency through our equine-facilitated
social and emotional fitness activities designed to carry through for home, school and community.

We are offering SIX 5-DAY Sessions for your convenience - 9AM-4PM Daily
Ponies - Ages 8-10 * M-F July 12-16, 2021 / August 2-6, 2021
Unicorns - Ages 11-12 * M-F July 19-23, 2021 / August 9-13, 2021
Mustangs- Ages13-15 * M-F July 26-30, 2021 / August 16-20, 2021

• Weather appropriate footwear and clothing in layers is required– a list will be provided on registration.
• Camp Grown Ups are highly trained Equine Facilitated Learning Professionals
• 1 adult per 3 campers.
• We honor multicultural perspectives and are gender inclusive.
• All grown ups are fully vaccinated
• We practice social distancing, masking and all CDC Covid Safe recommendations. Temperatures will be taken on arrival each day.

For reservation and registration call Shari Montana: 406 207 6105

Tuition $2,500/session. Includes fun, good food, T-shirt, all materials, lunch, and healthy refreshments.



“MEET THE HERD - Future Facing, Empowered and Resilient”

one more testimonial for :

When I first came upon River Pines Horse Sanctuary, I remember feeling amazed that such a place existed, a place where horses, and humans, are treated with tremendous respect, love and compassion. A place where not only what the human wants is considered, but what the horse wants is considered as well.

Spending time just being with the horses that call the Sanctuary home is one of my favorite things in the world. Each of these horses has a unique story, a unique personality, and each of them has taught me new life lessons. Whether they came from a relatively good home that just couldn't provide adequately for their care, or from a situation of horrific neglect or abuse, it is resoundingly clear that these horses now feel safe and respected, and from that space of safety, are able to benefit our community with their wisdom, love, and special horse-y magic. There's a unique quality to these horses that allows people to open, learn and grow in ways they wouldn't otherwise be able to.

Not only does Shari provide a true sanctuary for the horses, but she also provides a place of sanctuary to humans, and to our community. I have seen firsthand the transformative impact these horses have on humans through workshops and community events. These horses have much to give us, and the work being done at RPHS has never been more crucial than it is now.

Chandali Vinyard, MontanaQuest Facilitator

Here is another thank you to all who continue to offer financial support on this Tuesday - heartfelt gratitude from us to each and everyone of you!

Here is another testimonial to the amazing ability of the horses to change lives for the best!
ps Marni is responsible for our decisions to create our "Horses for Hope - Su***de Prevention Strategies" program - thank you Marni!

"As a woman who was recently divorced, I was ripped, torn and bleeding metaphorically in 2015. Magically I met Shari at an opportune time in my life - just before the final workshop presentation of a graduating MontanaQuest Facilitator Training Program. It was a transformational experience that led to me completing Shari’s Program myself. During the program and in participation of several additional workshops, my heart was cleansed of debris, smiles and laughs appeared again. Sobbing lessened. Tight hugs and horsehair rebalanced life for me. I learned to trust myself, to discern when not to trust or to love. Horses taught me. Wisdom grew in their shadows for me." - Marni

As promised here is another testimonial below for you to read about one of our most important programs - "Horses For Hope, Su***de Prevention Strategies":
In the meantime, please give, give to end hunger, abuse and neglect for horses, give for those folks who suffer from suicidality, trauma and loneliness, give to support your neighbors and, please, give for horses. Give River Pines Horse Sanctuary your support on . www.riverpinesfarm.org
Thank You from every Horse - the whole Herd at River Pines Horse Sanctuary!
www.riverpinesfarm.org .

Horses for Hope-Testimonial by Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

The journey that brought me from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Missoula, Montana to participate in MontanaQuest’s Horses for Hope workshop was nothing short of miraculous.
Having recently received the news that someone near and much beloved by me had chosen su***de as an answer to his seemingly un-resolvable life issues had left me devastated. My immediate response was, “could I have made a difference?” and “how could I have made a difference?”. I was living in the shadow of his pain, raw and emotional, when by sheer coincidence, that is if you believe in coincidences, I received an email from Shari Montana-Founder of MontanaQuest Equine Guided Services and creator of the Horses for Hope program in MIssoula, inviting me to a workshop on su***de awareness and prevention. At first I balked thinking “this is just what I don’t need to do, dredge up the sediment of guilt over this recent tragedy. However, since my M.Div. Concentration was pastoral care and counseling I reconsidered and agreed to participate. The Horses for Hope program was a refreshing change from the dark recitation of the statistics and pathologies behind su***de I had been use to, instead this program focused on hope by building emotional fitness, providing concrete tools through classroom instruction, and best of all the amazing transformational experience of working with horses who have the power to change lives.

Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

Thank y ou for your support!

Shari Montana, Founder,
MontanaQuest Equine Guided Services
120 River Pines Road, Missoula, MT 59804
406 207 6105 [email protected]

Home | RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.

As promised here is another testimonial below for you to read about one of our most important programs - "Horses For Hope, Su***de Prevention Strategies":
In the meantime, please give, give to end hunger, abuse and neglect for horses, give for those folks who suffer from suicidality, trauma and loneliness, give to support your neighbors and, please, give for horses. Give River Pines Horse Sanctuary your support on . www.riverpinesfarm.org
Thank You from every Horse - the whole Herd at River Pines Horse Sanctuary!
www.riverpinesfarm.org .

Horses for Hope-Testimonial by Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

The journey that brought me from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Missoula, Montana to participate in MontanaQuest’s Horses for Hope workshop was nothing short of miraculous.
Having recently received the news that someone near and much beloved by me had chosen su***de as an answer to his seemingly un-resolvable life issues had left me devastated. My immediate response was, “could I have made a difference?” and “how could I have made a difference?”. I was living in the shadow of his pain, raw and emotional, when by sheer coincidence, that is if you believe in coincidences, I received an email from Shari Montana-Founder of MontanaQuest Equine Guided Services and creator of the Horses for Hope program in MIssoula, inviting me to a workshop on su***de awareness and prevention. At first I balked thinking “this is just what I don’t need to do, dredge up the sediment of guilt over this recent tragedy. However, since my M.Div. Concentration was pastoral care and counseling I reconsidered and agreed to participate. The Horses for Hope program was a refreshing change from the dark recitation of the statistics and pathologies behind su***de I had been use to, instead this program focused on hope by building emotional fitness, providing concrete tools through classroom instruction, and best of all the amazing transformational experience of working with horses who have the power to change lives.

Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

Thank you for your support!

Shari Montana, Founder,
MontanaQuest Equine Guided Services
120 River Pines Road, Missoula, MT 59804
406 207 6105 [email protected]

Home | RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.

Thank you to all
the caring supporters who've already donated - we are so excited to be achieving our goal of increasing our monthly sustaining donors! We also want to thank those who have made donations one-off donations today and in some cases again today! Please continue to give throughout the day and the year to those charities that matter most to you - we hope you'll include RPHS in your generosity!

Thank you all again!

Time to Unleash Generosity
This year has challenged us to turn our homes into offices and reimagine how we provide our services while keeping physically distant. It's called upon us to be resilient because our communities need us now more than ever.

At its core, GivingTuesday was created to facilitate our deep-seated desire to help each other. Our belief has always been that through local action, we can inspire global change. This couldn’t be more true in this moment. We're moved and inspired by the sheer audacity of hope and optimism to keep on giving, connecting, and creating togetherness.
It's time to unleash generosity, to help our neighbors, inspire more giving, and create the world we all want to live in - together.
Happy GivingTuesday.
Sincerely,
The GivingTuesday Team

Today, Tuesday December 1st is . It is a day designed to www.riverpinesfarm.org or a horse rescue near you. We hope today, you will choose River Pines Horse Sanctuary www.riverpinesfarm.org . Specifically, we hope to use some of your generosity to support a series of Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning events to address the increasing need for resiliency skills, su***de prevention and emotional fitness developing in our communities during the pandemic.

We are the only horse rescue/sanctuary in Montana that cares for neglected or abandoned horses, then offers them rehabilitation physically and emotionally, while providing opportunities for them to give support and guidance back to the community so in need of their wisdom.

Give, give to end hunger, abuse and neglect for horses, give for those who suffer from suicidality, trauma and loneliness, give to support your neighbors and please give for horses. Give River Pines Horse Sanctuary your support on . www.riverpinesfarm.org

T
Thank You from every Horse - the whole Herd - at River Pines Horse Sanctuary! www.riverpinesfarm.org .

Home | RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.

Today is . Please consider a tax deductible donation to our 501(c)3, RIVER PINES HORSE SANCTUARY, (or on our website www.riverpinesfarm.org)

Donations made TODAY through Facebook will be matched by Facebook! Every penny that comes our way, turns into action---to help our community through these amazing horses…

Here’s how.

We rescue horses and offer permanent sanctuary to those that cannot be adopted or placed elsewhere due to their abuse, abandonment or neglect…Once our horses are rehabilitated physically and emotionally, we have them guide folks from near and far, in our social and emotional intelligence trainings and empowerment and resiliency programs.

You can make a great investment in this unique community that is Missoula and Montana through our Horses For Hope - Su***de Prevention Program, or another of our Equine Guided Experiential Learning (EGEL) Programs:
o Resiliency Empowerment
o EGEL Leadership Training for Youths aged 10-17
o Rights of Passage for Youths aged 13-17
o Horsemanship from the Ground Up
o Horse as Muse – EGEL Creativity Program
o MontanaQuest EGEL Facilitator Training Program
o Nature-Based Leadership
o Nature Immersion - Outdoors with Horses

We reach out to several underserved and/or challenged populations to provide support and skills building:

• At-risk Youth
• Veterans and their Families
• Trauma survivors
• Elderly population
• Battered Women
• S*x trafficking survivors
• Gender Support
• Indigenous Groups
• And others

Some of our offerings through the horses are:

• Resiliency Training, Empowerment and Hope
• Emotional and Social Intelligence skills
• Cultural and Spiritual Development and Understanding
• Personal Development and Leadership
• Community and relationship building skills
• Women’s empowerment training
• Emotional fitness for success - youths 10 and up
• Leadership training

In Montana we can’t avoid hearing about our constantly rising su***de statistics and as you can see from the following testimonial, we are building a record of success with our su***de prevention program:

Horses for Hope-Testimonial by Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

The journey that brought me from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Missoula, Montana to participate in the Horses for Hope workshop was nothing short of miraculous.
Having recently received the news that someone near and much beloved by me had chosen su***de as an answer to his seemingly un-resolvable life issues had left me devastated. My immediate response was, “could I have made a difference?” and “how could I have made a difference?”. I was living in the shadow of his pain, raw and emotional, when by sheer coincidence, that is if you believe in coincidences, I received an email from Shari Montana-Founder of MontanaQuest Equine Guided Services and creator of the Horses for Hope program in MIssoula, inviting me to a workshop on su***de awareness and prevention. At first I balked thinking “this is just what I don’t need to do, dredge up the sediment of guilt over this recent tragedy. However, since my M.Div. Concentration was pastoral care and counseling I reconsidered and decided to participate. The Horses for Hope program was a refreshing change from the dark recitation of the statistics and pathologies behind su***de I had been use to, instead this program focused on hope by building emotional fitness, providing concrete tools through classroom instruction, and best of all the amazing transformational experience of working with horses who have the power to change lives.

Diana B. Parnes, M.Div.

A donation to River Pines Horse Sanctuary is a great investment in our community through these amazing horses, guiding us to our own best potential!

We truly appreciate your financial support, your time and energy, and your dedication to supporting our community.

Respectfully and with deepest gratitude,

Shari Montana, Founder
River Pines Horse Sanctuary
120 River Pines Road
Missoula, Montana 59804
www.riverpinesfarm.org
406 207 6105

Home | RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.

May 23, 2019

Shari F. Montana, Director
River Pines Horse Sanctuary
120 River Pines Road
Missoula, Montana 59804

Dear Friends of horses,

River Pines Horse Sanctuary is in an emergency situation. We need immediate financial help to get us through the next 3 months for hay, farrier and annual vaccinations and we are desperately asking for your help today.

You may go to our website: www.riverpinesfarm.org and select the donate button to make a contribution at once.

We are waiting for our tax-exempt approval letter to arrive by July 9th, and in the meantime we have 26 horses to care for. They have all come from dire circumstances. Though we had not expected to reach our maximum capacity so quickly - we have and more...

Please help us today to continue supporting these amazing horses into and through their old age and various health needs. Your contributions are tax deductible and retroactive for 2 years.

Thank you for every consideration you may give to this request. Again, you may go to our website: www.riverpinesfarm.org and select the donate button now.

Our immediate need:

• $6,000.00 for 3 months' hay for June, July and August
• $1,300.00 for annual vaccinations
• $540 for the Farrier for June and August
• $425 for the Farrier for July

Thank you again for all the help you can give, please consider making a donation today!

Shari

Shari Montana, Director
River Pines Horse Sanctuary
120 River Pines Road
Missoula, Montana 59804
406 207 6105
www.riverpinesfarm.org

RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.

Dear friends,

Due to extraordinary circumstances this year, I’m writing this short request to ask extraordinary people in my acquaintance for extraordinary support for River Pines Horse Sanctuary. This Montana-based non-profit provides an end of life home and care for unwanted, neglected and abused horses. We have been operating at capacity (20 horses) from our inception and this past fall we took in an extra 6 horses due to people losing their homes – making their horses also homeless and putting them at risk for the sale yard and/or kill pens.

At 26 residents this year, our operating budget has been more than challenged! Though we’ve had amazing support through both monetary and in-kind donations it has not been enough to sustain us due to the additional demand for feed and general care expenses. Would you help these important horses by making a one time or monthly donation? If so, please go to our website: www.riverpinesfarm.org and use the donate button you’ll find on any page.

It costs us an average of $300.00 minimum per horse per month plus the additional feed and vet expenses that come with many end-of-life horses... Due to the high quality of care we provide, we currently have eight of our residents in the “Senior herd” who originally came here to die - but instead have flourished over the past 3 years and are now between 30 and 34 years old! “There isn’t a horse on the place that wants to die" according to one local veterinarian. We have three additional herds: the Boomers – middle-aged to aged horses too lame or injured for normal riding; the Weight Watchers; and a small group of untrained horses with whom we’re renegotiating their collaboration with humans - due to past abuse, abandonment and/or neglect.

We have several programs that offer you a variety of opportunities to virtually adopt, foster, donate or volunteer to help support these horses. Please see our website to access the program that most appeals to you: www.riverpinesfarm.org

Would you please help with a one time or monthly donation to help us carry on these success stories and to help us help these horses who have no choices but to be here - or be hauled in an overfull stock truck to Canada or Mexico for slaughter.

If you would like to make a one-time or monthly donation towards their important care - it’s so easy - please go to our website: www.riverpinesfarm.org and use the donation button. These horses deserve our support – and you may visit them in person or view their photos and bios on our website.

Thank you again for your help, $5, $10 $100 once or monthly all help when each of you helps with that important amount you are willing to share.

We are deeply grateful for every dollar we get to nurture and support all the now healthy and beautiful horses here at River Pines Horse Sanctuary.

Thank you again for all you can do to help!

Shari

Shari Montana, Director
River Pines Horse Sanctuary
120 River Pines Road
Missoula, Montana 59804-9795
406 207 6105
[email protected]

RiverPines Sanctuary …where we are dedicated to providing a forever home to horses in need. We specialize in accepting horses with physical, social and/or emotional rehabilitation issues. We provide a natural, herd-based living environment offering safety, health enhancement, companionship and play.