New Fodder System

         Hello everyone! Abby here. It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm so glad to see that the other volunteers have kept up the blog and taken advantage of all it has to offer. Being that it is the holiday season I wanted to bring up a very important issue for Vida y Esperanza... food. As I'm sure you have seen in pictures that have been posted, many if not all of the horses in the project are barely able to keep weight on. Currently the program struggles to find donors to help pay for food, since there isn't enough money to cover it from lessons Jose Luis gives to his private students. With 10 horses eating 6 kilos of food per day (a combination of grains, cereals, and alfalfas) the annual cost of feed comes to $9,739. In order to pay for this on his own, Jose Luis would need to maintain 13 full-time students, which isn't reasonable considering he needs to make enough money on top of that to feed himself and his own family.

         Having watched several "green" documentaries lately, I got to thinking.... isn't there some way we can cut down on costs? A way to cut out the middle man and grow our own food efficiently? Lee and I began brainstorming, and she came across the idea of growing barley fodder. We found this great video which gives comprehensive instructions for growing this great alternative to conventional ways of feeding. Take a look...

         The action of sprouting amplifies the natural proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymatic activity, omega 3’s, amino acids, natural hormones, and stimulates immune response. In addition, sprouting the grain increases the digestibility from 40 percent to 80 percent, so that the horses will not need to consume as much fodder compared to commercial feed since they will be obtaining more nutrition from a smaller volume of feed. A 5 pound batch of seed will yield a 25 pound fodder mat in only 7 days, exponentially increasing the efficiency of barley as a food source. By implementing a similar system to the one shown above, we would be able to produce 100 pounds of sprouted barley per day, plus feed them alfalfa at a cost of $5,322 per year! This would be a savings of 45 percent or $4,417 a year. This would translate into 7 full-time students, which is much more reasonable for Jose Luis.

         Excited about the possibility of this new system, Jose Luis and the boys put together a prototype with the help of a new volunteer named Micah. As you can see they used chicken wire and wood to construct shelves that are conducive to the flood-and-drain system that is the most effective in this kind of set-up. The entire process from seed to full sprouting takes only 7 days to complete. After some initial precautions are taken against mold (rinsing and soaking with a small amount of bleach or vinegar), all that is required is watering a few times a day, and voilà!

         This project is a great way to get the boys more involved with the program. Many of them have really taken to the idea, excited to learn about the growth process and becoming sustainable. Since the fodder will be harvested at Blajot, it will also provide much needed structure and a sense of responsibility among the members of Vida y Esperanza.

         Construction is set to begin next week at Blajot, starting with building a floor space and walls on an already existing lean-to structure. The bit that will be started next week Micah has very generously agreed to finance!! As for the rest of construction and material costs we predict that it will come to approximately $2,200. This figure may sound high, but with the fodder system in place we will still be saving over $2,000 the first year. We will need to buy:

34 Plastic 40L Gasoline Tanks (cut in half to make 64 24" x 15" trays) 
                $8.82 x 34 =  $300    

Materials to Build 2 Large Shelving Units 
                $350 x 2  =  $700

Drainage Supplies
                $200

Foundation and Walls for the Existing Lean-To
                $1,000

         If you wish to contribute to this project, please find the 'Donate' button on the right side of this blog. Any amount helps and is greatly appreciated. If you are unable to contribute monetarily, your input and ideas about how to further Vida y Esperanza's sustainability effort are welcomed, and you can do so by leaving a comment below each post! Sharing this page and spreading the word to friends and family is immensely helpful as well! Thanks again for all of the support!

INTRODUCING VALKIRIA

In order to share with you the boys in Jose Luis' program Vida y Esperanza have written biographies of their favorite horse. They did this to let you know about each horse.

So ta ta! We present Valkiria!

Valkiria:

Valkiria (Valkyrie) is 6 years old and has a brown coat.  He is from Santa Cruz and is one of the taller horses.  He doesn’t behave very well and is very crazy when someone rides him.  Valkiria has a lot of energy and is never calm.  He likes to trot and gallop and jumps beautifully.  He is a very strong horse and is able to jump very high obstacles.  He eats a lot and prefers to eat a very balanced diet.  Valkiria gets along with all of the horses very well.

Valkiria tiene 6 años y es un caballo con un pelaje café.  Él es de Santa Cruz.  Él es uno de los caballos más altos.  Él es mal comportado a veces y es muy loco cuando alguien le monta a él Valkiria tiene mucha energía y nunca es tranquilo.   A él le gusta a trotar y galopar mucho, y él salta muy bonito.  Él tiene mucha fuerza y por esa razón, puede saltar alturas muy altas!  Él come mucho y prefiere una dieta balanceada.  Valkiria se porta muy bien con todos los caballos.

As it is dry season here in Bolivia we are short of food for the horses if anyone cares to make a donation for the purchasing of food please use the DONATE button to the right. 

GRACIAS KARIN!!!!

Early this month we received some great donations from Karin Caves. She heard about the program from a student and quickly offered to donate some equipment. We managed to get some of it down here and are now waiting for another visitor to be able to bring us the saddles and boots she has. In the meantime we are happy to have the following: 

1 pair of stirrups with leathers
1 pair of spurs
1 used bridle
3 pairs of reins
2 halters
A set of galloping boots
4 used bits
3 sets of reins
1 pair of riding gloves

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Jose Luis and the boys send Karin a big thank you!

MIRO AND MISHA

In July we were lucky to have Miro and Misha come to volunteer for the month through Volunteer Bolivia. The father and daughter team were a great addition to the program as they both ride in their hometown of Colorado Springs. Misha is 12 and an avid reader. She has a sister named Coco and lives with her father, Miro and her mom, Emily. Miro is a professor at Colorado College and spends much of his time studying tree lines high in the Colorado mountains. They both love nature and horses!!!

They brought with them a donation of equipment from the stable where they board their horse including some desperately needed galloping boots, saddle blankets, bits and brushes. The family also donated $274 to build and paint these jumps that the kids use for practice. They and the kids worked hard painting the jumps!

Wow!! They jump that high?

Even the pink paint worked out.

We would like to thank them for their donations and for the time they spent with us in Blajot hanging with the kids! 

They are missed but we are hoping to see the whole family in summer 2014!

MATERIALS DONATED AND MORE ON THE WAY!

At the end of May, after volunteering for 3 months, Abby Mayer headed back to the US and on to new horizons. She left behind many good friends and the chicos at Vida y Esperanza but she assured she will not be forgotten. During her time with us she was able to collect the following donations:

Jose Luis receiving the donations.

7 used bridles

2 new bridles

2 breast plates

4 used girths

2 sets of stirrups

1 pair of reins

4 new crops

4 new bits

1 Saddle YEAH!

4 brushes

5 combs

2 lead ropes

2 jump cups

6 lead line clips

2 hoof picks

2 used saddle pads

You should see how much better equipped the program is and how the kids brush those horses! We want to thank everyone who donated, with the cash we raised $415 we were able to buy the new equipment above and shoe and feed the horses for a couple months. 

Trying to speak with Abby on Skype to thank her!

The next project is to build and paint the jump standards so that the kids can practice and begin to compete in the local horse shows. There are two new volunteers coming Milo and his daughter Misha and some surprises so keep checking out the blog and once again from the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU!!!

Update from Cochabamba

Hello everyone-
My name is Thacher Hoch and I am an 18 year old student currently living here in Cochabamba and volunteering at the Vida y Esperanza program.  I have been helping out alongside Abby for a few weeks and am trying to continue the good work that she has done for the program in the short time that I have left here in Bolivia.
Jose Luis and the boys continue to work on their handmade bridles, which seem to be working out well for the horses so far, although some have fallen apart while being used.  Everyone here was very excited to receive all of the equipment brought down from the U.S. yesterday and there is no doubt that things will be going much more smoothly with the addition of these thoughtful donations. 
Recently we have been working on building jumps for the riding area here, as until now the only obstacles in use have been rocks and logs, and the occasional pile of horse droppings.  Every small donation really does make a big difference here, as we were able to buy the wood for 6 jumps with only US$40.  The boys here, as well as Jose Luis, really do appreciate anything they can get.  Recently, while mixing horse feed with some of them, I was surprised to find that a lot of the food that I thought was intended for the horses was ending up in the mouths of the hungry boys here at the Blajot.
As Abby has described in her previous posts, Jose Luis runs a great program with very little, and a donation of any amount of money can go a long way towards helping out with all kinds of things, from new equipment for the horses, to paying the rent so that the program can continue to run.  I hope you will consider donating whatever you can to help out Jose Luis and all of his students, as there is no doubt that whatever you can manage to give will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I will try to post pictures of the new equipment in use next week so keep an eye out for that.

Thank You So Much for Your Support!

        Thank you SO MUCH for everyone who has donated to Vida y Esperanza! Take a look at all of the wonderful equipment that we collected in just four short weeks.... and this is only one suitcase worth! We should have another suitcase on the way with 3 more bridles and another halter!

        Unfortunately when the equipment arrives on May 1st I will be on my way back to the US, however our new volunteer Thacher and director of Bolivia Cultura, Lee will be here to hopefully take ample photos and report on how the new equipment is received by Jose Luis and the boys!

Now that Pitu has shoes, he is not longer lame! Now
if we could just get some weight on him...

 

       With the money that was so generously donated I was able to arrange for the farrier to come last week. All of the horses got their feet trimmed and two horses were shod... and get this, all for $35! I was also able to track down some salt blocks in the Cancha (although it was not easy!) and purchase wormer for all 11 of the horses. Upon scouring the internet, I found a super cheap website (Chick's Discount Saddlery in case your curious!) and was also able to order the following to be sent down with the group of students coming from Virginia: two pony bridles, a pair of metal jump cups, three curry comb/hard brush combination mits, and four crops. Also, last but not least, over the weekend Jose Luis took it upon himself to take the bridle project even further and made three lounge lines! 

     

Jose Luis lounging Chino on Ceniza.

        Although I am very sad to be leaving Bolivia and the project, I am eternally grateful for having gotten the chance to work here and hope to return someday in the not-to-distant future! As much as possible I also plan to continue to collect donations and raise funds for the project from the US and help Vida y Espernza in any way I can. I hope to maintain the blog in order to continue to raise awareness of this great program, and also grant access to future Vida y Esperanza volunteers so that they may do the same. Once again, thank you so much for all of the generous donations, you can rest assured that they have made a difference in a child's life!

New Projects Underway!

         So far the donation drive is going really well! My good friend in New York has informed me that already she has collected a bridle, a saddle pad, Vet Wrap, and some other basic medical supplies. In addition to horsey supplies, we have also recieved a few monetary donations as well! Thanks so much to everyone who has donated thus far, your generosity means a lot to the kids and I! 

First home-made halter!

         In other news concerning Vida y Esperanza.... unfortunately when I arrived at Blajot last Thursday I was informed that one of our *precious* bridles had been stolen. That means that now the program is down to only 5 bridles to use on the 10 horses. After sulking for an afternoon I went online and began looking for ways to fashion a bridle myself. I came across a website that suggested using old cotton belts as straps, and via their instruction my friend Lee and I made a halter using similar techniques. It came out rather nice if I do say so myself! Out of his own pocket, Jose Luis purchased some nylon webbing in order to attempt making bridles in a similar fashion, and the project commenced this afternoon! When all is said and done the bridles will end up costing the equivalent of about $8 each, the buckles and other hardware being the majority of the expense. We are able to make the "frame" of the bridle ourselves, but are unable to make or buy the most important part of the bridle in this country...... BITS!

The boys hard at work!

         This brings me to my next item... if you are considering donating something to the project, here is a list of items that are the most crucial:

In order for Black Beauty´s girth to fit,
three folded saddle pads need to be
 placed under the saddle! 

BITS - small, pony-sized

Bridles/Bridle pieces
Hardware - 1.5 in. metal rings, double/single-ended snaps
Girths - pony-sized
Stirrups

Pitu is lame due to this defect in his
right front hoof.

        In reality, behind bits monetary donations may actually be the most useful to the project. There are a number of things that are cheaper to buy here than to have shipped from the US, such as brushes and buckets. Money can also be put towards corrective shoeing, grain, and rental fees for Blajot.

Ceniza is currently nursing her 4-month-old colt
and expecting another... and as you can see she could
desperately use some nourishment!

Join the Campaign to Help Street Kids in Cochabamba!

To all my fellow horse lovers,

To those of you who do not know me, my name is Abby Mayer and I am a 23-year-old who is currently volunteering in Cochabamba, Bolivia for a three month span. I was lucky enough to find a volunteer placement  working with horses, something I haven't had the pleasure of doing in years! The name of the program I am working for is Vida y Esperanza, and our mission is to engage young people who have lived on the street and/or had problems with drugs in the past to encourage positive and healthy development. The group of kids I have been working with over the last few weeks are 12 kids ages 10-16. The group is made up of two components, kids who are deemed ¨high-risk¨ and kids that are considered to be more stable, some of whom have been part of the program for several years; however, who is who is never disclosed to the others in the group.The theory is that by stable individuals leading by example, the higher risk children will begin to stabilize as well, using the same ¨group¨ or ¨gang¨ mentality they are used to experiencing on the street as a way to encourage positive behavior. Jose Luis Torres, the man who runs the program, owns 10 horses that he rotates as lesson horses. Lessons are generally held after lunch Monday-Friday, unless there is some scheduling conflict with another activity planned for the boys, as they often play soccer and volleyball as well.

The first day I went to the ¨Blajot¨, which is the name of the conference center where Jose Luis rents a field to hold the lessons, the kids were just finishing up their second lesson. Everything looked like it was going smoothly, however when one of the boys came over to the fence nearest the tack room to remove the saddle, I began to see the condition their equipment was in. What first caught my eye was a noseband that had been taped together since the buckle had broken, and I thought to myself, ¨Wow, that´s less than ideal.....¨ However, when I turned around to check out the saddle on the fence I was really taken aback. The entire saddle flap was literally hanging on by a thread. As I probed deeper, I discovered not only that the entire tree was broken, but that I could actually see the ground through the gap between the right panel and saddle flap..... Yikes! After all of the tack had been removed I asked Jose Luis where I could find the brushes or some supplies to sponge the horses off. He reluctantly told me they did not have a brush. Now, as a former member of the United States Pony Club to say the state of these horses and tack was appalling would be a gross understatement. I decided this simply wouldn't do, and that I was going to undertake the project of obtaining some new equipment to serve the program.

To my knowledge there is not a tack store in Cochabamba, so the following week I went to the Cancha, which is the Saturday market, and began looking for supplies that would suffice. I ended up settling on a brush you might use to clean bathroom tile and the bottom of a broom for a hard and soft brush, a phillips head screw driver for a hoof pick, and a rubber squiggy used the get rid of rainwater to use as a sweat scraper. These improvisations don't work all that bad, however with 10 horses a second set sure would come in handy. We also currently only have 6 sets of tack and generally 8 kids will ride during each lesson, which means that two kids are left to ride without a saddle or bridle. They seem to still have a blast riding, but it sure does make it difficult to work on one's posting trot when it's all you can do to keep the pony on the circle. 

I am writing this post because I imagine some of you, as I used to, have old tack laying around collecting dust. Whether you changed the style of bit you were using, got a second set of reins to use for cross country and fell in love with them, or just got a new bridle altogether... most of us have back-ups laying around. What I ask of you, if you feel so inclined, is to donate one small piece of tack to Vida y Esperanza..... stirrup leathers, bits, halters, crops, and any part of a bridle are all things that the program needs badly. While shipping heavy, leather saddles may be out of the question, we are open to accepting used synthetic saddles, as they are much lighter and may be able to fit inside a suitcase. As a reference, we mostly have large ponies and a couple small horses, however the two ponies that are generally ridden without tack are quite small, around 12 and 13 hands.

Some halters are tied together
 and ill-fitting

Since sending items from the States to Bolivia is generally unreliable and outrageously expensive, more often people will send things down in suitcases of people entering the country. It just so happens that a large group of about 20 college students is coming down through Bolivia Cultura (the organization that placed me at Vida y Esperanza) at the end of April who have agreed to bring items down in their luggage. If an issue arises with this initial plan or we end up with more donations than expected, a close friend of the Director of Bolivia Cultura is making a trip to the States and will be returning in late April as well; by raising a meer $40 to cover the luggage fee we would have ample space to transport items collected for donation. While ambitious generosity is of course appreciated, I do ask that the item(s) donated be light, per their mode of transportation.

Others.....

If you do not currently have any tack you wish to donate, but would still like to help the cause, monetary donations are a huge help as well. Funds raised would be put toward horse care items (brushes, buckets, sponges, etc.), expenses related to transport of these small donations (I am also looking into the cost of shipping used synthetic saddles, or if they are available in South America), as well as Veterinary needs. Even a donation of $10 would help immensely as we currently have a small gray named Payaso that has a nasty rope burn on his left rear pastern, as well as a sore on his side that I have attempted to clean, but have deemed it both too dangerous and above my skill level of horse care. Jose Luis has told me that the equivalent of about $30 would cover the necessary vet visits, medicine included.

Donations can be made by making a secure electronic transfer through PayPal, or by sending a package, check, or money order to the following address:

Abigail Mayer

600 James Street Apt 702

Syracuse, NY 13203

Thank you for your generousity!