by Lorraine Truitt, for Horse Lovers United, Inc.
Salisbury, MD — Horse Lovers United, Inc (HLU) is a horse rescue based in Salisbury, Md., but reaches out to help any horse anywhere if resources are available. The organization is conducting a Quarter Auction as a fundraiser on Thursday (April 19) at the Harrington Moose Lodge, 16268 S DuPont Highway (Rt. 13), in Harrington, Del., 19952. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the bidding starts at 7 p.m. The special guest announcer is Heather Vitale, producer and star of the popular harness racing show, Post Time.
During the last 26 years, most of the calls for help have been from owners and trainers of Standardbreds that are no longer competitive. HLU currently has 10 Standardbreds that need care every month. Five had been adopted, but were returned to HLU (as is required so that they can be checked on for their lifetime). Five have never been adopted. Two of those have soundness issues, which we weren’t aware of. Two have had years of training, but the right person has not come along and one is a recent addition who needed some TLC before he is ready for adoption.
The five that were returned, range in age from 23 – 33 years. Most of HLU adopters do keep them for life. It was nice to hear an adopter tell me how much confidence the horse gave his daughter who was not very popular in school. She is now an adult, and a registered nurse.
We are hoping this Quarter Auction will bring in much needed funds. As it seems many people are not familiar with these events, will provide some additional information. You arrive and buy a numbered paddle (s) so bring all your quarters. You will be bidding from 1-4 quarters (depending on value of item) for each item offered. Extra quarters will be available if you run out; there are usually at least 100 items.
There are also 18 vendors who will be set up with their own items for you to purchase and they will be donating prizes to HLU. Vendors include Hempworx, Lularoe, Thirty-One, Scentsy, Pure Romance and many more.
The announcer pulls a winning number (much like Bingo) and the person who has that number gets the prize.
The Moose will have food & drinks for sale, and HLU will have a baked goods table.
Paddles cost $5 for the first and $3 for extras.