Community rallies around equine charity

A STRONG response from the wider community has allowed a local Bellarine charity to pay off a sizeable debt, providing it with the means to continue its good work in the region.

Following an invoice miscommunication over multiple months with suppliers, The Winged Horse Equine Welfare charity on Portarlington-Queenscliff Road was at the point of closing down abruptly with a $4,000 feed debt owed.

With no options left to explore, the charity had no choice but to ask the community to assist with financial donations.

The Winged Horse Equine Welfare founder and chief executive officer Carolyn Bischof was astounded to learn more than $7,000 was raised in less than a fortnight, which has gone towards clearing the charity’s debt and caring for animals within Ms Bischof’s care.

“It was unbelievable to see the generosity from the donors, we would’ve been struggling severely leading up to Christmas, maybe worse, so we’re absolutely rapt with how things have panned out,” Ms Bischof said.

“I always tend to be a bit stoic when it comes to running this place with the team, and I sometimes forget you can ask the community for assistance as a charity.

“The response also justifies the work we do and the service we provide the region in rescuing neglected and abused animals such as horses, alpacas and ponies.”

Ms Bischof and her husband started the charity in 2013 when they bought the 80 acres of land, which was formerly used as a horse training centre.

Winged Horse presently has 30 equines in care, 14 alpacas, 12 sheep and lambs, and a flock of chickens and roosters.

“We’re always looking for regular donors, to keep our doors open and allow us to conduct our ‘feed outs’,” Ms Bischof said.

“We’re also open to bringing in more volunteers to help keep the daily operations going and helping out with the partnerships we have with external groups such as Geelong High School along with our guided walking tours.

“Being a registered charity, we rely on donations, even just $2 a week, to help the animals in care, and times are tough for everyone, so we, historically, try not to put the call out too often, so as not to put pressure on our followers.”

For more information, head to thewingedhorse.org/donate