what is RST
RST is an idea. A vision. A belief that bringing passionate individuals together, a community of like minded people, that we can join forces to create something really special. Something that truly saves and changes lives. That over time can hopefully change and inspire an industry.
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At the heart of RST, lies an idea that blossomed and took place over months of brainstorming, ultimately evolving into a visionary project that can change the lives of horses and humans alike. Imagine a place where abandoned, unwanted, neglected, and abused horses and donkeys can find solace, healing, and a second chance. A place where their spirit is able to breathe, and their trust restored.
N0w, imagine that place, but even more so picture a place where not only the animals are finding solace, but you can bring your family and spend the weekend there giving and showing love. A remarkable space where you can have a picnic in a tree house over looking mustangs freely grazing. Where you can go for a walk surrounded on both sides by vast paddocks of horses and donkeys living their best lives. Even a pond with turtles and ducks, even zebras, all saved from horrifying ends, simply enjoying their own lives but with an undeniable thread of connection between them. A setting where the ordinary is transformed into something truly peaceful and healing. Magical.
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The idea began with a simple desire to make a bigger difference. The need to do more. However, as we delved deeper into the possibilities of more than just 'expanding', the concept grew and transformed. We realized that true sustainability lies not in only rescuing horses but in building a support system that empowers us to do more. By expanding our reach and building multiple properties all aligned with the same concept, we can continue to rescue horses and donkeys, preventing them from falling victim within HIH.
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But this endeavor is not just about rescuing horses and donkeys; it's about building a community of passionate and like minded individuals who share our passion and dedication to THEM. Together, we can create a network of support, knowledge, and resources that will enable us to do more and provide the best care we possibly can. By fostering collaborations and partnerships, we can amplify our impact and ensure that someday, no horse is left behind.
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We invite you to be a part of this journey. Whether you are an equine enthusiast, a philanthropist, or simply someone who believes in the power of compassion, your contribution matters.
Together, we can transform lives, one horse and donkey at a time.
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what does RST mean?
The letters themselves stand for 'Red Sparrow Things'. RST doesn't necessarily have a 'meaning'. It is more of an idea, a combination of emotions, feelings, energy, and love, that sort of all came together for me into this trio of words.
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When I was trying to think of the symbol that would embody what I wanted the logo, the symbol of these locations to be, I knew that I wanted it to be something special. I didn't want it to be just about the horses and donkeys because ultimately what I, what WE, are doing is so much more than that. There's a reason All Seated in a Barn's slogan is 'Saving Horses- Changing Lives. It is just as much about the people helping the animals, as it is the animals helping the people. It needed to encompass THAT somehow. THAT ball of passionate emotion in me that is what wakes me up and keeps me going every single day.
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The morning we found out about the property, it hadn't even hit the market yet. It was the Friday before the May auction when a friend of mine sent me the link to the property and said THIS would be perfect for what you are wanting to do. On paper it certainly seemed that way. I immediately called the Real Estate Agent asking if she could see if there was a way we could visit the property, if not that day, then the next morning before we had to head to the Saturday auction. It was supposed to hit the market Sunday morning. I knew in my heart if we couldn't get in to see it, it would be gone. But like everything, if it is meant to happen, the door will open. In our case, the door cracked open. The Real Estate agent called back and said that the family agreed to let us come by Saturday morning at 8.
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I remember driving there with Hillary SO nervous and anxious. The photos were fantastic and everything we had been looking for. A lot of acres, 55 to be exact, all planted with Bermuda grass. All the invasive trees had been pulled leaving beautiful wide open pastures, a giant pond, a barn, paddocks, an arena, a chute system. It was quite literally everything we needed.
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As we drove down the final stretch of road towards the driveway, it was stunning. Old oak trees literally were growing over the road making you felt like you were in another era. It was then that a red cardinal flew right in front of our car. I immediately got choked up and looked at Hillary and said, this is the one. Red cardinals are my dad and I's bird. When I was living with him they would always land outside the kitchen window where he would always have plenty of seed for them to eat. When he was in the hospital with cancer, a picture of cardinals hung next to his bed. Here now, driving down the road, was a red cardinal. I immediately 'knew'. It was like my dad was letting me know, this is it.
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When we turned the corner there stood this huge red barn. I wasn't expecting it to be as big as it was. Even more so the fact that it was red, THAT was special to me. The original location of All Seated in a Barn was called 'Red Barn' which we had to move out of this year, 2023, due to it being sold. Red Barn is and will always be a special place to not just me but anyone who was a part of it. Now, in front of me, here stood a giant Red Barn.
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It was then that we pulled up and parked, stepping out of the car. It hit me like a pile of bricks is the best way to describe it. I stood there, looking around at the green pastures, the pond, the paddock, all of it, and just felt this overwhelming sense of home. It has only ever happened to me once before and that was when we found Shafter, our California property. I had to walk behind the Red Barn to get away from everyone. I needed to sob. It was so overwhelming. The energy. The 'knowing'. It was a lot. I did a video for Patreon talking about it. Expressing it. I didn't know how we would make it happen, I just knew that there had to be a way and if my feeling was right, there would be.
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We managed to convince the owners to keep the property off the market for a couple of days while we figured some things out. We wrote them a letter. I prayed. They agreed. It wasn't until I was on the plane coming back home after the auction that I got the call, the property was officially in escrow and would close in 30 days. On my dads birthday.
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Part of the deal was that the owners got to live in the property until September 1st. This gave me time to try to get some things together, come up with how I wanted the property to work so that I could eventually get it sustainable, and to come up with a symbol, a logo that represented everything I wanted RST to be and mean.
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In August when Frederick passed away it sealed the image of the logo in my head. I already knew I wanted it to have something to do with cardinals and something to do with Jacklyn, my sparrow that passed away on Thanksgiving that I had raised from a baby, but even more so I knew it had to have 'him'.
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This is when I got to work trying to figure out how to combine a cardinal, a sparrow, and a magnificent black horse. What I came up with is the symbol you now see associated with this vision. It has so much meaning behind it. So much love. So much creative passion to see change and to provide help to the horses and donkeys who need it most.
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It's Red Sparrow Things. It's ideas. It's togetherness. Its merchandise with a purpose. It's my heart and my creative energy acting together to do something GOOD.
Its my purpose.
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