Hay-sponsor
Since 2013, there are a number of people who each month donate a sum of money to support the animals that live on Friskeröd, and the surrounding area, with hay. According to the basic idea of many small, good deeds and intentions. In return, each month you receive a so-called hay sponsor letter, in-depth texts based on conversations with Friskeröd's various residents, as well as pictures. Several of the texts in Friends of Mio's library are excerpts from such mailings.
The hay sponsors enable the maintenance of the sanctuary's animals and make a huge difference in the everyday life of the sanctuaries Friskeröd and Surtung.
To become a hay sponsor, do this:
1. Donate any amount (for example SEK 200, approx USD 19) via PayPal (link here) or transfer to our bank account IBAN: SE3650000000058011000454 BIC: ESSESESSXXX address: SEB 106 40 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (separate from the other Friends of Mio bank account). Mark your contribution with HAY SPONSOR.
Tip! Add recurring payments so you don't have to remember the donation every month.
2. Send an email to ecajsdotter@yahoo.com after donating with your name and email address.
3. Log in and read! You will now receive a password emailed to you that goes to the Hay-sponsor library. There you can read the latest Hay-sponsor letter and have access to all previous Hay-sponsor letters, Christmas greetings and grazing greetings. You can get there by clicking on "Hay-sponsor letter" in the menu. Every month, a new greeting will be sent to you via email, and a Hay-sponsor letter will be posted here.
Since 1997, Friskeröd farm has been run based on a desire to create a sanctuary for individuals of all species, which for various reasons have not been able to adapt to systems based on subordination. It can be animals that are considered difficult to handle, or individuals who have been traumatized by previous experiences. It can also be about physical injuries, which did not have time or opportunity to heal.
It started with the pony Pyret. We met at a riding school in Gothenburg when she was five, and I was eleven years old. This was a large riding school, which at the time was run in an almost mechanical way. The horses were torn out and broken down on assembly lines. But not Pyret. She was furious and fought to preserve her integrity. Her strength both frightened and fascinated me. At one point I was standing outside her stool. I didn't dare go in, as I knew she both bit and kicked people. Sometimes she wouldn't even let them out again. So we just stood there, looking at each other. I have no idea how that happened. But suddenly it was as if the invisible partition that defined us in relation to each other was removed. I could experience her entire reality from within - and she did the same. It was extremely scary. There were no fixed points to relate to. Everything collapsed. I have no idea how long this went on. Time did not exist in this place. And after that, nothing was the same. The double swing door that was opened and could not be closed again. At any moment, and without warning, it could happen again. The self, the definable, no longer included only myself. This was not the same as a projection. I didn't think I was Pyret. We could still make out each other - but we shared each other's experiences, fully. Perhaps there is no need for explanations, or translations, if empathy forms the bridge between. This ends the isolation. The words are the descriptions we need to be able to reach each other, as long as there is a distance.
After a number of years at the riding school, Pyret became seriously ill. She developed a lung disease called emphysema, or chronic pulmonary emphysema (COPD in humans). As there is no cure for this disease, plans were made to euthanize her. She was eight years old at the time. I was completely devastated. Ever since the day we met, I had been her attendant, which was no easy task. She bit, kicked and tested my patience as much as she did everyone else's. But I couldn't give up. My grandmother realized the seriousness of the situation and decided to buy Pyret off. With her help, we were then able to leave the riding school and Pyret was able to move to a farm in the countryside. I was overjoyed and thought everything would be fine. But it wasn't really that simple.
Pyret's path was not primarily about getting well, but about being free. I was driven by fear of losing her - she was motivated solely by the love of life itself. To be able to follow her on this path, I have to let go. Not just about the fear, but about everything.
My whole identity, everything I thought and thought so far, and everything I thought I knew. Sometimes I think that we humans surround ourselves with domesticated animals because we need their unconditional love. We have such a great need to be seen and affirmed. But for that to happen, we must also be prepared to see ourselves, without illusions and excuses. It requires a deep and honest introspection. The animals around us must be given space to be fully themselves, both on a personal level and in terms of meeting the natural needs of the species. Otherwise, there can never be a genuine, equal meeting. We have so many methods to get animals to listen, obey and follow us. But all too rarely the opposite happens.
”If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together"
Lilla Watson
Pyret wasn't going to compromise. If I wanted to meet her, it was entirely up to me. Her healing process had only just begun. As the external stress subsided, all symptoms flared up. Breathing and coughing worsened markedly. Her vital force had been raised, the space had increased, and all that had previously been suppressed rose to the surface. It was a long and winding road, but in the end it brought us to the place where we are now. At first she did not respond to any treatments, either conventional or alternative. This was not an isolated problem that could be removed or fixed. The work must continue where it was started.
In the dissolution of the ego and the individual identity. Towards the expansion of the self to ultimately include everything. And against the individual's longing to dare to live fully. In this process it also became clear that all forms of subordination and hierarchical structures, which we humans so often assume, would constitute an impossible limitation. If everything is one, there can be no such distinctions. And no empathetic communication would be possible if there was any kind of value difference. One of my greatest teachers, Marion Rosen, once explained that you can never heal someone else. The only thing you can do is create a space, where the other person is given the opportunity to heal themselves. This forms the basis of our entire work.
Pyret showed the way, and over time it also became possible to allow space for more individuals of different species to undergo similar healing processes. The goal is not, and never has been, to re-adapt, sell on or relocate any of the animals that come here. For that reason, we also only accept animals that have no chance of recovery, or are rehabilitated where they are. Almost all the animals here on the farm would have been euthanized if they had not been given the opportunity to come here. For a large part of these animals, their previous problems are based on the fact that they have not been able to renounce their natural instincts, in order to adapt to the needs of humans. Many of them have a history of abuse and neglect. For others, what is considered normal training and handling has led to incredible trauma. From a treatment point of view, one must then ask whether it is the individual who is unbalanced, or whether it is a system error? And if it is to some extent a matter of system failure, then there is also an obvious conflict between recovery and rehabilitation.
Pyret eventually recovered from his chronic pulmonary emphysema, against all odds. She then devoted the rest of her life to freeing herself from everything that previously bound her identity. When she finally left her body, at the age of thirty-five, she was completely free. She was lying down in one of the very largest pastures, late in the fall. Her red color blended with the grass and the falling leaves. During her time as a riding school horse, she had been confined ten months a year. There were no paddocks and the stables were built directly adjacent to the riding house. The horses hardly saw any daylight, other than during outdoor rides. But two months a year they were let out to graze. Pyret could never be caught. When autumn came, it happened that she was left alone in the meadow, after all the others had left. Until they finally called her in and forced her to go on the transport. She kept wishing that the people would forget about the horses in the fall, so that they could remain in the big pasture all year round. Now it was autumn, just like then, and her whole flock roamed freely around her. It consisted of as many horses - about sixty - as there had been at the riding school at that time. Pyret was so pleased. Everything she had fought for in life, she had now achieved. There was nothing left to do. Her dream had come true. I had always thought it was my vision, and my bad conscience about all those left behind. But it was Pyret - this stubborn, furious little horse - who had made all this possible. Because anyone understands that you can't save everyone? We often hear that. Of course you can't.. But you can still do a lot; for very, very many. When Pyret let go, in her very last breath, she became one with everything. It was as if all the stories dissolved. Like thousands of little flakes of life force, which passed into each of us, who were around her. And so her dream lives on, undiminished.
A basic condition for being able to create space for this kind of spiritual healing is that there is no profit motive. There can be no goals whatsoever. Any ideas of personal gain would directly oppose a trust-based coexistence. All work with the animals on the farm is voluntary. The expenses are mainly covered by the work that takes place outside the farm; talking with animals, training horses and other animals according to non-hierarchical principles, and alternative treatments. A large part of the work involves the treatment of animals suffering from post-traumatic stress, or other behavioral symptoms. We do not see ourselves as owners of any of these animals. We manage the place, the land where the animals graze, and are responsible for their well-being. But we expect nothing in return. None of this is done for any other purpose than to make it possible.
Many people have wondered over the years if there are opportunities to help in some way. At first we were doubtful about it, not least in view of the individual's need for privacy. The economy of the farm has so far been based on an idea of complete trust, which has worked in a fascinating and often unexpected way. At the same time, it feels relevant to be able to involve more people in this idea, and therefore we have designed a system with so-called hay sponsors. The hay sponsors have been around since 2013. During this time, the hay sponsors' help has made a huge difference for a lot of individuals. And this has become especially clear now that the prices of feed, among other things, have increased drastically.
We are extremely grateful for all these fantastic efforts!
A hay sponsor contributes with a small amount of money each month, thus supporting the sanctuaries and its basic idea as a whole. So you don't sponsor an individual. This feels important, partly to avoid unnecessary exposure and thereby protect the integrity of the individual. But it is also important to point out that the activities at Friskeröd & Surtung are primarily about developing a non-hierarchical coexistence between different species and individuals, as well as between humans and the surrounding nature. As a hay sponsor, you have access to a Hay-sponsor letter every month where you can follow in detail the in-depth work with the animals on the farm. Each mailing is between 10-15 pages long, with pictures. An extra grazing greeting and a Christmas greeting are also sent out every year.
Yes, I want to be Hay-sponsor!
Donate a small amount every month/quarter/year via PayPal or to our bank account:
1. Donate any amount (for example SEK 200, approx USD 19) via PayPal (link here) or transfer to our bank account IBAN: SE3650000000058011000454 BIC: ESSESESSXXX address: SEB 106 40 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN Mark your contribution with HAY SPONSOR.
2. Send an email to ecajsdotter@yahoo.com after donating with your name and email address.
3. Log in and read! You will now receive a password emailed to you that goes to the Hay-sponsor library. There you can read the latest Hay-sponsor letter and have access to all previous Hay-sponsor letters. Hay-sponsor letter will be posted here.
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In total, around 200 animals live on the farm; horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens, cats and dogs. The horses make up the largest group, since 2016 we have had permission from the county board to keep up to 65 horses. Ducks and chickens are the animal species that are second largest in number. The hay bill is undoubtedly our biggest expense, as all grazing animals are free range and have free access to hay. But by sponsoring this expense, resources are also freed up for other necessary investments, such as the construction and maintenance of fences around fields, graveled feedlots and more. It also helps free up time. Time that can be spent together with the animals that live here. Both in practical exercises and in-depth rehabilitation. But also when it comes to conversations. Time to listen - and to wait - so that new ideas and insights can emerge.