Community helps raise money for horse rescue one snip at a time

Friday, Aug. 8, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Melissa Douglas of Tracys Landing gets a haircut from Appearances hair salon owner Melissa Tripp of Huntingtown, during the fundraiser for Freedom Hill Horse Rescue in Owings. Douglas also donated 11 inches to Locks of Love. Staff photo by SHELLEY MASCIA E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Appearances, a hair salon in Owings, opened its doors on July 28 to help support a fundraiser for the Freedom Hill Horse Rescue. The salon, which is normally closed on Mondays, offered $10 haircuts all day to help support the rescue organization.

The Freedom Hill Horse Rescue, located in Owings, was started five years ago by Melody Parrish of Owings. An avid horse lover all of her life, she wanted to open up an animal rescue shelter for abused and mistreated horses.

‘‘I’ve been with horses all my life,” Parrish said. ‘‘I would find old broken down horses and fix them up and give them a new home. One of my first horses was a palomino.”

The organization is a nonprofit that rescues abused, neglected and unwanted horses from hostile and sometimes unlivable conditions. Sometimes the horses are brought to the foundation because the owners are unable to care for them. It also provides a safe haven for horses that are bound for slaughter and at risk to go to auction. The group works out of five different barns in northern Calvert County.

Melissa Tripp of Huntingtown, who owns the shop with her mother, was approached a few weeks ago by a close friend of the family for this event. She said she considers it an honor and was pleased to open her shop on the one day they were closed.

‘‘[The family friend’s] wife was very much involved with Freedom for Horses,” Tripp said ‘‘The full price of the $10 haircut proceeds is going to be donated to the foundation. Anything that helps animals is great.”

People of all ages could come in for any kind of haircut they wanted. Most of them knew it was for a good cause and were happy to get haircuts.

‘‘I wanted my hair to be shorter and I wanted to help the horses,” said Ashley Dickens, 7, of Prince Frederick. ‘‘My favorite thing about horses is that they run fast.”

‘‘After I read in the paper about the event, I switched my hair appointment to today,” said Leann Nagy of Chesapeake Beach. ‘‘I used to ride horses in my early teens, but I haven’t lately.”

One of Appearances’ customers, Melissa Douglas, came in not only to support the Freedom Hill Horse Rescue, but also donated 11 inches of hair to Locks of Love during the event. She is a regular Wednesday volunteer at Freedom Hill Horse Rescue and heard about the fundraiser through a friend.

‘‘People say that dogs are man’s best friend, but I think that horses are equally so,” said Douglas of Tracys Landing. ‘‘Horses are really intelligent and they give you 100 percent most of the time. They deserve to be rescued.”

Douglas also owns a horse and goes riding frequently. She donates time to help feed the horses at the organization.

Parrish said that there is room for more volunteers for the organization, and the horses are available for adoption and fostering.

The foundation held an adoption day in June. One of the recent adopters was Calvert Therapeutic, who adopted ‘‘Gabe” for its therapeutic program.

‘‘Our goal is to try to find a property to keep all of our horses in one place,” Parrish said. ‘‘I would like to eventually open a guided trail ride, so people can ride and enjoy the local trails in the county on horseback.”