Ray of Light Farm, home to Horse and Donkey Rescue in East Haddam, will open its gates on May 7 from 10am to 5pm to welcome the greater horse community of Connecticut to its inaugural Equine Wellness Fair. The public is invited to spend a day on the farm exploring alternative therapies applied to the equine world. It is an East-meets-West educational fair demystifying over 25 different practices or modalities that can work alongside traditional veterinary medicine. It will be an opportunity for Connecticut horse folks to find out about local resources.

The modalities or practices that practitioners will speak about include holistic nutrition, equine cognition and phobia, tai chi riding, myo-fascial release, yoga on horseback, classical French dressage, Equinosis lameness exam, bit fit, saddle fitting, homeopathic medicine, Reiki, acupuncture, aromatherapy, going barefoot, preventative ulcer care and emergency response. The early bird price is $10 and $15 the day of the event.

Rescues can be the center of a community outside of their gates and fence lines. We know them as hubs; places where people with shared passion come together and bring more of themselves for the love of animals. It is the unspoken mission of the rescue that this altruism continues beyond into the greater community. Whether volunteering time makes someone more centered and alive throughout the rest of the week or whether the rescue itself invites families and groups in to share in festivities, rescues do a community good.

For more information and for advance tickets, visit RayofLightFarm.org/#!Equine-Wellness-Fair-2016/u922s. Location: Ray of Light Farm, 232 Town St, East Haddam.