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SWAP
FEED FUND
MAKE CREDIT CARD DONATIONS TO THE SWAP FEED FUND... CALL
FOSTER FEEDS AT 304-269-1333, TALK TO CHARLIE TO GIVE A DONATION TO THE SECOND
WIND ADOPTION PROGRAM FEED FUND, WE GO THROUGH 6 TONS OF FEED A MONTH. YOU CAN
ALSO PAY FOR ADOPTIONS AND PURCHASES THIS WAY!!
monthly counters started on February 13, 2010 for the website, because this is a
free counter, it will only show about a 1/4 of our total numbers, so its
not an accurate depiction of all of our visitors, just gives an idea about all
the people that visit our site. We do love our international visitors. Welcome!
Visitors By Country
Top 100 Visitors
Last 100 Visitors
Visitors Map
Daily Stats
Congrats to our President for the nomination and eventual induction to the
ROTC Hall of Fame at West Virginia State University, nominated by the former VP
of the University, the induction will take place at the Embassy Suites in
Charleston, WV October 14, 2010. A former military school, rich in a history of
national defense has only inducted just over 100 military retirees to its Hall
of Fame, many of them general officers. Congratulations on this huge honor.
Stay up with our President/Executive Director, all the
directors, volunteers and riders. All the CSS/SWAP supporters and adopters are
having a big time sharing stories, pictures, lots of good stuff about their
horses. Our President is at her max friends so she is full but we are going to
set up a fan based page so everyone can be added. So sorry to the 200 + people
who have asked for a friendship.... we'll get our fan page up soon.
Benefit Wines is a unique online retail wine shop that partners with
non-profit organizations to raise funds. Every charity partner has their
own unique wine label. Supporters enjoy fine, organic wines while
supporting their favorite cause. Cheers!
Raise $1000. for Second Wind
Adoption Program and have a 1 in 70 chance at a 15 carat Ruby/Diamond
Ring! ... mail donations to Rt. 2 Box 24A Jockey Camp Road, West Union,
WV 26456
The Wish List of Our Needs:
More than anything we need a large donation to help us pay off our farm, we just
owe 70k. With a farm paid for, we will never worry about the program and schools
closing.
We are looking for 2 to 3 people to do work in exchange for a place to live.
1. New or lightly
used truck and 3 to 6 horse trailer, our equipment has seen its better
days, we've been using both for nearly 14 years to pick up horses and move them
to their new homes.
2. A Farm in any
location for low cost long term lease or donation to expand our program
to develop a retirement farm for our now aging horses returned to us from
adopters who could not retire our horses. Our highest priority locations
initially are Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
or Delaware.
3. New or Lightly
Used Farm utility vehicle (like a john deere gator), farm tractor,
& manure spreader
4. Tack and large
horse items donated... like carts/buggies, racing bikes, jog carts,
harnesses, saddles, horse trailers, blankets/rugs to use or sell on SWAP
Shopping. Supplies to use around the barn or office.
5. A bulk feed bin
that will hold anywhere from 6 tons to 9 tons of grain donated or at low cost or
even a break on the cost of purchase and instillation.
6. A volunteer or low cost
employee who can help us fix our
database that lists all adopters, donors, supporters and horses/dogs/cats
in the program.
7. Some sort of a cloth
facility like Cover-all or Farm-Tek
building to increase our abilities to be able to take more horses and
have an indoor area to work and train horses in winter, donated, grant or
partially donated. anywhere from 50 x 200 to 72 x 300.
8.
Monthly Sponsors for our light
use, elderly or retirement/sanctuary horses/dogs who's possibilities for
adoption are very low, ie. Orphy, Jelly Bean, Dixie, Allie, Kochese, Darlin, Mr.
Darcey, JoJo, Freckles, Lucy, Bandit, Max, etc.
9. Volunteers
to commit to doing one fund raiser for SWAP horses at your location during 2010,
it can be a golf tournament, a bake sale, book sale, lemonade stand, car wash,
setting up an information stand at a horse show. This is a great way to kids to
get involved in helping horses.
10 Anyone interested in
free high quality top soil
(manure already composted) and manure for gardens, you can pick up for free by
the truck load at our WV location (bring a loader). If you are a gardener and
only need a small amount, pick up in a truck or we'll be selling it by the feed
bag full at $2.00 a bag (in a bag that is usually used for 100 lbs of feed).
This is beautiful clean top soil. This offer will only last so long because we
will be leveling the manure pile this August when its dry enough to get a dozer
in there.
11. Someone to do
dozer work on the farm, level arena/round pen, do terracing on the hill
sides to keep water out of the barns and level the top soil and manure pile to
increase the level of that land in that bottom so we can put our methane
digester in and indoor arena. Volunteer or at a reduced cost.
Reporting Neglect:
Please, if you see neglect (ribs and hip bones showing or no
food available), its critical to call the sheriff of the county where the
horse/animal is located. Have the address where the horse is located or
directions to the farm, pictures and the owners name (if possible). If the
sheriff does nothing email our cruelty case workers Tom and Ruby Fleming at
tomfleming64@cebridge.net or email
PETA's cruelty case workers Stephanie or Tori at
sbell@peta.org,
or
ToriP@peta.org Remember horses can not speak for themselves so
we must speak for them!! All reports are kept anonymous.
Getting Help for Your Horses/animals if you can not care for
them:
If you can not feed your animals, whether they are horses or
other animals, if you are adopters, call SWAP HQ immediately, if not, call your
local horse rescue and plead for help, if they are full then call your animal
control officer or sheriff to release ownership of your animals so they can get
them help Before they are starved to death, do not wait until they are starved,
its critical to get help early. Contact us if you do not know what to do. call
304-873-3532 or email
secondwindadopt@aol.com. Many counties have pet
pantries so you can get feed when times are tough.
If things are getting tight with costs, go to a less expensive
grain like a simple stock pellet supplemented with corn, according to Ohio State
Corn is the leading horse feed in the US according to their research, many large
equine schools and large farms feed these all natural feeds because of what they
get for the price, a lot of negative stuff has been written about corn but no
one can support it with actual proof and research. We feed a simple all stock
pellet from southern states and we supplement with cracked corn for those who
need more calories, here is the link:
- http://ohioline.osu.edu/b
- 762/b762_7.htm
TOP TEN WAYS YOU CAN HELP PROTECT HORSES
(ASPCA and SWAP Suggestions)
1. BE THEIR VOICE - your vote is your
greatest weapon against injustice, so register and actively support horse
protection and preservation legislation.
2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE - Walk the talk. Don't support or attend cruel
horse activities such as Tennessee Walker events using "soring" techniques -
painful techniques to make the horse walk a certain way, or events that use
drugs to make horses achieve results. High-diving horse acts are cruel, as are
rodeo events that don't promote respect for animals and their health.
3. BE AN INFORMED CONSUMER - products made from horses like Premarin
(pregnant mare urine pills for estrogen replacement), are created through
horses' suffering. Your spending dollar is a weapon.
4. SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE - inform people what happens to horses after
their short careers are over (slaughter plant bound), or where Premarin comes
from, talk to them about over breeding, the hazards of over using young horses
or not training a horse. Engage them in discussion.
5. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HORSE RESCUE OR SANCTUARY - these organizations
make life better for horses.
6. VOLUNTEER - your gift of time is valuable to horse groups and if
you have special talents, so much the better.
7. REPORT CRUELTY - if you witness abuse or neglect, report it to
local animal control or your county sheriff. Someone cruel to animals is cruel
to humans, too.
8. PROTECT THE AMERICAN WILD HORSE - mustangs have a special place in
our history and you can support federal and local legislation by writing emails
and letters to your government reps.
9. KEEP YOUR HORSE SAFE AND HEALTHY - if you own a horse, maintain
its health with regular hoof, medical and dental check-ups. Make sure they are
companioned as horses suffer living alone - even a goat makes a good companion.
Feed what the horse needs, if you are seeing ribs and hip bones, the horse is
not getting enough, if you can't afford to buy more feed, then give the horse to
someone who can, just be sure to check the person out and make sure they are not
selling the horse to slaughter or just going to turn out and sell the horse to
anyone that has the money. .
10. PLAN AHEAD FOR YOUR HORSE'S CARE - your health and finances
change so what happens to your horse of you can't care for it anymore? Research
your options, including a pet trust. Horses live into their mid 20s and early
30s now - that's a lifetime of commitment.
Crossed Sabers Stable:
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As many as 60
million visitors per year |
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As many as 530,000 hits in one day |
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Visitors from 113 different
countries |
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Website Visitors from every
continent of the world |
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Thousands of adoptions (of 68
different breeds) in homes today with SWAP |
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Horses adopted in 46 states and
Canada |
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14 Year History |
Preparing for a Cold Winter:
HAY: Get
your hay now before the prices become outrageous, get enough for the winter
(good planning is 2 bales for every 3 days for one horse or 10 bales per month
per horse, so to make it until the middle of June (first cutting), you're
looking at 90 bales per horse at the very least (from September to June). If you
have good thick grass that has been mowed and fertilized then depending on where
you live in the US you might just need 60 to 70 bales. For good grazing its
recommended that you have 3 to 5 acres of mowed, seeded, fertilized grass per
horse. Remember Grass is dead in WV from Oct/Nov until about April and every
state has some months where the grass does not give the horses their calories or
nutrients it needs to sustain life (USDA has details of that for each state).
They may be grazing in the winter but they are not getting anything from the
grass to survive. I know most know that but I say it because we had an adopter
last year in WV that thought if they were eating grass that was all they needed
and she nearly killed 2 horses.
GRAIN:
Remember on average horses need 1 lb of concentrated feed (grain) for every 100
lbs of body weight, so on average horses need about 10 lbs of grain a day, more
when its very cold or if they are living outside in a run because much of their
calories go to keeping them warm. Some horses need more so its critical to
watch to make sure their ribs and hip bones are staying meaty and covered. If
you see ribs, the horse is too thin and needs more calories, not supplements
but more calories.. Easy keepers may be round but it does not mean they are
healthy, most easy keepers need a multi vitamin to stay healthy.
WATER:
One of the most critical things needed in winter is clean fresh water all the
time, anywhere from 5 to 20 gallons per day per horse and everyone knows what a
pain that is when there is ice and snow on the ground but its critical to
preventing colic. Get your electric heaters, defrosters now, heated buckets,
what ever it takes to make sure they have good water in front of them all the
time and at least 10 gallons (2 flat backed buckets at the very least). Here we
keep 100 gallons troughs in the stalls since we have big stalls, its much easier
than frozen buckets in winter, all we do is break the ice and remove it most
days and put a heater in them on really cold days. We use a sump pump to empty
water and scrub troughs each week which keeps water fresh and clean.
SHELTER:
Domestic horses need shelter, they are not wild and can not survive outside
without shelter or some kind of heavy waterproof rug to keep them warm during
snow/ice and freezing temperatures but the best is a closed in shelter that is
free from drafts (meaning its closed on all 4 sides with some sort of
ventilation). Wild horses first of all don't live very long, living outside in
the elements is very hard on them, secondly wild horses move in cold
temperatures to keepselves warm and they often times move over thousands of
acres to keep warm or to find cover or water. No domestic horse can not do that
on 5, 20 or even 100 acres. Just because your horse has learned to survive in
bad weather does not mean its good for them, they need shelter in bad weather.
CARE:
Its important to make kids take care of their horses but they must have adult
supervision on a daily basis to make sure horses are getting what they need.
Trust me, I usually have 30 year olds working in our barn and I still have to be
there daily to make sure things are done, that they have clean water, especially
when its cold because our young helpers want to get out of the weather and then
the horses are left at risk for colic. Every day check your child's work, do not
leave your horses care to a child (completely).
The Woman I will Be
- I shall wear diamonds and a wide brimmed
straw hat with ribbons and flowers on it
- And I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots
- And sit in the alley of my barn and listen
to my horses breathe.
- I will sneak out in the middle of a
summer's night And ride the dappled mare across the moonstruck meadow, if
my old bones will allow. and when people come to call, I will smile and
nod, As I walk them past the gardens to the barn And show, instead, the
flowers growing there
- In stalls fresh-lined with straw. I will
shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel. And I will
be an embarrassment of all who look down on me Who have not yet found the
peace in being free To love a horse as a friend, a friend who waits at
midnight hour
- With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes For
the Woman I will be when I am old.
The perfect analogies for why we
have the life school tied into SWAP and animal welfare work:
"Everyone thought we took this
broken down horse and saved him but really he saved us"
Jockey Red Pollard from the
movie Seabiscuit
I rescued a
human today
Her eyes met mine as she
walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her
need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too
exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel
I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't
want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers
get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card
I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look
forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees
and made little kissy sounds at me.
I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.
Gentle fingertips caressed
my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I
raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.
Soon my kennel door opened
and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would
promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would
promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her
eyes.
I was so fortunate that she
came down my corridor.
So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors.
So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
I rescued a human today.
Baggage
by Evelyn Colbath
Now that I'm
home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked into my warm new bed,
I would like to open my baggage,
Lest I forget
There is so much to carry -
So much to forget.
Hmm, Yes, here
it is, right on the top
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my halter hides Fear & Shame
As I look on these things I have tried so hard to leave-
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them,
the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things
And take me right back?
Do you have the
time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never re-pack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
A young boy was walking along the beach
- as high tide came in.
- With every crash of the waves
- he noticed that dozens of seahorses were
being cast onto the beach,
- where they lay gasping and squirming.
- Hurriedly, he ran to each seahorse he could
find
- and gently tossed them back into the surf.
- A man watching all this approached the boy
and said;
- "Son, what you are doing won't make a
difference",
- to which the boy replied,
"To
that seahorse .
. . it will".
Some folks said they missed my great goals
list for 2010, so here it is back again
1. Spend an hour a day with your horses, not just
feeding, training and turning out, but real quality time doing something that is
enjoyable for the both of you. Grooming or hand walking is a great way to bond
with your horse and good for both you and the horse.
2. Get your loved ones more involved in your
horses. Divorce is the biggest reason we see horses coming back to us. Don't
just share the work, share the fun too and find something they really enjoy
doing with horses.
3. Learn a new discipline, go to a clinic, a
horse show, or equine affaire. Come to one of our clinics or watch a training
video. If you are an adopter you can check out books and video's from SWAP's
Library for just shipping costs. Take a lesson at least once a month or Bring
your adoption horse here and we will help you. The better you are, the more fun
you will have.
4. Make a plan for your horse after you are gone
or if you have a major injury, let your Will Executor know your plans. Make a
plan for emergencies or financial bumps along the way for your horse. Have a
plan if you or your horse gets injured, even for the tough times of year like
winter (or summer down south and for a drought winter when hay prices
skyrocket). Ask friends, family and neighbors to be part of your plan, most
people that don't have horses or a farm love the idea of getting away and
helping. And people can not resist someone when they are asking for help for the
welfare of an innocent animal.
5. Get yourself healthy and in better shape to
prevent injury, to live a long life and to more enjoy your horses. Eat 1-1-1
(one ounce of dark chocolate, one ounce of fresh walnuts, one glass of red wine
daily) and 2-2-2 (2 servings of fresh vegis, 2 of fresh fruit and get 2 sources
of fat free calcium). Drink 100 ounces of spring water a day, get a whole house
water filter. Change over to Sea-salt. Take one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
every morning to keep your body alkaline (cancer and disease can not grow in an
alkaline body). Eat more fish and chicken and less red meat. Get a good air
cleaner and do daily deep breathing exercises, get outside in the fresh air and
sunshine for at least 1/2 hour every day. Get away from high fat food, processed
foods, fast food, can or boxed food, sugar or artificial sweeteners, soda and
don't eat anything if you can't read all the ingredients and know exactly what
is in it. Clean all vegis and fruits thoroughly, buy organic, buy ocean caught
fish, not farm raised, buy fresh meat and raw milk, not packed or processed. Eat
only natural carbs (potatoes, rice, oats) bake/broil or steam everything. Get 8
hours of sleep, reduce stress/risk (reduce commuting by car pooling, tight
schedules, cell phone use in the car, watch or read the news only once a day or
better yet once a week. Do one hour of walking, yoga or weight training every
day and it will make you strong, lean, you'll look great and get wonderful
complements from friends, coworkers and loved ones and the horse work will be
easier and more enjoyable.
6. Stay clear of negative people and those very
negative chat rooms and bulletin boards, they seem innocent but every time you
go to them you lose a bit of your positive self, they are truly emotional
vampires that will leave only a shell of a person. They are not based on the
truth, they are based on harassment, complaining, whining and dishonesty. We all
become tomorrow what we are around today, every person we come in contact with
defines who we are tomorrow so be careful who you choose for friends, even the
websites you go to as each of them affect who you are tomorrow. Do you want to
be a bitter, miserable, complaining person or do you want to be happy, inspired
and honorable, all that is affected by the decisions you make today. Stay away
from Toxic people and Toxic websites/forums that are negative or that spend all
their time talking bad about people and their horses. What you are around today
and what you are doing today is what you will be tomorrow. Stop Complaining and
be Thankful for what you have. If you become a target of harassment or anyone
saying anything negative about you, if you are doing only good, positive things
and not hurting anyone then ignore them, its all based on jealousy and a sick
sort of wish to be like you. They have the problem, not you.
7. Read at least one book on training your horse
and one on care each year, if for nothing else but just inspiration. SWAP has a
great library of books/videos that adopters can check out for just the cost of
mailing it.
Click
here to see our Library
8. Get carrots/apples every time you go to the
store, your horses will love you for it and always come running when you call.
Don't feed candy or anything sweeter. Carrots are sweet enough. Get rid of the
sweet feeds and you'll get rid of the hot horse once and for all.
9. Realize that if you are having a problem with
your horse, more likely than not, the problem is you. Learn more, practice more,
ask in a different way, be patient, change their environment or daily schedule
to better suit them. Taking better care of a horse always brings out the best in
that horse. Good feed/hay, time to rest in a quiet stall out of the elements,
lots of fresh water, time to be with you and time to just be a horse, time with
their buddies, farrier and vet care always done is a good start. The biggest
part of this relationship puzzle is you, not the horse. If you are struggling,
then you need to learn more and get better.
10. Ride at least once a week, regardless of
weather. Use this time as your down time for healing, your therapy, your time to
relieve stress and the pressures of daily life. Even if you don't ride, go sit
and read a book in the pasture with the horses or sit in the barn and listen to
them munch on dinner, away from the crowd and noise of your day. Enjoy the peace
and quiet, enjoy hearing happy horses eating dinner or grass in the pasture.
11. Spend time leisurely grooming your horse once
a week. Rubber curries are shine makers. You will have a beautiful horse and a
very loyal friend who will do anything for you.
12. Come and spend a week at SWAP HQ,
volunteering and focusing on helping a horse and giving will change your life
plus it will be the best vacation you ever had. Help an animal in need, whether
fostering, being one of our state reps that goes out to check on our horses in
their homes or helps us approve adopters in their area. Find horses in need and
help us find them homes. Buy a horse at a slaughter auction, get it fat and
trained and we'll help you place it into a good home. Foster and volunteer for
your local small animal adoption program. I promise, the good things you do will
come back to you a hundred times over. Every person has a talent they can offer
and if you help one horse or one dog or cat find a good home, you have changed
their life forever.
13. Know that every goal is obtainable and it
starts with a single step. Take that first step today!! No matter what it is or
how big, YOU CAN DO IT!! Every goal that is written down will come true
(really!). Every famous person, every great or notable scientist, author,
trainer/rider, parent or friend started out as just a thought, just a goal.
Remember to take one step today to reach your goals.
14. Start every day with thinking about, what is
the most important thing I can do today to change my life and make it better. Do
that one thing and in 30 days your life will be totally different. Can you
imagine what your life would be like if you did that for 60, 90 or even 365 days
a year. The opportunities are endless.
15. Want to keep your horse sound for life? (That
should be every horse owners number one goal) do a long slow warm up (cold
muscle is easy to injure, a warm one is nearly impossible to injure). The very
best cool down is hand walking your horse for 1 hour after every work out. Yes,
get off the horse and walk with it. Its great exercise for you and a good time
for you to bond. Stop riding your horse during cool downs and stop using a hot
walker, do something good for you and the horse, hand walking. Its also the best
rehab for over work and injuries, the only thing better is hydro therapy and
swimming your horse. Allow soft tissue and hard tissue to become more
conditioned before going into any training program... that means 3 months of at
least 3 days a week for soft tissues and 10 months of work for bones to become
strong enough to jump or do any strenuous training program. Don't start any
upper level work, jumping or extensive training until the horse is fit and at
least between age 4 and 6 and has been conditioned for at least 10 months
(especially if the horse has never been jumped/worked or not been jumped or
worked in the last year).
16. Appreciate what you have and be thankful.
Instead of looking at what you don't have, look at what you do. Thank those
people who have helped you and supported you. The more you give, the more that
will come back to you. When you give something away or give something to
someone/something in need, you make space in your life for something good to
come to you. We are all very blessed, if we just take a moment to look around
and enjoy those things.
17. Get used to using favorite mantra's and
visualizations every day, simple ones that are easy to remember, like 'I can do
this, I will do this', 'this isn't going to get the best of me' or even, 'I
deserve the best' or 'the gift of love, caring, and support always comes back'
and take two minutes every morning as you wake and at night as you go to sleep
to visualize the life you want, the you you want to be, Our thoughts become
things, what you see is what you get, if you expect the best, the best will
happen, change your self-talk from negative to positive and I promise your life
will change for the better..
18. Each person is put on this earth for a
reason, each of us has a mission. What is yours? Seek and you shall find,
finding is a journey ... in the journey and the search you'll find your life
purpose. If you died in your sleep tonight is there something you haven't done
that you need to do or want to do? Someone you need to mend fences with, burnt
bridges to fix? People you need to tell them how much you love them? Have you
fulfilled your purpose in your life? Ask yourself, Why am I here? How can I make
this better? Who do I want to be? Who am I suppose to be? What reason was I put
on this earth? What is my purpose?
19. Be an inspiration to your family, co workers
and friends. We all fall on our face, we all make mistakes, we all get
discouraged, most times we all get up and try again.... sometimes we need a
nudge. Instead of being negative or doing negative things, be their inspiration.
You do believe they can do it, so why not tell them. If their self talk is
negative, then you be their positive self talk.... eventually they will start to
say it and believe it too. Life is self fulfilling, failure feeds on itself or
causes more failure, achieving does as well. So if you or your love ones are in
a negative cycle, break the cycle by changing your thoughts, your self talk,
achieve something small to get yourself and your family back into the cycle of
achievement.
20. We all file a flight plan every single day
for our life. Where is your flight going today? Just like a pilot flying, the
winds, the gravitational pull will change your flight and take you off course,
so you must make small corrections along the way to make sure you make your
destination. Have you selected your destination? Have you picked the steps in
your flight plan to get there? Every goal is really that easy, pick the goal and
figure out how to get there. The easiest way to pick your flight path/plan is
find someone who has done it before you, then do what they did. Its all baby
steps you know. Just keep an eye on that destination and keep saying...."here is
my destination, this is where I'm going, this is where I am now, this is how I'm
going to get there.... I will arrive at this time on this day. You can do
it..... its just like getting in your car to go to the store, its just deciding
where you want to go and how to get there, then take that first step. You can do
it!! No matter how big or how outlandish you may think your dream to be... it
is obtainable.
21. Laugh every day and try (as hard as it is
sometimes) to find the positive and the humor in each situation (and have at
least one bite of a truly decadent desert once a week). Life is just too short
to not enjoy it thoroughly.
22. We learn the most and do our best work when
we have fallen on our face, when we are struggling, when we are worried, scared
or frustrated, when we are anguishing over something or troubled by it. It is
then that you have true motivation, when you think clearer. The most brilliant
ideas come to people when they feel lost, frustrated, or at the bottom, helpless
or hopeless. Cherish these times because its when you can come up with your best
ideas to your biggest problems and challenges. You see, there is a reason for
the rainy days.
23. You can't make everyone happy, its useless to
try and wasted energy to think you can. 50% of all people will not agree with
you at any given time, don't worry about it and don't let it stop you. 50%
becomes a lot of people when you are in the public eye. As long as you are not
hurting anyone and you are doing the right thing, then go ahead and do it. If
you are wondering what is the right thing to do, its usually the harder thing to
do, the toughest path to take. The easy way out is rarely the right thing to
do. Instead of worrying over what someone thinks of you or says about you, do
something amazing and outstanding to inspire them or at least have them sitting
on the side lines being jealous, secretly saying, "wow, she has guts". One
person with purpose becomes the majority, one way or another.
1. There are at least two people in this world
That you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world Love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you Is because they want to Be just
like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, Even if they don't Like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you Before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists, loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, Something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has
Turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
Always in hope and admiration, Celeita
YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and
shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home
today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he
smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a
visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
hung on his window.
'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.
'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.
'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or
not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my
mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when
I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of
bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and
all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
I am still depositing.' Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Our
lives with horses...
Our lives with horses are rich with feeling. You know this if you've
ever.... choked back tears watching a new foal wobble to his feet for the
First time ...or watched your good horse wobble to his feet after surgery....
or seen the ends of the reins float straight out as a reining horse spins
beneath them . . or chuckled to yourself as you watched a tiny tot on a
patient pony trot through a barrel pattern at a saddle club payday ... or felt
the building tremble as an eight-up hitch of feather-legged giants towed a
hand-carved beer wagon into the arena ... or had your heart stop when you saw
your horse lying motionless in the pasture on a sunny day and waited
breathlessly for an ear to flick ... or cheered at the screen when 'The Man
From Snowy River' slid Dennie down the mountainside, .. or when Seabiscuit
made his final surge to beat War Admiral ... or cruised along the highway and
seen a horse in a pasture and wondered what he's like to ride or pictured him
as a prospect ... or sucked in your breath as a horse and rider approached a
six-foot wall ... or sworn a solemn oath to your horse that together you would
triumph ... or flipped through the TV channels and stopped when you saw a
horse even when it was a commercial ... or laughed aloud when you rubbed your
horse's face and he rubbed back ... or gotten chills hearing Dave Johnson's
'and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!' (or 'Run for the Roses' circa 1980 ish?)
... or stood in awe at your horse in morning play as he sprinted around the
pasture, then stopped, head erect, and snorted defiance at the rest of the
world
... or been thankful to see wild horses grazing casually at the foot of a hill
... or felt calmed by the sleekness of a silky
haircoat beneath your hand ... or felt your jaw drop as you watched a Lipazzan
perform a capriole ... or if you've ever seen someone in the grocery store
wearing a certain kind of hat, or boots, or buckle, or have a certain cut and
length to their jeans, and felt some remote kind of connection ... or felt
warmed by a soft nicker greeting as you entered the barn ... or slid your hand
under your horse's blanket to straighten it out, only to pause in the glowing
feeling that you get when you touch the
warmth of his coat... or riding on a trail with your horse, thinking how that
trail over there looks nice and almost without asking, your horse has sensed
your slightest movement in the saddle and he's now taking you there. ... or
pulled up to your barn where you board and only your horse greets you with a
welcoming hello from the sound of your car or your voice.
HEROES AND HORSES
SOME NOTABLE HEROES AND THEIR HORSES ARE MENTIONED AND WE KNOW YOUR HORSE IS
YOUR HERO AND VICE VERSA.
1. Kanthaka - Buddha's horse, the one he used when he was still Siddhartha
the prince, to escape from his father's palace and begin his journey toward
enlightenment. Kanthaka's hooves made no sounds as they fled together and he
is often depicted being lifted on his four feet by benign spirits.
2. Pegasus - the mythical winged horse parented by Neptune and Medusa and
ridden by Bellerophon to rid the world of Chimera, the monster. Athena, the
Greek goddess of wisdom, was able to capture and train Pegasus when he allowed
her to place her golden bit in his mouth.
3. Phosphorus (Light Bearer) - the great Roman racehorse immortalized by the
4th century Roman poet Ausonius (at the emperor's request) in a beautiful
eulogy: Fly with haste to join the wing-footed horses of Elysium; may
Pegasus gallop on your right and Arion as your left-wheeler, and let Castor
find a fourth horse for the team.
4. Babieca - famed white gelding of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz of Bivar, the
Spanish hero who united Christians and Muslims against a Moorish onslaught
from Africa. Babieca lived to be 30 years old and carried El Cid into all his
battles. Babieca means "crazy" as Rodrigo made a crazy choice since the colt
was the runt of the herd.
5. Bucephalus (Ox-head) - beloved horse of Alexander the Great who bore the
Macedonian hero on his back from Greece to India. Odds against a horse living
past 20 in that era were great, but Bucephalus, in his 20s, endured until he
fell in battle in India.
6. Sleipnir - the eight-legged war horse of Odin, the Norse god, was able to
fly without wings and shape-shift.
7. Balios and Xanthos - a grey and bay, both sired by Zephyros, the West
Wind, who together pulled Achilles' chariot.
8. Vivasat - a Hindu sun-god who often took the form of a stallion.
9. Al Burak - Mohammed's horse, on whose back he ascended to heaven, was
brought to him by the archangel Gabriel
10. Chiron - the centaur who taught Achilles, Jason and the first physician,
Ascelpius, all he knew.
11. Rakhsh - blue-eyed and dappled red horse of the legendary Persian
warrior, Rustam. Rakhsh was highly intelligent and saved his sleeping master
from a lion's attack, killing the predator.
There are many more famous mythical and real horses and we will be adding to
our list. Can you help us add to this list?. thank you Harmony Horse Works.
The question is not: "do you support horse
slaughter."
The question is: "do you support the cruel, terrifying
transport for days without food and water in their journey to death?"
The question is: "do you support the torture and abuse of
the killer chutes, even for crippled horses, pregnant mares, wild horses,
protective mares with foals by their sides?"
The question is: “Do you support the horse slaughter
factories that lie to their consumers about the many chemicals that taint the
horse meat, and call it Organic?
The question is: do you support the breeder who breeds
hundreds of horses just to pick out the good ones and cash in the rest to the
killer buyer?
The question is: Do you support the person who uses the
horse its whole life and when it gets to an old age sends it to slaughter as a
thank you?
The question is: “do you support the slaughter workers who
cheer a horse on that struggles extra hard for its life?
The question is: Do you support the killer buyer who not
only buys up the strong, fat and healthy horses and leaves the meek weak and
unhealthy for society, but also bids against the good homes and horse rescues?
The question is: “Can you see though the lies of the ones
who stand to loose a buck with the end of horse slaughter?
The question is: Do you support ripping the last of our wild
horses away from their families and peaceful lives to be slaughtered?
The question is: As a nation, can we allow this to continue
and still call ourselves a civilized country?
The question is: "Can you look at the footage of innocent
horses with their eyes gouged out, hooves ripped off, legs broken, beaten by
the workers, faces smashed in from being on the transport trucks, horses
stabbed in their spines, horses conscious for the entire killing process and
do nothing?
That is the question, so what is YOUR answer?
Resolve to make the world a better place for animals
(credit: PETA)
| If you haven't already done so,
have the companion animals who depend on you spayed or neutered. These
simple procedures help protect your furry friends from many types of
cancer and prevent thousands of animals from being born only to end up
abandoned on the streets or dumped at severely crowded animal shelters.
|
| If you live with a dog,
pledge to walk him or her every day, even when it's cold outside and you'd
rather hide under a blanket. If you share your home with cats, set
aside some "kitty (or horsey) quality time" every day to play
with, brush, and bond with them. It's sometimes too easy to overlook our
feline friends, but they can get bored and lonely too. |
| If there is a lonely "backyard dog" in your
neighborhood, try befriending his or her
guardian. Start by politely talking to him or her about the dog's needs,
such as companionship, daily portions of fresh food and water, and a
weatherproof doghouse filled with straw. Many lucky dogs have had their
lives changed because someone like you cared enough to intervene.
|
| If you're shopping for yourself or buying
holidays gifts for your loved ones, stay
away from fur, wool, leather, and companies that make or sell products
made from the skins of animals. |
NOTE: Crossed Sabers can not fully guarantee the accuracy of every page
on this website which is huge (38,000 files and over 300 pages). We do not
have the personnel or time to keep it up to date and accurate for every
situation as this Stable and all its programs have always been a dynamic
entity, ever changing and improving itself to meet the needs of horses and
horse people. We do try to make sure each page is up to date and accurate but
the best thing to do If you have a question, is email or call us. Additionally
Crossed Sabers can not guarantee anything that anyone says about us on line,
we have no control over other people and their websites, forums or ads, all we
can tell people is if you do not know the person, their name, address and
their experience, age or history/background/education and location do not
trust what they say. That is true for everything on the internet. Some things
said about us have been grossly inaccurate and did not come from CSS, some
come from past employees we fired for cause (for hurting horses or stealing
from us), people that are pro-slaughter and hate our mission and what we do
for horses enjoy trying to make us look bad, some are horse traders that we've
helped put out of business and some are people we helped put in jail on
neglect cases. Again, if you have questions about us, our services, our
company structure, how we are licensed, how we pay taxes, how we do things or
anything at all, please feel free to contact us, just don't assume that all
you read on another website is accurate because 99% of it is not true,
especially if you read it on a forum, blog or chat room and don't assume that
it came from us, just call 304-873-3532 or email us at
secondwindadopt@aol.com,
or better yet, come and see our operation and you will see how we do things. I
can guarantee it's 1000 times better than what the liars and frauds say who
are jealous of our work.
All programs and services listed on this website, including
SWAP is a part of Crossed Sabers Stable which has been licensed in WV for the
last 13 years. The Mountain State Horse School and Second Wind Adoption
Program, Inc. and Crossed Sabers International Horse School, Inc. was
incorporated on 4 Sep 08 to address the education needs and life challenges of
people and horses.
Buyer and Seller Beware!! Update on the
Robin Hollingsworth of Blacksburg, SC
(she has several alias's and about 10 fake names) fraud case for those
of you who have been asking. The SC prosecutor accepted a plea bargain from
her and dropped the case if she paid the people she ripped off (the people she
took money under false pretenses from when she sold them horses she did not
own), she did that so she was let go but the 3 arrests will stay on her record
and the record of what she did to all those people is still on the books and
will stay there. If she is caught again I'm certain she will go to jail but
people who are cheated by her must stand up and testify.. If more people that
she ripped off would have not chickened out and backed out because of fear
(Quote from them was we are scared of her, she is crazy) she would be in jail
right now but beware, she is still loose and still taking free horses or
companion horses that have things like ringbone and navicular and drugging
them and then selling them as high level jumpers and competition horses on the
internet. Her daughter works with her, Amanda or Mandy, she helps her rip
people off. Beware, I'm getting calls almost every month where Robin has
committed more crimes against people, taking horses, not paying for them,
bouncing checks, buying vehicles and horse trailers and not paying for them.
BEWARE OF THIS WOMAN!! If you want her history or to check a person's name
against our black list (our do not adopt to, do not sell to, do not buy from,
do not hire or even rent to list), then contact us.
BEWARE: Do not buy a horse from anyone you
do not know, ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET, unless they have websites like ours,
their names and addresses listed and they show they have a long long history
on their website and do not buy unless you go to see the horse and have it vet
checked and you have contact with the vet, not the seller or even trainer
telling you what the vet said. DO NOT GIVE YOUR HORSE OR SELL YOUR HORSE
WITHOUT A WRITTEN AGREEMENT AS TO WHAT IS TO HAPPEN WITH THE HORSE, RESELLING,
USE/LIMITATIONS, FACILITIES NEEDED, ETC. It you sell or give away a horse with
no agreement, they could go to slaughter the same day you release them or they
could be sold and misrepresented, living a life of neglect, abuse, over use
and miss use the rest of their lives. We hear stories all the time where a
best friend or neighbor, the nice lady you gave the horse to sent the horse to
slaughter or is neglecting it and there is not a thing the owner can do now
because they no longer own the horse and they made no written agreements
signed by both parties. If you need help doing written agreements, back ground
checks on buyers and sellers, just contact us, that is part of our 'SAFE
SELLING' SERVICES. Your horse's life depends on you being safe and thorough!
BEWARE: People are selling horses on the
internet that don't even exist so beware, the horse industry is full is liars,
cheaters, and thieves, even we have had to deal with them from potential
adopters who were in jail applying to adopt, to employees and former trainers
who totally ripped us off by stealing tack and tools, asking for huge advances
and then leaving after they get them, people who don't even know us or had any
experience with us slandering us on forums, harassing us and our supporters,
interfering with company operations and even adopters who don't think twice
about breaching their contract or forging their vets signature on applications
& annual updates or even selling their adoption horse to programs like ours
and even 501c3's public charities selling horses to slaughter auctions or
being put in jail for neglect and animal cruelty. We are bringing each person
that has wronged our horses to justice one at a time and winning all our cases
but that does not protect the general public from these liars, thieves,
con-artist and cheaters. Your horses life can easily be ruined forever, they
could end up in a fate worse than death so buyer and seller beware, your
horses life depends on you keeping them safe and you being thorough with doing
things like getting references and making sure the people have stable
employment, that they really own the farm they say they do, doing background
checks to check for criminal records. The horse world is full of dishonesty
which ruins it for honest people that really care and always try to do the
right thing, such a shame. Just be very careful and get proof that your horse
is going to a good home, get more than a feeling because we promise you about
50% of the time when it comes to horses, your feeling that its a 'nice' person
or a 'good' person' is wrong. And even when you pick a good home, they can
turn around and sell or give away to a bad home.
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and
height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches and negative people pull
you down. People who like to cause trouble will shorten your life and make you
just like them... miserable.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen.. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who
is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next
county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away
| |
Happy Endings for 2006
most
pictures are thumbnails, just click on the pic to see the big picture
Hi again Celeita and staff,
I too love to hear back from you guys too! It brought tears to my eyes just
thinking about all of those horses out there who don't have someone to love
and care for them the way they deserve to be, especially when it is due to
financial restrictions which I totally understand. I have to say though, that
MY reward has already been received. Spade is such an amazing, brilliant, and
special animal that I will forever be indebted to him and you for bringing us
together. It's just another one of those "God things" that I don't question,
just know. This horse is a blessing to me on so many levels that in the short
three months that we've been together, I can't imagine my life without him,
ever.
I took vacation from 12/26 through 01/08 because his surgery is 1/3,
Wednesday, and I wanted to make sure that I can be with him to get him settled
back into the barn post-op. I'm anxious about his surgery, I'm sure he'll be
fine, but I'm a bit of a "nervous Nelly" He's just such a good boy, have I
said that a million times yet?
At the barn, they are having a kids camp this week so since I'm off and
able to spend a lot of time with him, I took him out on the trails with the
group of kids (and the guides too, of course) Spade does great in any position
of the group. He's fine in the middle, front, or bringing up the rear. He's
still not shod, but on his next farrier appointment, I'm going to ask Jack if
he thinks he needs to be or if it's better to leave him unshod. His feet look
so much better, but his frog was really deteriorated on his front hooves and
that will take a long time to heal.
As a rule, I frequent the SWAP website at least every other day to see the
updates and adoptions. I love to see the success stories, but sometimes it's
hard to see the cases of neglect like the group of TWH's. I know they will
thrive under the love and compassion of you and your team. I can't wait for
you to get into the new house and be able to utilize the barn and acreage to
the MAX. One bit of advice, "Invisible Fence," or rather, Pet Stop, to keep
the dogs out of the street. We had it installed this past summer and it's
wonderful. I was a tough sale since I had a REALLY hard time subjecting my
babies to being zapped, but trust me when I say, it takes smart dogs one zap
to learn, Chloe on the other hand might take a little longer, just kidding, I
love Chloe. I am a firm believer in the invisible fence, however, Pet Stop was
much cheaper and had a lot more options when calibrating the collars. I have
their number if you'd like it, just let me know.
Keep me in mind for a second adoption, eventually, we will need a pasture
pal for Spade and I'd love to be able to provide a home to another horse in
need, regardless of their riding status they all deserve a good home. There
will always be a special place in my heart for the TWH, but I'm sure there are
other breeds out there that I shouldn't discriminate against, right?
Take care Celeita and I will be in touch with Spade's surgery updates.
Thanks for all you do!
Debora
Thanks Debora, I'll look at invisible fencing. I've been considering
it. Sheena, the mongrel will be the one I will be most worried about but
we'll have to find something really safe. I understand about tough love
things that you do for your animals to keep them safe. Some things just have
to be done for their own best interest.
We got all the rescue horses their shots and coggins and looked at that
mare's eye. Today I'm ordering her a 5 day dewormer as she looks like she is
full of worms. So I'm sure they will come up soon, they are all already
looking so much better. We don't do anything magical, its just good care.
Horses that have been neglected are really an easy fix and ones I have no
problem taking, even when they are untrained, its the ones that come to us
lame from over use and miss use that I have to turn away as so many hard
tissue injuries are just not fixable without surgury and as you well know,
that involves lots of money. Well, enjoy and Kiss that boy for us. Enjoy the
new year. I'll be thinking of you two on the 3rd and saying a little prayer.
He'll be fine, I know he will. Celeita
Hey There!
I was just on your website looking at the available horses. I see
Casino, Freckles, and Sam, are still available. I hope they all find good,
loving homes soon! Spade's surgery at OSU is rapidly approaching and I am
getting very anxious. I really hope it all goes well, but I can't help but
being nervous, he is, after all, the love of my life. I took him out with
a large group of horses on his first official trail ride and he did
wonderful! We rode in the last position of the pack and he did perfect.
Even when a small herd of deer jumped up from their resting place and
scampered off into the woods, he just looked over in their direction, but
didn't feel the need to jump out from underneath me, thank goodness. I
have been exercising him daily at the request of the OSU surgeon who
suggested that he be in the best physical condition as possible at the
time of his surgery. He's looking really good, his coat is shiny and
thick, of course every time I turn him back out into the pasture after
spending hours brushing him out, he immediately heads straight for the mud
puddles to roll around on. Geesh! I wonder if he could be part pig? Or
maybe he just likes to see me throw a tantrum at the fence while he
wallows. That's my boy! Well, that's about it for now, hope you had a
wonderful Christmas!
Talk to ya soon,
Debora & Spade
Hey Debora, We love getting your emails. We all miss Spade but it seems you
are having a ball with him, which makes the process all worth while. What day
is his surgery? I'll say a little extra prayer for him on that day. I'm sure
it will be a success and he'll be a new boy. I can't tell you how much we
appreciate you doing this for him, we were glad to just get him a home but to
have someone go that extra mile to make him comfortable and help him to be all
he can be is more than any of us could have ever hoped for. Your reward for
doing such great kindness to an innocent animal will come back to you 10 times
over, it always does. The things we give just for the pure purpose of giving
and helping always comes back to us, I know this to be true as I've seen it so
much in my own life. Its never wasted.
Boy we've had some of the best adoptions lately. they have been few and far
between but they are good solid adoptions so we are thrilled about that. Yes,
the boys are all still here, I guess you also saw all those young TWH fillies,
gelding and foal/mare, the new rescues. We are busting at the seams right now.
I was hoping that our christmas special would get a lot more adoptions done,
it was such a good deal but I think we got 5 or 6 into homes, most of them
were not from here but they are still horses into good homes, so we'll accept
that. We got Ringo out of Florida right before the scare, thank goodness.
We are still working on the new farm, its going so slow.... if it keeps
going as slow as its been going then we won't be moving in until spring 2008.
I guess we didn't notice all the things that needed to be done to make it
functional for the program, lots of things to fix or change so it will work
for what we do, it was really just a horse farm for fun in the past, now where
the numbers we see, no rehab, heck they rarely even used the barn or wash
stall so the use of the facility is going through a major change. Plus I'm so
worried about my dogs on that major road, I have to find a way to build some
good fencing and kennels so I can make sure they are safe when I'm working or
gone. Its a beautiful farm but that busy road presents a lot of problems we
did not have to deal with in the past. I'm hopeful we will eventually have it
all worked out. Poor Ed hasn't realized he's now in his 60's and can't do it
all himself so I'm trying to convince him to hire contractors but not having
much success. I think I've finally made him realize that it costs us double to
have both farms and his stuff in storage. Most boys understand the logic of
money arguments so maybe that will work. :)))) Wish me luck, its going to be
the biggest task I've ever had to take on.
Well kiss that boy for us and give him lots of carrots for New Years!! Have
a great new year. Celeita
Hi Celeita & all:
I've been following the sale information of your
current place in WV....I'm sure you've heard it before, but if I hit the
Powerball this evening, my husband & I, our 4 retrievers, 9 housecats, and
Vido, my wonderful QH, would be knocking at your door! We just don't have
the room here in Calabash, NC that we want!
Seriously, the price for your place is unheard of.
I would buy it for the peace & quiet and wonderful home for horses that it
is. You guys helped me out with Cutlass when I didn't know how buying a
horse over the internet (sight unseen) could be so devastating. I wasn't
the easiest of people to deal with (please forgive me!), and as fate would
have it, my fall from a lesson horse (who did nothing wrong) in Sep 2003
didn't stop my love for horses. I need to email you a picture of my
beautiful Vido...he's 15hands, sorrel, and has the cutest face. He's a
western/english "lesson" type horse, perfect for a beginner. I still
consider myself a beginner, although I'm learning! Vido is very patient
with me, and once I conquer my apprehension, I think we'll be cantering
through the fields! So the things I've been through have led me to this
beautiful boy.
Anyway, I want to wish you & your staff a Merry
Christmas and all the best for a successful 2007. I keep watching your
site for news, etc. Anything ever happen to Robin Hollingsworth in SC?
I'm also learning that unfortunately there are people like her in the
horse world. But, there are plenty of good horse people too!
By the way, your mare Missy sounds like my Vido!
She's beautiful! Has anyone adopted her yet?
take care, and Happy Holidays!
Rosemary Biancardi
Calabash, NC
Hey Rosemary, thank you for thinking of us. Yes, we've had several tell us
if they ever hit that powerball. That would be nice but its always nice to
know that people think of us even more.
We are still waiting on the grand jury for Robin Hollingsworth. I did have
one of the prosecutors call us early in the spring but not yet. I'm certain
she is lying to them about something to get delays and they are buying it. So
sad that our judical system is so broken.
Missy is still available. I'm so glad you found yourself a horse. Bravo.
I'm so happy for you.
All the best in 2007, Celeita and all at SWAP
 Cody Cole and
AshleyHi everyone! How are you doing? Cody is
doing well. I have been riding him 4-6 days a week. He is doing great on
his riding. I got him to pace a little the other day. We are working a
little on cantering. I got him to canter a few steps a few days ago. Well,
have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Ashley
Hey Ashley, Loved the picture. It looks like you and Cody are doing great
and having a lot of fun. That's super. It sounds like you are becoming quite the
good rider too. That's great, because the better you are, the better Cody will
be and the more fun you both can have. You two are a great team and he looks
like he really loves you, very comfortable and happy. We are so happy to see you
two doing so well. Give your parents our regards and Kiss Cody for us. Happy New
Year Ashley, Celeita
Hi Celeita,
I just returned from the farm and wanted to update you.
Fancy is just gorgeous! I put her in an interior pasture and she ran and
ran and ran around the perimeter putting on a show for the horses on the other
3 sides! She is in with several goats. I want to see if a bunch of ankle
biters at her feet will help resolve her feeding issue. They did wonders on
another horse of mine that was very high strung and intolerant.
Rosie is as sweet as can be! While cleaning her stall and run, she got in
my way several times. All I had to say was, Excuse me, please, and she moved
over immediately - wow -- how wonderful!
Saving the best for last - Lady. As you said, she is perfect. I rode her
for a short while in the round pen, what a joy! I told my husband, Move over,
I have a new best friend! She is eating all her food now. I just think she
is very smart and very aware of what's going on, yet she makes no complaints.
One cute thing: When I had Lady on the cross ties, she was next to a
yearling stallion, who is a really funny boy. He kept sticking his nose
between the bars pestering her. She would put up with it and put up with it
and then when she thought I wasn't looking, she would snap at him and he would
go flying across his stall and then slowly come back and do it again. Lady
would look at me to see if I was watching and wait until I turned my head
before doing it again. She is so smart! She knew she shouldn't do it, but he
was just so darn annoying!
I know we're going to have a great time with these girls!
Thanks so much!!!
Robin
I love it. And, I was fortunate to have the
money to get started the right way. Don't have any extra now - ha!, but always
have enough to pay the bills which is all that really matters. I used to be
pretty materialistic because I had the income to do what I wanted when I
wanted, and a boyfriend who had the connections to travel and take time off as
I did whenever we wanted. After I got the horses, I found out it's so much
more gratifying to be here, doing what I love than doing what I used to do,
and my 'friends' from Butler still think I've lost my mind. They just have no
clue at all.
Regarding the problems we see... It's all a
learning process. There is always going to be something we wish we knew
before or know we could have done better "if". It's tough to deal with some
of the things we see, and it's always a learning experience. I always tell
myself that I learn something new every day. Not always what I want to learn
(negative), but always something new.
People tell me the same thing and I try to
give them a little bit of help, but I think with some people, they're just
overwhelmed and don't have time, and with the others it is a competition of
some sort. They don't realize they can't make it a competition and still do
their best for the horses. I know of one organization in it for just the
glory, and those are two ex cops. When people (including me) first meet them,
they think it's a wonderful place and it's all about the animals, but if
anyone who has any horse knowledge about them at all stays around them any
length of time, they begin to realize that female doesn't really know much at
all and won't take constructive help, even from a vet, and male has no clue
and is never wrong about anything - even things he has no knowledge about.
It's amazing who you run into and how they look at what they're doing. I
think a page on your site is a great idea. I have started to write canned
responsed to some of the questions I get and I just pull that up and send that
as a response. I agree. The biggest problem I see is that people don't
realize how much money or time it takes to get started and keep going, and
they don't think about how much it takes to bring a sickly horse back to
health or the time it takes to treat injuries properly. Then, they either
don't do what's best for the horse, or can't afford to do what they need to
regarding the basics. I took in too many at once in the beginning, and while
I had the funds to care for them, I didn't have the time to spend with each
one "one on one" and they all lacked a lot of attention that they needed. Not
basic grooming and physical care, but the mental connection was missing. I do
most of my work alone. And, it's all because of where I'm located, so I know
my limit, and unfortunately, it's ten to twelve horses at a time and no more.
Thank you for all of your help and
inspiration when I first met you. After two trips to your farm my eye were
wide open. I originally just wanted two horses for me and Ryan, my nephew to
ride, but when I saw how many needed help, I decided not to board, and instead
to just buy a farm and do what I could. Best move I ever made!
MErry Christmas!
Bev
Beverlee Dee
When you adopt a horse, you save two lives.
Darlin' is missing. Please take a moment, go to our site,
read her story, and pass it on.
We need to know she's safe. If you see her, please contact
us. More info on our site.
Celeita,
All is well with Jake, Farney, and Boots.
Sorry we don't take more pictures, we will try and do better. I am
attaching 3 of Jake, hopefully you can open them. None are great
shots, but the one with my husband, Phil makes me laugh. It looks like
Jake is directing him on what to do next.
Take Care, Chris and Phil
Hey you two, this subject line on this email had me worried. I was
almost scared to open it.. thinking that something was wrong with Jake. Glad
to know things are well, especially with him. Look at how much more quality
life you've been able to give him by not putting him down. Its wonderful.
Well, I'm downloading now. Would love to see the others too. Thank you so
much. Celeita
I will remember that for the future, I forget that you deal
with many sad issues with animals along with the successes. Jake is
thoroughly pampered and spoiled and HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES IT !!!!!!!
:)))))))))))
The new farm is beautiful, congratulations and wishing you
a wonderful future.
Chris
Hey Celeita, Just a quick update on Malone.
He is doing great. I started him on glucosamine for his arthritis and
it has really helped. He is walking much better. the snaps and cracks
are not as noticeable now when he walks.
He has a wonderful personality, very loving. seems to know what i say
to him, when i tell him that he can live with me forever and i will take
care of him and make sure he is happy. He starts nodding his head, big up
and down motion.
I love him. Thanks so much.
Starr
- Hey Starr, soooo behind on emails. sorry about that. How are things
- going. Still great I hope. He's such a love bug. I did forget to tell
you
- to just lift up his blanket on occasion and make sure he's
staying at
- a good weight, seeing ribs or hip bones is the first bad sign that they
- need more feed. Being a competition horse for so many years he may
- just require more feed and may need more this first year to stay warm
- until he adjusts from going from AR to WV. Did he ever start getting a
- better winter coat? I hope all is well with him. If you're having any
- concerns or troubles let me know, I'm close and can help. Is Bear
- being her same wild self but hopefully staying out of trouble? Well,
- Take care and kiss all those babies for us. Thank you for giving them
- such a great home. Celeita
Lilly, the walking horse mare.....
... Hello wanted to let you know we have had our first ride this
morning...it was very nice... even my daughter Reese got on to ride...
she'
s definitely the right girl for our family...so once again you have chosen
for us wisely once again......this girl will take me back into training
and
get my daughter back into riding .... so I am soo happy/pleased and wanted
to again say thank you for another great match.
we are thinking about changing her barn name only (since she'll not be
shown) to Cynder... (like black cinders from a fire place... ) we thought
it
was cute... your right she doesn't understand the whole concept of lunging
in the round pen...lol..so we can work on that together.... i tired out
just
cinching her up this morning.. but was able to ride for about 45min. to an
hour walk/trotting on her...around our property!... she got a little
frightened by an atv revving up the street and took off i surprised myself
once again by balance (thank God for being centered..and heels down.. )
so
that in of itself gave me a good workout and some confidence... so i
calmed
her down and they atv revved up /down a few more times and it didn't seem
to faze her...she's soooo good... i'm falling for this little girl...she
hates
my little dogs though....lol..she loves to chase them from her side of the
pasture while they talk trash to her...it's quite comical....
i saw on your web site the new horses you rescued... i'm glad they found
you....or visa versa.........the work you do is well so wonderful and i
know
that the horses and me personally appreciate it. Ok i'm going to watch a
dvd and ride again this afternoon before feeding... i just wanted to let
you
know that i think she (cynder) is great..and i am going to look for a
trainer for she & i so that we really are working to our potential and
really partner up.... ps. please don't forget my tack box measurements..
/
weight is all i need...thanks.
sydney jewell
That's good news Sydney, I'm glad its going so well. Just
take it slow with her as I'm not sure how much she was being ridden and I know
the girl was about 4 foot and 80 lbs so she will need to get used to a normal
sized rider over time. I'm sure you know this, I just feel better about
covering it, too.
Be sure to look for a TWH trainer, or a gaited horse
trainer. A regular w/t/c trainer will screw her up. I had an adopter send a
rocky mountain horse to her hunt seat trainer and she screwed him up so bad
they thought he was lame in the bad end because he was skipping in his hind
quarters..... daaaaa, he's just trying to do the gait he was born to do if
they would have just let him. I felt so sorry for the adopter because she
spent thousands on a vet before calling me, thinking he had something wrong
with him. I understand people think a trainer is a trainer, but its not true,
you take your hunt seat horse to a hunt seat trainer and you take your
dressage horse to a dressage trainer. I know you know this, I'm just venting a
bit. Once we got him with a trainer that knows about walking horses, it was no
big deal. Just be careful of soring and some of the abusive things TWH people
do. You'll want to make sure they don't do any of those things (nails in feet,
soring, feet in oil to make them sore... things that are abusive that make
them step big, etc)
I'm thrilled its going so well. The dog thing will settle
down, give it a month or two and they will get bored. I really hope this
little girl is a horse you and your daughter can enjoy for many years. Can you
send pictures the next time you and her ride? We'd love to see them and add
them to our happy endings page. All the best, Celeita
I am so glad the others are doing
well. I thought the foal may be okay, but I didn't know how bad the
mother was. I hope she will be fine too. I do the same with the very
thin ones - just wait for the dewormer and such. That poor thing
probably hasn't had a decent meal in a year. I hope she is going to be
alright. We got a similar case out of New Holland in June. An aged
Morgan stallion. probably a 1 1/2 on Henneke, and all he needed was
time and food. Came from an Amish man. Clipped his bridle path and
ears, bought him a new halter (tag still on it), trimmed his feet very
nicely, then sent him to New Holland way too thin. I just don't
understand how some people sleep at night.
Boys are doing well. You wouldn't
believe how big Stretch is. 17+ (not quite 17.1). Arturo is doing
great. Everyone loves him, and he really responds to the autistic kids
that come here. Brite even likes it when the kids come. We've got his
founder under control, he's getting the mustang trim every month and has
been barefoot since last Sept. His lf ankle is his issue. It's now
locked from the chips and arthritis, but he manages getting around just
fine and still plays with Arturo in the pasture. They're all three just
wonderful boys. If it weren't for you and Crossed Sabers, I'd never
have started what we're doing here now.
Bev
Thank you Bev, It's wonderful to hear about those 3, even
Brite. Poor boy must of had a tough life on the track but I'm so glad they are
all in good homes. I will have to let John and all the others from NY that had
Stretch know how big he is, they would be amazed. If I knew what I know now
about things like that, I'm certain he would have been in much better shape
too. There are a few horses like that, I look back on and I really wish we
would have known more and we could have helped them more, of course, 10 years
from now I may be looking back on some of the horses coming through now
and realizing how little we know now. There is always something new to learn,
new techniques, new technology, processes. Funny how that happens but its
heart wrenching to know you could have helped a horse if you would have known
more. We do all natural trimming on all the horses now and pull shoes when
ever we absolutely can and we've brought around several foundered horses but
its taken me years to figure out how to fix those things.
I'm thrilled you are doing such great work and that we had a
small part in it. I am still helping other programs get started and still
offer for people to come here as you did and spend as much time as you need to
get your feet wet and at least give you some things to think about. I'm
actually getting to do a page on the website about starting a program and
maybe even doing a weekend clinic. Many people tell me that no one will give
them information or help them and I just don't understand it. We are all on
the same team, we are all for helping horses, we just have our niches and
areas or horses that we specialize in. This is not a competition, programs
like ours don't compete for horses. They may compete for the homes but there
are plenty of horses and plenty of homes as well. Everyone that starts this,
if their heart is in the right place and if they have some sort of a business
sense and manage money can do great work for horses and we need all the help
we can get. The biggest mistakes I see programs make are money mistakes,
taking too many horses, more than they have money coming in and support. The
AHS recommended one year of overhead and I think most programs on an average
spend about $1000. on each horse they place so if they want to place 50 horses
in the first year, they really need to raise 50k. I know some of the older
programs are working one year ahead, I know Standardbred Retirement Fund is
always working on next years budget, meaning this year is covered. I have
never gotten that good, I usually stay about 4 to 6 months ahead and bills and
that is a huge help. I'd love to see about 10 or 20 programs in each state,
then we would not be so over worked. We always have a waiting list of horses
coming in and many we have to turn away so there are so many horses still not
being helped. I'm sure you are always full as well, the need is bigger than
the both of us, that is for sure but I am so thrilled you opened and
flourished. Much Love, and Admiration. Celeita
Here's a note from Karashell's Daddy's owner
|
I have been trying to find the words to share my appreciation for all
of the effort you made on my behalf. When I opened the email with all of
those pictures of Karashell - I just weeped. As thankful as I am that she
found you, it breaks my heart she didn't have a loving family to call her
own all the days of her life.
Hope you don't mind that I've been sharing your website with a group
online to try to help place some of your horses.
Once again, thanks isn't even close to expressing my gratitude for all
you've done for me and for so many others. You do a wonderful work and I
know you'll be blessed for it.
All the best,
Linda
Btw, wanted to ask if you are registered with the igive.com program.
It cost nothing and it might be a way for people who already support you
to help a little more. It might also get the word out about what you're
doing for more financial support from newcomers.
Thanks for writing back with this
information. I'm glad to hear Karashell was able
to find some loving homes after she was
adopted out. But my heart breaks to hear how she suffered. Thank
you for being there with her in the end.
It looks like you all do some fantastic
work and for that I would like to say thank you
from all of the horses who have received
your love & care and the people who love
them with you.
As you might have figured out my horse,
Karaborr was Karashell's father. I've just
recently lost him and am trying to connect
in some way.
Would love to see pictures of Karashell if
you are able to suggest where I might find
them on the site. Wondering if you have
any information on the foal you mentioned
she had.
Thanks for your time, your effort and
compassion to help those horses who have no
one else.
Linda
|
I did speak with Rose on Tuesday and she sounded excited for Ringo, but
very sad that someone had adopted him. I told her I would keep in touch with
her and send her updates and pictures.
I know Danielle and one of the other riders at our barn were considering
several different horses as possibilites for this rider. I hope they are able
to find one that fits.
Sorry about the shortness of the earlier email, I sent it from my phone. I
was took excited to wait until I could get to a computer. :)
Thank you again,
Fran
Hey Celeita, Hope everything is going good up there. I wanted to write
and say thank you for Fanelli. He is such a joy to have here. Annie and he
have become very good friends. They spend their days nibbling each other.
It`s great to have someone here for her to spend her days with that
doesn`t try beating her up. And she really seems to have taken a liking to
him, because if he goes to walk away she`s right behind him and vice
versa. I will send some pics tomorrow of the two of them together. The
other two mares are still buttheads, but the good thing is he doesn`t
have to put up with it because they are in the other pasture. So once
again THANK YOU so much for this sweet little boy we all really love
him. You can`t help but love him.
Maureen
P.S. Give my boy Sport a kiss for me
Awwww, Maureen, I'm just so happy you love this boy. We did
too. He is the nicest horse and wow, what a lover. He's a great horse for a
family because he loves people (of all sizes). Hopefully he'll get used to
your goats. Small animals are sometimes a huge surprise to many horses because
many horse people only have horses. Personally I love goats, lambs, even
calves, chickens, ducks, pigs and llama's .... I would have them all if I
could... that is a real farm but I have a feeling my dogs would consider them
all dinner and that scares me, for some reason they all do well with the
horses, all they want to do is bark at them and that I can live with. I'm sure
it will get better with him and the goats. Lets hope. :)))) Thank you for
everything, enjoy that sweetheart and give him a kiss for us.
Have a wonderful holiday and tell your hubby to stay safe
and thank him for his military service. Talking to you has brought back so
many wonderful memories of Ft. Bragg, I wish I could visit and see the post
again, its been literally years. I did deliver a horse to Raeford about 10
years ago and stayed in Moon hall and that was the last time I saw Bragg. For
me, as a young pilot it was the center of the universe for many years for me.
I could probably still get someone around R5311 and find all the LZ's and drop
zones, it seems like yesterday and it was over 25 years ago. Boy, that is even
hard to say. It all flies by so quickly, one minute your going in and the next
you're ready for retirement. Enjoy this time, even as hard as it seems at
times. It was really the best time of my life. Enjoy!! Celeita
hello i just wanted to let u know that we got moved out to wyoming.
and the horses arrived just fine. it is so nice to finally have them in
my back yard. i know how time to actually get out there and spend time
and groom them daily. i will be getting u the pics of their new home
sent out within the next week. they r both doing well. jake is sore on
the terrain out here so the farrier is coming to look at him on monday
and see if he needs front shoes as right now he is barefoot.
i need to know how many more checks i have to you for lucy's adoption
fee as we are going to change banks and i am going to need to get you
new checks sent out. i would like to get them out to you within the
next week with the pics and facility change form. thanks
anita angelo
Hello Anita, I'll need to look at the checks to see how
many you still have here.
Jake may be just sore from the trip. I've seen older horses
be lame for weeks after a trip like that. I would recommend giving him some
time and just see before slapping shoes on him. He may be fine in a month or
so.
Do you have a horse facility there? Barn, stalls, water at
the barn, etc? this will be a big change for them and even more so if they are
out all the time. It gets pretty cold in wyoming and eastern horses need
shelter out there, at least for the first couple of years and some may never
adjust to not having a barn. I'm guessing you have them both in waterproof
rugs and that you have shelter? Sorry to be such a worry wort... its my job to
keep them safe. I'll look for the change of facility form so we have all the
details. Be sure we have all your contact information as well. You can just
send that to me and I can hand it over to Diana to update the database but
we'll still need the details on the facility. I've always loved Wyoming. I
hope you do as well.
I'm sorry I missed the calls about the horses paperwork, by
the time I check the phone messages I was certain you were in Wyoming. Did you
find all their coggins and historical documents? Have a Happy Holiday and kiss
those babies for us. Celeita
Thank you Robin for the kind words and for being a voice in
helping this mare and foal. I do hope your son stays safe, but I'm sure he will.
Have a wonderful holiday!! Celeita
Good Morning
Celeita,
My Heather is
age 15, she will be 16 in March and Danielle is age 14, she will be 15 in July.
Heather has grown up so much and she can’t wait for the horses to be home. She
said she is going to ride Sweet Pea 24/7, and she can’t wait for the Geauga Fair
this year. Danielle does well with Jack and he really loves her. Jack picks on
me, little things like biting my coat or taking my hat. He is so funny! I have
had some problem lately with Danielle and boys. I hope when the horses are home
that may help get her mind on something other then boys. Raising teenage girls
may be the death of me. I do have some nice pictures of Jack and Sweet Pea from
summer I’ll get them to you. I’ll be looking for a large pony or small horse
that is quiet for my son (age 6) in the summer. I promise we will make a trip to
visit and help out at the farm this summer, I think it would be fun for all of
us. Talk to you later. Dorothy
Hey wanted to share
these, it was a little warm today, we were in the mid 70’s last week we
were in the 30’s for a high! Needless to say the horses got a little warm
today just walking around the pasture. I can’t tell you how much I love
this guy.
How are the mare and
other rescued horses doing? I heard that Stephany from Celtic Rein might
try to adopt them, she helped out an injured filly on a Ft Collins Co.
feedlot a while back, I saw this little filly for 200.00 and she had a
very badly injured leg, she was scheduled to ship to slaughter, I sent a
note to a few ladies in some rescues that I email with and we pulled her,
Stephany took the lead in the rescue effort and got that little filly
transported to her. She treated that baby every day hosing the wound and
you could barely see the scar when she healed, it was amazing.
Hey Sharon, how cute. All you need is snow and it would
be the perfect christmas picture. grin. He looks great and he's obviously very
comfortable with you. I can see he's already totally attached to you. We've
had the same screwy weather, warm one minute, freezing the next. No wonder all
our horses have colds.
I did get an email from Celtic Rein but I suspect it will be
several months before that mare and foal will be in a position to travel that
far to a new home, I really expect her to be adopted by someone local or
regional but it was a nice offer. Actually several rescues called us to take
her but they will take her and place her again, meaning she will get moved two
more times, once to them and again to their new home... as that is what
rescues and rehab programs do. I'd really rather have her moved one time, into
her permanent home.
Its awfully nice that so many organizations have gotten so
attached to this mare but she is safe now and there are many more like her
still at risk... that huge voice that everyone used to save this mare needs to
be applied to other horses at risk but I know its very hard to let horses like
this go and to move on. Its hard for anyone to not see a horse all the way
through its rehab and see it placed into its final home so I'm sure all those
people that were involved in saving this girl are really just struggling with
the idea that its time to go help another that needs them. I mean if this mare
would have been in CO, they would have been calling Celtic Rein to take her
and I would be attempting to let go and they would be seeing her through till
the end, the closest organization is the one most logical to take horses like
this, mainly because they just are not healthy enough to travel far.
I was thrilled to be called to take them as this is really
the work that we all long for, the work where you are making a difference in
the horse. We get so many horses that are used up by owners who over use them,
which to me is even worse than starving a horse because I can easily fix a
mare and foal that is starving but these people that are using up horses and
dumping them are ruining them for life, most of them end up lame or ruined so
much that all they can do is maybe carry a small child at a walk. And these
are so called 'horse people' that care and are well respected, very sad to say
that no one even realizes the damage they are doing. To me they are
the worst abusers of all and you ask them why and they easily say....
'everyone does it' like that makes it okay. Its very sad really because its
abuse by people that most would consider 'good horse people' but they fail to
see they are ruining horses lives just because of a blue ribbon or a prize.
And none of the prizes are worth a hoses quality of life as far as I'm
concerned. I'm sure you agree, its just hard to think about those horses being
hurt on a daily basis and dumped and no one does anything. Very sad.
Well have a wonderful Christmas and 2007. Kiss that boy for
us. Celeita
Dear All of You,
Just wanted to thank you for finding Ringo a good home. Had to wait to
write this as I couldn't see the screen thru my tears. Am hoping Fran
enjoys him and takes good care of him. She is supposed to send pics this
weekend, and am looking forward to that. This has been the hardest thing
I had to do in a long time. Especially when it really came to picking him
up. That was beyond words.
Will let you know if I have any concerns. Thank You once again.
Rose Pickett (aka Ringo's former mom)
ahhhh, Rose, I know exactly what you mean. I put two of
my old lesson horses into the program and delivered them myself to a
therapeutic program in Virginia, an 8 hour drive and I cried all the way over
and all the way back. It was the worst day of my life but they are in great
homes. Isn't it just the worst thing to give up a horse when its the best
thing for the horse.... just doesn't make it any easier, does it? I know Fran
was very excited to get him and her application was one of the best I'd seen
in months. Its a great home but we can both stay in tough with her and be
there if she ever needs any help. Several people in that facility adopted from
us this Christmas so our horses have plenty of company. It does look like a
great home, people that love their horses and its all in fun and the pure
enjoyment of being with the horse. Its all good.
Well, hang in there. I promise your heart will stop aching
but it will be months and even then you'll find yourself thinking about him.
You know its okay to go see him. I'm certain Fran would not mind. Some donors
can't handle doing that but some donors become very close to the adopter and
see's their old horse regularly. Its really up to you and Fran. We encourage
staying in touch.
Thank you for allowing us to place him. I just wish I could
have met him but someday I'm sure I will. Take Care, Celeita
 Angie
and Apple in their younger years. Angie went away to school and Apple was
sold, she got married, had kids and wanted to get another horse, not
expecting to, but finding her old friend in our program. She adopted her and
took her home to let her live our her last years with her, retired and just
loving life.
Apple in her retirement home with Angie
Celeita and Friends at SWAP,
Even though it is the Christmas season and everyone is supposed to
be celebrating and joyous, I am sooo sad to report the passing of my old
friend "Miss Apple." (Saddlebred, adopted, registered name Applegate's
Sultan's Lady Heir) She passed sometime Saturday night/Sunday morning.
She wasnt ill and this was very unexpected, but I guess shes had a long
life and I was just glad to still be part of it at the end. The kids and I
(and her pasture-buddy "Miss Gem") already miss her very much.
Thanks again to everyone at SWAP for reuniting us a long time ago. I
noticed you still have her pictures up on the website even though its been
years since she came back home.
Thanks again for everything
Angie Hughart
Oh Angie, I'm so sorry. I often think of Apple and wondered
how she was doing, she was a good old girl and one of the first horses that we
placed into a home. She had a good life and to be reunited with you I'm sure
is what she wanted.
oh, I am very sorry. I guess dying in her sleep of old age
is how we all want to go but it is still very hard to lose one you've loved
for so long and you in particular knew this horse most of her life. Yours and
Apples story has been a happy ending we always enjoyed telling and gives hope
to any person looking for a horse they had sold or gave away years ago. To
find your childhood buddy as an adult is a dream come true for so many, you
just happened to be lucky enough to live it. We were just happy to make it
happen and though we are all sad now, we're thrilled you had her for her last
years. It is a very happy ending. I'll put a note on the Saying Goodbye page
for her. May she rest in peace.
Sadly, Celeita and everyone at SWAP
Celeita,
Thanks so much for the card. It is so beautiful- both the poem and
the story. I love the pictures too. I just finished my third and hardest
final this evening- contracts. It was 20 pages and 4.5 hours long, but
it's over. I am soo relieved. I only have one more final on Friday and I
will have completed my first semester of law school. How surreal.
Hopefully, I can do some riding over the break. Thankfully, Shirley, the
barn manager always makes sure there is someone I can ride when I come
home. Hopefully Hani and I can make it down for a visit sometime over
the break, I'd love to see you. Well, I'm off to relax with my husband
for a bit before hitting the books again. Take care and thanks again for
the card.
Much love,
Lindsey
You're welcome Lindsey, I could not forget my favorite interns. :)
Amazing how time flies. I will be 50 tomorrow and I still can't believe it.
I'm still waiting to see what's going to fall off or stop working first. haha.
Have a great holiday, savor in the success of the first semester of law
school and yes, come see me.
I'm certain before we know it we'll be celebrating your graduation so just
enjoy this time and work hard, learn a lot. Its always that class that you
were half asleep in that you really end up needing 20 years from now, I do
hate how that always happens. Luckily its not like its all a smoke and
mirrors though, you'll always be able to go back and find the answers. Enjoy
and congratulations. Tell Hani I said hey and I need some of his 'free
entertainment'. Celeita
 Hey there
Celeita,
These are pictures of Spade that I took this afternoon. These were
VERY hard to take because he kept following me when I would step back a
few steps to get a good picture.He loves me, I'm convinced. Oh, I bought
one of those measuring tapes to estimate his weight and according to
that, he's 16.2 hands tall and 1052 lbs. I was a little surprised by
that as I'm sure he's gained weight. Do you think he's too thin? I can
feel his ribs but can't see them. I stopped giving him the Cocosoya
oil because I thought it might be too rich and put too much weight on
him to quick but now that I realize that he's only 1052 lbs I might
start him back on it. I'm not sure, I just want what's best for him.
There is so much too learn.
How are you doing? You mentioned burnout, what's up with that? More
importantly, is there anything I can do to help?
Are you guys in the new place yet? When are you planning on moving
in? How are your horsies? Speaking of which, when is the last time you
went riding? It's highly recommended on your website ya know. Take your
own advice and get out there with them and just relax! You know it's
great therapy!
Talk to ya soon, hang in there, it gets better.
Debora
He looks good Debora, don't worry. Feeling ribs but not seeing them is
pretty perfect and the average light boned horse weighs about 1000 lbs so he's
just right. What you may be seeing is his body changing from being ridden or
getting more exercise, plus eating really good quality food can change the way
a horse looks but no worries, he looks great.
Burnout is a standard rescue problem, there is always too much work for too
little people. I'm starting to feel that the shelf life of a rescuer is about
5 years and I've been doing it for 10. The bad part is I was a burnout case
from my military and corporate years.... for some strange reason I thought
having a farm would be a relaxing retirement. HA! So I walk around tired all
the time and the only way to take care of chronic fatigue is a long extended
vacation and I can't really do that but wish I could... someday. The overhead
for the farm is about 10k a month and you can't imagine how hard that is to
pull together each and every month... that is my primary job to make sure the
program has the financial backing to feed and care for horses and pay our
employees that do that job. It seems anytime I take my pack off for just a
little while something falls through the crack so for now, I have to stay
focused on those things. The good news is when we do finally get moved and
when we have Ed paying the mortgage and the general utilities of the farm,
then I will be able to relax a little and maybe get a chance to enjoy all the
horses more, which I really miss riding. I do have the care of all the horses
on the weekends so I get to see them regularly but usually by the time I get
all the work done, I'm too tired to ride. Its sad really, I'm living a life
most would die to live and I can't really even enjoy it. During the week, I do
any meds, shots and supplements that the horses need, any special care, the
website, emails, calls, all the pictures and video we put on the website and I
manage all the employees and volunteers so I have my hands full. Actually, we
would be much better off if we had 3 or 4 of me. I'm the only employee that
does not get paid by the program, or rarely does. I'm allowed to be paid up to
24k but I think the most I've actually accepted is about 12k and that was
several years ago, last year I accepted 6k so the program really needs more
people like me who can work full time and not be worried about a paycheck...I
know, I know, no one is in that position or not many. I don't go anywhere so I
don't need much, just groceries and $ to take care of my critters. Our highest
paid employee after that is the barn manager who makes under 15k, I know its
poverty level and he has a family. Diana makes about 6k for her 20 hours a
week, its really sort of sad that we can't pay them more, they work so hard.
Anyway, I will still need to pull the money together for all the programs
bills, hay, grain, barn utilities, farrier, vet, website, broadband, our ads
and of course, our biggest expense, labor costs. So I'm certain I'll still
have plenty of work to do but I'm really hoping it will be better so at least
I can start riding and maybe do some fun things like lessons, training, open
houses and my favorite, doing training clinics. With 2 education degrees I
always feel the need to teach. I would love to get away some and do some
traveling, even to some cool horse events but really just not having such a
huge financial burden I think will be great. I'm hopeful things will be better
once we are moved but thanks for asking.
We haven't moved yet, Ed is still painting the house, we got a new roof on
the old barn (which holds the office, 6 stalls and will have the tack room and
kennel for my dogs), we are getting fencing worked on, the septic system, my
office is being totally redone, we are putting in another storage space under
the stairs in the main house and believe or not, the center of the house needs
jacked up from the years of settling. Ed is putting in granite into the
kitchen and I have a feeling before he's done we'll have all new appliances,
not sure, Ed's putting down new carpet in the house upstairs, redoing the wood
floors....putting down new floors in the guest house. He even bought a
big John Deere Tractor and he got me a Gaitor, which will really come in handy
to move hay, feed and the horses 'stuff'... it will be badly needed on that
big farm. There is so much to do be done, I'm certain it will be spring before
we move in, everything takes so long and Ed is not one to get a contractor for
something he can do himself, he's built 3 farms himself, barns and everything
so he's a horse stables dream but with only one person working, it all takes
so much time.
Plus, I can't move until I sell this place and I have a feeling not much
real estate is moving now before Christmas but I think by spring some smart
person will latch onto this farm and hopefully it will be just in time for us
to move. Take care Debora, kiss that boy for us. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
Spade RAN to greet me (and my pocket full of
carrots) in the pasture yesterday when I entered the gate to get him!! Shadow,
the Alpha mare, tried to bully her way out of the pasture with us 'cause she
hates being alone, and I swear Spade helped me keep her back by putting his
butt to her and walking backwards, like he KNEW what the goal was. Spade out,
Shadow in. The miracles never cease! I am loving this experience!
He does very well in the indoor arena, but
yesterday I wanted to take him out in the grassy area just to get him a little
familiar with the area. He wanted to TROT or canter the entire time. I don't
know if he was a little nervous, (probably because I was) or if he hadn't
decided to let me be in charge. However, we rode up the street past a
neighboring horse pasture and the horses in the pasture really started to show
off by bucking, kicking, and screaming. Spade stopped, looked in their
direction but upon my asking, continued to move ahead. He listened to me and
was responsive but it seemed like there was a bit of a challenge in getting
him to slow down and collect himself. Do you have any suggestions?
Also, it was rather chilly too and I know
sometimes the fresh, brisk air can make them a little frisky. It was probably
a combination of all of the above and now that I think about it, when I was at
your place he acted the same way outside of the arena. A little barn sour? But
he was even in a hurry to go the opposite direction of the barn so I can't
pinpoint what was going on. It was a different saddle too. Oh there are so
many variables and I'm not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but I
just want him to relax and know that we are ok
together. He does listen and responds, but he didn't seem like himself outside
the arena.
He is looking really great, gained some weight
and his coat is getting gorgeous! All that
brushing must be doing some good. Although, I know he waits until just after I
leave him to roll around in the mud again, because everyday when I go to visit
him he's filthy! He even had mud all around his eye!
We got his hooves trimmed again and the
Ferrier said his feet look
ALOT better. Very happy to hear that, but
now he has a little knick on his left front hoof that we are going to have
Jack (the Ferrier) come back out and look
at. Shelly seems a little concerned about
it and Jack is always in the area so he wouldn't mind coming to take a look.
Spade is teaching me so much, and I will forever
be indebted to him. Talk about a perfect match, if I would have gotten what I
wanted I would have short changed myself. He is just amazing and kind, and
very forgiving even when I am falling all over him.
Whenever you're ready, come on over to Mount
Gilead and spend some time with us! We'd love to have you!
By the way, did you receive my signed contract?
I put it in the mail early last week.
Talk to ya
soon,
Celeita,
I didn't receive your response in this email...? It was blank, except
for your signature.
I went to the barn as usual today and took Spade for a ride with
another horse and he did much better today than last week because of the
company. He spooked a little after a truck went by and I thought I was
going to get dumped again, but fortunately we settled down quickly.
Shelly said that I handled it well because I didn't freak out, and I was
assessable to redirect his attention back to me. The best part about it
is that his gait is SO smooth that I'm able to hang on in those
situations.
He's still learning about me and our relationship, but remains the
gentleman. I rode him in a D bar snaffle bit today and he seemed to do
very well. Happy to report that we have one tack issue resolved. Anyway,
all is well with us, hope to hear the same from you.
Thanks,
Debora
Sorry, Debora, I think I started to answer and someone stopped me in the
middle and I put it into send later and then forgot I never got to answer. I'm
a burn out case so please forgive me. I think its mostly because he is still
very new with you and with his new home so even though he looks relaxed, he is
still stressed out when you ask for something new. My normal recommendations
is for a person just learning is to not take a horse outside the ring for at
least a year, people with several years experience after 6 months and
the most advanced rider can go out after a month or two depending on the
horse, we never recommend going out alone (ever) and if someone does its only
on a seasoned trail horse (which we are not sure about him being that, we
certainly know he's a seasoned show horse) and only the most advanced riders
go out alone on a horse they know very well... so you're moving at light speed
with him, its important to realize that. I did not trail ride any of my horses
for at least a year, some 2 or 3 years after I got them and all were done in a
group, in between very seasoned trail horses. My horses have still never been
out on trail alone, we don't allow it. We just feel that riding is done in a
'buddy system' like scuba diving, you never do it alone as too much can
happen. And when I say 'go out' I mean riding anyway outside of something
fenced, outside a ring, a pasture, a paddock.... we always do it in a group
and with very seasoned trail horses. I understand you're boarding at a trail
company so that is their thing but remember those horses are trained to follow
the butt of another horse, he's not. I guess most people would consider us
very conservative and careful but we have never had anyone get hurt here
except me when I broke my back in '97 (which was my fault, not the horses, for
picking a girth that should really only be used in a ring, not for up and down
our mountains and for picking tack that was ill fitted and worn out and for
thinking my little speed demon here was just like the lesson horses at the
college (WRONG) And even at the college where its a school full of seasoned
horse riders, some that were nationally ranked riders and they did not allow
any trail riding at all, so you see the risk involved in trail riding and that
it takes very well trained and seasoned trail horses and that comes in time
with a horse, its not something that is natural to them at all. Of course, I
was still learning then and sadly enough have an injury that still affects my
life in not being able to do everything I want to do) other than my own fall I
can count the people coming off horses here on one hand and that's 10 years
and thousands of horses, and many horses are not broke until they come here so
as you can see being overly cautious works well. I promise you he will get
better over time, just be very careful. He is a Cadillac ride but any horses
can get stressed out so much that they lose it, every horse, like every person
has a breaking point and you never want to be on his back if that happens,
though more likely than not unless there is extreme weather like Hurricanes or
tornadoes, its the only time you'll see a horse lose it totally, because that
is the highest stress situation to them. If you watch them in the pasture,
they will cross creeks for the firs time, run around in a huge herd they don't
know, cover ground they don't know, cross bridges they have never crossed or
do it when you know they have never crossed a bridge but if you try that in
the saddle with a horse that's never done any of those things under saddle but
has done them lose in the herd, its another story. There is much more stress
involved in riding (to the horse).
I'm sure you know all this because we've already talked about so many
things. Don't worry, he'll settle, just remember he's not one of those
seasoned trail horses you've been riding, he has no clue why you want to go
out side the ring so you are really asking him to trust you a lot, because as
far as he's concerned and every horse is concerned that is 'boogeyman land'
things eat you out there and though they have been domesticated thousands of
years their basic survival instincts never change, just like ours basic
instinct for food, water, air, shelter, security and even sex/companionship
never changes no matter what we are taught or how civilized we get. He will
be nervous if you go outside the ring without another quiet seasoned trail
horse to give him more confidence. Remember when there are no other horses
there available, you become his herd, his leader and if you are not a great
rider with a lot of confidence, a really good rider, a good leader for him
(not just him but every horse) he will dump you and run if he gets in a
position where he gets scared of something, he especially thinks that way if
most of his riding has been in the ring and I have a feeling as well trained
as he is in the ring, that has been most of his life. I know the owner said
they rode him, but who knows what that really means, some people ride around
their pasture and call it 'trail riding'. Its not impossible to make a horse
into a good trail horse, but some horses will never be a trail horse, some
TB's and some Arabs and some of the other breeds that they have spent so much
time in the ring they will never had enough confidence or enough confidence in
the rider to go off into the woods and if they do, they need a trainer or a
very advanced rider that can make them the most comfortable but I'm certain
Spade will be a great trail horse or I would not have sent him to you. Just
remember you're trainer basically rides and handles professional trail horses,
she probably doesn't turn over horses a lot, she keeps the seasoned trail
horses that are good and if anyone is not so good, she probably gets rid of
them because as a business she can't afford liability to have a horse that
can't ride beginners in the woods and that is usually very dull horses, mostly
old that have had their spirit broken by someone or the other horses are ones
that learned quickly what the job was, then again some trail company's just
like some lesson barns and riding camps do not feed horses, they starve them
to get them to do the job. I get pictures from people who run these types of
places and their horses have little tiny pencil necks and no meat in their
chest and shoulder, their ribs are poking out and their butt bones are
showing, basically the horse is being starved in order to make it do its job,
they don't have the energy to buck or be themselves because they are starved.
Not that your trainer does such things but I see so many that do, we took a
horse from a riding camp outside of Columbus for this very reason and by
spring I'm certain we'll be taking the rest of her SWAP horses because she
does not feed them and she is a so called 'horse professional' starving horses
to make a buck. Pretty sad really that horses suffer so much in the hands of
people just because of money.
I got off track some but he'll be fine and the better you get as a rider,
the better he will be, so continue to ride other horses and take lessons. Your
ability and confidence will change him much quicker. Remember, the advanced
riders are out on the trail very quickly, the advanced riders can do
everything quicker and all with the same horse that the beginner is riding (or
maybe the beginner can't even ride) and can't go out side the ring with, so
the better you get, the more you'll be able to do and the faster you can do
it. You are the biggest part of that puzzle and the most important part of
that team, you set the tone, you set his confidence level and he will only be
as good as you are, which is a lesson many horse people never learn. They
expect a horse to be perfect with a crappy rider, well it does not work that
way.... they are a product of their rider and their environment. I do have a
few suggestions on our
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE that you might look at but mostly its just a
matter of him understanding his new job, new rider, new home and how quickly
he's going to do that.
I'll get off my soap box, its something I know you know, but I want to make
sure everyone learns that lesson. Give that boy a big kiss for us, we do miss
him and hope to see you both next spring or summer at the new farm. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
I bought orange sheets for everyone since it's hunting
season. I just thought you might like to see the Boys decked out in their new
jackets.
The three at the gate are Toby (To Be Or Not To Be), Tucker
(Doitright Tobe) and Chance (Romantic Chance.) Try as I might this was the best
shot I could manage. For some reason every time I try to take pictures out there
I end up with extreme closeups of horse noses. Still I did, with some fast
footwork manage some not so perfect solo shots of Chance and Tucker. So those
too are attached.
One of these days I am going to do a proper picture session
with someone holding the subjects so I don't get horse slobber on the lens.
Jean Dvorak
If I were on my new "farm" and if it had good fences, I'd say "Let's
go" ... but since that is not the case right now, I'd best decline at
this time. I have no plans to move B from her barn until we are really
set up to have a horse operation ... and that could be spring if our
Dallas house doesn't sale (only 3 lookers in 3 weeks ... I would cry
crocodile tears if I thought it would do any good).
I do plan to buy my friends Appy after the first of the year (Pebbles
is Miss B's best friend and she is a LOVE BUG! She hugs me with her
head and neck ... which demonstrates the difference between a horse that
has been handled by people from Day 1 ... and a horse that was raised in
the field without much handling). I thought maybe the QH was a Little
Lena descendant ... and that is something to definately consider.
Anyway - if you have seen the newest EQUUS magazine? There is an
article entiled "First Barn" - featuring a barn built near Ft. Worth by
a Barnmaster distributor. Showed it to my husband, and he liked it.
The barn owner said that if he could do anything different, he would
have built 6 stalls instead of 4 (something I've been asking my husband
for- in addition to a wash stall and a tack/feed room). Of course, if I
say something, it's just me talking. But if he reads it in magazine, it
must be gospel. So I MAY eventually have 6 stalls - and maybe Casino
could come live with us then!!! He couldn't take up that much space,
and he'd be just right for my friend Kevin. (My friend Kathy - who owns
Pebbles - will board with us and share horsekeeping duties, and that
means her 2 and my 2 will take up 4 stalls...but we hope to have room
left over for a couple more ....they're sort of like peanuts, aren't
they? Only bigger and more expensive).
I did adopt a new doggie just before the holidays (2 days before he
was scheduled for the Rainbow Bridge since he had heartworms!). He did
the heartworm treatment and now we're just babying his big ol' fat 111
lb self (he should weigh about 85-90 lbs, according to the vet ... how
come everyone/everything at my house is FAT?). Pat
Hey Pat, I really wish you were ready too, we have a
great special for former adopters on the Christmas special.
Don't worry, you're place will sell, its just a slow time
until spring. Honestly I put our farm on ebay for a 90 day listing for $300.
and I've gotten tons of calls and visitors. It may just be worth the money.
Actually if you want me to list it for you on the website, we can, someone is
bound to see it.
I'm so glad you adopt small critters too. The dog and cat
problem is even bigger than the horse problem. Its breaks my heart to know how
many great little dogs and cats are put down, abused or neglected. I guess
that is why I have 9 dogs and I did have 3 cats until this week. I had gotten
a feral cat to start coming into the barn to eat and after months he finally
let me put a hand on him, then after several more months I could hold him. I
was the only one he would let touch him but he was always so sickly and would
go through periods of looking really good but lately he was really struggling
and I think he may have died of flu or pneumonia which started as simple
allergies The whole barn is full of allergies this fall, all the people, the
horses and even my cats are struggling. When the hay was delivered I was
walking about with a bottle of benedril and I never have hay allergies but
even I could not breath. I think its that late fall cutting of hay may have
had a lot of rag weed in it or something pretty terrible, the vet said
allergies are bad all over his year. I've got everyone on penicillin or SMZ's
but I think it was too much for this little guy to handle. We found him dead
in between two bales of hay one morning, I guess he had just died because he
was still warm and limber. I feel terrible because I could not find him when
the vet was here to give everyone shots for all these allergies and I should
have taken him in when I did see him. He would have been hell for the vet to
handle but we could have gotten something done. Its so sad, I'm either
thinking about the horses all the time or I'm broke from spending all the
programs and my money on the horses. I'm very sorry I didn't do something now
but I really thought he would pull through as he's lived 5 or 6 years with me
now.. always in the barn and sleeping in the barn lounge. So sad. Well, at
least I know he had a good home for most of his life, which is more than many
small animals ever get. Have fun with your new additions and tell me when
you're ready for another.
Yes, the thing about Katie having ringbone is so sad, she's
just a baby. That is those QH people and their stupid futurities, by the time
a horse goes through those they are nearly all lame for life, that is the
second one I've seen in the last couple of months. I can't believe they think
its all worth it to cripple a horse for life for their fun but what do
you expect, even AQHA supports horse slaughter. They like all those big
numbers of horses getting registered and then slaughtered, it keeps them in
business. They are almost as bad as the slaughter industry itself. I've made
a decision to boycott all AQHA stuff, if we get a QH in or a 1/2 horse we'll
get it registered as a 1/2 TB or a sport horse. I've sworn I would never send
AQHA money to support their antics of hurting horses. Let me get off my soap
box.....
Have a good one and Kiss Miss B for us. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
I spoke to Chance's former Mom the other day. We had a nice chat and
she is delighted to find out he has a new home. I also referred her to my
horsey blog at:
www.follywoods.blogspot.com I am posting nearly every day to keep
anyone interested apprised of the horsey progress.. or lack thereof...around
here.
If you link to the sections on PJ's Folly in the menu to the right,
you will find both pictures and information about the beloved horse I lost
just before I adopted Chance. PJ was purchased over 22 years ago, which just
goes to show I do tend to keep my horses "forever."
Chance and I went on a full trail ride on Sunday. While it is a short
hack, only about 20 minutes or so, it does really leave the home area as we
go into the State Park behind my house. He was an absolute angel and really
seemed to enjoy the adventure. If this keeps up, I will have my good solid
little trail horse to take on hunter paces and just have fun with. He is
very quiet while still being forward. I've seen a little fire as well with
some protests about lunging on the right rein but it's very easy to correct
those things and he certainly doesn't have a fit about it as some
Thoroughbreds I know do. (Thoroughbreds who shall go nameless but who both
have stable names beginning with "T")
Lauranne, his former owner, tells me his mother is very chunky as was
his dad, so I am pretty confident he is going to bulk out. I have added the
Weight Builder to his feed and am also adding a bit of sweet feed to his
pellets. I like my Boys fat for the winter, so I'll be keeping a close eye
on him. My farmer neighbor will be bringing me some corn soon, so I'll have
that too for an extra treat...carefully rationed out.
I have ordered some bright pink exercise sheets and some neon orange
turnout sheets for the whole little herd. I always worry during deer hunting
season...fast approaching...even though the local hunters assure me they
know my horses are about. My property touches the woods and is posted, but
I'd feel a lot better with the Boys dressed well.
Tucker was a doll on the trail too. I am so happy with his training
so far. He is a joy to ride and really tries to do everything I ask. Now, if
I could only learn to ask all the right things in the right way, at the
right time....*G*
Jean Dvorak
Hey Jean, Well, I'm amazed. I'm certain he realizes he has a good solid
rider on his back (DoitRightTobe, I'm sure made you into a great rider) and
I'm sure you are a good leader for him (which is what every horse needs to go
out on a trail ride....boogie man land) but geesal, he's moving along at mach
1. Just beside myself. I'm just so happy for you two.
I wish every adopter kept horses like you, I'd never see a horse returned,
that would be nice, then we could just focus on the new horses that need us
but I'm glad we are here when someone can't keep a horse and I know in todays
society, people move, divorce, change jobs, their lives change and the first
thing displaced in all those situations is the horse. I'm just glad we are
here to take them back when that happens so at least the horse is always
protected.
Yes, Hunting season is always scary. Its so bad here, its like a holiday,
they even let out the schools the first day of gun season but the whole first
week of gun season I don't let the horses out at all and our land is posted.
Our neighbors horse was shot the day before gun season started, people's dogs
and people get killed every year in this area. There are people who just shoot
at anything. Very scary.
You such a good horse woman, I'm proud that you are one of our adopters.
The best horse people are the ones that realize the horse is only as good as
you are, the better you ask and the better you are, the better the horse will
be and the more fun you can have. For some it takes years to come to that
realization, but some never learn it and I feel very sorry for their horses. I
could send the most highly trained horse to a person who knows nothing and
within a month or so they can be a rotten horse and I could send the most
sensitive, untrained horse that trusts no one to a good horse person and
within a year they will be a horse that people would pay a fortune for and
envy you over. Its always so nice to be around someone who knows we are the
biggest part of that puzzle and the most important member of the team. Bad
horseman (woman), bad horse. Good horse woman, good horse. It might take some
time but a good horse person will always bring out the best in a horse.
Bravo!! Celeita
Hi Celeita,
Sorry for the delay. I didn't take my computer up to the farm with me,
and Suzanne left us with some wickedly cold weather! I spent the day
running around town getting more blankets and hoods!
The girls all look great! Lady is very sweet and well mannered. Rosie
was a good girl, no more problems. Fancy is so cute and very eager to get
out of the barn and run around! She's next to two babies, so there's a
lot of entertainment and chatter on that side -- so cute!
Fancy and Rosie have very good appetites, Lady has been disinterested
in her food. Julianna is trying a different pellet feed today to see if
that makes a difference, and also will talk to the vet about it. She
keeps standing at the end of the run looking out to the pasture like she's
longing for something or someone. We will keep a close eye on her and let
you know.
I offered to let Suzanne spend the night with us, but she wanted to
keep on truckin'. I hope Suzanne made it home safely.
I'll give you an update after the weekend; hopefully, Lady will have
settled in by then.
Robin
Thank you Robin, I do think moves like this and long trips
are harder on the older horses, especially mares. In more ways than not they
are so much like women, tough but with a tender heart, some just are slow at
adjusting. I do remember she was disinterested in her food when she came to us
as well but she did settle in slowly and started really looking for breakfast
and dinner.
I hope you got all the information that came with them and
have been able to see everything, including all their historical documents
from their owners. Let me know if you have any trouble opening any of the
CD's. I hope in time you will learn to love them all, they are all very
different horses from each other but each have their many positive attributes
and abilities. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any
assistance. We are here to make your experience with your adoption horses a
good one and that goes for as long as you have them. In the unlikely event
that you feel you can't keep any of them, please just call us. We'll do
everything we can to help make returning them easy for you.
If you or your daughters or hubby are ever interested we
have a nice library of reference material that can be checked out by adopters
for as long as a month at a time and all you pay for is shipping both ways. If
you go to the link LIBRARY, you'll see all the books and videos we have
available to adopters for educational purposes.
I still walk by Fancy and Rosie's stall and expect to see
them. Funny how you just get used to seeing certain horses in their stalls.
Lady was really not here long enough but we fell in love with her as well as
soon as she arrived, she will just do anything for you, so you and your
daughter are going to really enjoy her.
We'll look forward to hearing from you on how they are
doing. Send pictures when you can and don't forget your annual updates on all
3 are due every June, the form is on the CD that we sent to you and also on
the website.
One thing I've learned about Suzanne, is she is a tough girl
and a good horse woman. I'm sure she did fine on her way home or we would have
heard from her. I know she is scheduled to go to CA in a week or so so she
stays hopping.
I do hope you have many wonderful years with your girls.
They are all very special horses. Thank you for your support. Celeita
I got dumped and lived to tell about it! My brother is here visiting
and I took him riding at the stables yesterday and unfortunately, while in
a full blown gallop/canter, my horse wouldn't stop and he dumped me off in
the hay field. Ouch. But no broken bones!!! I actually feel whooped today,
like I was tumbled around in a dryer. I can't wait until I can ride Spade
because I'd like to believe that he wouldn't dump me. The horse I was on,
Zorro, was in a hackamore and I should have known better because he was
nonresponsive to the hackamore a few days before. We all started in a
canter in a single file line, but when one horse stepped out of line it
became a race and no longer a trail ride. Anyway, I feel like I've earned
my wings or something similar.
How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful just because my brother
is here! I haven't seen him in three years and we have had a great time
together. We are planning going to Amish country tomorrow, but then he has
to leave on Saturday morning.
Hope all is well.
Debora
Oh Debora, I'm so glad you are okay. I do think falling off
is an important lesson but one that you never want to happen and one that you
hope you don't get hurt but I feel its all important lessons for all horse
people. We've all done things like you did, it happens to every horse person,
we all make mistakes.
I think I told you about the story the little mare that
anyone could ride and I decided I would have a nice quiet ride with her in the
round pen and instead of using the bridle she was used to I grabbed a figure
8, something she had never worn and instead of taking the time to let it just
sit on her head for a few hours before riding her, I slapped it on her head
and jumped on her and she backed up quickly, reared and nearly flipped over. I
quickly got off of her, thinking what in the heck had gotten into her and then
I noticed the figure 8 nose band and thought, surely she can't be so sensitive
that that figure 8 was a problem with her, well I took it off her muzzle and
hopped back on and she was the same great horse we had all come to know and
love.
hmmmmm, I learned over the years that even little changes in
tack, in the rider, in the environment, schedule, feed, etc can make a huge
difference in the horse and can change a ride from eventless and enjoyable
ride to a ride that can cause major injury and even a fatality. When in doubt,
don't change anything that works and even more so if you want the horse to be
the same as he was in his last home, in his last ride do exactly what you did
before or do what the last owner did (everything, including schedule, turn
out, herd, exact feed, exact tack and exactly the same type of ride by the
same exact rider).. I know that's pretty impossible because every person rides
a little different and unless you're passing off the tack too, the tack will
be different but I've learned over time that if you want the horse to be the
same, then everything must be duplicated as much as possible, especially the
level of rider and the tack and if you don't want the horse to be the same,
then you need to change and the horse needs a change. I know you know all this
but you know me, I have to verbalize everything because some people don't know
it.
Even your sweet boy Spade needs that consideration as no
horse is a machine and we all need to know when we push that envelope or when
we don't listen to the things they are telling us as clearly as they can (like
I'm going to dump you or run off with you if you put me in a hackamore) then
we can all expect trouble but trust me, we all make those mistakes with
horses. Just try to really tune in to what each horse is telling you, if you
listen and adjust then you will always be safe, if anyone doesn't listen then
they can expect to get dumped a lot or potentially get hurt. They talk to us
very clearly if we listen, if we don't listen they have a habit of finding
another way to get the message across and when that happens most times we are
on the losing end. Its like a wrestler wrestling with a another person that
weighs 800 lbs more than them.... the small guy always loses. :)))) Hang in
there, I know you listen well to the horses or you would have been wondering
why you got dumped but you already knew when it happened, that in itself is a
huge step for a person just learning about horses. I promise if you keep
working, keep riding and keep learning and trying, you will be a seasoned
horse person in just a year or two. Let's talk next Thanksgiving and I bet you
will have advanced by leaps and bounds from today. We all start somewhere and
remember I got my first horse at age 39 so adults can do this, though learning
as a child is so much better. Of course, I had the masters in Equine Science
but still, I had never owned a horse and there are tons of things they don't
cover in class, that all has to be learned.
So glad you had a good holiday. I didn't do much as I always
cover the farm for the SWAP employees so they can go and spend the holidays
with their family so I spent it with the horses, dogs and cats. I know that
probably sounds pretty pitiful but actually it was wonderful, a quiet day with
the Macy's day parade and all the critters.
Much Love and Admiration, Celeita
Hey, hope
you had a great Thanksgiving, we did. I hope to get my decorations out
today and tonight, planning to ride a little tomorrow, the weather is
great like 70 and sunny, just perfect. I just have to say I love River,
he will follow me anywhere in the pasture, when its time to come in I just
walk up to him and say come on River and he just starts walking with me.
If I’m outside and he is in the pasture he keeps his eyes on me, doesn’t
want to miss anything.
I just
wondered if this mare is close to you and if you have any pull in this
type situation with the police. It sounds bad.
I've been tracking this situation. In fact, I was the one that contacted
PETA because the police tend to not listen to anyone else. PETA gets the
attention of the police. The last I heard they required a vet to come in but
really it depends on the vet they call because some vets do not know anything
about horses and they will say a boney horse is fine, which just is not true.
Lewisburg is down south but the vets in Clarksburg are one of my vets (we use
several depending on their price and specialty on certain things) so I can't
imagine any of them saying the horse is fine. I'll check on it and see what is
going on. We have way too much of this going on in this state, really in this
country and the police don't do anything but I guess we should not expect
anything more, the police don't do their jobs because the courts don't do
their job so its a vicious cycle where the innocent (animals, children, women
in some cases) are the ones that are hurt.
I'm just beside myself about you and River, thrilled you love him as much
as I did. This really makes my day.... my week. I'm so happy for you two.
Well, kiss him for me. I'm certainly I will miss him for a long time but I'm
ecstatic about this relationship between you two. Much love, Celeita
Hey,
These were taken on my 18th birthday - sorry that I didn't send them
sooner... ;)
Image...
3120: Big stride!
3130: Sunday morning gallop
3144: Ignore the jump standard
3173: Got milk (peppermint)?
She's doing so well - I can't believe how far she's come in a year
(which was November 1st)!
Take care,
Alexandra & Sahara
Celeita,
The Chance CD arrived just fine. I am trying to contact
his former owner to let her know he's fine and happy.
In the meantime, I have been riding him for just over a
week now. I only work him for at most 15 minutes since he is so young and
undeveloped. My goodness, he is a fast learner. We still need to establish
the concept that there is no need for him to carry his head high up in the
air, but that will come. Sometimes with youngsters just learning to balance
themselves and a rider is enough of a challenge.
However, the BIG news. Sunday took him out on a
mini-trail ride. Mind you this was just 20 yards out to the side trail out
to the cornfield. About 50-70 yards along the edge of the field along the
woods, then a turn back into the woods trail and home again. But, for a baby
who has just been backed, it was a big deal. And he was an angel. He tried
to trot through the field a bit because it had been plowed and the going was
deep, but all it took was a little "chirp" from me to keep him at the walk.
I didn't feel we were quite ready yet to attempt a trot without a fence
around us.
He was quite brave and seemed to enjoy the excursion. I
got the idea of trying it because he was so interested in the fact that I
had ridden both Toby and Tucker out there already and he was sure there must
be something interesting going on out in "them thar woods." What a grand
little fellow he is.
I have just started him on some Weight Builder hoping to
chub him up for the winter. I'm just going the one scoop a day route for
now. I'll see how that goes. He gets fed three times a day with 12% pellets,
gets a small bucket of alfalfa cubes in the morning and plenty of hay.
There's a bit of grass left in the paddocks too, but that will soon be
pretty much gone for the season.
If the sun ever comes back out, I'll get some more
pictures and send them on.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Jean D.
Wow, Jean. He's pretty amazing, but this really says a lot
about your ability to bring out the best in him. Maybe it has something to do
with all that very young handling he had, he's learned to put a lot of trust
in people. Amazing, really. You all are moving along at lightening speed. I'm
so glad you adopted him. I just knew it would be a good thing for you both.
Just be careful, I know you are much tougher and stronger
than me at taking falls but the rule is no body gets hurt. :)))) I know you
don't take any chances and he's given you all the signals that he'll be fine
out with the boogie men in the woods so I won't worry, I promise.
Hey, when you get a chance, contact the previous owner and
give her an update. The daughter is really the owner, she is the one that
raised him and took care of him and she was the one in the pictures on the
website. I know she loved him a lot and only wanted the best for him. You know
how it is to be a kid, you want to do the right thing but really have no money
or power to make sure it happens. I think she tried hard to give him a good
start and I know she would love to hear from you.
Well, much love. This makes my day. Celeita
Too bad but I understand :>) I have literally begged Ronnie to price me
a ton of corn and he has an excuse everytime. Maybe since you told them
that I should try again? They do fine on the corn & pellets if I could
just get them to let me buy a ton of each at a time. I'm spending both
part time salaries on feed every month! Nah, I'm not complaining but I
wanted some of the $$$$ to go toward fencing and pasture improvements as
well. I need to get off my butt, file for NP and start grant writing. It's
not like I don't know how to write good grants, I've just been really
lazy. Need to get started too b/c alot of the foundations cut off requests
by March!
Oh, Dean wanted to put a rug on Wop tonight since it's going to drop to
22. I told him I'd supervise <LOL> If I can do them myself.....he needs to
learn to as well. OHMYGOD, it was hilarious. He ended up literally putting
the rug on himself and having her crawl into it with him. It's the kind
with the closed front....no buckles in front. I swear it was the funniest
thing I've seen in ages. Then he starts talking to her; "ohhh, babygirl
looks so pretty in her blankie".....I've created a monster.
It's the one Red wore last year and is a bit too big for her but
should work for now. I still need a couple more. Do you have 2 that would
fit Hoot and Ash? The boarder doesn't want one on her Walker. Never had
one and has been pastured 24/7 her entire life.....m
Mary, Let me check on a rug for the little ones. I had bought new ones for
all the babies but most of them were ripped up by the horse play. I'll check.
Celeita
Celeita,
Nova is coming along we just finished a
clinic with Carel Eijkenaar, she is still a baby as far as time u/s. I
will send you some pics and video. I was wondering if you had an appraisal
I wanted to get her insured and the company wants an appraisal. I was
going to insure her for 6k but i don't want to over or under insure.
I am looking for a grand prix school
master if you hear of any I don't care how old just a horse that can help
me polish my upper level movements. I t would be only lightly ridden by me
only when my trainer is her which is 1 month... and the horse can join my
retirement community after maybe a year .
Thank You,
Val
I think the appraiser is still working on her appraisal as I
have not gotten it yet. I'll get it to you as soon as it comes in. I think the
owner estimated her value at much higher, which I suspect the appraisal will
be much higher than our fee. Normally our fees are only 20 to 40% of the
entire value of the horse so the 6k is much less than her true value and will
be less than her appraisal I'm sure. I would at least go with 12k but I
suspect she will be appraised at more like in the low 20's.
I'm so happy to hear that you're getting right into her
training and into developing that all important team building between the two
of you. I know you know this but I'm always the worrisome grandma, just make
sure she's very fit before moving into jumping or upper level work. I see too
many injuries from over work at young ages, over work of horses that are out
of shape so if I can keep our horses from going through that I will. If you
believe the research done by UC Davis in California, which I do, that takes at
least 3 days a week of flat work 3 to 5 months for soft tissue (muscles,
tendons, ligaments) and 8 to 10 months of flat work for hard tissue (bones) to
grow strong enough for hard or upper level work. I hope you don't mind my
advice, I know you didn't ask for it and I know you're very experienced but
I'm here to try to help our adopters keep their horses sound, happy and
healthy and I only want to do that.
I will keep an eye open for a school master, we do
occasionally get that type of horse.
I put the 2k of your checks in the mail, did you get those.
Just want to make sure they got there. I'm thrilled you decided to take her
though she wasn't exactly what you wanted but I think with time and patience
she might just turn into your perfect horse. Celeita
Celeita,
Thanks for the advice. I am always open to constructive advice. I
started by lunging her 3 days a week and light work under saddle only
1/2 hr. I ride her 4 times a week( for 45min) and we only do w/t and
transitions. I have no plans on jumping her till this spring. And she is
much to green to even think about doing "upper level" work, she needs to
learn how to go forward and straight first so she is years
from any real dressage other then very basics maybe leg yield etc.. I
only believe in classical training no matter what breed or type of
riding I don't believe in any short cuts or training devices i NEVER
use draw reins, chambons etc.. The only thing I use is side reins. My
trainer Carel is an FEI judge who trained with George Theodorescu in
Germany and he is as classical and correct as they come. It may take us
classical trainers (in my opinion the ONLY WAY to train and ride) longer
but our horses are happier and mentally and physically able to do what
we ask and are happy to do it. I am only telling you all of this so I
can hopefully put your mind and heart at ease, I appreciate the concern
for the horses!!!
Thank you again
Val
mmmm, that all sounds great Val. I won't worry. I know
she's in the best hands. Bravo. Celeita
BEAUTIFUL MORK AT HIS HOME IN MN
ANITA ANGELO AND HER OLD BUDDY JAKE, ANITA ADOPTED JAKE MANY
YEARS AGO AND HE'S STILL DOING GREAT!!
ANITA ANGELO AND LUCY ENJOYING THEIR TIME OF GETTING TO KNOW EACH
OTHER
JEN
GUTMAN IN OHIO HAVING A WONDERFUL SUMMER WITH
JASFAR, JEN DECIDED TO NOT GIVE UP ON THE WORRISOME BOY AND JUST KEEP WORKING
WITH HIM. WE ARE SO PROUD OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS TOGETHER.
KRISTEN KELLY AND TOBY AT HOME IN OHIO, KRISTEN'S DAUGHTER WITH
STAR
KICKBOXER AND JANET HERTZBERG AT HOME IN NC
FOUR SCORE AT HOME IN VA
SONNY AT HOME WITH MOMMA
PATRICIA ANDREWS AND SUNSET SUE IN CT
SHIP WRECK AT HOME IN TX
Codigo (paso fino gelding, aka Cody),
loving life in her home in VA, sound (totally recovered from his founder), fat
and very well loved!! Kudos!
 Theo and
Kathy Rowett
Farm follies at Aunt Mary's (Hootie, Ashleigh, Toby, Lovey,
Red, Two Wop and all the others)... all pics are thumbnails, hit the pic to see
the big pic
Hi Celeita,
I just wanted to touch base and see how everything's going.
Sahara is doing very well, I've been trying different techniques with her,
and she responds well to them. She has my "dream life," meaning that she
eats more and sleeps more than I do!! No fair.
I saw that Zahara was removed from the page. Was she adopted? Trish (the
trainer who sends out the monthly bills) is notorious for putting "Zahara"
on the bills - I've explained that Zahara is Sahara's half sister, but to
no avail...I give up with these people!!! I also saw the new farm -
BEAUTIFUL!!! I'd kill to have something like that in Florida.
I think that Dad's going to take some pictures next weekend, so I'll
forward them along!
Hope all is well,
Alexandra & Sahara
PS - November 1st marks my 1 year anniversary with Sahara - can you
believe it?!?
Alexandra, Sorry its taken us so long to get back to you.
We love your updates and pictures, we just get a bit busy in the fall because
people like to dump their horses before winter so they don't have to feed them
and we get so many more abuse calls at this time of year so we get involved
with the police more on trying to get them to do their job, which they never
seem to want to do. Well, at least Sahara is one horse we will never have to
worry about.
Yes, we are excited about the new farm and new life, new
opportunities for the horses. You and your dad will have to come up some time
again and see us. Actually we would love to have you for a summer of
interning, even a month would be a big help. We need good young riders like
you to help us get horses trained so they can be more successful in their new
home and to get adopted. Well, just think about it. We'd love to have you. I
know Teresa maybe looking at coming back in about a year, she is doing a year
long internship in NH with battered women and Jenai will be living out there
for some time before she goes off to get a real job so we will have room in
the guest/bunk house. Well, kiss that girl for us and tell your dad hello. All
the best dear
Adopter and Foster mom Aunt Mary rides her Pig for her 4-H Group. She still has
not found out if she's gaited or not. :)
Sonata is awarded reserve champion at the Sport Horse inspections in Texas.....
not bad for an old girl. Thank you Charna for doing such a great job with her.
Actually, Spade's appointment at OSU isn't until January 3rd so until
then I will continue to keep his ear cleaned out and keep the hair
trimmed around it so it doesn't get crusty. Yuck. I wonder if his ear is
effecting his equilibrium, I would think it would... to an extent, what
do you think? Of course I will let you know how it goes. I swear
Celeita, I never thought I could love a horse this much but he's got me
wrapped around his finger..er, mean hoof.
We go by and see him on the way home during the week, but the
weekends are when he gets all of my attention. I wish I could spend a
lot more time with him, but I will be taking off work during the week of
Thanksgiving and I plan to spend the majority of the time with him.
Well, I should say that I plan on spending a lot of time with Spade AND
my Brother who is coming in from Texas to visit. I'm very excited to for
them to meet, I'm sure they will be great friends because they are just
alike, both calm, gentlemen, loving, and well mannered! I just realized
that I adopted my brother when adopting Spade! HAHA.
You gotta get photos of you and Ed online soon, don't keep us in
suspense. I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who want to see
this man of yours!
Off hand, if you have a blanket handy, let me know what you want for
it and I'll be more than happy to buy it from you. Just let me know
before I go buy one, which if there is a cold front coming in, I
probably will. Yesterday, we bought him some "Fura Zone" for his feet
and a biotin supplement to help his hooves grow out properly. I asked
for that Benamine(?) to keep on hand but the lady at the tack store said
it was a prescription. I'll get the Vet to bring some next time she
comes.
Let me know when Lilly gets there, I might have to make another trip
to West Virginia!
Thanks Celeita
Ooooops, sorry, quick on the send button. Funny, now I
have Leona with an infection just like his, about half our barn has colds or
worse, snotty nose and coughing now too. The temps going up and down are
killing them, plus I left them out a couple of nights when he was suppose to
stay in the 50's but it got down in the low 40's so now I'm dealing with a
barn full of colds and flu. uggggg. I'm sure everyone will get better as soon
as the temps stabilize but I have the vet coming in to do more coggins and
shots of some of the horses that have come due and I'll have him check her
ear. I have her on penicillin too. It will be fine, all infections are as long
as you stay on top of them and no allow them to get bad.
Yes, Banamine comes from the vet, you can get it as a shot
(IM) or a paste but the shot goes a lot further and you don't have to be as
careful as you do with a shot of penicillin, just as long as you get it in the
muscle, usually one cc for every 100 lbs so that is usually around 10 cc's for
a 1000 lb horse (an average horse), in the neck in that triangle like I showed
you. Banamine is a life saver and I'm sure you're stable manager keeps it on
hand. I would never go one night without it in the barn. Its just too risky to
not have it because it will fix all upset stomachs and all beginnings of colic
in no time. Most horses that are down and starting to roll, one shot and they
are up and eating in 10 minutes. It will save a horses life and should be kept
on hand.
Sounds like things are going great. Super. Just keep asking
questions and learning for the next couple of years, continue to look for
clinics and classes and you'll be a resident expert in no time, just keep
learning and remember just when you think you have horses totally figured out,
a horse will come along and be totally different so you can never know
everything but the more you know, the more fun you can have and the safer you
and Spade will be, the better he will be cared for which in turn he will be
able to take care of you better. Its all a circle. All the best, Celeita
Hi Celeita,
I tacked Chance up today and after a bit of lunging, had a lovely
young rider from the neighborhood get on him. She lay over his back first
and he was absolutely quiet, so in a few minutes she swung into the
saddle. He was a absolute angel.
I kept him on the lunge line and they walked in both directions. He
has a lovely big, forward walk, a little bit less secure with a rider on
his back, but nice, nonetheless. Then we asked for a bit of trot in both
directions. He was completely quiet and well-behaved.
Now, I do still need to teach him to respond to the bit and to the
leg as he hasn't a clue. I usually do a lot more ground work before I
attempt anything with a rider, but the weather here has been so lovely I
decided to see how he'd be under saddle before he fully understood the
aids. I'll get Kelly to ride him again on Saturday, and tomorrow I will
start some serious but very short sessions of long lining to begin
teaching him to turn and stop. I teach a bit of the leg aids from the
ground too and cement the voice commands. That way, once he begins real
training under saddle he'll steer, stop and go with no confusion.
The current plan is to get him comfortable with a rider on him now
while the footing and weather hold. Then he can have the winter off to
grow and develop. No need to rush since I am convinced he still has a lot
of growing to do.
One thing is for sure, he is very sweet and quiet. He stands up for
himself with the big boys and he and Tucker are becoming silly playmates.
(Including redecorating the barn...sound familiar? I have to make sure all
the gates are locked at all times...otherwise blankets, tools, and
anything loose end up scatters to the four corners. *sigh* Boys will be
boys!)
Looking forward to Chance's CD.
Jean
Hey Jean, Wow, what a wonderful boy. Great beginnings
huh? He's only going to be better but what a great start. We love those types
of horses. Good deal.
Doing your CD right now. Should have it out this week, sorry
for the delay.
So so happy for you two. Kiss them all for us. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
I was just wondering if you had received my email and pictures of
Ernie and Lil Bit that I sent recently? My vet is coming for fall shots
on Monday the 16th and I will have her fill out the update forms so I
can send them out to you.
Thanks,
Pam Carlson
We haven't gotten any pics of Ernie and Lil Bit, when did you send them
and did you send them from this address? I looked in old mail and there was
nothing in there. We'll look for the update forms in the mail. How are they
both doing? You know Hootie here is Lil Bits son, has that same wonderful
temperament as her.
Pam, do you have any more need for ponies? I have the 3 in WI that the
owner is about ready to give away if we don't place them soon and I'm worried
about who she might give them to. I would hate for them to not be in a great
home. 2 are broke and have written tons of kids. The owner even said she would
transport as far as 250 miles to meet a transport or the adopter, I think that
would be chicago coming east. Just wondering. I'd rather them go to a
schooling situation as you always have more kids coming in. Celeita
Celeita,
Yes, I sent them about a month or so ago to this address. I
will try and send them again. I forgot to have the vet sign the forms, I had
them right in my office at the barn the day she came to, I will have to work
something else out to have her sign them.I will get that done soon, I promise.
Ernie and Lil Bit are doing good. Lil Bit is very chubbie and ready for winter
with a good amount of winter coat. Ernie has also grown a much better winter
coat this fall. He is doing ok, he's very resistant about cantering but were
getting there. There is a teenage girl here who just loves him and works with
him alot.
I really don't need any other ponies, if they could be sold
or re-placed I might beable to help you but many people don't want to deal
with the adoption situation. Right now is not a good time to put out extra
money to ship, feed and care for 3 extra ponies that will not work all winter,
I try to save every last $ to be sure I can take care of what I have.We don't
have an indoor so our horses basically get all winter off! I really wish I
could help!
I have been looking at that little grey mustang mare that
looks like an appy, she is very cute, she has been very tempting to me! Sounds
like a nice little horse.
I will try and send the pictures again in a day or so. I
will give you an email to let you know when they are coming.
haha, these are great pictures. They both look great, ahhhh
lil bit, she's such a sweetie. How are they both holding up to being lesson
horses? I know some love it and some just want to be with one person. It looks
like both have settled in nicely...... the kids are so cute. Nothing better
than kids with horses..... and Ernie doing a parade too. What a hoot. Well,
thank you for the update. I'm sure this is a real chore every year for a busy
facility, we do appreciate it. Thank you for giving them both great homes.
PS. We can certainly send you the little mustang. She does
look like a great horse. very relaxed with the riders even though she is not
being ridden regularly. That's always a good sign. All we need is contract and
her fee.... we'll be having a great Christmas special so keep watching and
think about adopting her. Celeita
Hello,
I wanted to leave you know that Sonnie had her annual vet check on
10-26-06 and Dr Drummond says she is in excellent condition and she had
all her shots. Including the coggins The results of the coggins will take
a few weeks. Do you want me to mail you the health certificate now or do
you want me to mail everything down to you then?
Sonnie is doing great, she is a very loving girl and gets along with
all the other horses. I will send more pictures soon. She is getting her
winter hair and looks more white than palomino now . But in the spring she
will be golden again. Can't wait for that.
Laurie
Thank you Laurie, if you want you can just fax what you
have of hers. That's fine. The fax number is below. That way you can keep the
originals without making copies. I knew you two would make a good match. Thank
you for giving her such a great home. She is such a sweetheart, isn't she? What
a love. Well, give her a kiss and tell her we were asking about her. All the
best, Celeita
Hi celeita
Just wanted to give you an update on Malone.
He seems to have settled in very well and Hickory seems to like
having him here. Hickory tries to be the big bully and tried to take
malones food at first but we tied hickory and made him state in one
place and kept malone in the other stall and now they are much
better. no food fights or trying to squeeze into one stall to share
food. there has been no biting and no yelling, in the beginning there
was a little pushing, by hickory to see if he could be the boss, but
of course. nothing happened, so I think he thinks he is the boss or
malone is letting him think that. malone is such a good boy, i just
love him. my grand daughters are coming for a visit next week and
they dont know that he is here. BIG surprise for them.
Bear is wonderful, she gets in the hay while the horse are eating
and plays with them. Malone and I had to work out a plan this
morning, I would distract her everytime he needed to get a bite of hay
and he would grab it before she could get back to grab the hay from
him. she is not the least bit scared of either one of the horse.
hickory stood very still yesterday and let her rub on his nose, it was
adorable. but this morning she jumped at him from his blind side and
it scared him. I had to talk to him and calm him down and show him
that it was just bear and then he was ok.
Wish the rain and wind would stop so that I could go up and spend a
little more time with my boys today. Malone doesnt want to come out
of the stall. He seems a little stiff, I did make him walk a little
before i fed him. I think he just doesnt like to be wet and it is a
new place. I need to walk him around the property so he know where he
can walk to. but it is so muddy.
do you know what happened to his head and his right leg, he has
some pretty big cuts on them. I have been making sure they are
cleaned and i put antiboitic ointment on them. them seem ok, no
reddness or warmth, but i was just concerned, did he fall again of
what?
also on the cd that you sent me, you had malone's name on it but it
was pictures of Spade. I will send it back to you and you can either
email his info or mail me a cd on him.
just let me know.
Thanks for everything
Starr
I'm glad you wrote Starr, I was thinking of you all this morning. Sounds
like all is well.
The WV weather, wetness and cold will be an adjustment for him coming from
the south west so that is probably why he does no like going out in the rain,
he came from a place where it didn't rain at all. It will take him about a
year to get totally past that. He may not even grow a winter coat and I wanted
to mention that I have some waterproof rugs that I could probably give you one
for him because with out a good coat, he'll need a heavy water proof rug.
Usually they are put on and taken off at 40 degrees but some wait until
freezing temperatures to put them on but the one thing you don't want is once
the temps get to be about 45, they need to come off as the horse will sweat up
which will be worse than not having any blanket at all. Plan on coming over
one day and we'll find one that will fit him. I wanted to do that before he
left and we got so busy with both him and Spade going out at the same time.
On that CD that I sent to you, did you look at the whole thing? Is Malones
historical documents on it and his pictures from here? I think I hit 'make
that cd again' and stopped it when I realized all of spades stuff would copy
on it too but I thought I put all of Malones information on there as well.
Well, just let me know and I can make you a new one. Very sorry.
I wanted to make a point about cracked corn, we feed pellets mixed with
cracked corn because it keeps the horses round without all the big costs of
horse feed. If you see that Malone is losing weight I would recommend adding
cracked corn to his feed, as with being out a lot more he may need more feed
but cracked corn is only $166. for a ton, which is much cheaper than horse
pellets or sweet feed which sits around $230 to $250. a ton, so if you are
struggling with keeping him round get more cracked corn and it will be an easy
solution to keeping his weight up where it should be..... which is basically
you want to be able to feel the ribs but not see them on all horses. I know
southern states in west union delivers feed for $15. and will bring you all
the cracked corn and pellets you can store and keep dry.... it usually lasts
several months as long as its kept dry. Just wanted you to know.... its the
reason we feed cracked corn (high calories for low money) as with so many
horses we really have to watch our costs without skimping on care.
We could not believe Malone on his head. We figured he must have fallen in
that little indoor turn out area in the barn or hit his head on the feeder or
something. Its Murphy's Law of Adoption, .... "if something is going to happen
to a horse, it will happen the night before they are due to leave to their new
home".... that is why we normally don't let them out the night before they
leave because inevitably they hurt themselves.... not bad but just enough that
the adopter is wondering what happened and rightly so. We felt so sorry for
him that that happened but horses seem to do that. We walked in the barn the
next morning and there he was.... uggggg. Poor guy. I'm sure it will get
better but he'll just look like he's been in a bar brawl for a few days. Very
sorry that happened right before he came to you but thank goodness you just
saw him Saturday so you know what he looks like without the bump on his head.
So glad things are going well. I fell in love with this boy immediately and
I will miss him but he needs his own family and his own humans to love him all
the time instead of sharing my love with 30 other horses.... so this is good.
Please let us help you if you are having any trouble with anything, that is
what we are here for.
I would recommend getting his teeth done by Dr. Winfred Masset from
Audobon Vet Clinic in Clarksburg, he's $100. but he does a power float and I
think you will find he may even need less feed once his teeth are done
correctly. I have a feeling they are way past due. Winnie is about the best
around and when I save my pennies up for their teeth that is who I call.
Usually once they are his age you'll want to do his teeth once a year.... much
like older people, older horses have more teeth maintenance but the float
should be the only thing he needs.
Well, enjoy. Celeita
I will be able to come out this weekend if you can find a rug for malone
and I will bring the cd with me. There is nothing on it regarding malone.
Okay Starr, I will look for a rug for him, if you don't hear from me by
mid week, email and remind me, I will be here all weekend. We'll also get you
Malone's information as well. Very sorry. I hope I did not send Malones with
Spades adopter. Silly me.
He's such a good boy. Funny about bear... well she can probably stand to
learn that horses are not big play toys. Buddy misses her but its good she has
her own family. Did you find the paperwork on her appointment this week in
Clarksburg to get fixed? Actually if you are going to Clarksburg, just stop by
and we'll go digging in the attic to see what we can find for Malone for a
rug. He'll need it, this is a big change for him. Celeita
Celeita
I wanted to let you know that I have Bear an appointment with my
vet in parkersburg, I dont have the time from work to take her to
clarksburg. but she will be taken care of.
also, I would like to come by saturday morning, if you have a rug
for malone.
He is doing good, he has been out wondering around the field with
hickory. they seem to be doing much better together.
Let me know if saturday is ok and I will see you then.
Thanks
Starr
Okay Starr, I will call Audobon and let them know.
Certainly Saturday is fine to stop by. I'll make some attempt to go
through some of them ahead of time If I can. Just let me know what time so I
can be looking for you. Lets my forget a CD with Malones information.
Is his weight holding up? Just watch him pretty close, many horses lose
during a move so you have to catch it early so they don't get way too thin.
Is he growing any winter coat at all? It may take him a year or two to grow
a coat but he may never grow a coat. I had a stallion that never did.... too
many years with heavy rugs.
Well, kiss those babies for us. Celeita
celeita
I will probably be out around 11 am saturday, if that is ok. my
grand-daughter and neice will be with me, they both love horse and would
like to look at your horses.
Malone is holding his weight pretty good, i havent noticed any weight
loss. He does have a few patches of what looks like maybe the start of a
winter coat, but it is patchy, like on his neck and shoulder and a little
on the belly area. I wish he had a coat like hickory, nice and thick then
i wouldnt worry about him so much.
bear is doing fine. sleeps at the top of the hay and comes down to eat
and to play. she is funny.
ok, i will see you saturday.
Starr
Okay Starr, sounds perfect. See you then. Celeita
Hey
Celeita, I received your e-mail and I will get the folks to fill out the
applications. They are great people That have made a great bond with both
of these guys. The young girl that rides Black is in love.
Talk to you soon.
KT
This is super news Katie, sometimes it just takes some time
to find the person that clicks with certain horses. I know Teresa loved Orphy
and would have adopted him if she were finished with grad school and settled.
Black as we both know is a special horse that takes a special placement, not
everyone can handle him but she must be a great rider. That's fantastic, We'll
look for their application. Thank you again. Celeita
Howdy! Kisses is doing great. She is so
cute. She is not my next 100 mile horse but I do hope to breed her in the
spring. When will you release her papers to me? I have had her a year.
When are you moving to your new place? I
pass on info to a lot of folks about SWAP because when the see Kisses they
get real interested! I am looking at stallions in WV (Asgard), NE (Rushcreek)
and IL (JG Ranch) for a husband for her!
I rode drag on Kisses at the National
championship ride this past weekend. Every time I ride her (about 3
x/week) I like her more and more. She has come a long way. thanks. Luv,
rosie
Rosie, we got the papers out today for you. You'll have
them soon. Congratulations on a great year. We know she is in a wonderful home.
We look forward for more traveling pictures of you two. We love to see someone
who takes their horse with them on vacation. That's super. I think she will make
a wonderful momma, just as she's been a great horse to ride. PS. probably won't
get to move until spring, unless we sell them place and then I'll move
immediately. Know anyone looking for a great farm? Celeita
Yes, I am just doing a lot of longing to help get her fit
and muscled I don't plan on riding her very much until she is stronger. She
has settled in to the "herd" well. My European trainer is here so I will have
him watch her at liberty and get his feedback.
I will keep you posted .
Thanks Val
Dear Celeita,
Congratulations on your double [and well-deserved] good news, both Ed H and the
new farm. Your vision, compassion and achievements are a real inspiration.
I got this e-mail from Paul Smallwood, a friend in NC, ex-USAF Major.
With best wishes,
Tom Carew,
Dublin, Ireland.
Celeita,
I thought I had deleted this email accidentally and found it while
looking for something else (who knew!!).
I am faxing back the facility change form tonight, after having it in
my tack box for about a month and forgetting to bring it home...
Jazz is a brand new girl... I have to tell you there was little that
the trainer needed to do with her, other than work through some subtle
issues and get her outside more that in a stall.
She is now trail riding and had learned to neck rein and loves going
Western! I have a teacher in mind for the Spring, so I can take some
dressage lessons with her, so all Jazz's "smarts" won't be going by the
wayside!! She has a new pasture pal, Sugar, a 12 year old QH mare. They
are inseparable.. If I take Sugar out somewhere, Jazz fusses, If I take
Jazz somewhere, Sugar fusses! I think she really enjoys the
companionship!!
We've been trying to get as much riding in as possible when the weather
isn't so darn chilly. Both girls got new blankets (which they got to try
out a few days last week! Yuk!!), but happily, it's warming up and I have
enough vacation days that I can afford to take a nice day or two off and
go love on Jazz and Sugar all day!!!
My husband has even started to ride!!! (You have NO idea how big
a deal this really is...) He rides Sugar and I ride Jazz and we all have
the best time!!!
I know I have said this before, but I cannot thank you enough for
bringing Jazz into my life! She has my WHOLE Heart... (except for the
parts that Sugar now shares!!!) It's like I never had a life until she
came into it!!
Hope the move is going smoothly and maybe even OVER!!!
Take care!!!
Judy
Judy, this is great news. I saw the pictures you sent
earlier and from the pictures it looked like you were having lots of fun on
her, I saw the picture of you and the gentleman and didn't know if it was a
trainer, a friend or hubby. Hey, well there is nothing better than having your
better half enjoying horses too. Good for you.
Turn out time is critical to keeping a horse sane, we have
seen people boarding at city stables who only let horses out 2 or 3 hours a
day and some only let horses out a couple times a week for a few hours. Its a
perfect way to get a crazy horse, its something that requires a perfect
balance and its different for every horse, too much turn out and many horses
get wild and difficult to handle but not enough will get you a crazy horse
too. We'll I'm so happy for you two and that you didn't give up. Is the
financial situation pretty stable now as well, I know you got a better job or
more hours but it seemed that had fixed itself too. Well, these things happen
to all of us, just glad we are here to take the horse if necessary, so glad
you were able to work everything out and that things are better for you,
sometimes just a change in environments can totally change the horse, like
people they are a product of their environment.
Well, so happy for you two. Thank you for giving her a great
home. Celeita
Rock Doctor and SukhoiI apologize for the
late report. I'm paperwork/time challenged. Anyway, Doc and Sukhoi are
both doing well. At the end of 2005 we had boarded them so that they could
be ridden more consistently over the winter, but we brought them home in
January as we decided to use the board money towards improvements on our
farm. They are both being worked with at home now...we just started Clinton
Anderson training.....Doc is still in shock. He doesn't understand why I
want him out of my space! He enjoys being in charge of his herd (Sukhoi and
my Paso Fino Boo Boo), and is a very calm, thinking horse. I really enjoy
working with him. He continues to have the clicking in his right hind leg.
It has not improved or worsened since he arrived but we have decided to work
with him to be a trail horse. I think he will enjoy that. Sukhoi is still
growing! She's about 15 2 right now and I would expect that she will finish
around Doc's size 15 3. Small for a trakehner/swedish warmblood cross but
when you look at her she looks more like a throwback to her Arab lineage,
with a full neck and shoulder. She is probably the hottest horse in the
barn (again the Arab throwback) ( and we have a very nutty
thoroughbred!...not Doc) but she is also very sweet and smart. She has to
be turned out or she will prance in place in her stall, and we are doing a
lot of desensitizing with her. She is just very lightly started under
saddle as she needs finishing on the ground, but this will not be an issue
for her as she is very smart and we are not in a hurry. Both horses go out
all day (weather permitting) and are fed Buckeye Cadence am and pm. They
receive as much hay as they would like 3 times per day, unless they are out
on the spring/summer grass...then they receive hay am and pm. We are
currently keeping them in straw, which they seem to like. They are both
vaccinated for Potomac horse fever, east and west encephalitis, rabies,
tetanus, and west nile. This should be sufficient as they are not in
contact with any other horses at this point. (one point of issue is that
Doc is very difficult to vaccinate....he has a vet phobia...and even for
Mark it is now very difficult to vaccinate him....but he is very tolerant of
all the usual grooming, trimming etc.) Both horses are wormed on a rotating
schedule and Mark continues to trim their feet as needed. They both have
great hooves and tolerate being barefoot well. We have not had any injuries
or illnesses with either horse this year. In fact all horses have been
healthy, and the only injuries are the small ones that seem the occur
routinely with Caesar (the nutty thoroughbred). He's actually a very smart,
gorgeous horse, but he's what's known as a hard keeper in every respect!
Both horses are a very welcome addition to our family and we have enclosed
pictures so that you can see that they are doing well (please ignore the
dirt on Doc, this was the first warm day we have had in a while and as soon
as the blankets came off.....he rolled, and rolled ......) Thanks again for
letting us take care of Doc and Sukhoi. Please let me know if there is any
information that I have not given. Also, we would be interested in
purchasing Sukhoi, if Karen would be willing to let that occur. We have no
intent of selling but Anna is looking at equestrian programs for next fall
and would like to take Sukhoi with her. Thanks for your time.
Vicky Gordon
I am not
sure what is worse – money or ego – probably both. I just got finished
managing a team competition at Morven Park. Most of the women who came to
the show, just were babies – spoiled brats who grew up. I thought the
boarding business was bad. Maybe this is the DQ thing.
I have
learned over the last few years that you have a great instinct for people as
well as horses. Keep up the good work. I am getting a portable shock wave
therapy device from the parent company soon – I should bring it to him for a
treatment on his suspensory.
Thank you Janet, sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle but its
nice to know someone thinks we are doing the right thing.
We may just look at doing that shock wave therapy, I could probably carry
him up there if I can ever get new tires on my trailer. I bet it would be a
nice complement to the therapy here.
He's a good boy, I just felt so sorry for him when he arrived. I'm starting
to feel so badly for some of these horses, most of them should have had a
better life than they have. Very sad.
Celeita-
I will keep in touch. Mom was able to dig up the article in Horse and
Rider about 1/2 arab mixes. I also got a chance to glance at the c.d. It's
good to have some pictures of Rob- my in-laws have already asked for some.
Both Rob and Dixie were glad to see me when I went to feed this morning.
Then later in the morning Mom groomed Dixie and then after work I groomed
both of them. They were both so anxious to get out that it seemed more
stressful to leave them in so I let them out in a small paddock for a few
hours. They seemed to enjoy that- Dixie just tried to eat whatever grass she
could find and Rob pranced around for a few minutes then settled right in...
They seemed happier when I put them back in clean stalls having stretched
their legs. I know in the new adopter info you said not to let them out
until they were adjusted but I truly feel it was best for them to get out
and stretch their legs for that short amount of time today. Rob wasn't
eating because he was so intent on looking out his stall window but after
his time outside was content to come in and eat his dinner and Dixie seemed
less nervous knowing that she wasn't going to be trapped in the stall
forever. Don't worry I won't let them out unsupervised until I'm sure their
settled. I'm thrilled with Rob so far... I really think he traveled better
than Dixie- she was sweaty and nervous when she got of the trailer and he
hopped off like he had been doing it forever. He was a very good boy for his
grooming today. Mom introduced him to an alfalfa cube and it was very
entertaining to watch him try and figure out what to do with it. I'll keep
you posted on Mom and Dixie... we will probably know more next week when we
start to work more with them and after they have settled in more.
Thanks!
-Audrey
Audrey, I totally agree about letting them out when its done at the right
time and in the day light, we have to write those things and over compensate
our recommendations because we have people that will get a young Thoroughbred
at night and put them right out in a pasture they have never seen and in the
dark. Many run right through wire fences and get all cut up (their first night
at their new home) much of it because they put them out in a strange place
they could not see and many TB's are used to board fence so they expect to see
the fence line when they run. Its a mixture for a terrible accident that I've
seen more than one time.
Certainly during the day when you are there or just during the day is fine,
even we put new horses out within a week here (during the day) and they are
going out with the entire herd. Of course, we stand out there for about an
hour like a recess monitor to make sure no one gets hurt and all is well. Some
of the horses that have never been with another horse we may put them with a
small group of their own sex for a couple of hours before we let everyone else
out. It all seems to work.
You're right Rob is one of the great horses, if you work with him and keep
him sound there will be nothing he won't be able to do, he is one of those
rare youngsters that we call an 'old soul' its like he's been around for a
long time, much more mature for his age.....he's going to be sensible but
athletic, which is a wonderful mix. I think you'll grow to love him more and
more each day as you work with him. We had all become very attached to him
here. Dixie has always been a favorite of ours, because she is so easy in so
many ways and any horse you can put a beginner or child on is a good horse I
hope she settles in quickly so your mom can really see how nice she can be.
Well, I'm thrilled they are with you all, its nice to not have to worry about
those two. Thank you, Celeita
Hi Celeita-
Today was Opening Hunt- here's a pic of Tipsy Cake- she has become
quite a nice field hunter- I'm enjoying her a lot. (I do not know what
was in the background making her neck look like it has a bulge- it
doesn't ).
Regards,
Kathy Eichelberger
Kathy, you don't hunt around Middleburg, VA do you.. that is much
further north. Just wondering, my fiance went to an opening of their hunt and
the hunt breakfast.... maybe all hunts open around the same time.
So glad you are enjoying her. I'm downloading the picture now. Ahhhhh, you
two look like pros, she looks much calmer than the early pics too. She much be
really starting to know and enjoy her job. Do you ride her in a double bridle
to hunt or am I seeing things in the picture.... hard to tell. I can imagine
there are times when you really need to get control of a horse during a hunt.
My fiance is a volunteer fireman in middleburg and owns a farm there (he's
selling and closing on Monday and moving over here to our new farm) but the
fire department was on alert because they knew that was over 100 old people
were on horses in the woods yesterday. I didn't get to talk to him last night
to see if they had a busy day, hopefully not.
Our other adopter that hunts regularly, the huntsman moved to Aiken, SC and
hunts every weekend now but he's bored with Aiken. I miss going to their
breakfasts, spill wine dinners and formals in Ohio. Our other adopter that
hunts and that ran the hunt club in Cleveland got married to a Navy man and
they are stationed in LA now.... she hates it and wants to come back north
again as soon as possible.... they may even get stationed in VA beach, which
I'm sure would be better than LA.
Well, so glad to know you two are going well. I knew she was a good horse,
she just needed the right person to bring out her best. Thank you for giving
her such a great home. Celeita
I hunt Tipsy in a Dr. Bristol pelham- pretty mild, but sometimes I
need brakes. I trail ride her in a snaffle. She does seem to like
her job- she's getting better and better, jumping everything with
enthusiasm. We hunt with Rockbridge, near Lexington. We're building
our new farm here- we're landowners in the hunt. Very cool to be so
close to such awesome riding.
BTW, I'm happy for you- I've seen a little of what's going on for
you, and I'm really glad.
Regards,
Kathy
Yepper, I understand about needing good brakes hunting and jumping.
Yes, I know Rockbridge well, have more adopters in that area. That's great
that you are going to be able to move where you hunt.
Thank you Kathy, we are a little overwhelmed at the move and all that is
involved but thrilled at the possibilities for the horses, the stability in
the farm with Ed added to the picture, having another person involved that
loves farm living and is very smart about horses (and like me he won't be
taking a salary, which is huge for the program). He's used to living the
good life with horses so I'm still teaching him how to do things on the
cheap (and he's a slow learner but coming around quickly), especially now
that he sees how much it costs to run this program every month. I'm really
hopeful that it will be good for the horses and for the program and
hopefully we will be able to do better work for the horses that come to us
and our adopters, to help them be more successful. That would be a nice
addition to the program to be better able to help our horses, the adopters
and donors, no matter what is happening with them or the horses. I guess
we'll see once we get there and get settled.
I'll put you and Tipsy Cake on our Happy Endings page, I'm sure many SWAP
followers will remember her and be happy to know she is doing so well. thank
you again for giving her such a great home. Celeita
Hello and good
morning Celeita,
I just got in
from cleaning my stalls and letting everyone out for a few hours of play and
fellowship. River is out with all now, I still watch to make sure he doesn’t get
bullied. Have a gelding that still keeps him on the outside, only sometimes,
most times they are all together and he can be anywhere within the herd, but
sometimes the bully makes him move to the outside of the here. Sometimes they
can be mean. I check for kicks bumps and bruises saw a little hair cut from a
bite attempt that didn’t go skin deep but so far no real bites or kicks from any
of them.
I wish I had
this horse 5, 10 or 15 years ago, I just love him and we have a bond already. He
will follow me around the pasture with no rope, lead – he will let me groom,
spray and clean feet with no halter, no rope. My farrier trimmed him the other
day, said his feet are great, and loved him. I wormed him, no problems, sheath
cleaning – no problems there. He is just so wonderful. I took notes on River
and all my horses the week River came in, started a notebook to keep updates, I
taped everyone for height and weight with my tape so I can monitor the weight
gain or loss as winter comes in. I know that seeing them everyday sometimes we
don’t notice a gradual loss, but this way if I tape the weight every week I can
see if I need to increase feed or hay as weather wears them.
Handsome Rob has
such a place in my heart, I have watched him since he came in, I wanted him with
River so badly, but I know that I’m not the person he needs for his training and
advancement. But oh, I wanted to get him. I have never had the experience with
young horses, take that back, I had one but he went to training 3 times before
we got it right and I was at a place to continue with him. I hope Rob is getting
a wonderful home, he is just such a beauty and will only become more so as he
grows.
Celeita, I know
that you have such a huge weight on your shoulders with the job that you do and
I can’t for the life of me say I know what you mean or I know how you feel
because I just really don’t. I know that if I ever let a horse leave me, I would
suffer greatly mentally, wondering and fearing for that horse. But please be
encouraged that you have the yearly check-ins where people send you photos of
the horse and vet work. That will give you a little comfort to know that you can
keep up with them (although I know you have been bitten with this evil in the
past too) just remember how many happy horses you have placed, how many families
have found a dream horse with your program. I wish I could help you when you are
in doubt, I will say prayers for Rob, and all the horses finding good homes.
Fear not for
River, he has my heart and I love him dearly. We don’t ride much but he really
doesn’t need daily riding to maintain his training like younger horses do, he is
happy to have a friendly face, brushing with hugs and pats, carrots and he likes
peppermint treats too. I hope we have many happy years together to, he is my
soulmate horse, I believe.
I hope you have
a good weekend, great day and give Rob a big hug and kiss for me and tell him he
is loved from far away. I would like to keep up with how he does, I have watched
him for a year, from the day he arrived to his first ride, playing in the snow.
Would really like to continue to see him if we can.
Hey Sharon, thank you for your kind words and for giving our
boy such a great place to live. You would be proud of Rob, he's turned into
such a fine young man and I really think this girl that is adopting will bring
him along even more, she came over to ride him and did so well with him. She
has a butt that just sticks and the leg muscle to ride a young horse, she is
very well trained and will be good for him. I think they are a good fit. Sly
will be much more work to place into a home, he is such an athlete and boy
what a beautiful long legged mover but he's a lot more horse than Rob, bigger
and very athletic. I see him with some seasoned eventer or competitor that is
ready to bring a long a baby, probably a girl in her teens, twenties or
thirties that has legs of steal and a brave heart, doesn't give up easily,
probably riding 4 to 6 times a week right now... that would be the perfect
home for him. I will miss little Rob (he's not really little anymore and he's
constantly going through grow spirits, his butt is taller than his withers
half the time). He looks like some sooped up car that is jacked up in the
back.. a little hot rod. What a sweet boy, it will be hard to see him go as
well.
I do know that everyone gets into a situation when they have
to consider whether they can keep their horses, we just don't live the lives
of our grandparents in one place, house and town through a lifetime so I'm
always glad we are able to take them and find them another home... that is
really the joy of our program. I do often wish we were better prepared for the
returns as we are always lean on money, lean on help, with a full barn and a
waiting list of horses waiting to come in but I'm thankful when adopters can
give us some time to be able to take the horse and when they are considerate
in those situations and when they don't have the time to wait that they let us
know so we can put their horse to the top of the list of horses waiting to
come in. I guess the hardest part is when they make the horse lame from over
jumping or over competing and then want us to take it and fix it or when the
horse get ill and they want to dump it on us to fix. Its not fair to this
program or the horse at all. Well, I better go, I know Robs adopter should be
here soon. Her mom is going to try out Dixie so I'm hopeful they will both go
home with them today. That would be a good adoption day for sure... two horses
in homes. With Christmas coming, my christmas wish is that all our horses are
in loving homes... if I'm going to do that before Christmas this year, I've
got to get busy. I've never been able to have them all in homes but its still
a nice wish to have and a good one to try for. Well, take care Sharon, always
thank you, Celeita
Hi Celeita,
Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that I spoke to
Spade's donor, Angela last night . At the end of the conversation, she
said that she was relieved to know that Spade had gone to a good home
and thanked me for adopting him. It was a nice conversation and I got a
little more background on him than what was disclosed in the donor
forms.
Don't know if I told you or not, but he had his toes trimmed
yesterday by my Ferrier, Jack Lee, whom I LOVE now. He explained so much
about his feet, and the damage that the neglect has caused, but I'm
happy to report that he is well on the path to recovery. Jack suggested
that I don't ride him at least until he gets his hooves trimmed a
second time. When the vet came out I had her bring me a bottle of Bute
tabs just to keep on hand in case he was ever in any pain, well Jack
said it wouldn't hurt to give him the bute after his hooves were trimmed
cause it probably hurt him somewhat and he's going to be using muscles
that he hasn't been using for the past several months. Shelly didn't
want to make Spade walk real far in the condition that his feet were in
so she had Jack go to him in the pasture and he trimmed him out in the
middle of the pasture without even a lead rope!
He is so amazing, and a truly great horse. I am so blessed to have
the honor of providing love and care for this magnificent creature, he's
one in a Billion! Thanks for all you have done.
Debora
Hey Debora, You'd be surprised how many people attempt to
do their own horses feet without any schooling, they don't even realize they
could and probably are ruining their horses feet for life. Many even try to do
their own horses teeth, its crazy. That is why Spade had one foot that I bet
the angle was 45 degrees and the other was at least 55 degrees.... that is
like walking on a tennis shoe and one heel... you just are never going to walk
right.... and those long toes. Just like with kids, what you don't know can
hurt them and farrier school and dentistry, even reading horses x-rays is a
detailed complicated science just like I told you, you don't go to your OBGYN
for dental work, you don't let just anyone read your xrays when you have
a broken bone and definitely don't do that stuff yourself, so why would we let
our local vet look at a serious lameness or illness, why would you let anyone
except an expert that looks at xrays daily to evaluate your horses xrays and
why would we attempt to do any of that our self?? Just too scary what people
are doing with their horses and their care.
Your farrier is right, you really do want to have his feet
angle right before you start riding him with any consistency and sometimes it
takes 2 or 3 visits to get the feet so the horse is sitting on his feet and
not on his heels, getting him to the point where he is not under slung,
sometimes it takes months to fix problems and really this is the reason why we
wanted to keep his riding to a minimum here until the farrier came in. It
sounds like you have a great farrier and they are worth their weight in gold
for sure. Our farrier finally came here this week, I'm hoping he realizes we
are too good a customer to not come and not call like he has done in the past.
Its very surprising when we've had him coming here for 10 years and now with
his new feed and trailer business, the farrier work has become too much for
him to do or do well. I hate changing but we'll do what we have to do for the
horses to have their feet done well.
I wanted to tell you that the girl that adopted Malone came
Saturday, I offered her one of our winter rugs for him since he came from
Arizona and was probably freezing with the low temps we've been having. She
said he's getting patches of a winter coat but some never grow a coat after
living in that climate for so long. So I sent a stable blanket and heavy water
proof rug with her for him. We do still have much to go through in the attic
so why don't you tell me what you need and I'll get it together for you.
Our closing on the new farm is Wednesday so its a crazy
week. Ed's farm closing is Monday and we close on the new place Wednesday. So
much to do..... he'll be a wealthy man for about a day... maybe I should see
if he wants to go to the Bahamas for a day?? hehe.
Take care, Kiss that boy for us. Celeita
It does, I
need to take a new photo for you, he is doing great and gets along with
everyone. My brother has a gelding that likes to boss everyone so I watch
when they are together because River is not aggressive at all. He might take
up for himself when he needs to but he usually can sense a troublemaker
coming and walk away before it arrives. He is so sweet and I really love him
so much. I was watching him the other day and he was walking along and
suddenly he saw a bench we have by our riding pen, we sit and watch the when
the kids are riding or Wayne will sit and watch when I ride, I know River
has seen it before but for some reason it must have snuck up on this time
because he suddenly jumps straight up in the air, all four feet and they
come back down exactly where they were, he didn’t bolt he just jumped up
and came down and then stretched his neck over to get a better look. Isn’t
it great when a horse sees something like that and when startled they just
kind of jump in place but don’t bolt? He is really a great horse and I’m so
glad he’s here.
Hey Sharon, I was thinking about River today as I walked
through the barn for feeding. He's a joy isn't he? We all miss him but we are
always so happy when they end up in a good home. We never know really how its
going to be until the horse gets there as it seems that people will say
anything to get what they want. We could have a 100 page application but it
still really only tells us about how they have been in the past with other
horses, its not always the same. Today I have Handsome Rob leaving today for
his new home, Missy leaves in a couple of days. I am getting so I worry every
time a horse leaves here... is it really going to be a good home, will they
starve it, will they kill it (as some have), will it be neglected or beaten,
will they use it up until its lame or old and then return it to us, will they
expect it to be perfect even though they aren't perfect riders and handlers.
Its a huge responsibility if you care at all about horses.
Unfortunately, its always the innocent horses that suffer
when I'm wrong, they are the ones that die or colic because I picked someone
who is too lazy to make sure they have clean fresh water every day and they
are the first one displaced in a family when anything goes wrong.. divorce,
financial change, not enough money, illness, injury, kids leaving for college,
not riding anymore, not enough time, not enough horse, too much horse, too
small a horse, too big a horse, he's not perfect, now lame because of how much
I worked him..... I was telling my fiancé yesterday that I am really beyond my
shelf life for doing this job because I now know too much and have seen too
much of the bad stuff that happens to horses and that I wish I were selling
cars, houses or maybe airplanes where I could care less if they take it out
that day and wreck it but with these horses its not that way at all, when
horses are returned or when they are hurt by their adopter its like putting a
knife in the heart of everyone here, not to mention the pain that is caused
the horse. We are so lucky to have many adopters like you who truly care, who
will always try to do the right thing for the horse no matter what is going on
in their life and its for those adopters that I continue to do this, otherwise
I would have quit long ago. I do hope you and River have many many happy years
together, I could die a happy woman just to know that one fact. Thank you,
Celeita
Celeita - We'll be at our new farm at the end of Dec. or first of Jan.
and we'll eventually be needing a 16 hand QH or WB that is sound, easy
going and laid back. Gelding preferred. I'm planning on buying my
friend's 14.5 appy mare (great wonderful horse ... but small) and I want a
bigger horse for guests to enjoy.
Just a thought. I'm throwing this out there in case you come up with
what I need (I'm so MAD at that woman who adopted Angus before I could).
I also bought my FIRST register pygmy goat on Friday, which will be part
of our ag business and keep our property taxes VERY LOW. We'll have 3
female breeding goats before we're through. I'm so excited for me ...and
I'm so excited for you and the wonderful farm you are getting! This is
going to be WONDERFUL! We are both getting GREAT places at the same
time... parallel lives and all that!!
Pat
Pat, I'm still here, just a bit overwhelmed, as I'm sure you are too.
Trying to now show the farm on top of everything else, we close on the 8th
and start working on the new farm as soon as we assume it from the
sellers.... in December we will just be getting started on the new place. I
so badly hope that this place will sell quickly. To me it looks like a deal,
I mean I've done all the work to at least get the facilities up and running.
I guess we'll see.
How are you doing?
Just let me know when you are ready for another horse and we'll start
looking. We'll find you something wonderful. If you were ready now I would
say Casino would be great, he's mister confidence so he will come along
really fast but if you think he needs a very laid back QH or warmblood we'll
find it. We just have to be careful with QH's as so many are crossed with TB
and bred back to a QH and they call the baby a QH... but its really not....
its very much a TB cross and you see that in temperament. We'll find you the
right horse. Sorry it took me so long to write back. Celeita
PS. It is pretty amazing that we are both moving at the
same time... you to a farm and will get to stop boarding and can have your
horses at home. There is nothing like it but boarding in the beginning is a
great idea to learn.
Hi Celeita,
I just got some new pictures of Tucker at our last show.
Very muddy there, but he went very well. (61+% in the first test. No pictures of
that one...rats.) This test was not quite as good. He was getting a little
cranky and maybe tired as we had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the judge to
show up after he was all warmed up and ready to go. Still, he sure looks
cute....Again the photos are copyrighted, so they cannot be published. Enjoy,
regardless.
Chance is getting along well. I think his butt end is now
taller than his front, so I am thinking most of his food is going to growing up
rather than out. He is getting the same feed as the big boys, so he should be
fine. He is very sweet and quiet to work around. I have lunged him three times
and he is a fast learner. I think he's pretty happy here. I tried to take some
new pictures today but it's too dim and rainy to get anything good. Maybe
tomorrow. Then again, I keep getting close ups of horse noses when I go out with
the camera. *G*
Hope all is well with you.
Jean
Oh my gosh Jean, is that the same long legged yearling that
was once here? He's a man, all grown up and he looks great. I just can't
believe it. Its like watching a child grow up and make something wonderful of
themselves. You all look like dressage pros. Amazing!! Wish I could show
everyone these pictures. Wow!! I'm so proud of you too.
So great to know about Chance doing so well. I have no
worries about you two. Don't worry about him being one sided, horses are like
people, we all have our strong side and many novice horse trainers forget to
train both sides... we get lop sided horses in all the time. You'll have that
fixed in no time, but you know that. Bravo!! Celeita
About Spade from Deborah:Yes, its 14 lbs a day or cracked corn
and 12% pellets from southern states, mixed half corn, half pellets. With so
many horses and so little money we have to feed something that will keep them
round without spending a fortune (even with cheap cracked corn our feed bill
is between $2500 to $4500. a month depending on the horses we have in the
barn, a barn full of hard keepers and you are looking at a lot more feed, more
money but cracked corn is only $166. a ton, all stock pellets are $230. a ton)
Is the corn and the feed mixed in equal parts? And Hay? Should I get a
special kind, alfalfa?
He is fine with grass hay, timothy, clover or just regular grass hay.
What about those alfalfa cubes at Tractor Supply, is that too rich for him?
He doesn't really need it, but if you do want to get alfalfa, get the
pellets or wet down the cubes because alfalfa is very sticky hay, easy to get
clogged up in their system. He's a pretty easy keeper but you might find him
getting leaner with being out more or getting more exercise but just watch
him, you might get to the point where he's getting very fat on 14 lbs and can
stay fat on less, just watch. Nothing happens over night, if you're observant
you'll see the changes.
Gosh, so many questions and fears, I'm scared to death something is going to
happen to him. I feel so bonded to him already and I really hope he likes it
here with us. I am seeing my "over-protective" nature is already interfering
with Shelly at the stable. I had her help me complete the facility change
form and honestly, I'm a little concerned with their turn-out habits. As I
was asking her about bringing in the horses in the dead of winter, she told
me that they seldom do that since they all have access to the run-in
shelters.
Yes, I think every horse north of the mason dixon line (KY and further
north) that all horses need a stall and need to be in it during inclement
weather, they are domesticated animals and we've actually had horses die of
hypothermia because they were left out in bad weather and the horse was only
11 so it can happen to young horses, so older horses are going to be even more
susceptible. Trust me leaving horses out on 20 acres in the middle of winter
is not natural at all, horses in the wild run across hundreds of acres to stay
warm in winter and they migrate to warmer areas and to move to keep warm.
Horses are like kids, they don't always do what is best for themselves and
don't let anyone tell you they will. I get gray horses here that are covered
in melanomia that will stand in the sun all day long every day, we'll have a
horse that need exercise will stand in the pasture and do nothing, the horse
that needs to sit still will run around like a mad man and totally reinjur
themselves, they will stand outside in the worst weather until they are frozen
instead of getting out of the weather.
She also told me that they don't blanket their horses. I feel that if I am
paying board there, then if I want or need Spade kept in a blanket and stall
the that should be my/your decision, right? I will insist on it, regardless
of what they have done in the past.
Did I mention that I had one hell of a day? Lord, save me from myself.
Its tough to demand things from a boarding stable that does not do it. You
may have to go to a stable that does that kind of care or take him home so you
can do it. You may feel better doing it yourself anyway, because no one can do
it better than you and enlist a few neighbors and your sweetie to help during
tough times (illness, injury of both you or the horse and the dead of winter
can get tough). I hate to say it but historically and I've seen many,
professional trail companies are not known for taking good care of their
horses. There are a few that do but historically they live a very tough life.
Is there anything I should do as soon as he gets off the trailer? I'm
sure he'd like a nice stretching walk. I'm incrediably excited, but
petrified nonetheless.
If you want put him into a stall or a small paddock by himself that would
be great, some place quiet for him to rest, give him lots of fresh water and
hay, don't give grain until tomorrow as you'll want to wait for the stress of
the trip to go away before graining him. Fresh water, hay, rest and if you
want to take him for a quiet walk after he settles, hand grazing is always a
favorite for horses (holding them with a lead as they graze, you can even
groom them while they graze), we use all these things as rewards to our horses
after working. You'll know when he has settled a little because he'll drink as
many horses will not drink until they settle some, that is why trailoring can
become a real problem because some horses will not drink on a trailer until it
sits still for several hours and most drivers won't wait for that. I've had
horses go right to colic surgery from a long trip because the driver would not
wait for the horse to settle to drink. This is a short trip so it should not
be that big of a deal but he will be tired. You'll be fine. Just make sure the
facility will take care of him to the level you feel and not the level they
feel because that might be two very different levels of care. Celeita
Hey
There!
Quick
update, Spade arrived in good shape last night around 6:00pm. Suzanne gave me
the CD, Feed, wipes, and penicillin with syringes. Thank you!!! However, I
forgot to ask her about the blanket and any other stuff. I was very excited to
see him. Paul LOVES him, but is a little afraid of him which is a probably a
good thing. Shelly really likes him too. The only concern we had was when we
walked into his stall he would turn and face the back of the stall and point his
rear in our direction. I didn’t take this as threatening but Shelly was a little
concerned. I just figured he was respecting our space or maybe he was always
fed in the back corner of his stall and thought we were coming to feed him back
there?
Boy is
he smelly! He really smells of infection so I plan on getting the vet out there
rather quickly as I was hoping that his ear infection would have improved but it
doesn’t seem to be any better. Maybe he’ll need a more invasive antibiotic.
I’ll let you know what I find out. I will also ask his new vet about the power
teeth floating service.
I didn’t
get a chance to get into the CD last night, in my excitement, I left it at the
barn. I’m hoping it has the contract in it and can be printed for signatures.
Which reminds me, I got the signed Facility Change form from Shelly, but it was
a fax copy, not original signatures so I will have everyone re-sign it this
weekend and get it back to you.
His
Ferrier is scheduled to go out on Monday but I might call and see if he can get
there sooner. I’d like to start working with Spade this weekend if possible.
(no riding, just hand walking him around the area) I wonder if he had shoes on
in his previous life.?
Well
Celeita, what else can I say… I love him, he’s a special boy and we will be
GREAT friends forever.
He
is a dream come true, in so many ways!
Debora Applegate
Deborah, he
was a show horse so he's definitely had shoes, people only show walking horses
in shoes, so don't worry about him being shod but I would not be in a hurry to
put shoes on, try to keep him as natural as possible as far as his feet go.
Don't worry
about him turning his butt to you, he's in a very strange place, he doesn't
know where he is and who Shelly or Paul is, he may remember you but not well
enough to lean on your for confidence in a new place.... all horses are not
themselves at first, some horses take months to settle in to the point where
they start to show their sweet personalities, some take a year or more to
really be 100% at a new place. Many horses if they were ever in a situation
where they were treated badly and most horses have been in situations where
they were treated badly at some point in their life (remember the story of
Black Beauty is very true and a typical depiction of a horses life) so many
instantly think everyone is under suspicion until they know better. Plus he's
probably tired from the trip, trust me standing in a moving trailer for even 3
hours is a very tiring thing to do, especially for a horse out of shape and
older. If you or I stood in a moving vehicle for 3 hours, we would want to be
left alone too. I don't know Shelly's experience and how often she has new
horses come in but if she is any kind of horse woman that has had horses come
and go a lot, she should know this. I suspect they haven't had many horses
come and go there so she is not used to the reactions of a new horse. I see it
daily almost or at least weekly so I have come to expect those sorts of
things. He may turn his butt to you but I would bet money he would never offer
to kick anyone, he's just tired and wants to be left alone and he will be
unnerved over the move for several days, even several weeks in little ways
that you may not even notice. Just take things slow, don't ride for at least a
week or two, just let him have the time to get to know where he is and who you
are again and he'll be fine. I would not allow shelly to ride him for that
amount of time too. I know she is a good rider but I truly believe that some
horses get very upset about being pushed and pressured to settled in and act
like they have lived there forever, almost like a child having a tantrum or
even totally withdrawing because the changes are coming way too fast. I have
seen more people get dumped from horses their first week at home than any
other time and many once they get dumped become scared of the horse and that
is almost impossible to get over so trust me, go very slow with him. Think of
it more as a child who does not know you coming into your home or you going
into a new job. By the end of the first week you barely know where the ladies
bathroom is much less everything you need to know about how that company does
things.
Read the
letter on the CD about settling a horse in and also go to the page on the
website that talks about OUR BELIEFS and look under moving a horse and
settling a horse in. I'm certain some old cowboys think its over kill and
expert riders and handlers can get away with a lot more than someone just
learning but as a person just learning or even a person with lots experience
that can't afford to get hurt, you don't want to stress him out by getting on
his back really early then have him dump you and you get scared of him because
really, that is almost impossible to get over. You'll do fine but just take
it very slow, even if he seems like he is totally settled in, he's not. You'll
do fine.
Remember to
tell the vet that comes to see him that one of the earlier vets put a drain
tube in (this was not my idea) and I am beginning to think that maybe that is
part of the problem because the tube keeps it open, which allows germs to
continue to get up in there. Just remember you might want to get a second or
even third opinion before you really know what the deal is. Especially if you
are dealing with just a local vet that does not specialize. Try the first
persons ideas and if it does not fix it within a responsible time, call
someone else. Hang in there, spend a lot of time grooming, hand walking and
grazing, take him a bunch of carrots out and he will learn to love you and
will even start to look for you very quickly, even rub downs and massage will
get a horse to be your best pal in no time. If you do something he really
enjoys everytime you take him out of his stall or pasture, he will always look
for you and want to see you. If you ever see a person where the persons own
horses does not come to them when called, then you know either they don't care
for them, they don't spend any time with them or possibly they may even not
like them because the only time they come around they are worked hard and put
away wet, if you do that to a horse for so long eventually they will want
nothing to do with you and they will run in the pasture to get away from you
instead of running to you.
Just
remember, you are a team, you want him to take care of you and you are going
to put your life in his hands so must take care of him like a partner, a
friend, a buddy. Celeita
I loved
your note, thanks! And I totally agree that he’ll need at least two weeks of
R&R before any potential work. I don’t have intentions of riding him that soon
either. He’s got all of his appointments lined up now, the Farm Vet is this
Saturday, Farrier is Monday, and then I’m going to go ahead and take him to
OSU for x-rays on his ear/teeth and teeth floating on Monday, 11/06/06. I’ll
just feel better once that’s under control and I know he will too. Dr. Carpenter
said that it sounds like it is a dentigerous cyst and the penicillin probably
isn’t doing much good if it hasn’t cleared up by now. But she hasn’t seen him
yet so we’ll know more after her visit.
Suzanne
said he had loaded and unloaded perfectly all day yesterday and when he got off
at the stable, he seemed really ok. I was a little surprise at just how well he
did. I expected him to be more nervous and alert but he just trusted us to lead
him where he needed to go. He didn’t seem scared at all, he walked right up to
me and bit one of the apples I brought right in half. The we walked him to the
stall and gave him some hay, grain/corn mixture and he proceeded to eat. The
horse next to him wanted a bite of his food and Spade wasn’t so thrilled with
that, but there was no “gnashing of the teeth”.
I wasn’t
concerned in the least when I entered his stall and he just turned around, he
didn’t seem disturbed, angry, frustrated or anything like that, it really seemed
like he was just going to the corner because we were asking him to. I might be
totally wrong here, but I think it might have something to do with the size of
the stalls too, they seemed a little smaller than yours and maybe he was
accustomed to heading to the corner when someone walked in. ?? He did it as
though we asked him to do it, not out of fear or anger.
I’m so
thrilled to have you as my support in this process and I want you to know that I
value and respect your input. Thanks for helping me help him.
Debora
You
know, surprisingly, Jack, the Farrier said the same thing about keeping his
feet natural. He said as someone who makes a living as a Farrier, he has
recommended his way out of thousands of dollars by telling people to leave
their horses hooves natural, but trimmed.
I
like him.
That's a good farrier who cares more about the horse than his
pocketbook.... that is what you want to find, its always a joy to find someone
that really cares. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
Oh I am so glad I was able to got back and reopen this email and discover
than I can actually read it from my home laptop. This is good information.
Paul and I spent most of the day at the barn with Spade and he had his
first vet visit. He is such a gentleman. The Vet was really surprised with his
demeanor, and said she wished they were all as well behave as him. I'm a proud
Momma! The Dr. Sandy said that his teeth were in very good shape and didn't
really need floating at this time. She seems to think that the place by his
ear is a dentengenous cyst, BUT it's not life threatening and he doesn't
appear to be in pain. She also said that he could live a normal life without
having it removed, but we'll get him into OSU for x-rays and go from there.
I'd prefer to just have it removed or "ground down" so that he's not draining
pus all the time. I'm sure it will make him feel better.
I feel so much better and more confident in my decisions with him after
reading the OUR BELIEFS section on your site.
He's adjusting well to the barn, and we go everyday to see him and spend
quality time with him. We hand graze, walk around the property, cross tie,
groom, and walk around the arena together. He really is coming along very
nicely, he seems to be recognizing me more and more, and the poor fella has
become an old pro at having his picture taken. I'm sure he get tired of having
everyone stand next to him and then "FLASH," and he's such a trooper cause he
takes excellent pictures!
He loves the apples but spits out carrots. He's just a joy to be around and
we love him dearly!
Once again, thanks for your guidance in this process.
Debora
Ahhhhhh, that is
such good news. Very happy to know that all is well. Happy to know he's in good
hands and that you all like him so much. He's a good boy, he just needed someone
who cared enough about him to help him through this. Bravo. You've got a great
horse and with all you're great care I'm certain he will become very loyal to
you in short order. Thank you for giving him such a great home. I'm so happy for
you all and thrilled for Spade. Celeita
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that yesterday when I was giving Spade a
few apple pieces, he accidentally grabbed my middle finger and mistook it
for an apple wedge. Ouch. Nothing happened to me, but I did panic a little
bit and jerked my hand back (probably a good idea) and let out a low
scream which of course scared the crap outta him. I felt so bad that I
startled him while trying to befriend him. He didn't know how to respond
to me. I know he didn't mean to do it and it was my mistake, but the worse
part of it was that I freaked out and now I don't know how to get him to
forgive me or move passed it. He seemed fine today, but he gave me a sort
of "one eyebrow raised" look before taking apple from me today. Also, when
I go to the barn, I let him smell the apple first, then I take a few steps
to make HIM come to me and I find this is really working well. He's not
backing and turning away from us in his stall anymore. He'such a good
horse, I just can't believe it. And neither could the vet when she found
out that he hadn't been gelded until age 15. She just ooowed and awed over
him. It made me so proud.
Talk to ya later,
Debora
How funny, I'm sure he just gave you that look saying, 'okay, I just want
the apple this time, no fingers' .... how funny. We all do things like that,
it will get better. If I had a nickel for everytime my finger ended up in
Big'n's mouth I would be rich... even they get good about knowing that you
keep trying to feed them your fingers and they will not bite down too quick or
they use their muzzle to push your fingers aside..... remember they are
learning all the time too so he is figuring you out as well.
Your timing with him and his with you will become nearly perfect over
time... you'll get to the point where he will know your voice, the way you
smell, the sound of your car, the way you pick his feet, lead him, ride him,
even feed him apples and even your laugh... over time you'll get to know
exactly how he does everything and he will be doing the same with you. In a
year, you'll be like old friends, in 5 you'll wonder how you ever lived
without him. In 10 you'll be thanking god for every day you have with him. We
have horses with their adopters that the horse starts calling when he hears
her car outside or her voice, ones that run to the fence as soon as they see
them.... it all takes time... loyalty, love and respect is earned over time.
Don't worry too much, just try to enjoy the process.
Tonight he's probably telling his new friends at the barn that you tried to
feed him your fingers today. hehe..... its probably the barn joke now among
the horses. :)
I love emails like this. Its all good. Celeita
Celeita,
OHHH that explains all the nickers at the barn this afternoon, and I was
wondering why he was wearing a PETA Tshirt, I know now that he was just
trying to let me know that he's a vegetarian and fingers aren't on the menu.
I hope he knows that we love him and don't mean him any harm. He seems so
trusting and I don't want to discourage that at all. He will be so good for
Paul to ease his fears. Paul's still a little scared of him but he's coming
around and of course Spade is just patient with all of us. I really think
he's the perfect horse for us. Everyone told me that when I found him I
would know and I didn't believe them nor did I trust myself to make that
decision, I'm SO thankful for your guidance throughout this whole process!
It has been a great experience and I tell everyone about the Crossed Sabers
adoption facility and it's magnificent executor!
You are doing a great service to people like me who have the desire and
means to own a horse but not necessarily the skills, yet. Again, thank
you. DeboraAhhhh, isn't that sweet. Well, people like you make my
job so easy. We love adopters like you, one who is thinking and considering
everything about the horse, them and their new home. One with a great love
and devotion to the horse. That makes it a real pleasure for us.... and the
horse. I'm thrilled we found you for him and vise versa. Always thank you.
Celeita
Another great day with Spade today. I went out to the barn early and
got to spend all afternoon with him. I called an equine dentist out and
had his teeth floated also. I'm glad he checked his teeth cause he found a
couple of points on his right side, he said it "should free up his TMJ"
(whatever that means) which might help with his ear. I cleaned out his ear
by hand today and he just stood still while I poked and prodded deep
inside his ear. He was very good for the dentist too, as good as he could
be with a metal file in his mouth. I tacked him up today and walked him
around for awhile then let him hand graze for a while too. It was nice to
get to hang out with him for so long and not really do anything. He seems
a little sore in his front end, but it's probably his hooves which will
be taken care of tomorrow. I feel bad doing all of this stuff to him at
once, but he really needs the attention and he's still willingly
cooperating. He's such a great boy, but you know that!
Talk to ya later,
DeboraThat's great Debora.... see what a second opinion can
do.... You might find out something that can really help and sometimes you
can find out something that will save the horses life. Celeita
Celeita,
Chance arrived around 1 PM today. He is smaller than I expected,
measuring in at 15.1, but he also still looks very "coltish" so I expect
he still has some growing to do. I don't know if he will be a big horse,
but his legs and general bone structure suggest he will have some
substance. He is a nice mover and I think he will make a good riding and
perhaps even a dressage horse some day. Regardless, he has a home here
where he will have good food, good care, and good buddies. It's going to
be fun training him.
I did not take any pictures yet but will sometime during the week.
Suzanne was having some truck problems. She was still going on to
New York after she left here. I hope all went well for her. She is a
sweetie. \
I will follow up in day or so with an update.
Thanks for sending Chance to me. He is a cutie!
Jean
Oh goodness. I can't believe a vet called him 16 hands and he's only
15.1. uggggg. I thought a horse vet would be a good person to give us a height
on him. I feel terrible. Is he going to be okay for you? Well the same vet
also said he would probably grow a couple more inches but I'm not sure I trust
him now. Well, let me know. I wish I could have measured him first.
Gosh, I hope Suzanne makes it back okay. There's nothing worse than having
problems with horses on board.
Well, I feel bad about his height. Let me know what you think. Celeita
Hard to say about his height. He's here and doing fine so there's no
need to rush things. He certainly looks as if he's going to grow. Let's just
give him time. In the meanwhile, it's no big deal. I will work with him,
probably fall in love with him and that will be the end of it.
My string test estimates he might grow as much as 3 inches or so. He
looks very immature. If I didn't know he was 3, I would have estimated more
like 2. The key will be how he fills out. He has good bone structure, as I
said and looks like he had the makings of a well bodied horse. I don't think
he had all the food he should have had when he was younger.
One thing's for sure, he'll get all the groceries he needs here. Don't
fret. He will be well taken care of.
Jean
I have already had 4 "Horse my dreams." Tucker is #4, so if Chance is
safe, sound and sensible, he will be a horse of my elderly dreams.
Truth be told, I had vowed that the next horse I got would be quiet
and sane, good for packing me around on trails and hunter paces. Maybe even
a good "guest horse." We'll see if Chance can fit the bill. Either way, I
will train him, so everyone is a winner...assuming I can do the job. *G*
Wonder how much he was actully handled. He is uncertain when I go into
the stall.
Then again, he is currently VERY low man on the totem pole. Toby keeps
chasing him off. Tucker is much more friendly, so I think Toby is worrying
that he will lose some power over the herd if he doesn't chastise the "new
boy" enough.
Jean
Okay Jean, we appreciate you being so understanding. I do know one thing,
if the horse that arrives isn't the horse if your dreams, they certainly will
become that with time, lots of love, good care and by knowing that training is
done in baby steps over many years. I wish we had more adopters like you, my job
would be so much easier. Much love, Celeita
 
Hi Celeita,
Not the best pictures, but at least you can see the kid in his new home.
Fat butt Thoroughbreds in the background.
As you can see, he has good bone but his body is not yet developed. His
legs look longer in person, so he looks more colt like than the pictures show. I
will try to get some better pictures soon.
He is very smart. Figures thing out quickly. Toby, the chestnut herd
leader, is still putting him in his place, but Chance does not seem too
intimidated. He is very respectful, but not scared.
Jean
Hi Celeita,
Just to let you know Chance is doing just fine. The herd hierarchy is
still sorting itself out as Toby, the boss, has taken charge of Tucker (Doitright
Tobe) generally trying to keep Chance away. But the kid is not totally
intimidated. Looks like he got one kick in on Toby..no damage but a definite
hoofprint, so he will stand up for himself under pressure. Otherwise, he remains
respectful of his elders.
Yet, during the rain, everyone was happily sharing the west side run-in
and yesterday, Tucker and Chance were hanging out together in the west paddock
while Toby was hanging out in his stall on the east side. Guess there is a
peaceful coexistence established in less than a week.
I lunged Chance just a little yesterday. He was fine going to the left--a
bit rushed, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Then I tried the right rein
and he had no clue. The nice thing was that he did not get excited or upset at
all and in about five minutes, he was quietly walking around me in a nice circle
to the right. Then I asked for just a turn or two of trot and he did just fine.
I worked him in hand a little afterwards, establishing the "trill" as a signal
for halt and then finished up. All told maybe 15-20 minutes. He was very
obedient and concentrated well.
He is very good about coming when I call and he definitely knows his name.
He is a very bright boy. He is eating well, enjoying pellets three times a day
and he's eating all the hay I put out for him. There is still quite a bit of
grass around in the pasture and paddocks too, so there's no lack of food.
I will be keeping his training schedule light since he is so young, with
lots of in-hand work. After I establish the basic lunging we'll go on to long
lining. That way, once he does go under saddle all the needed rein commands will
be solid. Nothing like it for teaching turning and stopping as well as the basic
"on the bit" concepts.
It's going to be a fun fall and winter.
Jean D.
Hello!
What is happening here? Is Second Wind
Adoption closing down? I sure hope not! Our alpaca babies are fine and
would love hearing from you on what is happening with you. I feel like
we have a friendship via telephone but just the same and I will be
praying for you. Please let me hear from you.
Wanda Wilson
No Wanda, we aren't closing. I'm getting married and my
fiancé has bought us a bigger farm with more pasture about 20 minutes from
here. No more worry over the mortgage payment (or the utilities for that
matter), all the program will need to pay out there is the programs expenses
(barn and office utilities, care and maintenance of the barn and horses, feed,
vet, farrier, salaries of our employees, just the stuff the has a direct
impact on the program). We are all thrilled and a little overwhelmed right now
at the thought of trying to sell this place and get moved. Just the moving is
an expensive venture but I'm sure we will find a way. Here's the ads for the
sale of this farm:
And here's our new farm, the one we are moving into:
Thank you for the concern but everything is fine. Excited
about the future for myself and my future husband and for the program. You'll
have to plan to come and see us when we get moved. I'm sure we will have a big
open house in the spring once we get most of the work done on the new place
and are all settled. Much Love and Kiss those babies for us. Celeita
Celeita:Jake is doing well.
We discovered a little soreness in his back so we will be calling the message
therapist here soon (he has had this soreness before might have to call the
chiropractor).
Lucy is a cutie. She is so photogenic. I think she
actually likes her picture taken. Right now we are slowly introducing her to
a blanket so she can wear it before the weather gets too cold.
We have started putting Lucy and Jake out to pasture
together to get them ready for the upcoming move and to make it easier on
them. They are getting along very well. Jake learned to respect her space
very quickly lol. The only problem is that Jake, who is getting older now,
don't want to play as often as Lucy does (it is kinda amusing) so she just
runs and bucks circles around him biting at his halter and nipping and his
butt and he gets sooooooooooooo mad. But being Jake and not having an
aggressive bone in his body he just pins his ears and trots 5ft to the next
spot lol.
We had a warm day so we used it to get Lucy used to being
hosed (dont know if she ever was before but she was very nervous about
it).
I have never seen a horse look so much to humans for
comfort. If it scares her she just wants to put her head on u until u make
the monster go away or convince her that it wont eat her lol. She luvs
people so much that when anybody goes into the field she "runs" up to them.
This caught a few people off guard at first but now they know that she is
not coming to run them over but just wants to get her scratches faster. It
is very hard to deal with both of them in the field-it is the equivalent of
going into a kindergarten class with a bag of candy. They both want to be
right on top of u for attention.
I want to take this opportunity to thank u for providing
me and giving me the chance to own and luv 2 such wonderful and luving
animals. They are great, always make me smile when i am feeling down, and
are a laugh a minute.
Temp dropped a little too much last night and Ms. Lucy and
Jake got blanketed. Lucy is so easy to work with I just luv her. She
looked a little big eyed at the blanket but we put it on her with her eating
her hay in the stall. she never moved. flinched a little when we reached
between her back legs for the leg straps but nothing major-we will just have
to start rubbing around more back there in her grooming sessions is all.
The farrier took a quick look at her when passing through
the other day and i think u would agree with him. He says not to worry
about that front foot. She is sound on it and he says that considering that
she is toed out she move gorgeously on it. His thought is that if she don't
know s he is toed out then we shouldn't be worried either lol. He is
coming down next friday to reset Jake and he is going to give her a trim
them. She also has some mouth sensitivity and we are thinking that it is
baby teeth. The farrier is also a certified dentist so he is going to look
in her mouth to make sure that everything is going as planned in there and
nothing is going wrong. He said that he wants to just make sure that it is
run of the mill sensitivity and nothing else. He says he would bet it is
just normal though and there is absolutely nothing to worry about and being
that we aren't planning to put a bit in her mouth for a good long while that
we have nothing to worry about.
And Jake is just good old jake doing well and a little bit
tubby in the belly lol.
We are not seeing hind end lameness here. Even the barn
trainer has watched her in turnout and is not seeing anything. She is on a
maintenance dose of a joint supplement just in case so that might be helping
although it doesn't contain any pain killers. Since she is just out in the
pasture right now (the only things we do to her is grooming, general
handling, and desensitizing-just like a weanling or yearling basically) we
kinda took the approach of putting on the supplement and just watching for
problems. She seems fine right now though. She is a little ouchy when she
hits rocks in her barefeet but that is all and nothing really to worry about
being she is in a grass pasture and her stall is matted and bedded down.
She is just basically a big pet right now, which she enjoys. The only
things we really work with her on are the things that she needs to be safe
with basic handling, vet, and farrier care. She is doing well.
I did have one question though-was she ever cross tied at
your barn. The papers filled out by the previous owner says that she was
not, but I am just trying to figure out all that she knows. We have not
cross tied her yet due to her being soo tall and our ceiling just being
normal and don't want her to hit her head if she gets upset (which don't
happen very much at all she is very level headed about stuff). We are
working on her just giving to pressure on her poll using out hand and a soft
rope with very slight pressure. When she was ready we were going to put up
some ties in the barn with the indoor (which has a very high ceiling just in
case) but i wanted to check with u to see it u guys knew or did cross tie
her.
We have a very good vet, nice to deal with. She does
tell u the worst possible situation, but then unlike most vets tells u how
she thinks it is. Hard to believe that she is also a diehard AQHA breeder
and shower. (there r good ones out there).
Our farrier is a certified farrier and unlike what i
said before (my mistake) is not a certified dentist, but is infact an
apprentice to one and working on his certification. I spoke with him this
evening about Lucys teeth and sensitivity. I had the barn manager go out
and feed her a larger harder horse treat and when she called me back she
stated that Lucy had a very hard time chewing it. I called our farrier
back and with this info he is suggesting that we actually ship the horse
down to his teacher (certified equine dentist) and have him take a good
look at her teeth. He said that with her level of sensitivity to touch of
the mouth at the moment they might need to give her a slight sedative to
get a good look and he would feel more comfortable with his teacher
actually looking at her in case there is an abcess or something in there.
She is currently right now throwing her head up and craning it around to
keep u from touching any of the outside of her mouth. He said that he
thinks that she is probably just a naturally slow eater but he is worried
about the fact that she takes sooo long and that she actually leaves some
of her food in the bottom of the bucket.
I will let u know what we are going to do. I am leaning
more towards shipping her down to the certified equine dentist (it is only
45 minutes from here) to just be safe. Better safe then sorry. I would
hate to see something majorly wrong with her teeth and mouth and have her
start losing weight or anything. Also she is very determined not to let u
touch even the sides of her mouth and she is so willing to let u do
anything else to her. It just doesnt seem her temperment and I worry that
she is in more pain then usually for general teething.
Should have added that although we have had nobody look or xray
her hocks n back lets several people, our major work vet, and our
farrier just have a hard time believing that at her age that she
could have had that much damage done that it would render her
useless. Our vet said that such early riding compared to her big
size might have done some damage that is going to hinder her from
doing any hard riding or showing if we want to keep her sound for
trailriding or flat showing, but she says that if we arent seeing
any lameness right now by visual then, even though she was guarentee,
she sees no reason why she wont stay sound as a trailhorse or light
training for showing on the flat. She said that she would just keep
her on a maintainance suppliment and keep an eye out. She didnt
think that if she was not obviously lame we should ship her to xray
her because even if there was slight damage the first step would
just be suppliments anyways to see how they help her. Although keep
in mind that our vet did not look at her in person this was over a
phone call.
They all do agree strongly that nobody should have been riding
her at her age and size and find it quite alarming that someone
would do so to a baby.
Like I said I will let u know.
Thanks,
Anita
Yes, Anita, right now her mouth is going to be sensitive because
between 2 1/2 and 5 they are dropping their baby teeth and getting adult
teeth in, starting with the center teeth in the front and moving out so
its much like a baby teething. The dentist should just make sure the
baby teeth are falling out and the adult teeth are coming in correctly.
Yes, I agree that the front foot is a non issue, once she got through
the abscess we figured it would be fine. What is his opinion of his
hindquarter lameness? Have you had any vets look at it? Just wondering
if anyone has given you an opinion?Very nice Angela, love the
pic of Jake, he looks so relaxed and happy. Obviously loves you and his
home. Very good. Lucy is such a cutie, isn't she? Thanks much, I'll get
these on the Happy Endings page.
Yepper, that is what I felt, at least from my experience. Good to
know another vet agrees with us. Good deal. Celeita
 Hello to all!
Here are some pics of Country Lane, he is doing wonderfully as you can
tell in the pics. He is looking great, with a nice healthy, shiny coat. He
is such a sweet boy.
These were taken Saturday, Oct 14.
The new farm looks wonderful!
Hey Kim, boy Country looks like a dream. I hope you are enjoying him and
getting to drive a lot. I know life sometimes gets in the way of our horse time
but I hope you are really enjoying him. He was always such a hoot here. Celeita
Hey C, I'm getting really concerned with Wop. She is eating 12# of
Senior Complete per day (and would eat until she foundered if we let her),
all the hay and grass she wants and is still looking poorer by the day.
She is shedding contantly (no sign of winter coat growth) and her
coat/skin is becoming more thin. She is drinking alot of water and peeing
almost as much. Her nose is runny and snotty (clear fluid) and she takes
these spells where she "quivers" all over.
She is grumpy all the time and getting bitey as well,even with
Dean. It's obvious she really doesn't feel good. We've been taking her out
to the hay field to roam and eat by herself several times a day b/c she
makes it known she doesn't want anything to do with the others
horses.
She couldn't be getting any more care or love....What's the point where
we say enough? She's beginning to act like alot of human cancer patients
I've known [lathargic, ill tempered, etc]...I'm going to have Dr. Maset
come out again but the last time he told me there wasn't enything else we
could do for her other than the dietary changes and supplements. Let me
know what you think????
On a good note; we're getting a new farrier in the spring. He is moving
here from Maryland and bought the farm next to Adrian's. I met him friday
and was duly impressed. He's already worked on Barb's endurance pony and
she was pleased as well. I guess they raise Morgans. I talked to him about
Red's feet and he warned me it could take a year to get them corrected.
Hey, what's a year!
Toby is finally putting some weight on. The Senoir feed appears to be
working for him, plus he's getting a little more exercise. He actually
looks excited when he sees me coming with the bridle <LOL>
Lovey is getting better under saddle. She is going to be one hell of a
trail horse some day. Her biggest obstacle is wanting to "play" and
splash in the creek instead of crossing it. Makes for some wet rides.
Dean continues to do ground work with Ash & Hootie every day. Ash is
getting so good with traffic since they've been logging up the holler. The
logger is parking the semi across from the gate and Ash is facinated by
the diesel engine. She'll walk up to it now when it's running and even the
hydraulics don't frighten her anymore. I've been looking for the valve to
let some of the air out of Hootie but can't find it? I know we're going to
find him floating over the pasture one of these days....fat tick on
hooves.
We pressed Sugar Cane for Molasses yesterday at the festival. We used
Bunker's (our neighbor) draft horses and both the horses and I got dizzy
walking in a circle for an hour. The molasses is really good this year.
Then I came home and canned apples. Still have about 12 quarts to go
today. I'll bring you a jar. Doesn't look like Alice the sow is pregnant
so we'll probably put her in the freezer and start over next year. She's
up over 300# and I don't want her to get bigger if she's not going to
brood. BTW, I rode her the other night. Yes, I rode the hog! she tolerated
it really well. Just kinda walked around. Then Dean got on and she bucked
him off in the mud, Too funny!
Hope you're well and keeping everyone happy. Talk to you later. m
Mary, Is 2 Wop getting all the food you are giving her? Is there any chance
other horses are takng it from her because I know she is a very slow eater?
You may be feeding her 12 but is she really getting 12 lbs since she eats in
the field with everyone else. Have you weighed it with a scale to make sure
its 12 lbs? Just wondering. Do you feed with the big silver scoop? As when
that is heeping, that is 7lbs, the plastic scoops are 3 lb scoops depending on
the weight of the feed.
Most of the horses here get sick when the weather changes, even with being
in, we go through a period where everyone has the flu so she may have a bout
of adjusting to the weather changes. She may just need to live in a stall,
some horses can't stand being fed in a field because they don't like fighting
over food. Big'n is like that, she turns into a witch all day and its all
about food. She could never live in a 24/7 turn out situation, she would be
unbearable and would actually become dangerous, that is how I got her as a
yearly.
I bet 2Wop is not going to hold up being out all the time in the cold, she
is old enough that she really needs shelter away from drafts and the cold,
much of her food is going to be going to keeping her warm so there will be
nothing left to take care of her body. The only way I think she may hold up to
the cold is a heavy weight water proof rug put on anytime its under 40 and
she's put in shelter everytime it rains or snows and about
double the amount of feed she's getting right now. We were feeding her and
Toby 14 lbs a day here and 1/2 of that was corn that is high fat so I would
think you should be looking at double that with horses that are out all the
time, especially in the cold.
That is the real downside to keeping horses out the time is you have to
feed them almost double the feed because of the additional exercise and
because most are not drinking enough water either.
Toby still looks about 100 to 150 lbs down in weight from the pics that
Mark sent of him riding, you can see his withers are very protruded and his
ribs are showing even under the saddle. If you are feeding him 12 lbs, I would
double that too or get some cracked corn and mix it and give him double what
he's getting until his weight is back up where it was when he came out there.
I never really worry about the amount because founder is a management problem,
not a feed problem and I know race horses get between 60 to 120 lbs on the
track, of course, they aren't getting any grass and the grass increases the
chance of founder when they are eating more feed but you're not feeding 60 lbs
a day.
I would really recommend adding the cracked corn to get their weight up, it
is much cheaper and can be mixed with the senior your feeding them but I would
add at least 10 lbs of day of cracked corn to their meals.
I really need to get new riding pictures of Ash and Hootie so we can get
them placed. I just don't know when I'll get time, my time has become even
tighter with the pending move and everything that I need to do to get ready
for that. Ugggg. I have no idea how I am going to continue to bring money in
to feed horses and pay Aldine and Diana and get us moved and settled too. It
doesn't seem possible right now.
So is the pig gaited or does he trot? hehe Celeita
Mary, Is 2 Wop getting all the food you are giving her? Yes,
she is being fed separately and Dean stays with her while she
eats. Is there any chance other horses are takng it from
her because I know she is a very slow eater? You may be feeding
her 12 but is she really getting 12 lbs since she eats in the
field with everyone else. No, we've had her
in the small paddock behind the house for several weeks now.
Have you weighed it with a scale to make sure its 12 lbs?
Just wondering. I took a regular feeding
into the hardware store and measured it on the scale...it's 12+
pounds. Do you feed with the big silver scoop?
No ma'am, I have a bucket marked with the
correct amount to make it easier for Dean. We are consistently
feeding the Senior and Complete and it tends to be a consistent
weight. As when that is heeping, that is 7lbs, the plastic
scoops are 3 lb scoops depending on the weight of the feed.
She is eating from a large flat pan, b/c she
seems to find it easier to eat that way and has plenty of time to
eat....
Most of the horses here get sick when the weather changes, even
with being in, we go through a period where everyone has the flu so
she may have a bout of adjusting to the weather changes.
Her temp is running 99 to 100 every time I
check it (something she doesn't like BTW. She may just need
to live in a stall, some horses can't stand being fed in a field
because they don't like fighting over food.
OUr barn should be 50% done this coming weekend. Gaten is setting
the posts on Wed. and the roof should be on by next week. We placed
it right in front of the house in the flat on the left coming up the
drive. Mark has all the fencing done with the exception of the
equipment entrance. Big'n is like that, she turns into a
bitch all day and its all about food. She could never live in a 24/7
turn out situation, she would be unbearable and would actually
become dangerous, that is how I got her as a yearly.
I bet 2Wop is not going to hold up being out all the time in the
cold, she is old enough that she really needs shelter away from
drafts and the cold, much of her food is going to be going to
keeping her warm so there will be nothing left to take care of her
body. We got a really good rug for her!The
only way I think she may hold up to the cold is a heavy weight water
proof rug put on anytime its under 40 and she's put in shelter
everytime it rains or snows and about double the amount of feed
she's getting right now. Then I need to start
feeding her 3/4 times a day....no problem. We were feeding
her and Toby 14 lbs a day here and 1/2 of that was corn that is high
fat so I would think you should be looking at double that with
horses that are out all the time, especially in the cold.
I started adding ground/cracked corn this week
to her feed. (Toby is doing really well on the Senoir with extra
beet pulp and is picking up). She likes her corn and god knows, she
deserves it after so many babies. She "rallied" today. Dean spent
about 4 hours with her....spoiling her with back rubs and treats.
She will be in under cover as soon as the barn is finished. Not too
soon for me! Lots easier to take care of them all under one roof.
That is the real downside to keeping horses out the time is you
have to feed them almost double the feed because of the additional
exercise and because most are not drinking enough water either.
We are lucky even the upper pasture creeks are
spring fed. The horses still uptop love spending their time under
the trees and playing in the water; hence, Lovey's wanting to stop
and play in the water <LOL>
Toby still looks about 100 to 150 lbs down in weight from the
pics that Mark sent of him riding, you can see his withers are very
protruded and his ribs are showing even under the saddle.
He looks even better this week. He's gaining
by the day and feeling better with the light exercise.If you
are feeding him 12 lbs, I would double that too or get some cracked
corn and mix it and give him double what he's getting until his
weight is back up where it was when he came out there.
I added 5 extra pounds per day last week, and
we'll work it up. He'll be in a stall as soon as the barn is done.
I never really worry about the amount because founder is a
management problem, not a feed problem and I know race horses get
between 60 to 120 lbs on the track, of course, they aren't getting
any grass and the grass increases the chance of founder when they
are eating more feed but you're not feeding 60 lbs a day.
I worry about the grass this time of year too.
We've already had some cold nights and while the grass looks great,
it's got way too much sugar in it.
I would really recommend adding the cracked corn to get their
weight up, it is much cheaper and can be mixed with the senior your
feeding them but I would add at least 10 lbs of day of cracked corn
to their meals. Consider it done.
I really need to get new riding pictures of Ash and Hootie so we
can get them placed. I just don't know when I'll get time, my time
has become even tighter with the pending move and everything that I
need to do to get ready for that. Ugggg. I have no idea how I am
going to continue to bring money in to feed horses and pay Aldine
and Diana and get us moved and settled too. It doesn't seem possible
right now. You will make it happen!!!!!!!!!!!
Take a deep breath, hold it, and, go have shot of something :>)
Things have to seem incredibly crazy to you right now. Please let me
know if I can do anything to help. I can get pics of the ponies with
kids if you have a pony saddle or, a pony girth, My eventing saddle
fits Ash and Hoot but I don't have a girth small enough.
So is the pig gaited or does he trot? hehe Celeita
OMG..........you willhave to ride
her.............before we put her in the freezer. What great video
Heeeeeeeee
OH, our phone is out
again..................
It sounds like you have everything under control and have thought of
everything and more. I think you'll find the barn will be a huge help in
keeping them round, not that they have to be in their stalls all the time
but even during he bad weather will help and the cold nights.
The cold air may be hitting on 2Wops arthritis too, hand walking and
riding at a walk will keep that in check, though she will probably argue
some but it will keep her limber. Plus any kind of change I find are harder
on the mares, like women..... they go kicking and screaming so the weather
or any changes are always a big adjustment to them, especially the older
ones... just think of your grand ma and it all makes more sense. I have a
couple of the mares are being witches in the barn, I think its the change to
days and the cooler nights.
Pigs are suppose to be really smart, you could probably teach her to
rack. hehe
I have that new western pony saddle that you can borrow, we will selling
it before we move to raise funds so I would eventually need it back. I'm not
sure if I have a pony english saddle, I'll check. I finally got the turning
bars and the right axle for the mini and pony carts we got, so we are all
set for driving. If you want to borrow them for pictures or training just
let me know or maybe I could find a way to come over when Jenai is here (for
an extra set of hands).
Thanks for taking such good care of them all. Celeita
Hey Guys!!
I got you message today and must apologize
for not getting this to you. I went back through all of Jazz's paperwork,
just to be sure, and I hadn't!! (Must be an ALMOST 50 thing!!!)
SO, would you please be so kind and email
me the facility change form. I will get it back to you ASAP!!
Again, I am so sorry, I thought I had sent it to you already!!!
Hope the move goes smoothly and all is well
there in WVA!!
If I had the dough, I'd take the old place
off your hands!!!!
Take Care!!
Judy Kirkman
Thank you Judy, no problem. So you are going to keep her at the trainers
facility? Are you still riding her, did the training help? I'll attach the
facility change form, just fill it out and get the owners signature and mail the
entire original to us with pictures of the facility and we will be all set. See
the attached. Glad things have improved. Celeita
Hi all!!
I faxed the paper work for the annual
update and here are some photos. I wanted to get some pictures with us
with the gang, but we've been so busy. Hank (Hackinator) somehow managed
to cut his tongue and it got infected. He spent 5 days at Leesburg at the
hospital and has taken lots of care since he's been home the last 1 1/2
week. He's lost some weight but his appetite is good again and the
chewing is getting easier each day. Thank God for the wonderful care he
got at Leesburg and the care his regular vet continues to give him. He is
getting a little tired of all the fussing and messing with him though.
I'm sure that means he's feeling better.
Amira is a terrific horse and my son just
loves her and is doing very well learning to ride. She's very good with
him.
Sider, he's just a sweetie. What a
wonderful personality!! But he is very much a one person horse. I'm just
glad that one person is me!! He'll do anything I ask of him.
Anyway, here are the pictures. Take
care!! 49 is a close up of Hank, 48 Amira and 47 is Sider.
Kim Mullen
Thank you Kim, they all look good, a little lighter than I like to see
horses but certainly healthy, the industry norm is that you can feel ribs but
never see them but I know some horses are just built with a very wide rib cage
but it seems that we had both Hackinator and Sider pretty round here. Part of
the problem might be that Hackinator was injured with his tongue, who would want
to eat then? They all do look wonderful otherwise. So glad you have Sider, not
sure what would have happened to him. Kiss them all for us and thank you for
giving them such a great home. Celeita
Hi Celeita! It's Sharon again. ;) I just wanted to say that I saw the
pictures of your new farm and it is AMAZING (and especially great that you
won't have to pay a mortgage)! I hope that I'll be able to be an intern there
when I'm old enough. ^-^
Oh, also, over the summer my parents bought me my own horse! Her name is
Peggy and she is an 11-year-old registered Appendix Quarter Horse mare. Before
the previous owner received Peggy (Sarah bought Peggy two years ago I think)
she was only used for trail rides and breeding. Sarah didn't really have
anyone that was able to ride Peggy until I came along so she offered me a
lease to see if I could help Peggy get used to the arena and jumping. By the
end of the summer I couldn't bear to let Peggy go! She has the most expressive
eyebrows of any horse I've seen and she loves to hit me with her tail. She has
this really pretty stripe that kind of veers off to the left about 3/4 of the
way down her nose. Oh yeah, she's a really pretty copper chestnut and the only
marking is her stripe. I wish I had some pictures to show you, but my digital
camera is being mean. 0.o
Anyway, it's great to hear that the Bartletts don't have to give up Sage.
I'm sure he's happy about it too. ^-^ And it's great for Harry that Val loves
him so much that she can't let him go. ^-^ I was sad to hear that Dixie had to
come back, but for a mare like that she's bound to find a home soon. I also
saw the kitten, Bear. She's adorable! If it weren't for the fact that my dad
and sister are allergic, I have two dogs that hate cats, and I don't need a
mouser I'd probably drive right over and pick her up. ^-^ (which reminds me
that I now have my driver's license) I do feel kind of bad for Sting, Bubba,
Sly, Rob, and all the other horses that I've seen on the bottom of your page
for so long. I wish them all the best of luck!
Your friend,
Sharon Itzkoff
Celeita,
I DID take Nova, even though she is green I like
her. I think her fee may have been to high considering , I don't know if its
anything that can be changed after the fact. She needs a lot of work just
with lateral suppling, contact etc.. she is a nice mover she has a great
walk and trot the canter is her "worse" gait but not a bad canter. She has
a great personality and temperament.
Thanks
Val
Oh, I totally misread your email. Geesal, oh goody.
Val, since she is more green than I thought, why don't we take off 2k in
your payments. I can send you those checks back. I want everyone to be
thrilled with their adoptions. Of course, I'm doing this before seeing her
appraisal as its just being done now but that's okay. I am more concerned
about you being happy and the horse having a great home. Well, just let me
know. Wow, what good news. That's great and that money can go to help all the
horses not as lucky as Nova, who really need us to find a home and get better.
Bravo. Celeita
Celeita,
Thanks! That is nice news. I am happy with her I will forward you some
pics do you need any video of u/s? I can try to send you for your records.
Again Nicole and her trainer were great very nice horse woman , I also left
an open invitation for either of them to stop ANY TIME an see or ride her as
they are only 3 1/2 hours away.
Thanks Again
It is great to have people like you and your organization that can help
horses and people find a nice match.
I sent the update forms in today, sorry it took so long. My suburban
broke down, so I ended up trading in my BMW for a big Chevy truck to haul
hay and grain in. The vet said the horses looked great, and remarked at
how well they got along with each other :) Hope all of you are doing
well- Dixie, Trippin', Allie and Jelly Bean said to tell everyone at
SWAP hi, and thanks for finding them a good home.
Karl and Staci
Thank you guys, we got everything. They look wonderful. I'm
very proud of you two for keeping them so nicely, especially the hard keepers.
Sounds like your life has been pretty exciting. So glad its going well. Don't
forget the water proof rugs for the babies this first winter at least as being
out more will be an adjustment for them. Thank you for much for giving them such
a great home. Celeita
Hi Celeita,
Last week I mailed to you the annual
report on Jamie, but didn't have any recent photos to enclose. We took a
few this weekend and they are attached. Ignore the reference to the
schooling show. Jamie didn't attend; the reference is just to the file
where the photos were saved on my computer. My other mare, Bella, attended
the show.
Jamie is a sweet girl and we continue to
enjoy her immensely.
Best wishes,
Shannon Van Horn
Shannon, We got everything today, thank you. Mail in WV is sooooo slow.
She looks wonderful. Love the new facility. We are all so thrilled that you all
are so happy with her. It makes it all worth all our work to find her a home.
Thank you again for taking such good care of her. Celeita
Hey just got a call
from Suzanne, River will be home between 2 and 3 today!!! He is getting
close to home! I’m going to get his bedroom ready after I get the kids
to school. I’ll let you know when he arrives as soon as I get him
settled
Okay Sharon, Thank you. I'm so excited for you (and him). I hope he's
not too stressed with being alone. Celeita
If
there is anything I should do for him as soon as he gets here to
reassure him that he’s okay and in a safe place, please let me know. I
want to calm him and help him to settle in as much as possible.
He'll be tired just put him some place quiet out of the sun with
lots of hay and plenty of fresh water because he'll probably drink about
20 gallons of water in short order, being that the temperatures are so
different and some horses won't drink on a trailer at all. Just pet him,
groom him and talk to him. I'm sure he will be fine, just very tired..
Standing on a moving vehicle is a very tiring thing for them. Let me know
what you think of him. Celeita
I
sure will, we just talked with Suzanne again, she is about 3 hours
away and she said he is doing fine. We are ready for him, going to
put all the horses and dogs up so there will be no commotion for him
to deal with when he gets off the trailer. Should I give him grain
tonight or just let him have hay until he is settled in ?
I would feed hay tonight and wait until tomorrow morning to feed
him grain. I told you what he's eating, right?
We got your southern states payment, thank you. Hope you like him.
Celeita
He’s
home!! So far – I am in love, I am letting him rest up, weather got
bad so I came back in the house will go groom in when tornado
warning expires. I may need to ask you about sheath cleaning, he
looks like a little pus there so I may need to clean that. He is
very sweet and friendly, the grandkids love him already.
Glad he got there okay. Glad you like him, he is very sweet. Yes,
all our horses probably need their sheath cleaned. I should have done
that before he left, I know all my guys are due, the first time is
terrible for them but they learn that you aren't going to hurt them.
Just get some rubber gloves and ivory liquid or sheath cleaner. Let him
settle in and get him to the point where he is comfortable with you
handling every part of him, some are more comfortable in their stall
because its home to them, then start handling him around the sheath
area, once he's comfortable with that, all you do if grab the sheath,
pull it out and clean out like you would wash anything. If the smagma is
thick, hard and heavy put some baby oil on it to loosen it up, then wash
it good. Be sure to use warm water in a bucket, not cold and not hot.
Its easy once they get used to that... some even start to like it too
much but in the beginning it can feel like you're wrestling with a bear
if they aren't comfortable with you handling them there. Be sure to
stand toward the shoulder of the horse so you don't get kicked. If you
just can't get him done, call the vet in and let him do it. Sometimes
its worth the money. I hope that helps. Tell me how its going. Celeita
I
went into the corral and he came to me for some hugs before I
closed him into the stall for the night, his private corral is
about 20 by 60 and I hope to let him stretch his legs a little
during the next week there. I read the material you sent so I will
confine him to the stall and corral for a week before moving him
into the larger corral, do that about a week before letting him in
the pasture with the other horses and only if they are not showing
aggressiveness to him, will just have to work with it to get them
all getting along, been there and done that – it’s the only time I
don’t like, I hate for horses to pick on horses, but I know they
do that.
Do you think I need to use the chain when he is on a line with
me, Suzanne said he knew his strength so I though maybe I might
need one. She is bringing you the tree – you can sell it or do
what you want with it, she is also bringing you a small gift I
made for you.
Thanks for the sheath cleaning instructions – I will start
getting him used to me before trying anything, is the monty join
–up like the Parelli 7 games?
I’ll try not to bother you every day, but this is exciting and he
is so sweet, just want to do everything right by him.
We
had some nasty weather here shortly after I put them all in,
tornado touched down about 10 miles north of us, we are helping
neighbors in the morning as a friend lost her roof and windows. I
checked my guys after the storm and all was quiet at the barn.
Talk to you later and thanks for everything.
Also killed a rattler today, the first I’ve ever seen here and
I’ve been here 17 years!! Wow.
Sharon, you may need a chain in the beginning, but he only pulls
when he's scared but being with new people and in a new home he may be
scared for a while. Most horses are scared on the trailer so Suzanne
would have seen him at his worst. If he realizes he can't drag you
back to his stall (his safe area) then he'll stop. Like I said before
he never pulled on me because when he started to I let him know he had
to do what I asked him, usually just with my voice and every time a
horse does what I want them to do I praise them and I'm constantly
training every horse and constantly talking to them, within a month or
two they know exactly what I want and they know exactly what they can
and can't do with me.
Don't let him walk in front of you, that is a sign that he is in
charge of you, plus if he is ahead of you and pulls he can drag you
along. I make them stay right at my side. You can do this and he will
be much better when he gets to know you, just remember constant
correction and constant praise when they do something right. Just like
a child he'll learn quickly. The reason I say that is that every horse
will test a new person to see what they can get away with, just like a
child. Its a herd thing, either you are in charge of him and outrank
him or he is in charge of you and outranks you. If he starts to think
he is in charge of you, then he'll get very bad quickly, all horses do
this at different degrees so I know you've seen it before and know
this. If you let him drag you once then he'll continue to do it so if
you need a chain on him at first, that is better than letting him
think he can drag you. You don't have to be mean but they have to do
exactly what you ask them to do. You'll be fine but I will tell you
that with most new horses that come in here we use a chain at the
beginning because we don't want to give them a chance to get silly and
hurt someone just because they are scared and don't know us or where
they are. We need to keep us safe and the horse safe. You'll see a
chain on most of the horses when we do in hand pictures because those
are done when they first arrive. Its just safer than getting drug by a
horse that is scared. Hang in there. Talk to him a lot, pet him, groom
him and spend time with him but make him do exactly what you want, be
nit picky at first and they will learn their parameters with you and
those things will change with every environment and with every
different handler and rider, that is why its so hard to describe
horses to people because they will totally change depending on the
environment and the handlers, that's what makes it so complicated. If
it were easy everyone would have horses.
You'll do fine just remember you are teaching your horses every time
you handle them, so they are either learning something good or
something bad.... just make sure what you are teaching is something
good. You'll do great with him or I would not have sent him to you.
Celeita
Just
a first day update, he is doing great, he got light grooming today
by me and once I saw how good he was I let my granddaughters (12
and 5) help me. They knew to stay in front and brush his neck and
chest while I pretty much went over him gently all over. He only
appears to have one scrap on his back leg from his long ride, it has
a little puffiness in it so I’ll watch it. I just put some swat on
it today because the flies were messing with it. When we started
brushing him, he just stood stock still and enjoyed it so much, we
gave him some carrots and hugs and let him rest. He is drinking lots
of water. Eating good, he will come to me in his corral, once he
gets out he may not, but I don’t plan to turn him out for a couple
of weeks. He seems happy – the other horses have been to visit him
by his corral, I have not seen any aggressiveness, some squeals and
some playful pecking at each other with another gelding. I was
watching and knew they were playing because either one could have
walked away but they were playing. I just wanted to let you know he
was doing very well. He is just beautiful. I didn’t pick his feet
yet, just wanted to see how he liked me before I do anything he
might be uneasy with and I really don’t want the kids there the
first time I do his feet. I don’t expect any problems at all, but
the suggestions said light grooming so we just combed and brushed,
the kids love him. Me too.
Great, that all sounds perfect Sharon. He'll be fine, just be sure
to have your grand daughters stand at his shoulder at the side,
because if he gets scared he will move forward so them standing at is
side is best, right at the shoulder, plus it gives him full view of
them. I'm sure that is probably what you meant when you said in front
but I just wanted to make sure. I do see a lot of people who are just
learning about horses stand right in front of the horse but if a horse
is nervous that is the last place you want to be because its like
standing in the middle of a freeway... you're right where you're going
to get run over. All sounds really good there. No worries. You'll love
him, he is very easy to get attached to. I watched thousands of horses
leave here and he's the first one in a long long time I cried over him
leaving. He is the sweetest boy and like most horses, he really just
needs someone to understand his special needs. I know that you are
that person and the reason I let him go to you. You all are really
going to enjoy him, he's the perfect lead line horse and then when
you're grand daughters learn how to handle a horse they will be able
to ride him in a small area and slowly graduating to larger rings and
pastures. I don't think he'll make a trail horse, some horses just
will never be trail horses and I think he may be one of those hat
won't (and we talked about that) but he is a gem in a ring with
beginners. I would recommend having a trainer come out as much as you
can possibly afford for lessons for them, this is the best time for
them to learn, kids have no fear and it settles the horse and makes
them relaxed. Plus when they fall off they usually don't get hurt, as
apposed to us adults who get a puckered butt at the first sign of
trouble and automatically the horse feels you tense up and being a
herd animal they are saying, oh no something is wrong, she's scared, I
need to be scared too so sometimes adults and kids that are afraid are
their own worst enemy, they cause the problems instead of just
relaxing, but that is hard for most adults, because they know if they
come off more likely than not, a bone is going to break, then they
think about hospital time, insurance, the cost, being laid up, not
being able to get to work, etc etc. We often get adults getting back
into riding, they were good riders as kids and they think its going to
be just like it was.... well its not, more than a 5 year break and you
are basically starting all over again and they are adults now, they
have fear or at least they will as soon as the horse does one thing
out of line (and they always do), they are sending different messages
to the horses that makes the horse nervous, they are out of shape many
times and have legs like sponges, they can learn to get past all that
but it all takes time and work and most adults don't have that
time.... this is why you must teach those kids to ride now but try to
teach them that its not all about riding. I get kids here and they
aren't happy unless they are in the saddle and galloping horses and
I'm constantly having to tell them that you don't canter a horse who
is out of shape and if you do, you do it for a couple of minutes and
that's it. You do have the perfect horse to learn on. I always wonder
why our horses aren't being adopted, we do tell people no when its not
the best fit but they are all wonderful horses and we've learned over
time that we just need to wait for the best person as they always come
along. You and River are perfect for each other.
Well, I better get, long winded this morning. All the best, Celeita
Sharon, thank you so much for the gifts. The tree is the cutest
thing I've ever seen. I'm sure everyone will love it and we're
definitely going to have to do a auction to be able to move to the new
farm so that will be perfect.
I cried when I saw the towels, what a sweet gift. I can't wait to
show them to everyone. I can't believe you made those just for us. I
can't thank you enough. This is really so sweet of you. I just can't
wait to show everyone tomorrow. These are just so cute. Thank you,
thank you. I love them all. Celeita
I’m glad that you like them, my husband gave me an embroidery
machine for my birthday this year, and I just got the idea from
my farrier. I saw him grab a towel the other day when he was
here to mop his face and I thought – I bet some of the rescues
would like that, needless to say I’m making him one too! I hope
the tree sells and helps you, just tell anyone who might buy it
to spray it with the canned snow when it needs it.
If you think some of those hand towels could bring in some funds
let me know and I can make you some with just a horse.
By the way, River is doing great, he lets me touch him all over,
he picks up all four feet for me like a prince. He is just a
sweetheart
Wow, hubby's are nice that way aren't they? I'm sure the tree
will sell just fine, I'd be tempted to big on it myself. The bears
are so cute.
Yes, stable's I think use towels all the time, I know we do....
but these are too nice for the barn but I have a perfect place for
them in the new guest house. I'm sure we could sell them to people
but it looks like so much work for you. I hate to have you take on
such a project. Its too much to ask anyone to do.
I will remember to tell the high bidders about the tree and the
snow. How much fun is that? Its a perfect Christmas decoration.
So happy for you and River. I walked by his stall yesterday and
expected to see him. Funny how you get used to certain faces to
always be there. He will be able to teach you and your grand
daughters a lot about horses, they will have lots of fun with him I
think, just take it slow with him and he'll be your most loyal
companion. All the best and thank you again for everything. Celeita
I am loving
River! He is just the sweetest thing, he loves to be groomed and
will stop eating hay if you start brushing him. Today I brushed
and combed, picked his feet, show sheen sprayed his mane and tail
and combed it all out, fly sprayed him all over and he just stood
there loving it. I had him in his little corral, no halter, no
line, just me, him a little hay and God and His angels watching
us. He takes carrots and treats from your hand like a gentle kiss
on the palm of your hand. I may ride him in the riding pen next
week, just a short one, I want to give him another week to rest
and enjoy life. I put all the other horses in around 3 and turned
him out with my brothers mare and her 5 month old filly for a
couple of hours. They get along very nicely, the mare ignores him
and the filly adores him. I put his halter on to let him out in
the pasture and yesterday I didn’t bring a lead line back to the
house when I let him out so I grabbed a dog leash and hooked it on
his halter and led him back with that, he has not been pushy at
all with me – very respectful. I think I got the Prince!!! Thank
you so much.
Oh, I'm so happy for you two Sharon. You're doing the right
thing by taking your time, this ground time you spend with him
grooming and fussing over him will go a long way when you need him to
take care of you or your grand children. Horses build a strong loyalty
to people who take care of them and who think of them first. He must
be loving life, that's great, he deserved all this attention. Thank you
for giving him such a great home. yes, he loves babies and babies love
him, the youngsters and him would run and play all the time, one of
the few older horses that actually plays with the youngsters. Celeita
We took a short ride in
the riding pen yesterday and he was sweet as can be. We just walked and
trotted around a little so we could get used to each other, no problems at
all. He has my heart already, he is getting introduced to the herd one horse
at time for a couple of hours in the afternoon, I add a new horse to his
group and will continue this until he has met everyone but did not want to
just put him in an established herd all at once. So far he has met and
grazed with 3 other horses and all has been great. I have a few more to add
and he will have been with everyone, he is just a great boy!
Ahhhhh, Sharon, that is great news about you and River. He
obviously feels very confident with you, that's a good sign. I'm thrilled. Isn't
he the best boy when you take the time with him? It will only get better with
time and as he gets to know you better and builds more confidence in you as his
buddy and his leader. Well, kiss that baby for me and enjoy your fall weather.
Celeita
Sorry I haven't gotten back with you about the pics of Country. My
Mom had been critically ill for more than two months (10 weeks in
Intensive Care) and she passed away Sept 12. I had spent a lot time in
Houston recently but Country has been taken very good care of while I
have been out of town (except for his younger sister, Dusty beating up
on him, but they are separated now). I am helping my father sort through
hospital and regular bills and as soon as I get back home I will take
some pics of Country and forward them to you.
Kim Stark
Oh Kim I am so sorry about your mom. I know its a very sad time that we
all go through. Just take your time, we understand. Whenever you get home and
get some time. We know he's in good hands. Just take care of yourself and your
family and we'll talk to you very soon. All the best. Celeita
Celeita,
Riding an unexpected levade sidesaddle is pure
self-preservation. LOTS of strong right leg, fold forward at the waist, and
spin that boy down with a strong leading rein. And breath! I don't think
he'll do that again.
BTW, here's an example of Chester's "misbehaving" from
today... He's SO EASY after my Arab gelding...
Chester: "I want to head back to the barn" and starts
shouldering out
Linda: "No way - we aren't done" and indirect rein back
onto our line
Chester: "I want to go IN" and starts to back up, shaking
his head
Linda: "Forget it, Buster." - circle hard and leg forward
Chester: (sadly) "OK. You win. Sigh."
Then he learns that we're heading to the apple orchard
(yum), a timothy hay field that hasn't had a second cutting yet (graze for a
few minutes under saddle), a trot & canter down a wooded tractor path,
followed by handwalking back home past the last of the very ripe pears.
Shying at wild turkeys that flew up in front of us was a stop, snort & look.
I'm afraid to ever take him out with my Arab - I don't want him to see what
REAL shying looks like!
What a rough life he'll have here with us!
Do let me know what you learn about his papers... I seem to
remember you saying that the former adopter had them & was to send them to
you. If I can get him registered, he's good enough that I can compete for
national points in ISSO (International Side Saddle Organization) in the
warmblood division. We hadn't registered for points before the US Equestrian
Team's SideSaddle weekend because I had no idea how he'd do. I wish we had.
The proposed sidesaddle clinic this fall is with Roger
Philpot from England - a BHS class A instructor & judge. It will be near
Harrisburg, PA in November if you want to be kept informed. I'm sure we can
find a horse & saddle for you if you wanted to come try it out. Knowing
Roger, he'd have you popping a few 2' fences before the weekend was done &
looking elegant as you did it!
I don't know of a farrier that would come out as far as
you... Our guy comes from 1/2 way between Morgantown and Pittsburgh to do us
every 4-5 weeks. (We're 35 minutes E of Morgantown). We were his first
customers when he got out of his 6 month farrier school 3 years ago. The
first time he came out, he was so slow that Buck fell asleep and went to his
knees. :-0 He's gotten faster & better since. He's looking into getting a
forge for some corrective & custom work now. I'll ask him if he knows of
someone that's closer to you. He does work some larger barns in conjunction
with other farriers who might come from the other direction. I'm assuming
that you mainly want basic trims?
Linda
-
Well, up and
down, Celeita…to be honest. She was quite perky and her usual spunky self over
the weekend. The vet was by again Saturday (to give us some tips with the
stallion…but we had no mares in heat so poor boy was tough out of luck! Ha…)
and was quite happy with how Poppy’s leg looked. Said that the infection
looked to have “declared itself” (done it’s damage I think and stopped) and
she was hopeful that we’d caught it well enough in time. We’re to continue the
antibiotics, hosing and applying furasan to keep the wound clean and encourage
some proud flesh to fill in (there’s a small, maybe grape sized, divitt now).
I’ve been quite impressed at how quickly this turned around…since she was
quite swollen and tender on it…and the vet was initially very doubtful that
she’d have use of that leg either (LH), which with her knee problem (RF) was
not good news at all. She’s been walking on it fully now and is quite good to
treat…if we can hold her still long enough to hose & medicate her! She’s
usually dragging Alan all over the lawn, eating grass…what a hoot. This
morning she was mopping more though…cleaned up her grain but then was standing
in the corner, not noticing the other horses being turned out (she’s usually
yelling to go, too). I don’t know if she was just tired (quite possibly) or if
it’s starting to depress her some.
-
I checked her
over and didn’t find anything new…but will certainly watch her even closer
than we’ve been doing. I’d sure hate to see her founder in one of the other
two feet now…that would be horrible for her. So we’ll see… She’s one
tough cookie, for sure…I just would hate to see her suffering, of course.
She’s had a lot of hardship. So far this hasn’t slowed her down much (other
than the initial swelling episode).
-
Will keep you
posted.
-
Angie
-
PS
-
How did your
farm offer go????
-
Theresa said
you were in the process the other day…SUPER.
-
Good luck!!
hello! i wanted to send an updated pic of windsor with his new pal
Bo! They get along well, Windsor is definitely the head honcho. I
also wanted to make sure that we were square with the yearly forms.
I sent vet forms and an update approx 2 months ago. Please let me
know if you need anything else.
take care
alaina
Hi Celeita! We had a great weekend for being out of doors and getting things
done around the farm. At least until I decided it was too nice out to paint,
stretch fence, etc. So, Toby and I got a good work out instead. <LOL> He is such
a dream baby and will do anything to get your attention! We caught some of his
antics on video and this picture shows what a good boy he is. Have a great week.
Aunt Mary and the Chestnut Farms' critters.
Celeita, have you heard anything
from Suzanne regards a pickup date/time for River? I think everything is
ready but she has not given me a date/time yet.
For fundraising
efforts, I made a small lighted Christmas( I guess it could be just a
tree, not necessarily Christmas) tree and wired a little black bear into
the tree like he is climbing the tree, with some red berries. It’s about 3
feet tall, I saw several of these on ebay last year and they were selling
for 50 to 150, would something like that help on fundraising? If you
want it, is that something that Suzanne can bring back to you or would I
need to ship that you in the mail?
I still plan to send
you donations throughout the year, just because I’m finally adopting a
horse does not mean that I will stop supporting your efforts. I’m going to
leave my horses to SWAP in my will, all of them that outlive me. I firmly
believe in what you are doing and I realize that when the slaughter bill
passes, rescues and organizations helping to rehome and rehab horses will
need more funds than ever.
I know River is 20, and
I know some horses live to be 30 and more, but for River or a mustang, how
many years do you think we will have with River, I’m hoping 10 years or
more. I can’t wait to meet him. I hope Suzanne likes our place, I know it
won’t be near as nice as he is used to but he will be loved and cared for.
I think I’m going to go ahead and order a turnout blanket for him, do you
know his size? Another thing I’m curious about is, where has River lived
most of his life, I would like to know the climate he has been accustomed
to. Can you tell I’m getting excited, so many questions.
What expenses will I
need to reimburse you for before River gets on his way? I hope he’s on his
way in about a week. Thanks for everything.
Sharon
Boone
<\__~
// \\
It's sad, isn't it, that animals who have given their lives to
help humans can't be fed and nurtured in old age by those humans
who have used them?
Help Save America's horses from slaughter. Call your senator and
ask support for S1915 to end equine slaughter.
Sharon, She just told me this morning that she will be
picking up two of our horses (including River) and she plans on being back
here by the 25th to pick up another horse so I know it will be some time in
between there that she will be delivering River.
The continued support is certainly appreciated. The Tree
sounds really neat. Certainly after adopting River and giving him a great
home, anything you do will be above and beyond the call of duty, for sure but
we'll put it all to good use. You can probably send the tree with Suzanne
since she is coming right back here to get Dundee to take him to his new home.
I always expect every horse with good care to live to over
30 with todays feed, shelter and vet care, I've actually met a woman who was
doing 100 mile races with her 30 year old appy so its a lot like us, a healthy
diet, plenty of clean fresh water, vet, dental and farrier care and exercise
will keep him young. That doesn't mean you both have to do cross country races
but riding at even a walk or even hand walking (which is also great exercise
for us) is really good for them. On the harness race track they hand walk each
horse 45 minutes after a work out and they are really the experts on keeping
horses sound so its a good habit to get into.
The biggest change for him with be the heat so just make
sure you see him drinking plenty of water (remember some will only drink out
of buckets in stalls, they will never drink out of creeks/ponds or even
troughs outside, but usually its a horse that has spent much of his life or
early life in a stall like race horses) , check for dehydration, over
heating and just watch how he's doing with the bugs and flies. Some horses are
really sensitive and some adjust easily. River is pretty hardy but I still
think you have to watch them closely that first year. I feel it takes a horse
a complete year to be 100% at their new home, moving them is really much
harder on them than people realize. Some horses morn for their past humans for
months, then you add new schedules, new feed, new hay, new water, new herd,
new facilities, new people, new predominant weather and temperatures,
different ground cover/terrain and winds, new sounds and smells, new tack,
different riders that all ride differently and its really a huge change for
them.
I would think that a size 78 would probably fit him,
depending on who makes the rug. I know you know this but make sure its a water
proof rug if he is going to wear it outside, otherwise its like wearing wet
clothes, a blanket gets wet and soaks them to the bone... its actually worse
than not having anything on at all. The standard temperature to put a rug on
and take it off is 40 degrees but some people wait for freezing but down there
40 will feel very cold after he gets adjusted. Taking off at 40 is as critical
as putting on as they will seriously over heat with rugs in higher
temperatures. We use nothing but water proof rugs here because we don't have
the time to take the blanket off to go out and then groom and put the blanket
back on.... doing that for 25 to 30 horses is a huge task every day so I
suspect it would be tough for people that work for a living too. You need to
groom before putting on a blanket because having dirt underneath is like
having sand in a bathing suit bottom. ugggg, really uncomfortable. haha.... I
hope you don't mind my covering all this, to me its better to talk about
everything than not.... call me a worrisome grandma.
I'm really hoping that if congress passes the slaughter bill
that they will put some money into helping horses. They send 16 million to BLM
for the mustangs each year, if they sent that money to rescues we could save a
lot more horses than go to slaughter. It costs most programs like ours about
$1000. per horse so that's 160,000 horses each year if we got the money BLM
got. I think about 120,000 American horses go to slaughter (counting the
american horses that go to Canadian slaughters) so we could more than address
all those horses. Honestly I feel that the government needs to apply funds to
small animal adoption as well, that is a huge problem too. Of course, if we
had more controls on breeding like they do in Europe then many of these
problems would be non existent. I know people like to breed, I have two of my
babies here and two in SWAP homes but we have TB farms who are putting out 150
foals each year and that is only one farm. It's is just too much.
All we need before River leaves is his boarding fees from
the contract date to the date he departs. If you want to use a debit or credit
card, all you need to do is call Southern States at 304-873-2261 and give Ron
your credit card information and tell him how much you owe and apply it to our
feed fund. I can check your contract date if you need me to do that. I always
have to go back and check. Just let me know and I'll check for you. There will
be a CD coming with him that will have all his historical information, his
vet/farrer and dental records, a letter on settling in a horse, an annual
update form that needs to be done every June. Its pretty easy. If you have any
questions at all, if you need any help at all, please don't hesitate to
contact us. Also, remember we have that big library of training books and
videos that you can check out and keep a whole month for just the cost of
shipping it to you and shipping it back. You'll do fine but we are here to
help if you need help. Celeita
Hi!
Did you receive the annual paperwork for Kissy? I sent it priority
mail, since your fax wasn't working.
Kissy also had shots done yesterday, as stated on my paperwork. He was
a good boy.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Yes, Jennifer, we did. Thank you so much for taking the
time to do this and for giving this boy such a wonderful home. We love you for
it and I'm certain Kismet does too!! Celeita
Hi Celeita, I
just wanted you to know that Bill and I made it to the ohio state fair
this year. I'm sorry to hear about your Doberman
pincher. Did you ever find Brass?
-Cherice
Peters and Gentlman Bill -
Hey Cherice, that wasn't my Dobie Cleo that died, it was one of the
adopters who was the barn manager at a facility where many of our horses were
located (around cleveland). She was heart broken. I still have my wonderful
girl, she entertains me every day.
Downloading the pictures now, is there any way you can download the annual
follow up form off the website and just fill that out and send it in. We just
need that every June. Thank you so much. So tell us how are things going with
him? He is a sweetie isn't he?
No, sadly we never found Brass, can you believe it. I can only hope he is
in a good home, as we are all convinced he was taken from our pasture. So sad,
there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and wonder.
Love the pictures. Boy, you're really growing up. You look so much
taller, you were just a little squirt when you adopted, you look like a grown
up now. You and Gentleman Bill look like a seasoned team.
Much Love, Celeita
Hello, I am Meredith Gilmore who adopted Skip April 15, or "April" around
the end of May/April. I just wanted to e-mail you guys and also some pics
and let you know how she was doing.
I was thrilled with April, the minute I laid eyes on her. She was
beautiful! This was my first time owning my own mare, so I didn't know
exactly what to expect. Well, she def. was a woman. She had a lot of spunk
and personality. I rode her as much as I could when I was home from school,
but it wasn't exactly enough. When I returned home for the summer I worked
at Marriott Ranch, located in Hume, Virginia. I ended up bringing her there
with me for the summer, where I was a trail guide/wrangler. She seemed
pretty new to the whole trail riding part and REFUSED to cross creeks
without leaping across them. She got the hang of it all within 3 days, and
you would have never known she had given me any trouble. By her 4th day on
the ranch she was LEADING trail rides with up to 30 people. She was turned
out into a field with one other horse and they became instant buddies. April
even went on 2 cattle drives which she was wonderful on. As I said in my
adoption form, we were in the process of building a brand new horse barn,
which is now complete. April has her own personal stall, along with the
other horses, and seems to enjoy being in the barn. After the summer was
over, I brought her back to our family farm, where my dad and stepmom take
care of her while I'm away at school. I go back home about 2 weekends a
month to ride. I absolutely love April and we have become good friends.
Along with the e-mail I have attached several pictures of April and I on our
most recent ride, along with pictures of her stall. I want to personally
thank Second Wind Adoption program, as well as her previous owners. Although
the adoption process was long, it was worth it, and I believe that is how
all animal adoption agencies should be. Thanks again!!!
Sincerely,
Meredith Gilmore and April
Thank you Meredith, what cute pictures. She looks great and it sounds like
you've had a wonderful summer. Do we have your parents address and information
just so we know where she is? Just want to make sure. Hope you have a wonderful
school year. Thank you for giving April such a great home. All the best, Celeita
Hi Celeita!
I guess I just saw the cat and stopped looking! Well, I'm sorry it didn't
work out. As you know, I was always a little concerned with a kid being a
strong enough rider for Zahara. I would agree with you that Zahara does
much better with good turnout. Plus, she is strong over fences. Of course
the best part of her over fences is she doesn't stop. After my very first
competition with her, I do not believe she ever stopped at anything. But
she does need a strong rider or she will take over.
I glad to hear your handlers are enjoying working with her. She was always
very affectionate and loves attention and grooming. I do hope you find the
right home for her. At least I know that with you she is getting the best
care and attention. Please keep me posted. I guess she will always be my
"little girl".
And yes, I am very sorry I could not take the cat.
Please send my best to Teresa.
Fondly,
Merryl
Thanks Merryl, we'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure we'll find her a great
home. Don't worry. Many Regards, Celeita
Celeita, I am emailing you to say thank you for what you do for the
horses. We haven't met but I feel I know you at least a little bit. We are
friends and neighbors of "Aunt Mary". My son, Dean, loves to spend time at
MaryAnn's. I refer to her as his "Momma Mary". Dean loves the horses and
helping with them. He is especially in love with Two Wap. He calls her his
"Baby Girl". They have bonded so much!!!! You can see it in his eyes and
you can tell when they are together that there's a special bond there
between the two of them. She follows him around and knows when he's headed
that way by the sound of his four wheeler! I have been to the stables a
couple of times, once Dean and I groomed one of the horses and both times
gave out treats. I love to visit with "the kids"! They are all beautiful! I
have had comments that "we've thought of adopting a horse but her adoption
contract seems so strict". I tell them that it's for a good reason. That
you care for these horses and try to make sure that they are going to good
homes and with people who will love and care for them. I would encourage
anyone to give a little time and love to these beautiful creatures by
visiting the stables . I know the help would be appreciated ( and the
carrot and apple treats are loved by them). I don't get there as often as I
would like, but will continue to whenever I can. You and Mary Ann both are
exceptional lady's. Tammy Richards
Thank you Tammy. I have heard a lot about you and Dean.
Mary thinks a lot of you two and didn't you come over and groom my babies.
Really appreciate that, my guys don't get enough attention since I am so busy
with the program. Its not very fair to them. Really enjoyed the pictures of Dean
and Two Wap, actually we put them on our Happy Endings 2006 page so everyone
could see them. They make quite the team. Well, thank you for everything, we
appreciate your encouragement. Many Regards, Celeita
Hi Celeita, I just got back photos of my first ride on Wild Willie that I'd
like to share with you. I had my husband, Adam, and girlfriend Stacey
helping to lead me around. I think we were both terrified of each other!!
LOL.... He has been back from Brian's since August (we'll have to talk on
the phone about that sometime) and Margaret has been helping me out with
him. He still is super nervous and spooky so we're doing lots of ground work
with him to furthur desensitize him to things. He is saddle broke, but
that's about it. A very nervous horse, even with me, especially if under
saddle work is going to happen. We're taking it slow, and he is progressing
very nicely. The pictures are kindof dark, I tried to make them lighter, but
could only do so much. Will keep you posted on his progress. Never thought
I'd get you these pictures so soon, at times I wondered if I'd ever get on
him considering how scared he was of people. I watched the video (the same
one I sent you) and it's almost a God sent that I finally got over this
hurdle with him. Now we're in the process of trusting each other in a
totally new light. Should be interesting from here on out. ALice &
Will
Hey, what great news. You all look super. Congrats. I'm
sure he will get better once he realizes no one is going to hurt him and that
that will be his job. It will get better, don't worry. Not the same little boy
that came to us from that prosecuting attorney who took him and the others
because they were being starved. What a change, isn't it wonderful to be part of
changing a horses life completely and forever? Celeita
I sent it out at the post office priority mail yesterday. My apologies
- I see where I was supposed to send it in in June. I thought it was at my
one-year anniversary of having our mare. She IS plump - and it is purely
the pasture grass ! We only feed her enough grain so she gets her
glucosamine every day-okay sometimes Randy the HORSE VET feeds her more
because she likes him to feed her - honestly !. We mow all the
pastures monthly and do not use any herbicides or anything (organic - I
ought to raise beef cattle :) - The fenced area where I took the pics with
the goats is actually new - We hooked up the 10 acre pasture with the
run-in barn to the new barn in an L-shaped pen which is about another
acre of space for them and the goats. It is also great for the riding
instructor - She comes to our house to give lessons to the kids on their
own horses. Her name is Mel too so it is probably good Alexis calls her
mare Addy instead of Mel.
You can see more of it in the pics I sent with my update.
Hope all is well with you ! Warmest Regards - Marisa
No worries Marisa, with two vets, we know she is in good
hands but thank you for getting everything in, it makes our job much easier.
Celeita
Celeita:China is great. I'm studying tai chi and qi gong
almost full time, with an eye to teaching them when I get back. We've
been here three years of a four-year stint, so this is our last year. I'm
already thinking about adopting a horse to keep my mare company when I get
back, so I wanted to start shopping now!
I am amazed at the progress you've made with the shopping for charity
stuff. WOW! Great concept. When I move back I'll be sure to buy
through those vendors. And the quality of the horses you have is
unbelievable.
I had a great experience last week. We went to Mongolia and I
galloped a Mongolian horse over the grasslands like the woman in
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but I wasn't chasing a gorgeous man
who stole my hairbrush. (If you haven't seen that movie, you should!)
This has been a dream since we moved here and it was every bit as good
as the fantasy.
See you some time next year!
Dorothy
Sounds like a wonderful experience. Wow!! We'd love for you
to adopt again when you return. The program has grown, we've learned so much and
it seems to be getting even more popular. We do like our work and we know we
could have a farm this size in every state and still need more room... the need
is huge. Well, I envy you, what a life. I have always wanted to go to China but
have never been, maybe some day. Thank you again, have a wonderful time and come
see us when you return to the US. All the best, Celeita
Thank you so much for everything. See I want to cry now. I am really
going to hate to see him go but I trust you and I know that you will not
let him go to some one that will hurt him. It just kills me the thought of
him ending up in the meat line. I have done a lot of research on that and
I would just assume make a line for those kind of people. I will continue
to contact Dr. Mason and have her to mail the stuff to you. Again thank
you for everything you have done for myself and for my Spadey.
Angela E. Britton
Its always hard letting go. I'm sure we'll find him a great home that is
safe. Don't worry. Celeita
I am trying not to but you know how it is. But I can tell you that if it
weren't for people like you and for all that you do for our equine friends
there would be a lot more horses lost in this world. You need and deserve a
medal for all you do.
Angela E. Britton
Good Morning ! I am sending in my
annual update form for Melody today with a photo disc and prints. I got a
new digital camera and my pics turned out much better (My old one left
everything fuzzy). I am going to take some riding action shots next now
that I have gotten some good stills to work out. I wanted to send the goat
and horse pic - I thought that was so cute. The horses like the goats,
they let them walk beneath their bellies and are very careful of them. Mel
is in the front in this picture.
You will see her referred to as Addy as
well - Alexis calls her that. I call her "Pretty Mare" because she is, and
she seems to like it.
Marisa E. St. Claire DVM
Thank you Marisa, what a cute picture. Can't wait to see
the others. We knew she was fine, but still love hearing from you. Melody looks
like she enjoys the goat, and she's fat. Hope all is well otherwise. The place
still looks like a dream farm. I'm sure its heaven on earth. Thank you again.
We'll look for the forms, thank you so much. Celeita
Hi,
I just got your message that you left on my cell. Navvy, Val,
(Genevieve), Frosty, Indy and Analisa are all doing well.
I have not been able to get Analisa bred but she is a sweetie. Im not
breeding Genevieve because her conformation issues appear to be genetic.
But she is a big sweetie too. Indy had a gorgeous foal this year and last
but now has the year off. Frosty is having a great time with the kids.
Navvy had the year off from foaling this year. I will try to get new pics
of them this weekend.
Renee
Okay Renee, thank you so much for writing. We would love to
have pictures of everyone. Congrats to Indy and to you. I'm sure you're very
busy, we just want to know everything is fine. Thank you so much, we'll look for
the pictures, thank you.
Dear Celeita,
He won't just have a good home, it will be like horse heaven. I believe
that any animal in my care has a forever home. I have an insurance policy
that provides for them if anything ever happens to me. My niece is the same
way and would be given custody of any of my animals and I have an $80,000
life insurance policy to take care of expenses... They are very important
to me.
Well time to get busy,,,, Karen
Bravo. I wish we had more people just like you. These poor
innocent animals deserve that security to know they will be loved forever and
not dumped once they are old or not useful anymore. Thank you Karen. We look
forward to having you as an adopter. Celeita
Thank you Celeita. I will forward on to you the contact information in
my next email. Honestly, I'm torn between two different facilities. I'm
going to try to catch someone in the office tomorrow so I can further
discuss it. I also want their opinions on how to avoid bringing home a
nasty virus to my crew. My guys are all current on vaccinations but are
indoor only. Anyway....I am committed to fulfilling my promise to do
this. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to work this out
with you. And, yes, I have certainly learned the importance of a strong
contact. I was very naive and trusting. OK, I was just plain stupid. I
will never make this mistake again or forget it. It has been a painful
lesson. Princess was a beautiful mare with tons of potential but Cody was
irreplaceable.
Rachael R. Crawford
Good Rachael, I'm glad this has turned out well. I wish
more people would learn this lesson. I have already put a note on the black list
page under your name and as soon as you're done with your volunteer work I'll
remove your name for good. Just let me know who you decide to work with and when
you're starting. You're two horses were very lucky because we were there to
start hunting for them but many animals are not, I just want you to see how
badly that can be for a defenseless animals that totally depends on us to do the
right thing. All the best. Celeita
I have had a crazy summer...sorry I have not sent you any money..things are
still tight here ...I had a heart-attack and just lucky to be writing you
now...Thank you Lord.....Mr.P. is doing just fine.....look at how long his
mane is...I am letting it grow out...looks like a mustang....
Take care
God Bless
Lyn Owen
Lyn, Don't worry about the money, we're just glad you are
okay. I'm very sorry about the heart attack. I'm downloading the pictures, I'm
sure he looks wonderful. Right now just take care of yourself. Mr. P needs you
healthy. Thank you for thinking of us. It really does make our day to know these
horses are safe, loved and well cared for. All the best, Celeita
*
Classy is leading the happy and good life. She is still prissy missy
and loving all the tlc she gets when my kids come over there- carrots,
kisses, etc......she doesn't always like to work tho and isn't thrilled
about having to get tacked up for a lesson. But she DOES work and that is
good. She follows my kids like a puppy while under bridle. Very cute.
Glad your program is safe- thank God.
I can always send more pics if you want-
Bye for now-
Betsy
Thanks Betsy, sure we always love pictures. So happy you
are enjoying Classy and that she is happy. All the best, Celeita
Hi all at crossed sabers; Sorry we have not yet done our follow up form,
promise to get it out this week.
Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that Sandhi is doing just
fine. We don't ride him as much as we would like to but life does happen
some times and besides I think Sandhi prefers it this way.
He is healthy and happy and thats what is important. Promise to send
pictures and follow up form soon.
Thanks, Lisa and Lee
Thanks you two. We were just talking about you all,
Sandhi and your visit and were just wondering how things were going. We
understand about being busy. Just send it in when you get a chance, we would
love to see you all with him. Hope all is well otherwise. My fiance lives in
Middleburg so I think of you all often with us going back and forth. Celeita
Hey Celeita - hope you got our pictures and my other email
too.
Sweetie is doing pretty well. She has improved
dramatically, with less than perfect manners - lol.... She is less attached
to the other horses now and seems to enjoy the routines and her stall but is
still extremely fretful when someone comes or goes. Her manners are much
better, being much calmer, less pushy and more respectful - s sweet and
sociable as ever.
We feel confident that we can ride her through her "moments"
without much difficulty and Bekah loves her - its just her ground manners that
are still less than what I would want for a child to handle - but as I say,
she is coming along, and Bekah is developing into a much more assertive and
confident handler. I hope you enjoy the pics I sent.
Blessings,
Angelathank you Angela, that
is great news. If nothing else if kids work through the problems with these
horses, they become better horse people. Much better off than the people that
just give up and every horse has issues and short comings, just like we do as
people. We can't expect them to be perfect because we are not perfect. I will
look for the pictures, I may have missed them but I don't want to miss
anything from you all. All the best, Celeita
Again huge apologies for the delay but we have had some
traumatic times since last we spoke... The weekend i was to take the pictures
for you i managed to cut a tree down on myself sustaining a concussion 3
broken ribs and some neck and back damage to boot. And if that wasn't enough
about the time i was almost up and functioning Cheryl's mother had to have an
emergency triple by-pass at 83 years of age so naturally she flew to Fl. to be
with her. Then to top it off, as if this wasn't enough, the day after she
left i was at the barn feeding and on my way back one of our dogs, Rock,
decided our goats looked too calm and decided to chase them. In their flight
they ran to me for safety and knocked me flying re-breaking 2 ribs. I have
attached a few older pictures...........note the butterfly patches on Meg's
blanket...we had a heck of a time keeping one on her...that one was the second
and we had just finished repairing it and had to document it. As for Snickers
aka Pa Paw... he is the most popular horse in the neighborhood.... the kids
playing with him belong to some of our friends...who have since decided that
their Dad has to buy them a stable so they can have PaPaw and plan on buying
him a camel for a companion animal so he won't be lonely. We are having some
digital cam problems for some reason the pictures want to load at almost
poster size..so we are going to go buy a disposable take some current pics for
you and get them transferred to disc so we can get them to you as soon as
possible. As far as any health issues they are doing great...... Meg is fat
and happy......PaPaw is as active as the 5 yr old he is sharing pasture with.
All shots are current , feet are due to be trimmed in about 2 weeks. We
thought for a short time that we had a pregnant Meg but she just started her
cycle again so i guess it was a false alarm. Will get the forms out to you
soon and the pics e-mailed to you as soon as we get them taken.
Have a great day......Tom and
Cheryl Montgomery
Erena got the message the other day that you had
called and this is the first chance we have had to reply. Sorry for the
delay. We have the coggins back for Trooper and Shoe both were negative. All
horses have been trimmed every 6-8 weeks, teeth checked and floated as
needed in July all shots and wormings are up to date. We have been trying to
take some pictures to send to you but our dang camera is on the blink. Will
send them as soon as we can. Any other questions or concerns do not hesitate
to call( preferably before11:00 AM your time) or send an e-mail to either me
or Erena.
Thanks,
Ernie
-
Oh! Of course,
Theresa, they’re a bit busy then today! Super news…I hope it goes well.
-
That farm
looks spectacular…just what they need.
-
Yes, I hope
Poppy continues to bounce back from this, too. She sure has had a hard life
the last couple of years…but she’s one tough cookie!
-
I was
pleasantly surprised Tuesday night & last night, too, how much better her leg
looks already…A LOT less swollen, painful & she’s back using it almost
normally (for her anyway).
-
I got to
thinking…maybe the vet hadn’t seen her “interesting” walk before anyway, being
new for us at this new farm. Poppy is NOT a normal horse anyway, as we all
know…with that knee handicap already. For someone not familiar with her really
or her “normal” condition she would look quite grim, indeed…but we all know
that SHE does not think so! She gets around quite well really and I’ve seen
her trot and canter on that knee even…so she’s not “on her last legs” by any
means. This is an ugly infection that snuck up on us but I do think she’ll be
just fine now, with the hosing, Furasan treatments and antibiotics she’s on
now. I am feeling much more hopeful that she’ll have many more years to hobble
around yet…
-
Thanks again
truly for reassuring me, also.
-
You ladies
sure have seem much worse problems overcome, I’m sure!
-
Take care,
-
Angie
Seems like he is looking at all the green grass he is missing!! He
gets lots of good hay and about 1 hour a day on grass now if it is
dry and I have his boots on. Colleen PS I just ordered a grazing
muzzle.
Here is a current photo of Whim. He is having to stay in the barn
most of the time right now to 1) restrict green grass intake due to
recent mild laminitis symptoms and 2) keep his hooves clean and dry
as the fronts are both resected due to white line disease. Yikes!
Not much fun for either of us but luckily, he is doing REALLY well!!
Colleen
Colleen, Don't worry too much about the laminitic stuff, its not that
big of a deal really, the big thing is you want to keep him off of rich
feeds and probably keep him in a grazing muzzle all the time if you have
good grass as its too much for him. Most horses need a grazing muzzle when
the grass is rich as its too much a good thing and especially if he is the
only horse grazing a large area. Even a half acre of rich grass will make
a horse founder so grazing muzzles are a good thing to keep on hand. It
allows them to get some grass but much less. There are also grazing
muzzles that will not let him get any grass but be outside, which is also
a choice but if you are not there to make sure it stays on his head you
want to wait until you are past all the heat, swelling, etc in his feet
from his current problem.
IT IS COMFORTING TO HEAR, "...NOT THAT BIG OF A THING
REALLY" AS I HAVE BEEN SUPER DUPER STRESSED OVER THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF
THIS LAMINITIS THING AND HAVE RUN MYSELF RAGGED TRYING TO DUE THE RIGHT THING
AND KEEP HIM OCCUPIED WHILE CONFINED. I APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE.
Also you may have a blood test done to see if he has any thyroid
problems, either low or high thyroid. With us not knowing his breeding
(being a rescue) and seeing his neck is cresty he is a perfect candidate
for thyroid problems. Its really a non issue too as long as you keep them
on Thyro-L, which costs only about $30. a month but will keep his thyroid
in line and keep him from continuing to get Laminitic symptoms. We always
keep a bucket on hand for pony's because many pony and big crested horses
have thyroid problems and blood tests are simple procedures for vets, even
putting him on Thyro-L will not hurt him even if you are waiting for the
blood test to be done. Its just some recommendations.
CALLED MY VET AFTER I READ THIS YESTERDAY. THEY HAD
CHECKED SYSTEMS STUFF LIKE KIDNEY AND LIVER - BOTH NORMAL. ALSO DID A
CORTISOL TEST - NORMAL. AND RECOMMEND A POSSIBLE ACTH TEST IF HE HAS SYMPTOMS
OF CUSHINGS IN THE FUTURE LIKE LONG SHAGGY COAT ETC. THEY DO NOT THINK MUCH
OF THYRO-L.
As you've probably already learned white line is all about bacteria in
the white line, I'll tell you what my farrier course taught me is the best
and cheapest fix for white line and thrush is clorax and water mix (50/50
mix), just spray it on the front of his hoof and the bottom after picking.
Don't let any farrier seal up any cracks, holes or anything on his foot
where the white line is as you could be sealing up the infection leaving
it to just get worse. There is a big disagreement right now going on
between farriers and vets because farriers are closing up all these areas
with some sort of packing and its ruining feet, leaving infection in the
foot to fester and making the white line worse. White line can come from
too wet of pastures, from a crack in the foot, even from a shoe nail being
removed and infection getting in there (as the nails are put into the
white line of the foot, as you probably already know). Sometimes it helps
to spray clorax and water on the foot, both top and bottom after shoes are
removed or even reset to prevent infection, especially in the summer or
hotter climates where bacteria breeds. We keep a spray bottle of clorax
and water at every grooming station in the barn. Just a note about it
though, wear something you don't care about when using it, as I have more
white spotted clothes from mis-firings with the clorax bottle. :)
GREAT ADVICE!! I AM REALLY HAVING A TIME WITH MY FARRIER
BECAUSE HE IS DEFINITELY HOUNDING ME ABOUT SHOES AND PACKING. I FEEL IN MY
GUT HE IS SAYING IT DUE TO MONEY. HE IS ANTI-BAREFOOT AND I AM SURE NOT AS
WHIM HAS (GENERALLY) SUPER STRONG HEALTHY TOUGH HOOVES. I THINK ONE REASON I
AM DEALING WITH THE WHITE LINE IS BECAUSE THE FARRIER UNDER-TRIMMED WHIM'S
FEET SAYING TO ME, "IF I TAKE TOO MUCH OFF AND YOU RIDE, YOU WILL WEAR ALL
HIS HOOF AWAY!" HE NEVER HAD ANY SIGN THAT WOULD HAPPEN!! I FEEL LIKE I
COULD GO CRAZY WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES OF ADVICE I FIND OUT THERE. AND
PEOPLE WONDER WHY I AM SO SKEPTICAL ABOUT THINGS!!!
I might also recommend Bioton supplements for his feet, its the best
supplement I have found for improving the condition of feet, I also take
it for my nails, hair and skin. Also allowing him to be barefoot and being
worked barefoot to allow the foot to work as it should and to allow
contracted feet and heels to spread back to the shape they should be, too
much time in shoes can ruin horses feet as the shoe is doing the job the
foot is suppose to do, the shock absorbing job that causes a horses foot
to expand and contract with every foot fall brings badly needed blood and
oxygen into the foot and blood and oxygen is life to that foot. Some
farriers and vets believe that if a horse stays in shoes too much those
blood vessels that carry blood to the foot actually close and they are
ruined forever, then you see the man made problems of like navicular. It
seems I remember you kept him barefoot a lot so this is probably a non
issue with you, but I'd rather over talk about something vs. not
discussing it and assuming but if your farrier is recommending shoes all
the time, then he is more concerned about paying his mortgage than his is
about the health of your horses feet. Same with vets, most problems can be
fixed by time off and good care at home, not expensive tests and extensive
vet treatment but that advice will not pay their mortgage either so its
important to remember that the bottom line drives many people's thinking
and work. I'm sure you don't have that problem with Whim but we see it a
lot with other adopters and donors.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE HOOF SUPPLEMENT? I DO WANT TO
GIVE HIM ONE RIGHT NOW FOR GROWTH. HIS QUALITY IS GOOD BUT HAS HAD
THIS RE-SECTIONING AND I'D LIKE HIM TO HAVE SOME HELP GROWING IT OUT. ANYWAY
I LIKE THE BAREFOOT IDEA VERY MUCH, PLUS , WHIM HAS EASY BOOTS FOR ROUGH
TERRAIN.
Hang in there, there are better times ahead. Just think how much you'll
enjoy riding next year after going through this little bout with him. He
looks good in the pictures, same sweet face and always excellent care from
you, we do appreciate that and I'm sure he loves you for it. Celeita
THANK YOU, YOU HAVE A GIFT FOR SAYING JUST WHAT I NEED TO HEAR RIGHT
NOW!! COLLEEN
Colleen, I know its frustrating not just for you but everyone. I ask
10 different vets and I get 10 different opinions, same with farriers
and with horse people. This is a very subjective industry, luckily there
is usually at least 2 good answers and sometimes more. I really
struggled in the beginner because coming from working in the military
and in Aviation where there was always only one answer... I was just
like you, just looking for the one answer. What I normally do is two
things, I always ask vets for a best case and a worst case scenario when
I ask for a Diagnosis and recommendations and usually the gray area in
the middle is quite wide, though if you don't ask that question, most
vets will give you the worst case scenario because of liabilities.
They've learned the hard way that they have to do it that way because
too many people out there will sue them if they are wrong.
Also, I always listen to people who have nothing to gain from giving
me their answer. I ask vets who are not involved, outside 2nd and 3rd
opinions, ones that are not going to get my business by giving me a
certain answer. I ask my own vets and farriers for opinions but I don't
make decisions from their recommendations because they are making money
from me. I ask an expert that is not going to make money from me over a
certain answer.
Same with trainers, never ask a trainer an opinion about a horse
when she is getting a commission or wants to sell you a horse, you will
never get a straight answer, same with your trainer giving you lessons,
many will tell the rider they are wonderful just to keep them coming and
making money off them and really they have much to learn as riders, all
they are doing is giving riders false confidence and making them think
they are better than they are, which in the long term can get them into
serious trouble safety wise. Go to a trainer you don't know and that is
not going to get your business for an evaluation. You would not believe
how many trainers that will not recommend our horses because we don't
pay commissions to them.... but they are quick to tell the potential
adopter that they have the 'perfect' horse for sale and only for 20, 30,
or even 70k. eeeeeeek.
I don't have any supplements I recommend as a favorite. You might
look at what Michael Plumb recommends for Bioton. We do use a lot of
Chamisa Ridge supplements,
www.countrysupply.com and Also Laminae saver I've heard is very
good, though we can't afford it but I understand it works very well. Let
me send you some information about natural trimming, after you read all
that you'll realize that shoeing is not a requirement to have healthy
feet:
|
Ernie and Amy Oct 06
Lil Bit and a Summer Camp Student Aug 06 (for those of you who are new to
SWAP, Lil Bit is the dam of our own little Hoot Mon (looking for a home
right now) and Hootie is a duplicate of Lil Bit, a great little pony!!
Lil Bit Aug 06
Ernie and Emily Aug 06
Ernie and Dawn May 06 participating in Memorial Day Parade
Lil Bit and Summer Camp Student 06
Lil Bit getting a hug from a student Aug 06
Lil Bit and Camp Student July 05
Update on Meg and Snickers