| MiKael's Mania - Arabian Horses |
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MiKael's Mania - Arabian Horses
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Ground Work versus Riding....What to Do?
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:21:00 +0000
There's been some talk about ground work on the internet here lately. mugwump chronicles in Rant-orama and Ranto-rama 2 posted one of her pet peeves which appears to be people talking ground work instead of actually riding. I think underneath it all there is a very good sentiment there, ground work in and of itself will never break a horse to ride. The only thing that will do that is being on that horse's back.The hard part, I think, is that many people tend to over simplify. I don't mean that just in regards to ground work and riding, but in pretty much everything. It's easier to pull a thread and make something out of it, than learn what is really behind the whole story. Part of that is human nature. It's impossible for most to take everything in all in one sitting. It takes time to learn and learning is a process that never really stops. That is certainly the case with horses.So when people see what the Parelli's, the Lyons, "the horse whisperers" of the world can do, it's easy to think those experts have all the answers. The next step is to think we can too if we can just get that horse hooked on....... because that's how we want it to be. The problem is that just isn't reality. Getting a horse "hooked on" is only one step in a process. If you don't know the other steps, you're in for one helluva ride. Is this the fault of ground work? Nope Or the messenger? Nope there either. The problem lies with us........we, humans, and our understanding. It's the way we took it in and the way we chose to use it. To complicate the matter each of us is different and so is our understanding. The solution is going to be as different as the people and their knowledge. AND it's going to be complicated...........because horses are complicated.Now, I don't mean that every little step will be complicated.......that's the last thing I would say. Many times the solution to a problem can be quite simple......but only if you have the understanding to make it simple in the first place. THAT is what makes the Parelli's, the Lyons, "the horse whisperers" of the world so successful. They make something complicated LOOK simple. They open a door in our understanding that we didn't have before and we take it from there and run when we have little to no understanding of the foundation it was built on.Whether or not we run right out and push that horse around the round pen or we take what we learned and keep looking for new doors for it to open in our relationship with our horse is totally up to us. Many will never get past that first understanding because they want it to be that simple. Others will make gains but get stuck in the belief their guru of horsemanship has all the answers. And still others will keep looking for information where ever they can find it including their horse. How much or how little ground work a person does with a horse will never be the bottom line in how well a horse is trained. The quality of the training will be directly related to the understanding of the horse held by the person doing the training and their application of that knowledge and the horse's ability to process it.I've know successful trainers who swear by a lot of ground work and others who aren't comfortable with ground work at all. Both types produced successful horses because it wasn't just the ground work or just the riding that produced the result in the horse. It was what the horse learned that was important. Each trainer may have built on a different foundation but the horse was able to "get" what it was supposed to learn and the building was successful. And when it's all said and done, that's what matters. The horse must understand what we're asking. Without that it doesn't matter whether we did it in the saddle or on the ground. It'll all be useless.So for me, I do some of both depending on the horse. I've spent many hours of ground work on one horse and practically none on another. I love to ride and that's what I want to do, but sometimes I find I need to get off that horse and do some more ground work. The horse decides which way it'll be. That's one of the most important lessons I've learned with horses. I need to listen to what they have to say, make my decisions from there, and then things will be fine. We'll get things figured out sooner or later. That leads to the other important lesson I learned about horses, that is I am never going to know everything there is to know about them no matter how hard I try. Anybody who tells you otherwise is a fool.......and if you believe them guess what that makes you. I think the last part of this lesson I learned from Harvey Jacobs, and I think he's right! LOLVisit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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Cowboys......Guns...........and Horses
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:18:00 +0000
I was going to post shift three in the horses finally getting out in the snow but since there was so much meltdown yesterday followed by freezing temperatures overnight, this place was not safe for high spirited horses to be getting their first taste of freedom since the big storms hit.Instead I thought I'd do an informational post about an up and coming equestrian sport that I've had just a wee bit of exposure to over the last few years. Not that I've actually seen this sport but I've heard enough about it to be a bit curious. It is fast growing, not just in our country but across the world. AHA (the Arabian Horse Association) even did an article in their magazine The Modern Arabian Horse in their late summer edition. That sport would be Cowboy Mounted Shooting.I have to admit when I first heard of this new sport at a Region 5 mini convention, I thought that it was just a few of the locals from eastern Washington getting together and goofing around a bit. I had no idea there was already a national organization,Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association or that the first organized competition had been back in 1992. The AHA article The Ride to Bear Arms states new members are joining at the rate of about 5.5 per day. There are currently over 7,000 members. The organization needed to hire translators to field questions from such countries as Italy, Spain, Pakistan, New Brunswick, Iceland, Finland, China, Denmark, Switzerland and Holland with more new clubs forming in Canada, Sweden, Australia and Germany. Who knew? Certainly not me.What I did know was onlybecause our mini convention hosted a luncheon that featured a fashion show with some selections suitable for the dress code for this sport as well as the usual horse show fare. That code consists of western wear from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Also the revolvers used were in the style of the single action Colt revolver used by the cowboys of the old west. Contestants rode their horses over a timed, obstacle course where they shoot out balloons for score. I can tell you the six page article in the AHA magazine had a whole lot more details than my first exposure. The informational video I've posted here explains about the sports and features a look at contestants riding actual courses. Contestants have two, six guns loaded with five shots apeice. The weapons are carried in leather holsters. Riders have to be able to draw, empty one gun, holster it and draw the second weapon and empty that in the process of running their course. They are even beginning to have courses set up for contestants to fire rifles as well.From the sounds of it this fast growing sport is worth looking into if you have a love of fast horses, guns and the old west. Mounted shooting affords the ability to combine these into an adventure designed to entertain the entire family.There are divisions for beginners and old timers, youngsters and retirees and everything in between. Competitors compete for prizes at the shows. They also earn points that accumulate over the season for big prizes at the end........as their website says, points are important, you could win a Ford Truck!The sport has its own magazine, Shoot! Magazine I found google listing for Mounted shooting lessons and training in Texas. There is even a Hall of Fame So far only six horses have been inducted. One is an Arabian gelding, Witez Dynasty, inducted in 2001. The "beloved teammate and companion" of the founder, Frank Turben. For more information on cowboy mounted shooting visit history Their major events in 2009 They also offer a stallion incentive program Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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The Second Shift of Arabian Horses in the Snow
Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:59:00 +0000
I have so many horses here and so little land I have to put them out in shifts. When they've been cooped up for this long you can bet they are having none of that . By the time we caught horses to put them in yesterday it was time for dinner, the next shift didn't get out until today.Obviously it was more of the same. Again the younger horses hadn't ever seen snow or ice......let alone those dratted ice puddles......getting them out the the barn was a trick in itself.Dave went and got Suede. He was full of himself enough he decided he was tough enough to take on that snow. Dave had his hands full with the little monster (now 3 year old stallion) wanting to stand on his hind legs or....better yet.......attack the snow by striking with both front feet at it. I'd have taken pictures if I hadn't had both my hands full with who else but Trouble.Trouble lives in a shed row and has been looking at this snow for weeks. However looking at it and stepping on it are NOT the same thing. Trouble didn't even want to leave his stall. There was a little (and really only a little) ice in the walkway. Mostly it was just covered with dry grass to keep the matting from being slippery. It didn't matter, Trouble did NOT want to leave his stall. When I finally did get the horse out he wouldn't walk the pathway. I ended up turning him in the other direction and taking the long way around. Why that should work, don't ask me......but it did. Dave was the one this time having to wait for me to arrive. So he was wrestling with Suede in the field trying to get him to stand still as I tried to get Trouble to go through the gate. Again Trouble would not budge! He planted both feet and stood there snorting at the little bit of mud right on the gate's threshold.I finally had Dave turn Suede loose thinking that maybe just maybe seeing the other horse play would inspire poor Trouble to gain some courage. That didn't work either and I wanted to get pictures of Suede in the snow before he ran out of steam so I gave Trouble to Dave so I could get my camera. By the time I returned, Dave and Lindsay together had convinced Trouble to go through the gate, I think the silly horse jumped the mud only to slip in the snow. The, of course, he was quite indignant and rearing to go. Dave turned him loose and I snapped as many pics as I could.After the fact I found that black bay Trouble against the dark trees made for only a shadow of a horse in my pictures. There's a lot I have to learn about this camera before I'm going to get the kind of pictures I want.Getting the rest of that shift of horses out was more of the same. Most hadn't experienced the snow before so there was lots of snorting and blowing, tails over their backs......the works. Half way through Dave pooped out and went into the house to put a heating pad on his back.After the fiasco with the goofy mares yesterday, I decided to only turn out two today. That means I have one more shift (tomorrow) to get the final seven horses out but it worked much better with only two mares.Those two were Dancer and Echo. One is now three and the other is five. They aren't particularly buddies but they do live in the same barn. It took them a bit to get things figured out and once Echo realized that Dancer was in charge, they did pretty well.The biggest boob of the bunch about the snow was Dandy. Can you Adam and Eve it? (that's for Steve LOL) The oldest horse on the place. He's seen snow several times. Lindsay took he blanket off and opened his door leaving him to exit on his own. The horse just stood there. During the twenty minutes that I was putting horses out he didn't budge one inch. The horse just stood there with his head down, inside the stall, sniffing at the dreaded snow outside.So once I was done with the others, I went and grabbed Dandy by the mane. Normally that's all it takes to get the horse to follow me.......but not today. It was no dice, the horse did not want to go outside. I ended up tapping him on the hip with the end of the lead and the horse went but begrudgingly. He stop where I turned him loose and wouldn't move. He spent most of his time outside standing in front of his stall because I'd closed the door so he couldn't go back inside. Go figure! The one advantage to Dandy standing still was he WAS the easiest horse to photograph! I had plenty of time to fiddle with the camera to get things right. That's as right as I get at this point....Can't you tell by the look on his face, poor boy is saying, "Mom, What in the heck are ya doin' ta me?"The horses had a great time playing in the snow once they got over their fear of it. There was the same bucking and kicking........of and some f*rting thrown in. It was really fun watching them and, of course, snapping more pictures. I can't wait until tomorrow when the final group gets out. Then maybe we can get down to some sane behavior and get them all out in one day. That would be great because another storm is coming!Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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Surprise, Surprise......More Snow........and Arabian Horses!
Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:55:00 +0000
Last night I heard on the news just before bed there was the possibility of snow in the foothills. The weather man said if it did turn to snow it would probably be only a trace to one to two inches. BUT (why is there ALWAYS as but?) there was the potential for three to four inches so that possibility shouldn't be ruled out. What does that mean to me? Well, I live in the foothills of the northern Cascade Mountains. Looking at that weather map with it's fancy blue and pink patches rolling forward right over the spot of the map that is where I live. I didn't want to believe it was possible.........but I knew.........I was counting on being able to get out of here............that meant this snow was definitely headed my way............and it was..................ALL four maybe even five inches of the stuff looking at the pots on my deck. The only saving grace behind this particular snow was it didn't fall onto frozen ground. It was not dangerously slippery underneath. By the time the horses had finished their breakfast a lot of the snow had melted or been swallowed up by all the water on this wet ground of ours leaving the white stuff not too be as deep and intimidating to young horses who have never seen it before. That meant I could finally attempt to put some of them outside. The poor dears have been cooped up for far too long for growing youngsters! I decided to put the yearlings, whoops, two-year-olds out into the little paddock in the front of the house. That way the horses couldn't get tooooo crazy running off all that pent up energy. Only poor Andy stopped dead in his tracks at the barn door. That scary, scary white stuff on the ground would surely swallow him up! It took me forever to even get him to move a step. Putting snow in my hand and letting him sniff was NOT enough to encourage him to take a look at the white stuff. You've got to wonder what they think that stuff is. Instead the horse just stood there snorting like only an Arabian can do. Head up high and his tail over his back, he blew loud enough to wake the dead! I sure wish I could have taken pictures, he was quite a sight!Dave came out asking if he could help so I had him unblanket Patriot to bring him out. I figured that the pressure of the other horse wanting out might encourage Andy to finally take a step. When Dave had Patriot ready we swapped horses. Dave is more comfortable with Andy. At first the colt held his ground but as Patriot tried to go around him Andy acquiesced and stepped out into the snow with Patriot right behind.Once out of the barn Patriot kept right on moving while Andy huddled up close to the barn. I just keep Patriot moving thinking the other horse would follow. Watching his brother heading for the paddock gave Andy a little courage to follow but only a little. It took Dave twice as long as me to reach the destination. Each new thing along the way swallowed Andy's confidence..........shades of his mother, I can tell you. To this day she does not like any weather out of the ordinary!Of course there were lots of distractions. Ice puddles seemed to riddle the pathway and Andy was sure each one held at least one troll and maybe even more. Patriot on the other hand was up on his toes trying to contain his excitement at being outside in this new bright world. The horse really didn't get too concerned about strange obstacles that had developed mysteriously since last time he'd travelled this path. The horse did look at each new obstacle and forgot he wasn't supposed to push into me but he easily corrected himself.........just keeping on moving towards that paddock and freedom. That's what mattered to Patriot.When I did get the young horse into the paddock he could hardly contain himself. I didn't want to turn him loose until his brother arrived. I knew Patriot would harass Andy while Dave tried to turn him loose. Poor Patriot was beside himself wanting free..............the little devil reached down and actually gave a little nip to my hand! Then he looked at me with those big eyes of his........"Come on, Mom!" I felt bad making him wait.When Andy did arrive Patriot was shaking his head and pawing impatient to be done with this standing still thing. Heck he'd done enough standing in that darn stall. We turned both colts loose on a count of three and each horse headed off in a different direction at about ninety miles an hour for about two steps. Then everything came down substantially as the horses figured out their new footing.It didn't take long before they figured out the snow. Then they were colts just being colts.....dogging each other and face boxing and ripping around in slow motion, finally enjoying being outside. There was kicking and bucking and all sorts of fun things. I had to break out the camera and see what I could shoot. I'm still figuring out the new camera so I didn't get nearly the pictures I would like to....but I did get pictures. (I'll have to work on setting still) Then when the colts settled down some I went to get the next horse.That next horse would be Legs. The poor guy hasn't been out since my surgery so I had to be sure he got some time outside. This horse has had his share of experience with the snow. He came out like a perfect gentleman despite his long term confinement. The horse did a lot of ground sniffing along with head tossing as we made out way out to the field. He, too like the colts, avoided the ice puddles but then so did I. Legs wasn't sure he really wanted to step through the gate because there was a puddle there too but when I went through he followed. When I turned him loose the horse was off! He knew just the right amount of speed for this white stuff. I could just tell the horse was looking for the perfect place to roll. I hollered at him not to do it........but he did before I could get my darn camera out. By the time I was ready to shoot he was up and gone. I did get pictures though and you can see the evidence of that roll in the snow in some of them. I really wanted a picture of the horse up next to the creek without the darn fence in the background but Legs did NOT co-operate. What a beautiful Christmas picture that would have made........I'm going to have to learn to be faster or something. Well, and getting my setting figured out will help too. The stallion did a lot of playing in the snow. I think he romped and snorted and bounced around like it was some kind of old friend. He stuck his nose down into it and blew lots of times. Then bounced his head up shaking it to get the snow out of his nostrils only to drop back down and repeat it all over again.I kept hoping he would roll again since I know had the camera in hand. But you know how that goes. They never do what you want when you want. Then Legs came right up to me sticking his face in the lens. He knows what that thing is for......me I'm not quick enough with this new camera to make the right adjustments. I ended up with a fuzzy picture of a bridle path that needs to be clipped instead of the pretty picture of the horse's eye I saw through the lense.After I got done photographing Legs' adventures in the snow, I went to assist Dave in putting out some of the mares. We had decided because of the snow and how long the horses had been inside to only put out a small band thinking that would tone things down a bit. HA! So much for that! The girls were goofier than the colts and Legs put together. I ended up with absolutely NO pictures because I could barely keep out of their way, let alone photograph them. The ones I took of Vee sniffing Solidare were too dark (that black bay mare against the white snow up close to the barn was NOT good!)I managed to get a shot of Lucy's head but from a really weird angle. It was a mess. So there are no pictures of the mares!It was great to get outside with the horses. I did have to do some correcting but I didn't feel anymore pulling on stitches so I think I am good to go at least for working horses on the ground. Still too sore to ride, but I'll take what I can get. It looks like a good start to the new year to me.......other than bouts with the new camera.Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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New Year's ....What to Post & of course, Arabian Horses
Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:34:00 +0000
2008 still saw posts on the twins although not nearly so many. Trouble and Surprise would be appalled to know that they're no longer center stage. But when they do get the chance at the spotlight, they certainly make it work. More on Trouble & Surprise - My Arabian Twin Horses Having recently been interviewed about these twins, I'm thinking I'm really needing a Trouble and Surprise fix........maybe some groundwork for the twins will be in order. They will after all be 3!!Unfortunately 2008 was a year of accidents here. Life...........and a Level One Trauma........the Details While Life will probably bump into us again along the way in 2009, we hope it is more gentle.......downed fences and floods while a nuisance are easier to live with......we'll just have to see what's in store.Trash Talking was not restricted to my first year of blogging. In 2008 February saw the series that got started with Life in the Blogosphere - Trash Talking Arabian Horses, Old Riders, Dressage and Natural Horsemanship This series drew huge readership and lots of comments. I don't know what it is about February but that seems to be the month the trash talking flourishes at least on this blog. It'll be interesting to see what this February holds. Barn relationships were still on the list with Rachel and Grandma taking their issues to new heights as I got my feelings hurt and haven't recovered since Rachel and Grandma and Arabian Horses at the Daffodil Summer Show.....a whole herd of them! The truth be told this whole thing started before the show and while I never really did get into the underlying issues for me , suffice it to say the resulting chasm is huge. Bridge building is in order....As the one set of relationships falters another set has begun to emerge. MiKael Meets.............Richard carries a little bit of both relationships and training. Despite the forced break, these adventures are about ready to resume. I can't wait!And believe it or not enmeshed in this relationship is probably going to be some stuff with Rachel and Grandma. Since Rachel is getting lessons with her new horse from Richard and Richard just happens to function in the barn with pretty much the same set of standards as Grandma, this new relationship cannot help but affect the other. Not that I have yet seen this cause and effect for myself but Richard seems to believe it's there. Maybe in 2009 we'll see.............. For sure I expect there will be some posts with Rachel and Goldie, a half Arabian quarter horse cross (once bred to Legs for a beautiful half Arab colt.) pretty, pretty girl with some issues of her own.This second year of blogging I got a little braver and went for some humor of my own. Gorilla Wrestling on the Arabian Horse Breeder's Farm and then on to my first very first attempts at poetry with Twas the Night before Christmas being my favorite, I really could have done without the snow While the later 2 posts were probably directly related to huge boredom and lots of drugs, it wasn't all that bad.........there may be more. And if the truth be told there is plenty of humor with Richard, Jessica and the crew, I may get inspired enough to share the lighter side of that too.2008 saw the posting of Baby Boomer Dreams - Dandy's Story There's alot more to tell to catch up to the present with the Baby Boomer series. Dandy's story is not the only poignant story to be told. There's a reason it has taken this long to get Legs into the show ring working to his potential.I couldn't possible let a year go by without expressing my opinions both about the industry Controversy or Soap Box? and mean spirited commentors An Arabian Horse Owner and Blogging Jeopardy as well as some investigational stuff with A Different Sort of Rescue Story Be assured this story isn't finished yet. There were also informational posts like Let's Talk Genetic Disorders in Horses I'm sure there will be something that strikes me as worthy of posting.Looking back I couldn't possibly leave out the arrival of Scandalous MizScarlet Foaling Season 2008 on the Baby Boomer's Arabian Horse Breeding Farm Don't you think this equine throwback to Gone with the Wind should have a Rhett? What a story that would be for 2009. And foaling will be represented with the arrival of our very first half Arabian foal expected in May. The live web camera will be up and running shortly.......Of course there were breeding decisions to be made like To Breed or Not to Breed in 2008. Things are looking a lot different for this Baby Boomer going into the new year. While I know you're all thinking I'm talking about the economy, I'm not. The momentum has been building and I will be breeding this next year. I'll be sharing the how's and why's as this dream of mine explodes in 2009. And lest I forget, I will be hosting a Carnival of the Horses on February 1, 2009. I hope all my horse blogger friends will think about submitting something. I haven't thought of a theme yet, but am open to suggestions. Maybe something like how horses changed your life or a special memory? What do you think? Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of the horsesusing our carnival submission formPast posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index pageIn the meantime, this recap of 2008 is finished just like the year is over. A glimpse into 2009 as much as is possible without a crystal ball has just begun.....May you and yours all have a great 2009!Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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New Year's Eve....What to Post & of course, Arabian Horses
Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:22:00 +0000
Looking through my posts, I can't believe I didn't do a special post on New Year's Eve in 2007. It was my first year of blogging and I had 331 posts under my belt. There were so many things that happened along the way I really should have devoted some time to them. Instead I just went on with the series about dear sweet Rhythm, A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses - The Third Foal Crop - The Injury How I miss that boy! That means I missed highlighting such blogging events from 2007 (this is tongue in cheek I hope you know!) as some humor like Living with O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome It just goes to show you you never quite know what's hidden blog archives. Barn relationships got some coverage with Rachel and Grandma and the Arabian Horse Crash and Burn! There was a little bit of training/horse psychology maybe with What's Up with Licking and Chewing and Arabian Horses that triggered a slew of posts. Got high readership and plenty of discussion in the comments. There was more serious stuff like Sassy and Laurietta's Story - Tragedy or Miracle - 4th Twin Pregnancy in Horses which also got high readership for my fledgling blog and sometimes some not so supportive comments. I couldn't resist a bit of commentary Barbaro ? One Woman?s Opinion and, of course I must not leave out my very first post, Trash Talking Arabian Horses I nearly forgot about those posts about my twins, I think they are really what got me started here. There were so many questions about the twins it was easier to answer them blogging than to respond to all the emails. Reflections on Foaling Season 2006 - The Twins so I better not leave them out. Now that I've recapped the year I neglected, I thinking I should start a new holiday tradition on my blog and do a recap of the year that is just about to depart and maybe, just maybe a little sneak preview of what is to come. To be continued...............OH! I nearly forgot....Happy New Years, Everyone!Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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A Different Sort of Rescue Story - Thoughts
Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:37:00 +0000
Part 1OK, I've got to be upfront here and admit I've probably jumped to some conclusions here. I've been caught at least a couple of times in this series and I find the "reporter" within me cringing. I know better.With that said, I got a call from John Edwards from Hope for Horses today. He asked me if I was interested in the other side of the story. Because I believe myself to be a fair person, I think it's only right that I give him that chance. While we only had a brief conversation, I could see where there are communications issues with the three parties involved. Maybe the opinion I have drawn is affected by that. I would like to know more so I am going to speak with Mr Edwards and see if I can understand their point of view. In the meantime I'm going to discontinue posting on this issue. It's clear from the comments that I am not the only one making assumptions and also I have led some of you along with me. I don't want to be responsible for "assuming" any more things that are not accurate nor misrepresenting anything. A lot of damage can be done that way and that was never my intention.This, however, does not change my opinion that the two horses, Valor and Teddy, should never have been taken from Rose Corey's. The horses have thrived on her and Kelsey's care. As for Hope for Horses there is a lot I don't know. I have lots of questions, tough questions and so far Mr Edwards has expressed an interest in answering those questions. He would also like people to know about the other horses that were rescued from that Waller Road atrocity that Valor and Teddy Bear came from. I think I'd like to know more about them too. So I'm going to take the time to give him the chance.......until then I'm going to open my mind to see if I can learn something.The fact that I am open to more information doesn't change my opinion that the county made a royal mess out of this thing. They were not then, nor are they now, equipped nor prepared to deal with the rescue of horses. Finding a solution for THAT problem is really what was at the bottom of my posting about this subject in the first place. I think if the problems at the county level can be cleared up, things will be better for all concerned.With the economy being as it is, this is a horrible time for horses. Having a county not set up to deal with this issue is a very sad situation under normal circumstances. At times like these it is devastating for horses and my guess is for the rescues as well. I sure don't want to add to their problems because I've only written one side of the story.To be continued............Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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A Different Sort of Rescue Story - The Second Rescue
Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:02:00 +0000
Part 1Just taking the horses away from Rose Corey and telling her it was no longer any of her business was not enough to dissuade the woman from getting to the bottom of what was going on. It didn't take Rose long to find out that although Hope for Horses was supposed to be a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization , they were not actually in compliance with those guidelines for the state of Washington. (This situation has since been corrected.)As for Hope for Horse's motivation wanting to have all of the horses in their care, the organization was contracted with the country. They were getting $4500 a month for these horses. Yet as you saw on the news clip they were soliciting funds from the public to care for these horses as well using the hard luck story to tug at people's heart strings. There's no indication what so ever in those stories that Hope for Horses is being reimbursed by the county, only the impression they are relying on the sympathy of the public for donations to care for abused horses. I wonder if the reporters had any kind of clue that the agency was being paid by the county. Just for the record with my nearly 30 horses do you know what I could do with a budget of $4500 a month. And most of my horses are growing youngsters and pregnant mares that require more groceries. The rescue horses I've seen haven't required any more feed than some of the horses I feed here. Heck, even with the traumatic impact of the birth of my Arabian horse twins, I would have been in good shape. You're not going to tell me that those 15 horses impounded (with the one's needing the medical care being Valor and Teddy) that's not an adequate amount of funds. So my question is what's with that? Is that how these things work? Do other rescues get paid to do what they do? Or is this person someone who's figured out how to work the system? What do you think?Once the horses were taken, Rose wasn't just trying to figure out what was going on with Hope for Horses. She was also working to find out "who" this Arabian stallion really was. I'm not sure how she ever managed this but she did. I do remember her referencing his markings but she would have had to do a lot of searching to get the field narrowed down for markings to be useful but Rose managed to find the horse's registered name.Once she knew what his registered name was, then she had pertinent information like the stallion's breeder and who had owned the horse in the past. She located the last recorded owner and found the horse had been sold on a contract to the people who had neglected him. That contract had never been paid off and there was a clause for repossession. The necessary persons were served with a notice of repossession. That meant the person holding the contract was still the legal owner of this horse.Despite the condition of the stallion, to save Valor, Rose paid the owner what she asked. Then that owner signed over the horse's registration and a written bill of sale. Valor now belonged to Rose even in the eyes of The (Arabian Horse) Registry. Again by Bruce Smith in the Eatonville Dispatch Stymied by County, Graham good samaritan purchases abused horse It was clear the county wasn't really interested in what was right, only about being in control.This took place in February but even then it took a lawyer and court hearings, not to mention more time, before the county returned the stallion to Rose. Still claiming they needed to "preserve their prosecutory evidence" it wasn't until April 2 that Valor was returned to Rose and Creekwood Farm. Although the Appy/QH foal known as Teddy was not released, Rose was given the right of "first refusal" for that horse as well. All of this was accomplished in an out of court settlement.Now, if you ask me, a glaring issue with Hope for Horses comes up here. Valor had been in their care for nearly 6 weeks. With the huge improvement the horse had made during his approximately 20 days with Rose, you would think with 6 or more weeks of good care Valor would have been looking pretty darn good. However, that is not the case. Bruce Smith wrote his fourth article in his series for the Eatonville Dispatch, Equine good Samaritan reunited with her horse It tells about the condition the horse was in when he arrived back at Creekwood Farm.The horse looked worse than when he had left Creekwood in the first place. You can see the difference by the above 3 pictures that were taken when the horse arrived back at Creekwood Farm. Compare those with the one at the very top. It was taken at Hope for Horses when they did his intake after taking him from Rose. It's from the country records. While the picture quality isn't great, it's still obvious the horse was carrying more weight then than he was 6 weeks later. There was a problem with the trailer ride too. The horse wolfed down a handful of food that had been in the trailer. From that the horse choked. The horse got off the trailer convulsing from the choke.There's been a lot of accusations about this incident with the horse choking. Fingers pointed from Hope for Horses have blamed it on Rose saying she gave him the food so she caused the problem. For me, I think putting the focus on the choking incident is a diversion to get away from the real issue, the condition of the horse. And the condition of the horse certainly plays a big role in the horse choking in the trailer in the first place would be my guess. If the horse didn't feel like he was starving for food he never would have gobbled food down in such a manner as to cause this type of choke in the first place. (This conclusion would be based on the fact the horse did not wolf his food down when he was first rescued. Despite his terrible condition, he ate his food at a normal rate.)I think if a horse is so hungry that it can't have any food in front of it to travel because it will wolf it down and run the risk of choke, there is really something wrong. I transport my horses all the time with food in front of them. It's even recommended by some experts to help alleviate stress on trailer rides. So why should it be an issue as the Hope for Horses people implied against Rose?In my book that would go onto the people who had been responsible for the care and feeding of that horse. They would be the ones responsible for the horse being that hungry. In this case that would be Hope for Horses. Wouldn't you say?But again, let's not get lost in who caused the choke. The real question is why was the horse returned from a rescue in worse shape than when he was taken from the Good Samaritans? And why would an agency that took care of a rescue horse in such a manner still be considered for further work for the county?This story isn't over yet..........To be continued......................ThoughtsVisit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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A Different Sort of Rescue Story - Another Seizure
Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:26:00 +0000
Part 1 You would think from here the two horses my friend had rescued were out of the woods. She was interested in keeping both horses despite their health issues. Both were responding to the great care they were getting. Certainly you would think things were going well, you would never guess where things would go from here.With the way things did go, I can't help but have some observations and reactions of my own. So I'm going to be interjecting those along the way as I try to relate what my friend went through trying to protect these horses. I think it takes wading through ALL of the junk, to see who is interested in the horses and who has other interests. So here goes........With the entrance of Hope for Horses in this situation is really where this whole story begins to get hinky in my book. The rest of the herd (13 horses) were rescued and whisked off to unknown places as mentioned in the news story.I knew at the time I saw this story on the news this was the herd the Arabian stallion and the Appy foal had come from. However, as I heard the broadcast I remember thinking there appeared to be more than the usual amount of drama. My third rescue in less than a year and this was the first time such extremes were being taken. Horses in hidden locations and blah, blah, blah. Something about it was unsettling to me. Later on I was to find out that my gut feelings were justified.In later broadcasts, the reporter mentioned the horses were not all at the one Hope for Horses location she was reporting from. It only had limited space so the balance of the horses had been moved to still more other secret locations of volunteers for care.........As you will see later, this information is a contradiction to what was stated by Hope for Horses as being important to the "integrity" of this case.Shortly thereafter was the Region 5 mini convention along with a Board of Director's meeting. By then everyone on the board was aware of the confiscation of the entire herd because of the press coverage. Most at the meeting, however, knew nothing of the Arabian stallion or Rose Corey's involvement with the first two horses that had been confiscated.It was at that meeting my friend made her request for funds. She came with past and current pictures, vet reports, the works. The board gladly granted funds to help defray the cost of dressings and medications for this horse and left it open for more help in the future if necessary. Rose went home from the meeting and with the help of the local feed store, ordered (at cost....thank you King Feed) the supplies she needed to continue caring for the stallion. In addition to the supplies from King Feed there was a special item "appropriated" and altered to safely and properly support the horse's penis, a $130 mosquito net. It had taken being resourceful to something soft enough yet strong enough to do the job.And then out of the blue on Saturday, January 19, Animal Control informed my friend that they were coming to get the two horses. Despite Rose's objections claiming both veterinarians thought the animals should not be moved because of health issues, the county agency moved the horses anyway to a Hope for Horses designated location. The officials even threatened to arrest Rose if she didn't assist officers and relinquish the horses.As this time these horses had been in the care of my friend, Rose Corey, and her daughter, Kelsey, for 20 days. That was more than enough time for Rose and Kelsey to have given their hearts to these horses. Having the horses jerked away in this manner broke their hearts, not to mention what kind of jeopardy it may have been for the horses. These actions just really didn't make sense to those watching this story unfold.Bruce Smith wrote this article (his third in what turned out to be a long series) about these horses for the Eatonville Dispatch County pulls abused horses out of foster care, causing uproar The community was outraged at the treatment of these horses and the good Samaritans who had taken on the responsibility of the animals in the first place.I missed the article in the Dispatch. The next think I knew anything was amiss was when I asked Rose for an update at the next board meeting for the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association. It was then I was told the stallion and the foal had been removed from my friend's care. The only reason I remember being given was Hope for Horses had convinced our county officials having the horses in separate locations would jeopardize the case. The county officials not having any experience with such cases did what they thought they had to do with little regard for the welfare of the two horses. Not having horse savvy people involved in this process was obvious.For me, considering the condition these horses had arrived in, the recommendations of the vets and the care they had gotten it really didn't make much sense. It would seem to me you wouldn't want to be stressing horses who had been through such traumatic neglect by moving them again without it being for their own health purposes. This decision by the county made no sense to me particularly when Rose had already made it clear she was interesting in keeping these horses. Like I said, it made no sense to me............and it didn't make much sense to lots of other people either.Having been involved, albeit second hand, with rescues, I knew that most of the time herds seized are split up. My friend, Lilly, had housed one stallion out of a herd of around 50 because she was equipped to deal with a stallion. Finding facilities that can accommodate an entire herd just doesn't happen. It is the norm for horses to be spread out...........it sure hasn't hurt any of those cases. I know the horse with Lilly was found a new home and moved long after he had totally recovered from his neglect. Each one I have followed has ended with the owner's rights being terminated regardless of how many different places that herd went. Then there was that broadcast where it had been mentioned those horses were not all under one roof at the Hope for Horses facility. So much for they all need to be in one location for the integrity of a court case. So what's with that? Why was the health of these two horses jeopardized and what would become of them?To be continued.............The top two pictures of of the stallion's feet when Rose rescued him. The third picture is most of the supplies used to treat these two horses at Rose's.The Second RescueVisit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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A Different Sort of Rescue Story Part 2
Sun, 28 Dec 2008 03:09:00 +0000
Be Prepared the picture of the stallion is disturbing and graphic.Part 1First off, let me say that I am recounting this story as I remember it. I'm pretty sure I will make some mistakes and be going back to correct them later. Hopefully this case will have a direct impact on how rescue horses are handled in the future so bear with me as I try to sort through all the details and give you the real picture.I received an email with pictures about these horses within a day or two of their arrival at my friend's farm. I think from the start Rose could not stand not knowing who this Arabian stallion was. She made it her mission to find out who he was and where he'd come from.In an email from my friend, On Jan. 3rd, three days after we picked up Teddy and Valor, in a meeting with Pierce County Animal Control (PCAC)I was told we could adopt the 2 horses if the alleged abusers, after 15 days, did not post bond and no criminal charges were filed.During this same time that video posted on YouTube of the rest of the herd stuck and uncared for in those muddy paddocks had caused a huge uproar. The resulting public outcry was difficult to ignore.There was so much back lash over those poor starving horses that the county was forced to take action. Unfortunately our county is not set up with a plan to deal with horses needing rescue. Our animal control agency has no clue about horses, let alone their care or resources to even find the appropriate information. Somehow they found and hired Hope for Horses.Again in an email from my friend The other 13 horses were impounded on January 7th one week later. Those all went to Hope For Horses.I actually saw the 2 horses at Creekwood Farm about a week later. I was there for a board meeting for the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association. We couldn't help but talk about these horses and their situation at the meeting. Afterward we went to the barn to actually see them.While there, the stallion was turned out into the arena for exercise so we could see how he was beginning to play. I remember clearly the way I felt as I saw this seriously under weight horse turned loose. My feelings were all over the place between feeling angry at what had been done to this horse, sorrow that any horse should have to live through such a thing and relief he was finally safe and responding so well. While I personally have limited experience caring for a rescue horse that had been starved, I have friends very active in the rescue movement with loads of hands on experience. Through them I have seen and experienced enough to be informed about rescues and their needs. I know first hand that the pictures never show how really bad the horses are. I also know what to expect in their recovery. How different horses respond in different ways and have different needs. Because of that I am aware of what the horses go through (both physically and emotionally) and the people who help them as well. Watching this Arabian stallion in the arena I could see how happy this horse was to finally be getting the attention he believed he was due. Despite still being terribly thin, the horse strutted his stuff, tossing his head and moving about the arena trying to show us onlookers how cool he was. His regal carriage and charisma shone through despite his protruding ribs, exposed hips and infected penis. This horse was emotionally responding to the loving care he was getting. Physically there were also visible changes. There was a marked improvement in his weight. He was clean from head to toe. Also there was less redness and swelling in his penis. The horse's penis was requiring very special treatment. Not only was the horse getting antibiotics, there were dressing changes several times a day. After the penis was cleansed and treated, it was tied up with a support to help protect the sensitive nerves. Without that support the added weight of the horse's infected penis flopping around could cause irreversible nerve damage. If the horse suffered nerve damage he would be unable to ever retract his penis. Not many people want to own male horses with their genetalia hanging all the time. It was extra important that this issue be dealt with faithfully for the well being of this horse.The costs of this treatment were astronomical. Just the amount for bandages along was through the roof. Since I sat on the Region 5 Arabian Horse Association Board of Directors and have been involved in appropriating money to help with the rescue of Arabian horses, I advised my friend to request funds for the care of this horse. We went over what she would need to make that request at the upcoming board meeting.During that visit I also looked at the other horse in his stall.When he'd first arrived he was afraid of humans. Out in the field they had rescued him from it had taken them hours to even catch him to take him in the first place. The teenage daughter had made this little horse her pet project. Through many hours of loving care she had convinced him that she was worthy of being trusted. Now he walked right up to us, total strangers, to see what we had for him. In this short time it was remarkable that he'd decided maybe people weren't so bad after all.I looked at this foal evaluating him with the kind of eye a breeder who cares about foals would do. He was smaller than my Arabian horse twins had been at this age. His poor little legs went in every direction. Because of my experience with the twins, I easily recognized the symptoms of the angular limb deformity this foal suffered. Just as my twins' issues with development in utero had been affected by lack of nourishment, this foal had suffered similar issues because of his malnourished dam. Although the lack of proper nourishment had different causes, the end result was the same. The symptoms associated with premature or dysmature foals were definitely present in this little horse. The short stature and angular limb deformities of this foal were part of those. Unlike my twins, this foal had received no medical assistance, proper nourishment or care for this issue since his birth. Now that he was rescued it was late to be starting on these things. My friend and I talked some about those issues, their cause and prognosis. It would be a long road for this horse as well.To be continued............Photo credit on the top photo of the appy/qh foal (Teddy) goes to Bruce Smith of the Eatonville Dispatch. The second photo (Valor) was taken by Rose Corey of Creekwood FarmAnother SeizureVisit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY
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