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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
| |
-
CSS &
SWAP IN THE NEWS (ARTICLES AND NEWS RELEASES)
"The man (or woman) who wins may have been counted out several times, but
he didn't hear the referee."
H. E. Hansen
Horse adoption: Is it right for you? (Dallas, TX Examiner)
The term “pet adoption” usually conjures up thoughts of cuddly kittens
and frisky pups with their new pet bowls and brightly colored collars. While
I have taken in plenty of those critters, my favorite adoptee is a big bay
mare named Miss B. My adventure in horse adoption started six years ago when
I decided to bring another equine in my life after being without for two
decades. I wanted a good, rideable horse, but also felt a strong need to
give a homeless animal a second chance. So I searched the Internet for
adoption opportunities.
There are several good horse adoption operations in Texas and Oklahoma
(check out Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue in Jones, Okla., at http://www.blazesequinerescue.com),
but I got my horse from the Second Wind Adoption Program (SWAP) at Crossed
Sabers Stable in West Union, West Va. (http://www.crossedsabers.com). SWAP
does rehab abused and neglected horses, but the organization is best known
for placing horses in homes on behalf of concerned owners who want to ensure
their pets or retired show partners will never go to auction.
If you go to the Crossed Sabers Web site, you can see a photo of me on my
Standardbred mare, B Isadore, under white type that reads: Horses Available
for Adoption. Miss B, as she is known, is the one standing on the pedestal
in true trick-horse style.
Not in the Family Business
Miss B was the offspring of two harness-racing horses. In fact, her dad
won nearly a million dollars. But B had other career plans. Due to her lack
of interest in running fast and winning money, she was donated to SWAP by a
caring owner. I saw her on the Internet (photos and video), filled out the
adoption application, received approval and had B shipped to me sight
unseen. Other people I know have purchased horses online without seeing them
in the flesh. I’m unaware of any disappointments via this practice, but
looking back, I would not do that again. Fortunately, I was dealing with
honest individuals who were upfront about B’s health and personality, and
what I received was what I was promised.
B’s adoption fee was $1,200 and shipping her to Texas was another $1,000.
I could have easily purchased a local equine for that amount, but I was
determined to adopt. Other agencies have adoption fees in the $300-500
range. If you can transport the horse yourself, you will save a lot. My name
is listed on Miss B’s papers with the U.S. Trotting Association, but
legally, she will always belong to SWAP. I cannot sell her, trade her or
give her away. If for some reason I can no longer keep her (heaven forbid),
she must be sent back to SWAP, where she would be re-homed. Every June, I am
required to complete a brief report on her health, current status, etc. and
send it to SWAP. Many agencies have similar policies and maintain contact
with the adopters during the life of the horse.
Not Ready to Ride
In 2004, Miss B was three years old and knew how to pull a cart, a skill
no one in Texas cared about. I wanted a trail horse, so she went into
training within a month of moving to her new home, and I didn’t take my
first ride until nine months later. Going slow was the only way to go. I was
an aging Baby Boomer who hadn’t ridden in 20 years, and she was a green
horse (another combination I would not recommend).
One researcher claims that riding a horse is 20 times more dangerous than
riding a motorcycle, so safety is always a priority. To this day I never
ride without wearing a helmet. Yes, I look like a major geek, but I’m
guarding the few brain cells I have left. Fortunately, the helmet has not
been needed to protect me from falls off Miss B, but it comes in handy when
riding under low tree branches that I fail to notice.
Riches and Rewards
For the first couple of years, B was rather aloof. I think she took a lot
more time checking me out than I did her. It took patience, natural
horsemanship training and a move to a non-show, boarding facility for B’s
personality to slowly emerge. Now in a relaxed environment, we ride and
train together. We share trail rides and play arena games. She picks up
tricks quickly, can smile on command, will stand and turn 360 degrees on a
pedestal and follows me at liberty around in the arena – even over jumps (of
course, she’s the superior jumper). I make her do stretches for her carrots,
and sometimes she will tell me when it is time to stretch. Often we simply
stroll around the farm where she lives. She eats grass as I marvel at her
magnificent beauty. I guess it’s something of a love affair.
We have horsey friends and friends who have horses. I go to seminars,
workshops and horse conventions (I’m especially fond of the ones with horse
“malls” featuring new products). Occasionally, B and I go to training
clinics. Buying saddles is like buying shoes used to be, but more expensive
(“Gee, I don’t have one like that!”). Hoof supplements and worming
medications are topics of tremendous interest.
Today’s economy has made unwanted and abandoned horses as commonplace as
springtime cat litters, and horse adoption programs around the country are
full to the brim. If you are thinking of adding a horse to your family,
consider adoption. It can be a rewarding experience, and somewhere out there
is a horse that will thank you in his own special way.
-
Omni was written up this
past week in the Chronicle of the Horse. Thought you would like the article.
The article in the magazine is a little longer and there is an additional
picture. Enjoy!
- Fairmont Youth Raises Money for Adoption Horses and Rescue Program
- Alma, WV. Eight Year old Taylor Miller, a third grader of Fairmont
Catholic Grade School decided to do something different this year for her
birthday. Instead of having her friends and family to give her presents or
toys, she asked them all to make donations for the Second Wind Adoption
Program. She then collected all the donations and went to Southern States
and Tractor Supply to get all the stuff she knew horses would need for
good care and for their help and rehabilitation and delivered them all to
the Second Wind Adoption Program in Alma, WV, very proud of her work and
rightly so, she had several bags full of supplies that the horses need and
use on a daily basis.
- The Second Wind Adoption Program does adoption, rescue and rehabilitation
and rehoming of horses when their owner can no longer keep them for
various reasons like divorce, family illness, change of job, moving.
Currently Second Wind is housing 42 horses at the Program headquarters in
Alma, WV and another 16 in foster homes located all over the country.
Second Wind currently has 21 horses that came from two cruelty cases in
Lewis County right here in WV but horses are sent to the Alma Headquarters
from as far away as California, Canada, Florida, Texas and New England. To
date, Second Wind has put 65 different breeds of horses into homes in 45
of the 50 states and Canada, horses from every background and profession,
from Olympic riders to clear across the spectrum to horses that are seized
for abuse or neglect.
- Second Wind's Executor, Celeita Kramer feels that there are no bad
horses.... only horses that need some help or need a different home. Being
that having horses can be expensive and take a lot of time to take care
of, as much as $2000. or more a year, not counting boarding so anytime a
family with horses has a family crisis, the horses in the family are most
likely displaced and need to find another home. Traditionally that happens
several times over the course of a horses lifetime. Sadly as many as
120,000 US horses end up in slaughter to be sold as a delicacy in European
and Asian countries, these are not old, crippled or so called 'troubled
horses' but young healthy sound kind animals that could be a valued family
member helping to teach kids responsibility, keeping kids out of trouble,
giving them lots of exercise that keeps them moving and grounded.
- Kramer is exceptionally proud of Taylor Miller because she thought of
someone or something else that needed her instead of thinking of herself
during her birthday celebrations. If a child of 8 years old is giving so
much when they have so little to give (or they think they have so little
to give), just think what she will do when she is an adult. Kramer has
seen over and over again the kids like Taylor who have come to volunteer
or give to the horses, who come and do internships during the summer,
working hard all summer long with no pay just to help horses, these kids
become the most successful in life, they become adults that we need more
of in our community, our state and country. These kids get so much more
in return, even more than the horses because they learn the art of giving
and caring for others. They learn to look around and stop thinking about
'what's in it for me' and they start thinking about 'how can I help, how
can I make this better'. It truly can change a child's life. It really is
a win-win situation because kids, young adults and animals are better
because everyone has seen a need and just wanted to help. In the long run,
the horses end up in great forever homes and the people are totally
changed forever. Bravo Taylor Miller for being our hero!!
- Anyone interested in adopting a horse from Second Wind or interested in
helping them help horses can go to their website at
www.crossedsabers.com or email
secondwindadopt@aol.com or call 304-758-2384 or 2471 or visit the farm
on Rt. 18 in Alma, WV.
- Questions about Taylor and her gift can be addressed by her mother Karie
Hardy at 304-363-5915. SWAP and Taylor are available for interviews.
-
Practical Horseman did an article on SWAP
Adoption Horse, Center Stage "Hero" and his life as an
- adoption horse and a successful event horse.
Practical Horseman, March of 2006 (Its on the back inside cover)
-
-
just click on the picture to see the large view of the article
-
Hear the PBS radio broadcast about our horse adoption
program:
- Horses get second chance on
Doddridge farm - 11/01/05
By Emily Corio
There’s a farm in Doddridge County that gives horses a second chance. Some
are left by - well intentioned owners and some are rescued from neglect and abuse.
Race horses,
- show horses, and ponies all end up there. Their shelter is called Second
Wind Adoption
- Program.
-
(click on the speaker to the left or the link below, then click on the
speaker there, turn
- up your volume on your computer and enjoy!!)
- Here's a link to the story if you can't get the
speaker above to work:
- Ladies Home Journal Article (October 2005) copyright LHJ
- just click on the picture to see the large view of article
-
- Ladies Home Journal – October 2005
Animal Affairs
By: Jeanne Marie Laskas
Loving Enough To Let Go
After a four-year attempt to make peace, I knew it was time to say good-by to
Cricket, our chestnut mare.
- It wasn’t her fault. I wasn’t our fault. We were
just not meant to be.
Cricket was my present to my husband on our wedding day in 1997. We had just
moved into our Pennsylvania
- farm, and he had always wanted a horse, as had I.
When she arrived, everyone stood around in awe of Cricket’s
- distinctive beauty.
With the lean physique typical of the American saddlebred, she had a white star
on her nose,
- one white foot and a velvety coat. Billy, the guy who sold her to
us, took her for a ride, and we actually gasped
- as she cantered. She was the
supermodel of horses.
Alex and I knew nothing about horses except, in due time, that Cricket was . . .
high-strung. The first time Alex
- tried to ride her, she took off at a gallop –
with him hanging on for dear life—straight down the hill and into the
- barn. He
would have gotten his head lopped off had he not leaped off just before she
reached the barn door.
- (He broke a rib in the fall.) I yelled at Cricket, “Hey,
you’re a wedding present!” She looked at me, cocking her
- head smugly. That, at
least, was how I interpreted it. What I would later learn is that Cricket most
likely had
- something entirely different on her mind: “Look, I’m terrified of
this joint. I need someone who knows how to
- take care of me, and you ain’t it.”
Trainers who came by to five us lessons said, “Whoa. She’s too much horse for a
beginner.” We were told to
- trade in our touchy American saddle-bred for some
reliable old nag, a horse that wouldn’t be afraid of us as we
- learned how to
ride.
We did eventually get a reliable old nag, but we kept Cricket. She had become a
friend, despite her neurotic
- habits. We hung in there for those four years,
hoping something would happen to our horsemanship, or to her,
- that would make
for an easier relationship. In time Cricket was calm enough to let me brush her,
braid her mane
- and accept carrots. But neither Alex nor I were ever confident
enough to ride her. As a result, she grew “barn sour,”
- terrified of leaving the
barn. One day, as we watched Cricket languish in the paddock, we agreed we
weren’t doing
- right by her. “She deserves a better life,” Alex said.
I put an ad in the paper but found myself mistrusting every person who came by.
How do you let your “child” go
- live at someone else’s home? I felt horrible for
failing Cricket, and trapped by the knowledge that to keep her would
- be to fail
her even further.
Then one day, I saw an online site advertising the Second Wind Adoption Program,
headquartered in West Union, West
- Virginia. I wasn’t, as it turned out, alone.
Celeita Kramer, 48, is dedicating herself to people like me or more accurately,
- to their horses. I learned that there are scores of people who don’t know how to
part with perfectly good horses. People
- with retired racehorses, police and show
horses. People suffering family hardships, with the horse falling through the
cracks.
- People like my husband and me, who fell in love with a horse that
happened to have capabilities beyond ours.
Kramer is attuned to the feelings people have for horses. “They aren’t like dogs
that will just love you automatically,”
- she says. “You have to work to earn a
horse’s trust. Once you do, it’s a bond for life. So many people feel this, and
so
- many are unable to keep their horses. There was a real need.”
So she became a matchmaker of sorts, determined to do something about the
tragedy befalling thousands of horses
- that end up being sold at livestock
auctions, like so many nameless cattle.
She launched Second Wind Adoption in 1997, and so far she has placed more than
1,000 horses. The animals are offered
- for “adoption,” not “sale,” and for a
fraction of the cost they’d fetch on the open market. But there’s a catch:
People must
- sign a 14-Page contract that protects the horse for life and
stipulates annual follow-ups. And if the match doesn’t work out,
- adopters must
return the horse to Second Wind.
It was the answer to my prayers.
The trailer arrived on a Friday. Cricket was so reluctant to go, so scared. I
sat on a stump and sobbed, feeling glad
- only that Alex wasn’t home to have to see
this. I offered Cricket a carrot through the slats. “I know you don’t
understand
- any of this, girl, but I’m doing this
because I love you,” I said. She was too freaked out to even accept the
carrot.
Soon after I checked the Second Wind Adoption Web site and there was Cricket’s
picture, with the description I had - written. “Needs an experienced rider. A good
girl who wants to show her stuff.”
When her picture was removed a few weeks later, I know something had happened.
Then I got a letter. It was addressed
- from Manchester, Ohio, and was on blue
stationery with little horse drawings running up and down it: “My name is Katie
- Rigdon. I am 16 years old and I adopted Cricket. I wanted you to know I loved
her the moment I saw her.”
Katie provided a phone number, so I called her right away. She told me that
Cricket was, to her, a miracle. An accomplished - rider, Katie had six other
horses at her family’s farm, but her one special horse, Weasel, the one she
considered to be her
- best friend, had just died. When she saw Cricket’s picture
online, she nearly fell over. Cricket looked exactly like Weasel.
When Katie first road her, Cricket too off like the maniac she was. But Katie
wasn’t afraid. The challenge of taming Cricket
- thrilled her. By the time I spoke
to Katie, she was already grooming Cricket for shows. “She’s the answer to my
prayers,”
- she told me. That was four years ago. I still hear from Katie from
time to time. “Now I’m thinking of breeding her,”
- she told me. “I thank she’d be
a great mom!”
“Aw, Cricky,” I thought, staring at the picture of her I keep on my desk. “This
is the happiest ending I could have ever
- imagined for you.”
Kramer is used to these sorts of endings. “I just love it when I know a horse is
going into a family,” she said. “Especially
- a teenage girl. She’ll always
remember the horse that taught her to build a relationship, to protect and
cherish it.”
I know about that now, too, thanks to Cricket, the horse I could love only by
saying good-bye.
- US Treasure Department highlights SWAP executor to kick of their Combined
Federal Campaign for Charties (October 2005)
-
If anyone is a government employee or just wants to
help our cause, you can give through the Combined Federal
-
Campaign or through United Way by designating the
Second Wind Adoption Program as your Charity of choice.
-
This is easily done at your employers HR or payroll
office or you can call United Way directly and give them our
-
information (name and address).
-
We were luckily enough to be highlighted this year by
the Treasury Department on their website, who is kicking
-
off their CFC campaign and charity drive.
-
A special thanks to volunteers and adopters Mark and
Mary Daggett for passing our story on. Its really hard for
-
me to look at this
article without remembering my mentor Evelyn Duhr, that opened up this great
big world of horses
-
to me, she was a great lady and a real friend.
Unfortunately the website is only accessed by government employees
-
but the story is below.
-
Thank you all for your continued friendship and
support. Celeita
-
Celeita Kramer, Wonder Woman!
- This story is about a woman whose
reputation for fairness is just about larger than life. She is Celeita Kramer,
- from West Union, WV, and she runs a horse
farm. Sounds nondescript, doesn’t it? Her story is anything BUT
- that. She is solely responsible for saving
the lives of thousands of horses and even a few hundred dogs and
- cats along the way, for that matter.
-
- Celeita owns and operates the nonprofit
Crossed Sabers Stable in West Union, about 35 miles from Clarksburg,
- which she
opened in the summer of 1996. She has carried on an idea about horse adoption
with the [also nonprofit]
- Second Wind Adoption Program (SWAP) in 1998 begun by a
former mentor, Evelyn Duhr. SWAP was extended
- nearly worldwide in response to the
increasing need to give all horses safe and healthy homes, whether they are
- retired from the international racing or
show worlds, or just a mixed breed from down the street. This great program
- today is mostly the brainchild of Celeita
Kramer, whose own life ranges from being the girl next door to being an
- intercontinental woman of some celebrity
herself.
-
- She was born in Huntington, WV, the youngest
daughter of four.She always had a soft spot for animals that were
- lost or hurt, often targeting friends and
family as the ultimate destination for her furry friends.
-
- Once out of high school, Celeita went on to
obtain an extensive education, as a civilian and as a member of the Armed
- Forces. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science, ROTC, and Art from West
Virginia State College at Institute, WV in
- 1980, and then a Masters of Science
in Aviation Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach,
- Florida. In between those two and since then, she’s attended many classes from
Aerospace Marketing & Business
- Development to US Army National Guard Battle
Focused Instructor Training at Camp Dawson, WV, to US Army Command
- and General
Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. She has a certificate in equine sports
massage therapy from a
- course in Loveland, Colorado in 1997 and a got her FAA
Rotary Wing Commercial Pilot with Instrument Training license in
- 1981. She took
training as a PADI qualified open water, advanced open water, and rescue scuba
diver in 1991. These are
- a few of the more tame classes she’s taken.
-
- She also took a US Army Aviation Water
Survival Course on the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, in the South
Pacific.
- And, more to the point of this story, she
took Equine Breaking and Training Course and Equine Horseshoeing and
- Farrier Certification at the Oklahoma
Horseshoeing School in Oklahoma City! This means she can break the horses in,
- train them, and be her farm’s own
blacksmith as well. Versatility at its best!
-
- She’s also a member in many organizations –
Army Aviation Association of America, American Helicopter Society,
- The 99’s – International Women Aviators,
the US Trotting Association, the US Equestrian Team, and USA Equestrian,
- to name but a few...
-
- Among her many awards and accomplishments are:
Awarded Army Aviator Wings (24th woman to ever earn military
- aviator wings);
First woman in Department of Defense to fly and test-fly the UH-60 Blackhawk
helicopter; Over 14 years
- of incident and accident free Aviation Service and
3000 hours of flight time;and the Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award
- for saving a life using a UH-60 Blackhawk
-
- The list goes on and on with education and
accomplishments, not to mention jobs that Celeita has had, including being
- a
commercial helicopter pilot in the Marshall Islands; Army & Special Ops Program
Manager in Washington, DC; and
- Marketing Rep, Airborne Weapons Applications, GE,
in Burlington, VT. Her military assignments range from Williamstown,
- WV as a
Captain, Aeromedical Evacuation Pilot to 1st Lieutenant, US Army, Camp Humphreys,
and Korea.
-
- Besides her love of all animals, she enjoys
riding/teaching in all riding disciplines, watching and playing most team and
- individual sports, flying, traveling,
learning new things, enjoying all types of music, entertaining, writing, cross
country
- skiing, biking, dance, sailing, road
racing, biathlons and rollerblading.
-
- One of Celeita's most resilient qualities
is her ability to laugh, especially at herself and to make others laugh. With
all the
- things she's done in her life, she still
easily maintains her modesty. She talks of her constant mistakes; she
cherishes
- the skeletons in her closet because they
made her who she is. She will tell you her best quality is never being smart
- enough to know she couldn't do something.
After being around the world several times both in the military and as a
civilian,
- with thousands of experiences to tell, she
knows she was meant to be right here doing the work she does so well today.
- Celeita is responsible for all management
of stable and adoption program operations, strategic planning, logistics
administration, legal, accounting and fiscal affairs,
management of the internships and the training and foster parent program. She
is also an instructor/trainer, and a certified Equine
Sports Massage Therapist. She is regularly involved with multilevel
authorities in several states in prosecuting and removing
horses from abusers and is consistently used as a an expert witness by the legal profession with litigation centered
around the horse industry. She has been instrumental in influencing local,
state,
- and national laws on animal welfare, horses
and their minimum care, and anti-slaughter.
-
- Many of these foster homes will house and
care for a horse in transit from one owner to the Second Wind program, and
- then on to the permanent adopter. These
people provide a valuable service, especially when the cost of transporting
the
- horse would be prohibitive for whatever the
reason. They make the system continue to work, and work successfully.
- The Second Wind Adoption Program and
Crossed Sabers Stable are dedicated to their combined mission, to prevent
- animal abuse/neglect of all the equine
species and to recognize the need for rescue through adoption. They make up
- for the lack of state protection laws by
having adoption contracts that are involved and complex and that govern the
- care and use of each horse.
-
- For instance, the adopter is not allowed to
sell the horse. If they find that they cannot keep the horse for any reason,
- the animal is to be returned to the program
and adopted out again. It is a direct violation of the contract to sell any of
- the horses involved. They are not to be
exploited in any way.
-
- To that end, there are litigations that
arise from time to time. Right now, for instance, there is a woman in South
Carolina
- who adopted several of the horses over the
years and it has come to light that she is selling them. Since some of these
- horses either are or were prime racing
stock, prize-winning show animals, or of the most impeccable bloodlines, their
- value is great. But, when an adopter falls
to temptation and sells one of them, that person is in violation and can be
taken
- to court. The woman in South Carolina has
several aliases and tries to disguise the “paper trail” of the horses she’s
selling,
- but SWAP can identify and verify the
registration of each horse in their rosters and can present that information
in court.
- Each horse is marked with a SWAP insignia or
icon to identify it as a horse from this program. There can be no doubt.
- They
are freeze-branded in a process not painful to the horse. This type of branding
– also called cryobranding –
- essentially affects the hair follicles of
their coat and where placed, the dark colored horse will have the letters
S-W-A-P
- turn out with white hair, the lighter
horses will have the skin turn darker. Either way, it’s a definitive marking
that is registered
- and known all over the horse-business
world.
-
- Celeita believes that the adopters must
meet standards before being considered and she provides extensive training to
- them before they get the horse they want,
during the acquisition process, and after. There are several “testimonial”
e-mail
- messages repeated on her website that come
from excited or appreciative adopters. They will send her thank-you notes,
- pictures, updates on the horses and
questions about issues or concerns they may have. Celeita answers them all,
- remembering each horse and its temperament
or personality – this memory is an indicator of the deep devotion she has
- to the horses and the business they’ve
inspired.
-
- Second Wind is a national program
supporting the entire continental US and Canada. Their adopters come from
every all
- walks of life, blue and white-collar
workers, including professionals throughout the horse industry, family
situations and
- individuals. Annual incomes of these
adopters range as high as $1.3 million per year, but average around $75,000
per household.
-
- Interest is growing, too. The Crossed
Sabers/Second Wind website has had visitors from 103 different countries and
every
- continent to the website (www.crossedsabers.com),
totaling 5 million hits each month, according to the site host.
-
- Celeita doesn't want to turn away any horse
in need. However, last year 35,000 people went to her donor page for
information
- about putting a horse into the program and
she can only take between 150 and 300 at any one time, depending on how much
- money is available to care for them.
-
- When the horses are in her care, they are seen
by representatives of the medical world as well – veterinarian, farrier,
dentist,
- and so on. They work with each horse and the Stable/Program keeps
meticulous records. All the horses have a complete
- file on them comprised of birth records,
lineage, previous owners, special circumstances, current situation, feeding
needs,
- medical records, and markings/habits
peculiar to each animal. This information is kept at the business, but a CD is
made for
- each adopter with the same information on
it. Frequently, the previous owners want to know their horse has gone to a
good
- home, and Celeita makes an effort to keep
all parties informed. Not all horses are there as rescue animals; some are
lovingly
- placed there because conditions just were
not proper where they had been staying.
-
- Celeita’s group has placed gaited horses
and the south’s finest saddle horses into homes, as well as many Grand Prix
Show
- Jumpers (even one Nations Cup Winner) and
Grand Prix level Dressage horses. They even placed a horse that won an Olympic Silver Medal in show jumping and a horse
who won a Gold Medal in Dressage. Several horses have been placed that were trained by Olympic-level riders, even
horses that were owned by Breeders Cup Winners in the racing world. They
have also placed nationally ranked steeple chaser
horses and fox hunting horses from various hunt clubs.
-
- They have had the offspring of great sires
find lasting, happy homes through the Second Wind program: Secretariat, Man O’
War, Alysheba, Alydar, Buckley Boy, Blushing John, Chiefs Crown & Mr.
Prospector, for example, and the progeny of great sires in the Harness Racing
world: such as Albatross, Niatross, Abercrombie, On the Road Again, Jaguar Spur,
Meadow Skipper, Super Bowl & Bret Hanover
-
- Dedication
-
- The Second Wind Adoption Program is dedicated
to Evelyn Duhr who owned Second Wind Farm in Accokeek, Maryland.
- Evelyn ran the Standardbred Adoption Program for Maryland, from which Crossed Sabers adopted
it’s first horses, and began
- their appreciation for adoption programs. Evelyn
quickly became a good friend and mentor to Celeita’s stable and allowed the
- SWAP executor to adopt horses, when many
other programs had turned her away.
-
- Even though Celeita had a Masters degree in
Equine Management, she had never owned a horse. She had never been able to
- live her childhood dream of having a horse.
Evelyn was the only one that would give her a chance and took the time with
her,
- showing her how to make sure horses were
properly cared for.
-
- Evelyn died of cancer the summer of 1997. She
will always be remembered as a generous, caring woman who had the tenacity
- of a
bulldog, especially when it came to her Standardbred horses. She was always more
concerned for the horses in her
- program than anything else, including
herself.
-
- Evelyn was able to find loving homes for
hundreds of Standardbreds just coming off the race track, many that needed huge
- veterinary and therapy bills, all she
gladly paid. These horses went on to have productive happy lives as family
pets, pleasure
- and show horses in every discipline, and
excellent breeding stock
- .
- Evelyn Duhr was literally, a “Second Wind”
for Celeita. Her legacy lives on – today SWAP does not turn away first-time
owners
- who have no experience but looks for
someone who has a good heart and who is willing to learn. Everyone must start
his or
- her horse experience somewhere, which
Crossed Sabers staff understands. They are pro-education and will always help
every adopter to learn because the more the
adopter knows, the better and more enjoyable their horse experience will be.
Evelyn taught that first-hand.
-
SWAP Horse competing in the 2 Star Event at Jersey Horse Park starting this
Thursday!!
-
Center Stage, better known to most of our SWAP followers as Genuine
Hero, Donated out of California, at the
-
time an injured gray TB, adopted by Kristen Kelly of Ohio, sight unseen.
After rehab and slowing bringing him
-
back, he came back to competition and has continued to do well in
competition. Last year his rider and trainer,
-
Melissa Silverman joined in on the adoption of him, wanting to be a part of
his life forever. There is a video on
-
our video page on the web site from an event he won year before last.
-
Kristen tells the story with the smile about how Gold Medalist Eventer Karen
O'Connor offered to buy him, saying
-
he had all the talent to compete at 5 Star events and Kristen (of
course) gladly declined. I mean what would be a
-
better story to say that my $900. adoption horse won the 2 star event in
Jersey this week!!! It would be even a
-
better story if he were riding in Rolex (someday). This is a true testament
to these adopters, having a vision, taking
-
their time to allow the horse to get better and giving him every chance to
be his best, having set backs along the
-
way and working through them, always thinking about the horse and his
needs. We love all our horses dearly
-
but we love to see him excel and enjoy their talents and gifts.
-
They start with Dressage on Thursday and Friday, Cross Country on Saturday
and Stadium Jumping on Sunday.
-
Last year he was injured at this event so we are hopeful this year will be
much better.... We wish all the luck and
-
skill to Hero aka "Center Stage" at the New Jersey Fresh Start 2 Star Event
and his rider, trainer and adopter
-
Melissa Silverman. What an accomplishment to just make it to this level!!!
Everyone at SWAP will be right there
-
with you all weekend. Bravo!!
-
Here's a link to the web site that will keep everyone up to date all
weekend during the events:
-
here's a couple of pictures of Hero (Center Stage) from past competitions:
- Keep your fingers crossed for a safe, lucky and talented weekend
-
- **** Congrats to adopters Melissa Silverman and
Kristen
- Kelly and SWAP Adoption Horse Center Stage "Hero"
for
- coming in 4th place in the New Jersey 2 Star event,
Fresh
- Start!! YEA!! I'm sure we will be seeing this
horse in the Fair
- Hill 3 Star and maybe the 5Star Rolex someday. Bravo
for a
- job well done.
- Wild Wonderful West Virginia Magazine Article (February 2004)
-
By:
Judi Tarowsky
-
The soft
rustle of a plastic bag full of carrots evokes a predictable response in the
darkened barn.
-
Nearly 30 pairs of hopeful eyes focus intently over their stall
doors toward the source of the noise.
-
Nearly 30 inquisitive muzzles beckon the
visitor to bring those carrots over here, please, no, over
-
here!
until the horses at Crossed Sabers Stable in West Union settle to wait their
turn.
-
Confined
to their spacious stalls for the moment, these special horses are living the
good life. They
-
have all
been donated to the Second Wind Adoption Program headquartered at Crossed
Sabers
-
Stable.
Through the tireless efforts of program executor Celeita Kramer and her
volunteer crew,
-
these
horses will all be placed in good homes for the rest of their lives. They
live under the solemn
-
promise
that they will never be sold.
-
Kramer set out to establish
the Second Wind Adoption Program with the same dedication that led her
-
through
a cum laude bachelor's degree and a distinguished flying career in the U.S. Army.
The Huntington
-
native served for 23 years with the U.S. Army, Army Reserves
and Army National Guard as a helicopter
-
pilot, test pilot, Battalion Executive
Officer, Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Fielding Officer and Company
-
Commander.
She was the 24th woman to earn military aviator wings, and the
first to fly and test the
-
UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. She holds an FAA
Commercial pilot's
license with an instrument rating
-
and has over 3,000 flight
hours. She once flew for Pan American Airlines in the South Pacific.
-
Her military career led to
many honors. In 1995, she was the youngest woman to be inducted into the
-
West
Virginia Women's Hall of Fame by the West Virginia Women's
Commission and she is represented
-
in the Women's Military Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was awarded the Sikorsky
Rescue Award for
-
saving a life using a helicopter and she was chosen one of the 2,000 Most
Notable American Women.
-
When Kramer retired from the
army with the rank of Major, she found herself drawn to her childhood
-
dream of
owning a horse. She convinced the department chair at Salem-Teikyo University
to let her
-
enroll in the Education in Equine Science and Management graduate
program, although she had no
-
experience with horses. It will be some of the
hardest work you've
ever done, she was warned, but
-
she figured if she could pilot Blackhawk
helicopters, she could manage a master's
degree.
-
Upon completion, Kramer set
out to fulfill her childhood dream of owning a horse, and she inquired with
-
several programs about adopting. Despite the fact that she had
completed master's level equine studies, no one
-
would let her adopt, citing a lack of hands-on
experience. Finally, Evelyn Duhr, who owned Second Wind
-
farm in Maryland for
the adoption of Standardbreds, agreed to let Kramer adopt a horse. As Kramer
-
developed Crossed Sabers Stable as a training stable, Duhr became her mentor.
When Duhr died of
-
cancer in 1997, Duhrs
daughters encouraged Kramer to continue their mother's work. Kramer picked up
-
the reins of the Second Wind Adoption Program and expanded it
to take in all breeds. By 2000, Second Wind
-
Adoption Program had become a not for profit organization. Now
more than 850 horses of more than 58 breeds,
-
all ages and all training levels, have been placed in adoptive
homes.
-
Kramer points out that SWAP is
not a horse rescue operation.
Our operation is rescue prevention,
she says.
-
We place horses in a
new home before a rescue situation ever arises.
That is not to say, however, that
-
SWAP does not conduct rescues. A notable case involved 30
horses that were rescued when the owner
-
was poised to contact a slaughterhouse. In other cases, county
prosecuting attorneys will contact Kramer
-
to take in abandoned or seized horses. They, too, are placed
in loving homes.
-
In most
cases, horses come to SWAP because their owners can no longer care for them,
for a wide variety
-
of
reasons. Some owners physically may no longer be able to ride, or their
financial circumstances may
-
have
changed with a job loss or a divorce. In some instances the horses
themselves are no longer able
-
to
compete at the level the owners would like, or the owner may have advanced
in riding skills beyond the
-
horse's
capability. When a horse owner donates his or her horse, SWAP takes legal
ownership.
-
Adopters don't simply walk
into the barn at Crossed Sabers Stable and choose a horse on the spot. Each
-
adopter must submit a 29-page adoption application that assesses the adopter's
financial ability to take
-
care of the horse, the adopter's riding skill level, detailed information on where the horse
will be housed,
-
among other in-depth information. Once the adopter is
approved, he or she can browse through the
-
horses available for adoption
posted on SWAP's
website (www.crossedsabers.com) , and notify
Kramer
-
of their selection.
-
We highly recommend that the
prospective adopter visit the horse in person before making the final
-
decision,
Kramer says.
AIn this way we are
better assured that horse and adopter will be the right match.
-
When the right horse is found,
the adopter pays a fee which is 20 percent or below the appraised value
-
of the horse, unless SWAP is
running an adoption special. Most adoptions are below $1,000. The adopter
-
can provide his or her own
transport for the horse, or SWAP can arrange the details, with the adopter
paying
-
the fee.
-
SWAP is a
terrific way for a horse owner to find a good home for his or her equine
friend while opening
-
doors for
another hopeful horse owner without imposing a sizeable financial payout,
Kramer says.
-
If, for some reason, an
adoption does not work out, or the adopter can no longer take care of the
horse, it is
-
returned to Crossed Sabers Stable. It is SWAP policy to monitor
each horse's
placement, and the adopter is
-
expected to provide annual
medical and progress reports.
-
We want to be advocates for
the horse, and to assure the donors that their old friends are getting the
best
-
possible care, Kramer says.
-
Meanwhile the horses
awaiting adoption are all provided medical, dental and farrier care. A crew of
volunteer
-
interns
B
usually college students off for the summer help keep their charges groomed,
bathed, exercised and
-
fed. A volunteer trainer
will work with horses who might have new skills to learn as the horses
prepare for a
-
second career. A retired
pacing racer, for example, can be retrained for pleasure riding or dressage.
-
Until they are placed in new
homes, the horses enjoy the 125-acre complex at Crossed Sabers Stable, which
-
is located just outside West Union in a quiet hollow. During their turnout
times, the horses can frisk and graze
-
in 20 acres of fenced paddock. Kramer's house overlooks the complex, so she is always just steps away from
-
her charges, who include horses she herself has adopted. She knows what to
look for in an adopter.
-
The best
adopter has what I call the "want to", that desire to do what it takes
-
to make sure the horse gets the best possible home,
she says. Owning a horse is hard work. They get sick, they get
-
into what they're not supposed to and each has a unique personality. Horses
get up on the wrong side of the bed
-
some days, just like we do. We have to remember and respect
that.
-
Kramer
also recalls the desire for a horse she had as a young girl.
-
We know that many of our web
site hits come from young girls who absolutely must have a horse,
Kramer
-
concedes.
But our adoption rules state
that an adopter must be 25 years old and that parents are fully involved
-
in the adoption process when the
horse is intended for a child.
-
Making sure that the horses are
cared for at SWAP and placed with the right homes takes money, Kramer says.
-
On
the occasions that SWAP takes in a valuable horse a recent champion adoptee was
appraised at $100,000
-
the adoption fee from that placement can cover the bills for a
time. So, SWAP depends on
-
making successful adoptions, the volunteer help Kramer
receives and outright donations from other horse-lovers.
-
There were
some shaky months when SWAP's operating loan was in jeopardy unless Kramer could
pay
-
off a
substantial portion of the balance. She had been current on her payments,
but she believes that the agricultural
-
nature of
the operation made it appear as a risk to the bank. She appealed publicly
for help, and the resulting donations
-
literally
saved the farm.
-
Good horse people always come
through, Kramer says.
-
SWAP Donor
Mr. Davenport of Lexington, KY (who donated a Thunder Gulch son) won the Breeders
Cup. Bravo, Mr. Davenport, I know this is something you waited for all your
life. Congratulations!!
-
-
SWAP donor
and adopter, Howard Lewis, AHSA Horseman of the Year for 1977 is recognized by
the Chronicle for his years of service to the Hunter/Jumper world. Yea, Mr.
Lewis.... We love you!!
-
-
The Michael Plumbs Horse Journal Highlights SWAP
- Indiana State Trail Riding Publication
- HORSE ADOPTION DONATION PROGRAM
- By: Chris & Nanci Riehl (donor and adopter)
- We would like to share with everyone a wonderful horse
organization that we recently learned about. We had a horse, Vegas, that has
been plagued by allergies since we moved from KY to IN. Finally, his condition
got so bad that our vet said that he had to get out of Indiana for his health.
We had no idea how to go about helping this horse. Our vet told us about “The
Second Wind Adoption Program” which is located in West Union, WV. We e-mailed
them and explained our problem to them. They were absolutely fantastic. They
rapidly accepted Vegas into their program. We brought him to their facility on
Nov 10th. We had a great visit. They had approximately 35 well
cared for and groomed horses all in need of homes. Vegas was placed into a big
12’ by 12’ stall. He did not cough or sneeze all afternoon.
- That evening, we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast and the
owner overheard us talking Horses – a usual point of conversation with us, and
invited us to a horse auction. We told her “Why go to the Auction, there are
good horses available for adoption 10 minutes away, at a reasonable fee?” She
was looking for a horse that she could occasionally ride and keep a companion
for other horse. We told her about Vegas. She said she would check it out
- The Second Wind people e-mailed us back two days later
and said that the area seemed to agree with him and that they found a local
couple, the Bed and Breakfast people, who had a 55 acre farm and that they
wanted to adopt Vegas. He was adopted and brought to his new home on Thursday,
Nov 15th. We agreed that that would be a good home for him.
- The thing about this program is that we will always know
where Vegas is and how he is doing. We can contact the adopters and keep track
of him through the program. Also, if his adopters for some reason can no longer
keep him, he goes back into the program to be re-adopted. He will always have a
home with the Second Wind Adoption Program. They are always getting new horses
donated to them that need homes. We think this organization is an awesome
resource for horses and horse people. A horse can be donated and always have a
home as opposed to being sold and not knowing the whereabouts of the horse and
what kind of treatment he is getting. If we had sold Vegas at an auction and he
remained in Indiana, chances are that he would have had a limited future. We
wouldn’t know.
- If you are looking for a new horse, they have lots of
wonderful horses. We want to adopt from this organization. We are just waiting
for the right one to come along. Celeita Kramer runs "The Second Wind Adoption
Program" which located at Rt. 2 Box 24 A Jockey Camp Rd., West Union WV 26456.
Their Website is
www.crossedsabers.com. We were truly impressed by the knowledge and
professionalism of the staff and encourage you to check out their website, it is
enjoyable reading.
- NEWS RELEASE FY 2001
-
Hello. My name is
Omnibus. I am a 25-year old Selle Francais who would like to tell you a story
if you have a minute...
-
I
came to the United States in 1994 to be a Grand Prix show jumper. I was
very good and won the Nations Cup. The best part about it was my owner
McLain gave me my favorite treat for a job well done - a Boston crème
donut! Yum!
-
I
competed for many years, but when I began to age and couldn't keep up I was
retired. Life in retirement was nice, but I missed the excitement of
having people around, of being groomed, and all the traveling. Erika at
Castle Hill knew I was bored and suggested to McLain that I be sent to Crossed
Sabers Stable and the Second Wind Adoption Program (SWAP) where they could find
me a new home, a new family and an easier job. I guess you could say she
wanted me to find my second wind...
Things were very laidback at Second Wind. Christina called it
"natural" training and handling, but that didn't mean much to me. All I
knew was we were all very happy. The staff got to know each of us as
individuals and knew what to do to keep us comfortable! When I wasn’t
feeling well, they wrapped my legs with yucky white stuff just like they used to
do at Castle Hill after big competitions. The vets, Mike and Vance
came to see us regularly, and Don made my feet comfortable. I had several
turnout buddies and 127 acres to roam.
-
Every week new horses would come and go from Second Wind and every week I
watched my friends go out to meet their new families. I was always happy
for them and anxiously waited for the day my new family would finally arrive.
-
When my day finally came, it was Rena and John Bouchel, who they say had been
waiting for the perfect SWAP horse for quite sometime. Rena was an
eventing fan who had also done some fox hunting. She was impressed that I
had won the Nations Cup and she
loved my roman nose. She said I had a kind eye and brought me
carrots when she visited. I think it was love at first sight. Thank
goodness she wasn't looking for a horse to jump and just wanted me to give her
family leisurely rides. I knew I could do that job and so did the staff at
SWAP.
-
Today my life at the Bouchel Farm is filled with a different type of retirement.
I have a huge, beautiful pasture with lots of grass and new friends, Gracie and
Buck. Gracie had a foal recently so I often get to baby sit.
We all get to go to local parades and out on the trail with Rena and her
girlfriends. And, John and I often ride through the beautiful West
Virginia countryside just enjoying the scenery. I’ve been truly
blessed with great people. I loved my life with McLain, going to all those
places and being in the spotlight, but I am glad I got my second wind because I
am happy with my new family and my new job.
-
The word at the barn is Second Wind Adoption needs help. All I know is
this, the farm was very important to me. They were there when I needed
them and even more importantly they were there for my friends Jag, Snapper, Levi
and Karashell - horses who might not have had a chance without Crossed Sabers
and their farm.
-
I’ve heard it over and over again - Second Wind is
rescue prevention.
Their goal is to find loving homes for horses before they find themselves in
neglectful or unhappy situations. Even though they are rescue prevention,
my friend Levi told me they never, ever turn away a horse in need. He said
they’ve had 1000 horses representing 61 breeds from all over the United States
and Canada pass through their barn doors since 1998. So, won’t you help
Second Wind Adoption by sending a donation? I’m asking you
to help them so they can continue to help horses like me find homes.
-
They have a website that explains it all. You can visit it at:
http://crossedsabers.com/
Or, your donation can be sent to Second Wind Adoption Program, RR 2 Box 24A
Jockey Camp Road, West Union, WV 26456.
Thank you,
-
Omnibus
-
NEWS RELEASE FY 2000
-
West Virginia Horse Adoption Program goes International
-
Over 400 horses have been adopted through the Second Wind Adoption Program
sponsored by Crossed Sabers Stable since October 1998, 80 the first year, 131
horses adopted last year and over 200 this year. Here’s just a few of the
interesting facts about the program and its horses:
-
·
80% are mares and geldings of
all ages with the other 20% being made up of stallions, colts, and fillies.
82 % of the horses have been registered, 29 horses were imported (4 from New
Zealand, 2 from Canada, 1 from England, 3 from France, 4 from Holland, 2 from
Sweden and 12 from Germany). 73 of the horses were gaited, several were Grand
Prix Show Jumpers, 2 horses that were competed in 3rd level Dressage,
one Grand prix and one pre St. George level dressage horse, one horse that was
trained & ridden by a person that won an Olympic Silver Medal in show jumping
and one horse that was trained & ridden by a person that won a Gold Medal in
dressage, several horses have been placed that were trained by Olympic level
riders. The program has also placed horses from nationally ranked steeple
chasers, fox hunting horses from various hunt clubs, including one huntsman’s
horse.
-
·
The program has helped the
progeny (sons and daughters) of great sires in the Thoroughbred world find
stable, happy homes through their program; such as Secretariat, Man O’ War,
Alysheba, Alydar, Buckley Boy, Blushing John, Chiefs Crown & Mr. Prospector and
the progeny of great sires in the Harness Racing world such as Albatross,
Niatross, Abercrombie, On the Road Again, Jaguar Spur, Meadow Skipper, Super
Bowl & Bret Hanover go through our program to wonderful careers after harness
racing.
-
·
40 Different breeds have come
through the program (173 Thoroughbreds, 64 Standardbreds, 19 Quarter Horses, 4
Oldenburgs, 10 Appaloosas, 1 Belgian Warmblood, 3 Selle Francais, 6 Dutch
Warmbloods, 1 Shire, 6 Welsh Ponies, 2 Paso Fino, 4 Peruvian Paso, 1
Chincoteague Pony, 3 Anglo Arab, 21 Arabians, 1 Arappaloosa, 2 Morgans, 5 Tenn.
Walking Horses, 1 Azteca, 2 Mustang, 2 Palomino, 2 Pinto, 2 National Show
Horses, 8 Hanovarians, 1 Buckskin, 2 Paints, 4 Trakehners, 2 Norwegian Fjords, 1
Hackney pony, 6 American Saddlebreds, 2 Westphalian, 2 Swedish Warmbloods, 1
Spanish Norman, 3 misc. warmblood crosses, 1 Mecklinburg, 1 Lippazzan, 1
Irish Draught, 10 Appendix Quarter Horses, 1 Canadian Thoroughbred, 4 misc.
Quarter Horse crosses, 2 Sport Horses, and one Thoroughbred Rhinelauden).
-
·
Second Wind has rescued 86
horses that had been abused/abandoned/neglected by their original owner,
including one grandson of Secretariat. They have also placed 123 dogs and cats
into homes, most of which were pulled out of shelters the day before kill day.
-
·
Second Wind is an
inter-national program supporting the entire continental US and Canada. Their
adopters come from every profession, both blue and white collar workers
including professionals throughout the horse industry, family situations
and individuals, with annual incomes ranging as high as 900k per year, but
averaging around 75k per household.
-
·
Second Wind has had a total of
89 million visitors to their web site since November 1999 (www.crossedsabers.com).
-
Adoption is a new concept in the horse world but
Crossed Sabers and the Second Wind Adoption Program has certainly found it to be
badly needed and wanted throughout the horse industry and with everyone who owns
horses.
-
NEWS RELEASE FY 1998
-
CROSSED SABERS STABLE
HAS TRAINING CLINIC AND CHRISTMAS PARTY TO END 1998 SCHEDULE
-
Crossed Sabers Stable is having
two educational and fun events coming up. First, a three day
Breaking and Training Clinic will be held November 21- 23 from 9am to 4pm
daily for the price of $150. The fee includes all classroom materials,
equipment, daily lunch, and full participation in the hands-on portion.
To audit the clinic (watching during hands on training) it’s $75.
Celeita Kramer, owner of Crossed Sabers Stable and a student from the Graduate Program at Salem-Teikyo University,
Equine Science and Management Program, will teach the entire clinic.
She learned her breaking and training techniques in Oklahoma City, from Kenny
Stephenson, who trained under John Lyons, Pat Purelli, and Tom Dorrance.
The clinic is 30% classroom work and 70% hands-on. Students may bring their own
horses to the clinic as long as they clean their stalls and provide feed for the
duration of the clinic. The training includes the following: the 4
personalities of a horse, how a horse learns, the training zones, the training
rules, the 7 stages of all breaking and training, the 8 principles of
horsemanship, the 10 qualities of a horseman, the rehabilitation of a spoiled or
problem horse, imprinting foals, the relationship between prey and predator,
lunging at liberty, halter breaking, leading, loading, standing tied, standing
calmly, ground tying, gentling, sacking out, bitting, flexion, collection,
ground driving, mounting and dismounting for the first time. Celeita
uses all natural techniques. The clinic is open to ages 15 and up.
Reservations are required and class size is limited, so call soon. Reduced
prices to attend the clinic have been set up for Doddridge Co. Riding Club and
S-TU Equestrian students (call for details).
-
The annual Christmas
Party and Open House will be held December 13th, from 12 noon until
8pm and will be $2 per person. There will be refreshments and a buffet, so
please bring a covered dish. We will also decorate the stable Christmas
tree. Free riding classes and demonstrations in different disciplines (Dressage,
Driving, Barrel Racing, Hunter over fences and Hunter on the Flat). We will also
have a demonstration from all of our current riding students (both English &
Western). Preventative measures (farrier, equine dentistry, sports massage
therapy) will be covered. Kids’ rides, stable tours, trail and hay rides will
also be offered. The night will end with a camp fire & “smores” galore,
where we will raffle off a one month Lease on one of the stable horses (valued
at $150., plus the stable covers all the costs, all the stable facilities and
tack use are free with the lease), raffle tickets are $5. each and you must be
present to win. The complete schedule will be published by December 1st.
Come and join the fun! Crossed Sabers Stable is located 3 miles off Rt. 50
between Clarksburg and Parkersburg at the Smithburg Exit. To obtain
information about these activities or any of the stables other services, call
304-873-3532 or 800-550-0101 (office) or 304-873-3030 (stable).
Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia)
- May 28 1997 Wednesday
- NOT JUST HORSING AROUND: Celeita
Kramer demonstrates the art of horse
- massage on her mare, Delilah.
-
Kramer, of West Union, Doddridge County,
- is a certified equine sports massage therapist. After enrolling in
the
- equine studies program at Salem-Teikyo University, Kramer bought a
- local stable and took a special course in horse massage. Above,
Kramer
- pats a grateful Delilah after the rubdown.
Charleston Daily Mail (West
Virginia)
- May 28 1997 Wednesday
- SECTION: News; Pg. P1D
LENGTH: 868 words,
HEADLINE: HORSES LIKE MASSAGES
AS MUCH AS PEOPLE DO
BYLINE: DAN LeROY
|
-
- WEST UNION - Celeita
Kramer admits it sometimes makes
her husband
- jealous.
- But the horses love it.
- Kramer, a graduate student in Equine Careers and Industry
Management
- at Salem-Teikyo University in Harrison County, is a certified
- professional in the not-so-ancient art of equine sports massage
- therapy.
- Simply put, Kramer gives horse massages.
- "There are physical and mental benefits to massage, for horses
as well
- as people," said Kramer.
- "That's why my husband understands," she added with a smile.
- A few years ago, Kramer decided she wanted a change from her
career in
- the U.S. Army. Her love of horses provided an appropriate
diversion.
- Kramer enrolled in Salem's equine studies program, which
attracts
- students from across the country and around the world. And last
year,
- she and her husband, a Marine Corps recruiter, bought Crossed
Sabers
- Stable in West Union, Doddridge County.
- At the stable, Kramer offers horse boarding, breeding and
training
- services, as well as riding lessons and equestrian vacation
packages.
- She also offers horse massage, which is becoming a popular
service,
- she says.
- "I wanted to find out about (horse massage), because it seemed
that
- was a skill that might apply here and be marketable," Kramer
said.
- Kramer satisfied her curiosity by attending a three-week clinic
on
- equine sports massage in February at Loveland, Colo., just
north of
- Denver.
- The 180-hour course included a preliminary course in anatomy,
which
- she described as "awful."
- "They used all these Latin terms," Kramer joked.
- Nevertheless, she learned 13 different strokes to use during
massages.
- Daily work on horses also taught her to quickly identify
problems.
- "That palomino is really toed out," she said, pointing to a
horse
- trotting with an open-toed gait in a circle in his stall. "If
he does
- it a lot, it could cause muscular problems."
- While some owners realize when a horses has a muscular problem,
others
- are aware only that a horse "is developing an attitude," Kramer
said.
- When an owner contacts her, Kramer said, she first asks about
the
- horse's history.
- "What's the owner's objective for the horse? Is it going to be
- jumping? Running?" Kramer asked. "Horses will have different
bodily
- proportions, depending on what they're doing every day."
- Kramer then talks to the horse's veterinarian and farrier, and
goes to
- observe the horse in its natural environment.
- "I want to see how it moves and stands, see if it's protecting
its
- legs. Sometimes you can see them throw a hip up, so that's got
to be
- something muscular."
- Finally comes the laying on of hands. Kramer demonstrated on
Delilah,
- a chocolate-brown mare who is the leader of her herd.
- After tethering Delilah to a post in her stall, Kramer began
brushing
- the horse's coat. Brushing "establishes a bond with the horse.
They
- like it, and it helps them relax," Kramer said.
- "And you always try to have one hand on the horse at all
times,"
- Kramer explained. "You're protecting yourself - a horse can
sidekick
- like a cow can."
- Delilah apparently had no such urge. She stood patiently as
Kramer
- began rubbing her flank using effleurage - a long, smooth
stroke -
- while searching for knots in the muscles.
- Short, deep strokes "really heat the muscle up," Kramer said,
stroking
- Delilah's side vigorously. Then Kramer demonstrated a
percussive
- stroke, using both hands to lightly pound the horse's side as
tufts of
- hair drifted to the ground.
- "I can actually use her bone structure to push the muscle
against the
- bone to loosen it up," Kramer said, kneading the muscles around
- Delilah's rib cage.
- Delilah occasionally let out a loud whinny as the massage
continued,
- but spent much of the time sniffing at a black and white barn
cat.
- Some horses can be much more demonstrative, Kramer noted.
- "There's one horse at school, when you'd start to work on her,
her
- mouth would start quivering," she said. "I think she really
enjoyed
- it."
- And some horses are ticklish. "They go spastic when you try and
- massage them," Kramer added.
- Kramer now works on three horses regularly, and is willing to
travel
- for clients. When working on a horse about to participate in a
race or
- a horse show, Kramer may work with the horse for several days
in
- advance.
- "It gives the horse time to realize I'm not the bogeyman. I'm
not
- going to kill them," she said. "Usually by the third time,
they're
- ready."
- An average massage session lasts an hour to an hour and a half.
- Regular customers pay $ 40 a session, while boarders at her
stable get
- a session for $ 30 "as a kind of perk," Kramer said.
- Several other students in equine studies at Salem-Teikyo have
also
- taken equine sports massage courses, Kramer said.
- Horse massage is just part of a growing movement in the horse
industry
- to treat horses more like professional (human) athletes, Kramer
said.
- "You're even seeing stuff like swimming therapy now for horses,
all
- kinds of new preventative treatments. People are realizing
(massage)
- is really good for injury prevention," Kramer said.
-
(NEWS
RELEASE, 1996)
-
MILITARY OFFICER OPENS HORSE STABLE
-
IN
NORTH CENTRAL WV AND BEGINS SECOND CAREER
-
When Major Celeita Kramer purchased an old farm
in Doddridge County last year, they began the job of converting it to a horse
facility, the military couple embarked on an energized opportunity to turn a
lifelong love and hobby into a second career.
-
The creation of Crossed Sabers Stable only began in July 1996, but is quickly
becoming a fully functional horse facility, offering everything from boarding
and leasing to breaking and training services, riding instruction in all
disciplines, breeding, horse sales, shows, fairs, auctions, rescue and
adoption, instructional clinics, riding camps, organized tours to national
horse events and even equine sports massage therapy.
-
The Kramers’ first career is the military and it
isn’t surprising that the horse facility reflects their military background.
The Crossed Sabers name originated from the US Cavalry emblem worn on the
cavalry uniform and Stetson. It was selected to exemplify the long
history and connection between the horse and the military. The stable
colors are the traditional Cavalry colors of red and white, added to a black
background.
-
The work involved in operating the stable is
divided among the two depending upon who is home at any given time. “We
have lots of help from Equestrian students of a local university, this year we
have 3 students living with us that help at the barn part-time. The
students do everything from problem solving and management decisions to riding
lessons and training. Crossed Sabers Stable is also complimented by numerous
independent instructors, trainers, vets, farriers and specialist to assist
with clinics, classes and training in order to offer the most up to date and
educational information, in addition to being able to best address the needs
of each individual customer,” Celeita explained.
-
Celeita is responsible for all management of stable operations, sales,
marketing, administration, quality control, fiscal & legal affairs. She
is also the primary instructor, trainer, a certified Equine Sports Massage
Therapist and a school trained farrier. She has a WV Department of
Education Teachers Certificate and is a Thesis away from completing her
Masters of Education in Equine Science & Management degree from Salem-Teikyo
University. Besides completing the Horseshoeing Course at Oklahoma
Horseshoeing School, she completed an Equine Breaking & Training Course,
Equine Dental Course and the Breeding Course at Colorado State University with
the Equine Sciences Department. Professionally, Celeita has 17 years
with the US Army and Army National Guard as a Helicopter Pilot, Test Pilot,
Battalion Executive Officer, Operations Officer, Aircraft Maintenance Officer,
Company Commander and now, as a Major is the Supervisory Auditor for the West
Virginia National Guard. She’s had tours of duty in Virginia, North Carolina,
Alabama, Vermont, Iowa, Kentucky, South Korea and Japan. Celeita was the
24th woman to ever earn military aviator wings and the first woman
to fly and test fly the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. She has an FAA
Commercial pilots license with an instrument rating and for a short period was
a pilot with Pan Am in the South Pacific. In 1995, Celeita was the
youngest woman to be inducted into the West Virginia Women’s Hall of Fame and
in 1986 she was included in the Smithsonian Institute’s Air and Space Museum
display on “Women in Aviation”. Besides numerous military awards &
medals, Celeita was awarded the coveted Sikorsky Rescue Award for saving a
life using a helicopter. Other past achievements include being chosen as
One of the Most Admired Women of the Decade, Woman of the Year, One of the
2000 Most Notable American Women and One of the 5000 Most Notable Women in the
World. Celeita completed her under-graduate studies in Education at West
Virginia State College and completed other graduate studies at the American
University in Washington, DC and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in
Daytona Beach, Fl. Major Kramer has also completed the Army’s Command
and General Staff College. Besides her love of all animals, she enjoys
all riding disciplines, traveling, music, entertaining, writing, sailing,
rollerblading and is a PADI qualified Open Water, Advanced Open Water and
Rescue Scuba Diver.
-
“I haven’t figured out why the transition from the military to horses but I
constantly run into former military all around the horse industry, maybe the
excitement of a military life sets you up to expect nothing less for your
civilian career . . . it certainly prepared us for the rigors of the
equestrian lifestyle.”
-
Currently, the stable has 15 horses, including 6 Standardbreds, a Saddlebred,
a Mustang, an Oldenburg, a National Show Horse, a Palomino Quarter Horse, 2
Thoroughbreds, a Paint and a Belgian-Walker cross. But Celeita
explained, “We will probably go up to about 30 to 35 horses (counting
boarders). Crossed Sabers is also a home for 9 dogs and 10 cats.
-
At Crossed Sabers, Celeita said it is her hope to pass along what she has
learned. “I love the idea of helping people solve their horse problems, but in
reality I learn something everyday from students, customers, my college help,
boarders and even visiting horse people.
-
With horses, every day is a learning experience
and I don’t profess to have all the right answers, but I do feel that I can
find the right answer or the person that has the right answer. It’s very
rewarding to introduce the magic of horses to a child for the first time, to
reintroduce our equine friends to adults who have missed the horse they had as
a child and even better to introduce the joy of horsemanship to the adult
rider that always wanted a horse but never got one. If I can do these
things, plus give customers a safe and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy, well then,
what more could I want?”
-
It was the two of them who took on the job of converting the farm, which was
originally a veal operation, into a horse facility. The facilities now
include four barns and two sheds. The largest barn is over 10,000 square
feet, which includes 15 large stalls, a 50’ x 80’ indoor riding & training
arena, wash racks, feed and storage room and large tack room equipped to
handle 30 horses. The property includes 727 acres, with miles of wide
grass trails, 20 acres of fenced paddock, an outdoor four horse hotwalker,
lots of parking and a 66’ training round pen. Future expansions include
recreational facilities for riding camps, a larger indoor arena, more stalls,
an outdoor arena and breeding facilities equipped for stallion collection,
evaluation, artificial insemination, handling and transporting cooled semen.
-
Crossed Sabers Stable enjoys a quiet country
setting in North Central West Virginia. It’s just 3 miles away from
State Route 50 at the Smithburg exit, 30 minutes from I-79 at Clarksburg, WV
and 40 minutes from I-77 at Parkersburg, WV. The Stable is 2.5 miles
from the 60+ mile long North Bend Rail Trail.
For any information concerning the stable
and stable services, call Celeita at (304) 873-3532 at the stable office,
873-3030 at the stable or FAX them at 873-3121.
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
- March 12 1995 Sunday
- SECTION: News; Pg. P5B
LENGTH: 489 words,
HEADLINE: CELEBRATE WOMEN AWARDS
TO HONOR NINE FOR EFFORTS
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-
- Nine state women will be honored at the 11th annual Celebrate
- Women Awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. April 1. The awards
ceremony
- will be held at the Women's Club of Charleston.
- The cost is $ 22 a ticket and reservations are required. The
- public is invited.
- The awards are given annually to encourage public awareness of
- the important contributions of women in West Virginia. Sponsored
by
- the Women's Commission and other statewide women's organizations,
the
- awards pay tribute to the careers and volunteer accomplishments
of
- women in different areas of endeavor.
- Judith Stitzel, professor of English and Women's Studies at West
- Virginia University, is the winner in the education category. The
- Morgantown resident was the originator and driving force behind
the
- establishment of the WVU Women's Studies Program.
- Elizabeth Kraftician, president and co-founder of Touchstone
- Research Laboratory Ltd., is the winner in the business category.
- Starting with one piece of scientific equipment in the unheated
- basement of a monastery, the Triadelphia resident struggled with
- poverty and cancer to create what has been recognized as one of
the
- most innovative and successful small companies in the United
States
- Maj. Celeita Kramer,
military helicopter pilot and test pilot,
- is the winner in the
government category. The Bristol resident was
- the first woman in the
military selected to fly the UH-60 Blackhawk
- helicopter and was the
24th woman to earn military aviator wings.
- Mildred Marshall, who protected the rights of those suffering
- age and sex discrimination with a lawsuit she filed, is the
winner in
- the labor category. She lives in Vienna.
- Lisa Diehl, who is an advocate for women fighting job
- discrimination, is the winner in the public service category. Her
- quest for equity for women in male-dominated fields began when
the
- Auburn resident was a carpenter and subjected to harassment and
- discrimination.
- Sheila Zeto, a microbiologist, is the winner in the science
- category. The Beaver resident is conducting research that may
- improve the environment and decrease the costs of food
production.
- Grazia Ferrell, an educator and mental health advocate, is the
- volunteer service winner. She lives in Institute.
- Ruth Anderson, the first black registered nurse to work in a
- Charleston hospital, is the winner in the professions category.
The
- South Charleston resident also started the first day care center
in
- the state for severely and profoundly retarded children.
- Kate Long, writer, songwriter and writing coach for The
- Charleston Gazette, is the winner in the arts category. The
- Charleston resident has made many contributions to the state and
the
- women's community through her writing and song writing.
- For information about the Celebrate Women Awards Dinner, contact
- the West Virginia Women's Commission at 558-0070.
- Charleston Daily Mail
(West Virginia)
- March 9 1995 Thursday
- SECTION: News; Pg. P6A
LENGTH: 252 words,
HEADLINE: THREE AREA WOMEN
HONORED
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-
- Three area women are among nine in the state who will
honored
- for their career and volunteer accomplishments.
- Ruth Anderson, Kate Long and Grazia Ferrell will receive
the
- Celebrate Women Awards at a ceremony to be held at 6:30
p.m. April 1
- at the Women's Club of Charleston.
- The Celebrate Women Awards are given to encourage public
- awareness of the important roles and contributions of
women. The
- awards are sponsored by the state Women's Commission and
other
- statewide women's groups.
- Anderson, the winner in the professions category, was the
first
- black registered nurse to work in a Charleston hospital.
She also
- started the first day care center in the state for severely
and
- profoundly retarded children.
- Long, a winner in the arts category, is a freelance writer,
- songwriter and writing coach.
- Ferrell, a winner in the volunteer service category, is an
- educator and a mental health advocate. At 90 years old, she
- continues to volunteer in the community.
- The other winners include: Sheila Zeto, a microbiologist;
Judith
- Stitzel, an English and women's studies professor;
Maj. Celeita
- Kramer, a
helicopter pilot; Elizabeth "Libby" Kraftician, president
- of Touchstone Laboratory Ltd.; Lisa Diehl, a program
officer at the
- Center for Economic Options; and Mildred Marshall, who
filed an age
- and sex discrimination suit that set a precedent for
similar suits
- For more information about the presentation, contact the
Women's
- Commission at 558-0070.
 
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Every Dream Starts with a Single Step, Take Your Step Today!
Women from History Who Dared To Change the World (credit: O Magazine)
600 B.C. TO 200 B.C.: Tribes of statuesque women (and men) roam
the Eurasian steppes. The fearsome Amazons of myth? Not exactly. But
archeological evidence suggests that among these nomads, the women were the
warriors.
Circa 39: Dynamic sister duo Trung Trac and Trung Nhi amass a
Vietnamese army in a revolt against Chinese rule. For four years, they lead
the rebellion.
Circa 395: Fabiola, a Roman aristocrat whose divorce and subsequent
remarriage were condemned by Christian society, founds a hospital for the
poor and other outcasts of her city. It's likely one of the first hospitals
in the Western world.
Circa 1001: Murasaki Shikibu begins writing The Tale of Genji,
an epic portrait of court life (twice as long as War and Peace),
considered by many to be the greatest masterpiece of Japanese literature and
possibly the world's first novel.
1429: Peasant girl Joan of Arc commands the French army in a series
of victorious battles to liberate her homeland from the English; she is
burned at the stake for her trouble.
Circa 1579: Grace O'Malley, a swashbuckling Irish pirate known for
raiding ships, fights off an English government expedition sent to stop her.
Circa 1613: In her graphically violent painting Judith Slaying
Holofernes, Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi slays the ideal of
submissive womanhood: Her heroine is fierce, powerful, and ruthless.
1777: Teenager Sybil Ludington rides all night long through a storm
to alert the 400 men in her father's militia that the redcoats are coming.
She's called the female Paul Revere—but Paul rode with two of his buddies.
And he was captured by the British.
1805: Sacagawea joins Lewis and Clark as their expedition's
interpreter, traveling thousands of miles across the Rockies with her
newborn babe strapped to her back. Who says life ends when you have kids?
1814: As the British torch Washington, D.C., First Lady Dolley
Madison remains in the White House long enough to rescue historic
valuables—running out moments before the soldiers charge in.
1862: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, just 19 and dressed as a man, enlists in
the Union Army. In a letter home, she assures: "I don't fear the rebel
bullets nor I don't fear the cannon."
1867: Ida Lewis rescues three drowning men from wind-whipped swells
in Newport Harbor. Then she rows back to save their sheep. Ida later
becomes the country's first female lighthouse keeper.
1872: Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first woman to run for
president. A colorful candidate, she advocates for free love.
1906: Madam C.J. Walker hawks shampoos and serums door-to-door. The
orphaned daughter of former slaves, she becomes one of America's
wealthiest businesswomen.
1912: Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovers the
period-luminosity relationship (later used to calculate the distances
between Earth and the stars).
1914: Barnstorming adrenaline junkie Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick makes
the first-ever free fall from a plane.
1916: In a tenement neighborhood in Brooklyn, Margaret Sanger opens
the doors of the country's first birth control clinic. Outside at least
150 women are waiting.
1916: Movie star Mary Pickford insists on becoming her own
producer. America's Sweetheart is no sucker.
1937: Amelia Earhart disappears on the ultimate adventure—her
attempt to fly around the globe. In a note to her husband, she explains:
"I want to do it because I want to do it."
1938: Anna Mary Robertson Moses sells her first paintings, at age
78. Known as "Grandma" Moses, she continues to paint for 23 years,
becoming one of the century's most renowned folk artists.
1941: Protofeminist superhero Wonder Woman first appears in a comic
book, fighting off Fascists in star-spangled hot pants.
1946: Super-geekette Dorothy Hodgkin cracks penicillin's chemical
makeup with an X-ray crystallographer. (Eighteen years later she'll earn
the Nobel Prize.)
1953: Jackie Cochran flies an F-86 Sabre jet through the sound
barrier. She learned to fly so she could travel around selling cosmetics,
but it turns out trashing speed records is a lot more fun.
1959: On the edge of the Serengeti Plain, Mary Leakey digs up and
pieces together a 1.7-million-year-old hominid skull, one of the most
important finds in the history of archeology.
1960: At the Rome Olympics, Wilma Rudolph (left)—once partially
paralyzed by polio—earns three gold medals in track-and-field, the first
American woman to do so.
1963: Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first female
to fly a spacecraft around the globe.
1967: Kathrine Switzer dares to run the all-male Boston Marathon,
while an irate race official chases her.
1981: Alexa Canady becomes the first black female neurosurgeon in the
United States.
1985: Just 175 miles from the Iditarod finish line, Libby Riddles
heads into a blizzard when other mushers opt to stay in camp; this gives her
a six-hour lead and, ultimately, the win.
1989: Performance artist Karen Finley smears her body with chocolate
to illustrate that women are treated like, you know, dirt. The National
Endowment for the Arts rescinds her funding, but she ultimately gets it
back.
2005: Roz Savage quits her corporate job, leaves her unraveling
marriage, and rows across the Atlantic by herself. Midlife crisis averted.
2008: Sandra Andersen, a barista at a Starbucks in Tacoma,
Washington, learns that one of her customers needs a kidney to live. So she
gives the woman hers.
2009: Navigator Ann Daniels leads the Catlin Arctic Survey, a 74-day
journey from the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole to measure the thickness of
sea ice.
******************* The Warmth of A Horse
When your day seems out balance...
and so many things go wrong ...
When people fight around you
and the clock drags on so long ...
When some folks act like children
and fill you with remorse ...
Go out into your pasture and wrap
your arms around your horse.
His gentle breath enfolds you as he
watches with those eyes ...
He may not have a PhD but he
is, oh so wise!
His head rests on your shoulder
you hug him good and tight ...
He puts your world in balance
and makes it seem all right.
Your tears will soon stop flowing,
the tension will be eased ...
The nonsense has been lifted.
You are quiet and at peace.
So when you need some balance
from the stresses in your day ...
The therapy you really need
Is out there eating hay!
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