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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
| | 
WHAT WE BELIEVE
(these are things we found to be true from
working with the thousands of horses that have come through this program)
"It can be Done!"
THE
HERD SOUR HORSE, 24 HOUR TURN OUT AND ONLY HAVING 2 HORSES, the Myth that
keeping horses on 24 hour turn out is natural, like the wild horses
We can no longer duplicate life as it was meant
for wild horses, wild horses travel thousands of miles to good weather and good
grazing, they move when the weather is bad to stay warm, they bed down under
trees when its too hot and they are tough or they die. Wild horses live an
average of 12 years... domestic horses, horses kept by people live much longer
and they should, we are taking care of them.... that means shelter in extreme
heat, cold, storms, cold rains, drafts, etc. Horses were domesticated thousands
of years ago, they no longer have the ability to live and survive without our
care (water, shelter, feed, grain, farrier, vet, dental care, etc).
-Its so critical to understand where the horse is
coming from and the problems he had with previous owners. Many of the problems
the horse has had can be alleviated by changing the environment or changing the
handler/rider. One example: Horses that are kept on a 24/7 turn out allows the
horses bond with the herd to be even stronger, the horse never stands on its own
4 feet by being separated and put into a stall, being put into a stall builds the horses
confidence in himself and makes the horse more dependent on you, forcing it to
bond with you. It is no surprise to me to see a 24/7 turn out horse being herd
sour. This should not surprise any owner. Unfortunately many beginner owners
leave the horse in 24/7 turn out, then start thinking the horse is crazy or
difficult and the problem can't be fixed and then horse becomes an ornament
because they can't handle it away from the herd and the problem just becomes
worse. This is an environment problem that is worsened by the owner not knowing
enough about horses, their instincts and how to get a horses respect. I've
always felt that beginner owners, especially older riders (who
can't afford to get hurt) should never have horses in 24/7 turn out because they
don't know how to handle the fresh herd sour horse, they don't know how to
reestablish the respect of the horse each time they pull it away from the strong
herd bond. The herd is so important to that horse in this situation and the
owner is only a visitor, an intruder, an annoyance more than anything... someone keeping them
from his friends. The first thing we do when we get a horse like this is put
them into a stall (with regular daily turn out of about 8 to 12 hours a day in
the herd) but he's in the stall about 12
hours a day, we get control of his life and make him stand on his own 4 feet and
make him depend on us, make him realize we have control of his schedule and
life (and that he can depend on us, we will take care of him and protect him as
his alpha). If you have a herd sour horse, put him in a stall and away from the
other horses and you will have a much more controllable horse in no time. Even
in a stabling situation you have to ask the horse to walk away from the group on
a regular basis, even the bad horses will become bad about this is you never ask
them to be independent. We feel the worst thing you can do is have only two
horses, because you are asking for them both to be herd sour, being alone is
better than just having two. Three horses or companions are a better choice. I
mean you have to ask yourself, do you want to just look at a horse in the
pasture or do you want a safe mount that you and your family/kids can enjoy and
ride?
THE MYTH THAT HORSES WILL DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM
-This is ludicrous, horses are like kids, they
absolutely will not do what is best for them, we have to make our kids
come in bad weather when they want to play in the snow to protect them from
frostbite, we have to do the same to horses. The gray horse covered in
melanoma's will stand in the sun all day long, the horse that really needs to
exercise will stand in the field and do nothing, the horse that needs to sit still and not move
will run all over the field and re-injure that same bad tendon, the horse that really needs to get out of the sun,
the weather, the snow, ice and rain doesn't, they will even stand in a pond or
under a tree during a lightening storm, they will run across icey snow, fall and
break a leg (we have this happen every year with an adopter who put the horse
out when the horse had no business being out). They may do what they like but
they have no understanding of what is best for them, they only follow their
instincts... that will get them killed.
We domesticated horses, we now have to take care
of them as domesticated animals. We have to pull them in during bad weather, we
have to keep the gray horse out of the sun, we have to protect them from
themselves. Good examples of this is we had a horse with an adopter that allowed
a horse to stand out in an Indiana snow storm instead of putting the horse in a
shelter and it died of hypothermia. Its clear the owner should have put that
horse in a shelter and the excuse about he hates being in a stall will kill your
horse. Another example is the horse who has always lived in a dry stall with
straw up to her knees and she goes to a home with a run in and she stands in the
mud all winter long and her feet fall off from abscesses and she had to be put
down. If the weather is bad, if their are lightening storms, if the horse needs
to not move around, if the horse must exercise, if the gray horse needs to be
inside during sunny days, then we must make them do that, regardless of what the
you think the horse 'likes'. In many cases, it may mean your horses life. There
are tough love times with horses, you have to do what is best for them even when
they don't want to do it, that includes stall rest if they have an injury.
THE MYTH THAT PUTTING HORSES OUT ON 24/7 TURN OUT IS THE WAY NATURE INTENDED
-If you study horses in the wild you will quickly
understand this is not true. Let me explain. In the wild, horses migrate to the
area of the country that has the best weather (moderate weather), you would
never see a wild horse migrate to the new england winters, they move when the
weather is bad, cold and wet and they move over anywhere from 100 to 1000 acres
of land (depending on the weather and the location of food and water). they move
in order to keep warm and find rich grass/forage and water. Putting a
domesticated horse (or even a wild horse) out 24/7 on 1 acre, 10 acres or 50
acres in foul weather is really more abuse than it is as 'nature intended'.
Moving in the wild kept them fit and kept their feet hard and strong, putting
horses on small tracts of land, especially in freezing temperatures (and even
more so in extreme hot, anything above 90 degrees) is just
making the horse figure out a way to survive and live miserably. These are
domesticated animals, we domesticated them and we have to care for them as
domestic animals and bring them in out of the
cold, hot extreme weather, protect their bodies and feet from extreme temperatures
(hot or cold), provide good shelter from drafts and cold and provide them
regular exercise that they would get naturally in the wild. The biggest reason
people do this is they are too lazy to take care of the horse as a domesticated
animal and clean their stall daily and they use the excuse that its more
natural.
We feel from experience the best situation is to
have a stall for each horse, to always feed them in that closed in stall, so no
other horse can take their food and they never get to the point where they feel
they have to fight over food. Give them all the time they need to eat all their
feed (at least 2 to 3 hours each feeding) and turn them out on at least 2 to 3
acres of land per horse, but 10 to 20 acres per horse is much better. Turn them
out in a diverse herd, not alone and not with only one horse. The herd teaches
the horse badly needed respect and social skills and will make him a easier
horse to handle for you. Bring them in to their stall and close them in during
electrical storms, high heat or buggy times (80 degrees and up), very low temp
times (freezing or below), rain anytime the temps are below 40 degrees, snowy
and icing conditions. Injured, sick, young and older horses need more care and more
protection, more time in and things like rugs and blankets, especially if they
don't grow a winter coat. If you always feed horses a carrot or apple when they come
in, they will always come to you, even in the best weather.
REHAB FROM INJURY OR EPM,
INJECTIONS AND DRUGS
-90% of all injuries will get better with time
off (after taking care of any breathing problems, open wounds, lacerations,
fractures, bleeding, or subsequent infections). Time off means more than a
couple of weeks, it could mean a year off or even two, but the horse will become sound.
-Most youngsters (6 and under) will come back
from an injury and be sound with enough time off, sometimes it might take a year
or more, the magic number seems to be 2 years to get past the worst injuries but
its critical to know when to start rehab work to keep joints flexible. The only thing we have not been able to bring back is sesimoid injuries
and fractures in major joints like hocks. All other injuries the horse become
sound again. This does not mean the horse will be able to jump and stay sound,
in fact what we have found is most horses should stop jumping after injury if
you care about the long term soundness and quality of life of the horse.
-Injecting joints to maintain soundness by
putting toxic materials into a horses body damages that joint. It is only a
short term fix and ruins the long term life of the joint. Every injection means
a shorter life of that joint.... is that blue ribbon, saddle or even cash prize
really worth crippling a horse for life?
-Any equine athlete that has had a lay off with
have what the racing industry calls 'come back pains'... more pain coming back
than getting fit the first time. People go through the same thing after time
off, it hurts more to get back to the level of work you were at but takes 1/2
the time once you've been to that level of fitness and work. There is some
memory in the muscles and bones. Bones have to get tougher too and they take
longer than muscles and soft tissue. Its no different for horses.
RETIREMENT
-The worst thing you can do is totally retire a
horse. The average man lives only 7 years after retirement... the horse is no
different. They must have something to keep their minds sharp and their bodies
engaged. I'm not talking about necessarily tough jobs but they must have a job,
whether it be as a lead line horse with children, getting dolled up and walking
in the local parade, a baby sitter, in hand therapy and just being petted and groomed by
kids, an easy trail horse for someone who rarely rides, there is a huge range of
jobs all horses can do and every horse can be useful. The horse who has no
reason to live will decide to die.
COLIC
-Banamine is a life saver, always keep it on hand
in paste or injectible, know how to administer and give it at the first signs of an upset stomach or any
signs of colic.
SHOTS AND DEWORMING
-Over doing shots and deworming is just as bad as
not giving them, it reduces their immunities. We give shots once a year and
de-worm quarterly and even with all the horses we have coming in and out of
here, we never have a problem. The worst thing we ever see is a cold. We are considering going to only twice a year for deworming now, one before the growing season and one in the middle of the
growing season. In hot climates where there is no freezing, that would be every
6 months in areas of the country and in canada where you have very long winters
possibly one worming a year may be enough.
-Worms can cause permanent damage to internal
organs, there by making horses more susceptible to colic. When you buy or adopt
a horse, don't just look at the last deworming but make sure the horse has
always been on a deworming program.
-Too much deworming is a bad as not enough.
You will have just as much of a problem with the horse that has been wormed
monthly as one that is never wormed.
-Rescue horses will always be more susceptible to
colic because of past parasite damage to internal organs. If the person was not
feeding the horse, you can bet they were not deworming. So adding to that risk
by breeding a rescue mare may not be worth risking the life of the mare.
-Never deworm or give shots to a rescue horse
(or any sick or skinny horse)
until you have it healthy and at a stable healthy weight.
-Its important to understand that all dewormers
are poison. You might as well give it rat poison because its basically the same
thing so you need to select the best time, amount and condition of the horse as
to when to do this and watch the horse for several hours after deworming.
Absolutely do not deworm before shipping or after shipping.
ADOPTION
-Most
beginners over estimate their abilities on the adoption application. They think
that just because they can ride the professional trail horse or lesson horse,
they can ride all horses. This is a huge lesson to learn and hopefully it comes
to each person without a broken back or neck.
-Most
experienced male riders over estimate their riding abilities and most experienced women
under estimate their riding abilities.
-When
moving from east to west the percentage of riders change from mostly women
in the east to mostly men in the west (the numbers reverse).
-We can
look at every possibility for attempting to match a horse and rider or handler
and have it still not work out. Its like trying to fix up a couple, sometimes it
just does not work even though everything tells you it should on paper and by
all the descriptions of both.
-Parents
either extremely over estimate their child's riding capabilities or greatly
under estimate it but 8 times out of 10, they over estimate the ability of the
child. The best thing to do is see the child ride.
-You really have to consider what the person has
been riding and their experience to really know how good of a rider they are. If
they have been riding old lesson horses that never get out of line or their
backyard appy that is nearly 30 or even professional trail horses, then that is
really more like riding a merry go round or the mechanical pony outside of
Walmart.
If they have ridden untrained horses, ridden hot
young TB's in shows or competing, if they have ridden maybe 20 or 30 different
horses of all ages. If they have ridden Arabs or TB's that were not lesson
horses and younger than age 10. If they can handle of shy, a straight buck, a
run off and a small rear. If they can handle a walk, trot, canter and hand
gallop in all environments. If they have competed, traveled with their horses,
taken their horses camping or ridden them away from their normal environment. If
they can read a horse and know when to get on and when to not get on, then that
is a good rider, that we would consider an intermediate rider, beyond a beginner
level.
-Our
placement is only as good as the adopter knows themselves, their experience,
what they want and how well they can express that to us. If we do not get
a realistic view of the adopter/handler/rider then we will not be successful
with the placement.
-No
matter what you do there are some people that will take the worst horse you have
with the most problems, (both physical and mental) and they will make it into
the best horse, a horse that everyone wants.
-There
are those that will take the best horse in the program and ruin it in a week or
two or they will give up the day, a week or a month after they get the horse
home. This is not a horse problem, its a people problem and nothing in the
application will ever tell us who these people are in advance. No application
can figure out whether a person is fickle or gives up easily.
-Dump all
the old myths and wives tails about mares, stallions, colts, babies, older
horses, injuries, breeds, etc and look at the individual horse first (yourself,
not through someone else's eyes), then look at the sex, breed, age, training,
past experience, past problems and what past owners/adopters have thought of the
horse last.
-You can
compete and ride a horse (on the flat) until its 30 and older, it all depends on
the care you give, the warm ups and cool downs you provide. We have seen this be
done successfully and there is nothing like seeing a 30 year old horse that is
fit, well cared for and still doing 100 miles a week in endurance rides. Don't
let anyone ever tell you.... 'well that horse is old, he is suppose to look like
that' that is just not true. Don't accept the cop out, older horses can and will
look wonderful and do all sorts of things if you take care of them and give them
what they need.
-Horses
are different with every handler, with every rider, in every living environment
and in every situation. To get a horse to be exactly the way he was with the
last owner, you must be able to duplicate everything the last owner did, even
down to the living environment, feed and turn out, tack, regional influences,
predominant weather, schedule, handlers and riders who ride exactly the same
way.... otherwise you will not see
exactly the same thing as they did.
-When an
owner, previous adopter, foster, even if I give an opinion about a horse, its
only one opinion that reflects that persons experience, their knowledge and what
they have seen from that horse (it is not the horse talking about himself). Change any of those things and you might see
something totally different. If that person has more experience than you, in
handling and riding horses, they will get a different result. This is sometimes
a hard lesson to learn but its a critical one to learn. Just because everyone at CSS can ride a horse does not mean that you can. That is not the horses fault or
your fault, it just means you either need an easier horse to ride or you need to
learn and practice more. We recommend both. The horse is only half of the
puzzle, the handler and rider must progress as well.
TRANSPORT
-Never never never hand your horse over to anyone
without completely checking them out
and not without discussing the complete plan for their transport.
click here to read our transport page full of
critical information to keeping your horse safe.
-If there
is any question as to the safety of the driver, truck or trailer, pay them and
send them away. Its better to lose that money than to lose your horse or have a
12k colic surgery at the other end of the trip.
-Give a
horse at least 7 days before you ask them to do anything, when arriving at a new
home. Don't ride, don't tack up, don't lunge, don't train, don't bathe, don't
clip, don't bring in the farrier, don't give them short, don't bring in the vet, the dentist, don't even deworm or
turn out. Even if the horse seems totally settled as soon as they arrive.
Quietly groom, feed, water and hand walk or hand graze only.
-Some
horses may take months to settle in enough to be safe to ride. The less the
experience of the rider/handler, the longer they should wait before getting on
the horse. The first ride is always after getting to know the horse on the
ground thoroughly, after being quietly lunged (not pushed) and shown signs of
allowing you to get on, any red light signals and you must stop or chance being
hurt.
-Transporting is a high stress situation for a horse. Never transport a sick
horse, a horse that is down in weight, a horse that has had shots with in the
past week, a horse that has been dewormed in the last week, a horse that has had
its shoes changed in the last week. Never put wraps or shipping boots on ship
day on any horse unless they are totally comfortable in them and used to wearing
them. If you feel the horse must wear these things to protect legs, spend 3 to 4
days making them wear them in their stall before the shipping day. Shipping is
high stress already, don't add to the problem by changing anything in their life
and what they are used to. When in doubt, don't change anything.
-When
moving a horse or accepting a horse, make every attempt to completely duplicate
the horses former environment, schedule, the way the horse was kept, everything
in detail for at least a month and slowly, very slowly change one thing at a
time to get the horse on your schedule, feed, training, tack, farrier, deworming,
turn out, etc. Always consider the life and environment the horse has lead and
lived in most of its life (especially during the young years because that is
when habits are formed). You can easily kill a horse by not considering the
place (stable, surroundings, people handing the horse, how busy the stable is,
how the daily life is different, what's different and what do you need to
introduce them to... like the neighbors Emu's or crazy dogs, the wire fencing
you can't see, the chicken coop, the cows, etc), consider the schedule they are
used to, region of the country they come from, predominant weather (hot, dry or
all seasons and extreme weather) and winds, how kept (whether in a stall and
blanketed), the soil (grass or sand), the terrain (hills or flat), the pasture,
the rider and how the rider rides (weight of rider, experience, how much and how
the use their legs, how much and how they use their hands, how heavy they are on
the horses back and how quiet or not quiet they are in the saddle), the tack and
the changes in tack (do one change in tack at a time, if you change more than
one thing at a time, you are asking for trouble, ask the previous owner/rider
about saddle pads, bridles, bits, type of saddle, size tree, type of tree,
weight of rider and weight of saddle, even the normal schedule before riding the
horse).
FEEDING
-Stay away from sweet feed or any feeds
that have artificial or natural sugar of any kind in the feed. Sweet feed is fed to race horses to hype up the horse, make them want to run and work
and to get them hot. But Race horses get worked 6 days a week, 52 weeks out of
the year. If you can't handle your horse, look at what your feeding them. If you
can't get a totally natural feed (most times it has to be shipped and its
usually 20. a bag) then get a simple natural feed like oats, corn or a simple
pelleted feed. STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR, ITS
JUST LIKE FEEDING SUGAR TO YOUR KIDS!!
-Water,
Water, Water. Loads of clean fresh water every day. 20% of dehydration to a
horse is death.
-Grassy
Hay gets the grain through the horses body (along with the water). Always make
sure they have water first when feeding, Hay next and grain last. If you are
feeding grain first or by itself, then you have nothing in their stomach too get
the grain through their body. Always feed right beside the water supply and
always hay before graining.
-All the
problems that come out of feeding are more management problems than problems
with the amount of feed your feeding. Race Horses are eating as much as 60 lbs a feed
a day with out colic or foundering but its carefully managed.
-Stay
away from all sugar, for snacks choose carrots and for feeds select whole feed
that have little or no sugar. If you think he will not eat anything but a sugar based
feed then you didn't feed the other feed long enough for him to acquire a taste
for it. The stickier the feed, the more sugar it has in it. The more sugar in
the feed, the higher the energy the horse will be and the harder they will be
handle. Sweet feed is the worst, then oats is a high carb feed that is high
energy, that is why sweet feed and oats are fed to race horses to give them a
spike of energy. The best feed are low carb, low sugar, high fat, high fiber
with enough protein for the horse (ie. whether they are young and growing, a
mare in foal, a stallion breeding and horses in work require more protein).
-If the
horse has a sensitive stomach or susceptible to colic or founder, stay away from
rich feeds, go to a simple pelleted feed that does not have a lot of additives
or supplements.
-Don't
ever assume anything about a horse or assume your new horse can eat what your
other horses are eating and be fine. He may require double or triple the feed.
You feed what the horse needs. When you see the back getting lean and not
cushioned, you need to bump up the feed. Back bones, ribs or butt bones should
never be seen, They should be felt but not seen (regardless of the horses age or
condition). We don't feed more than 15 lbs in any one feeding, so if they need
more, you add another feeding so if they are eating 60 lbs of feed a day, it should be
in 4 feedings or more, evenly separated.
CARE
-Horses
know instinctively who cares about them and who does not and they figure that
out immediately. If your horse won't come to you, if they won't relax with
you, if they don't come running when you call, if they shy or back away from
you, or if they have developed a vice they are telling you something about you.
Listen, because all these things can be changed by changing your care, how you
treat them and how you think.
-Your
horse is a reflection of you, if you don't like your horse, change what you are
doing and your horse will change.
-When
horses are not cared for and not getting what they need, bad habits will arise
and training and attitude problems will come up. Horses will crib and chew more
if they are hungry and they will throw fits and throw people if they are
hurting. Always consider their care, condition and how they are feeling when you
are seeing problems arise.
WATERING
-Always
make sure water is given to the horse first, then hay, then concentrated feeds.
Always have clean fresh water within 10 feet of the normal feeding location.
-Horses
are like people, they can live much longer without food but will die immediately
without water. 20% body weight loss in dehydration will kill a horse.
TURN OUT
-Almost
any combination of horses will work together (mares, gelding, mares/foals,
colts, older just castrated geldings and even stallions) if its managed well and
given plenty of time to allow horses to settle in. The smaller the turn out
area the longer it takes and the less likely it will work. Most problems occur
when you have less than 3 acres of turn out per horse in the pasture and less
than 5 horses.
You will tend to see more problems with one or
two horses and will tend to see more problems when their turn out area is small
(below 3 acres per horse in the pasture)... once you get over 6 or 7 horses in a
larger area (over 5 acres per horse in the pasture), the problems seem to work
out better in the group, maybe because the underling can move away and get with
a horse they do better with or the alpha has more to think about than just one
or two, therefore less of a focus on one or two. There are always a few
exceptions but we've seen this over and over again, with anywhere from 5 to 50
horses in anywhere from 25 to 150 acres, you can throw most any horse (mares,
geldings, mares/foals, very young colts, older castrated geldings, etc) together
and they will probably work it out over time.
Many time when you separate the bad horse away
from the group, it just makes them worse, even when it comes to how they are
with you. If you are having problems with a horse you are separating from the
herd, rethink that separation. Especially if the horse was ever a breeding
stallion or castrated late in life or is an alpha mare (who knows she has a job
to do) as their sense of fairness is very strong and they feel cheated.
There is always a horse they will get along with, whether it be mares or
geldings, even babies but you must give them the appropriate space and number to
make that happen.
FOUNDER AND NAVICULAR, FOOT CARE FOR EVERYONE
Founder and Navicular are
no longer show stoppers for riding and getting a horse sound or keeping a horse
sound, go to
www.naturalhorsetrim.com and see
how natural trimming can cure (YES CURE) these problems (and do it without the huge
expensive shoeing and drugs). Stop putting those $120. pair of shoes on your horse every 4
weeks and drugging it to keep riding because that only masks the problems, it
does not fix the problem. Think about natural horse trimming and you can fix the
problem. Natural trimming and care gets the foot working as it was intended, it
increases the blood flow and oxygen into the foot which is the life of the foot.
Shoes actually decrease those things and if a horse is in shoes long enough,
those veins will close off and stop allowing blood into the foot, permanently
damaging the horses feet, the foundation of the whole house. Even if you compete
and feel you must compete in shoes, pull shoes in the off season, between events
and shows.
-If you live in Florida or Southern California
(or any place else) where you don't have a built in 'off season' because of
weather, then make your own. Its absolutely critical to keeping the horse sound
for life.
BREAKING YOUNG HORSES,
WEIGHT LIMITS
-Never canter, gallop or jumping a light boned horse before
age 4 (warmblood and draft should be age 6), horses are not fully developed
until age 4 so you are damaging their legs, knees and back by galloping and
jumping before they are fully grown.
-Never get on a horses back before age 2, and
even then confirm by x-rays that the knees are totally closed.
-Horses under age 4 should only be worked for a
maximum of 1/2 hour per training session, with some one on their back. You
can do longer sessions if there is no additional weight on their back.
-Horses with a longer back, have a smaller build
or have less bone in the leg or a smaller diameter around the leg below the
knee, then you should wait to get on the horse until 2 1/2 or even 3.
-Never start jumping a horse as a new profession
after age 12, the age when bones begin to change and get more delicate and lose
substance.
-Follow the 20% rule, never put more than 20% of
a horses weight on its back. Most full grown light boned horses are around 1000
lbs, which means it should not carry a rider bigger than 200 lbs with all its
tack.
TRAINING
-Anybody can call themselves a trainer, an equine
dentist, farrier or transporter (with no formal training or experience). Check
out these people before allowing them to do anything with your horse, look at
their formal training and don't hesitate to ask for proof, ask about years of
experience and how many horses they move, train or take care of each year. Look
for trainers who have experience and references doing specifically what you are
hoping to do with your horse. Don't get a barrel racing trainer to teach your
standardbred to do dressage... it does not work that way, don't put a QH trainer
on your saddlebred or arab. Look for a trainer that has the same philosophy that
you do, amount of work to be done, when, how much and how high to jump the horse
at what age and experience level, whether they hit the horse or not, whether
they force things like head set with things like side reins and draw reins.
-Horses problems are a direct reflection of its
handler/rider/care taker, a sign of something being wrong physically or the
environment its living in (ie. 24 hour turn out, no shelter, not enough turn
out, stall bound, in a climate or region of the country its not suited for, in a
job its not suited for mentally or physically). When you see a horse with
a problem, look first at everything around the horse instead of just writing it
off to being the horses fault. The horse is only a reflection of you and its
environment.
-If you
are an adult and not ridden since you were a kid. Trust me, things are different
as an adult. You know you can get seriously hurt and you now have fear.... since
you now know that, the horse feels your 'worry' in your butt and will then also
be afraid. Its a vicious cycle. Anyone who comes off a horse over the age of 30
can and will get hurt, potentially an injury that could change their life
forever. People over 30 do not bounce so don't get on a horse until you
thoroughly know the horse and have spent several months on a lesson horse first.
Also get a youngster with tons of experience to get on the horse first. If
you can not afford to get hurt, then riding may not be the hobby for you, buy a
bike or 4 wheeler... something that does not have a mind of its own.
-It is unsafe to ride out alone hacking or trail
riding. This is like Scuba Diving. YOU ONLY DO IT WITH A BUDDY. Most horses
will not trail ride alone without other horses and usually its only safe
with the most advanced riders or with a rider who has been riding this horse for
at least a year or more with no breaks in riding. When you are riding alone,
even in a ring, its critical to let someone know you are riding and call a
friend when done. Most farms are very rural and you could be hurt for as long as
a day without someone realizing it.
-Sensitive horses or horses with a lack of
confidence need at least a month to settle in to a new environment (new rider,
new home, new schedule) before being ridden or asked to do anything except be
mannerly in hand. Advanced riders and trainers who ride consistently (at least 3
times a week) and have done so for years can go faster but there is always a
risk and many horses will now show their stress until you are on their back. So
don't assume they have settled because many have not.
-Want a better riding horse, drive...drive....
drive.... Long line or put them on a cart and go for miles. You'll be amazed at
what a difference it makes. Everything you can teach under saddle you can teach
them in long lines or with driving.
-The
person with 20 years experience of riding hundreds of different horses 5 to 6
days a week can get away with more with less risk, the less experience the more
risk involved.
-If a
horse can not get you to listen to him when he's telling you he's hurting or
what you are asking him to do he is not ready for mentally or physically. He
will find another way to tell you, it usually involves an injury to you.
-Stay
away from killing a fly with a sledge hammer. Have appropriate responses for
everything that happens with your horse and get what you want with the least
amount of pressure, the easiest tack, the lesser restraints first.
THE STRONGEST LEAD ROPE OR BIT YOU CAN EVER MAKE IS INSIDE
A HORSES MIND, TRAIN THEM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT, DON'T TRY TO MAKE THEM.
DO WHAT YOU CAN AND WALK AWAY, OR CONTINUE UNTIL THE HORSE
SETTLES
IF YOU RUN INTO A NERVOUS
REACTION FROM YOUR HORSE, WORK THROUGH IT RIGHT THEN AND DON'T QUIT UNTIL THE
HORSE IS TOTALLY SETTLED, IF YOU QUIT BEFORE THE HORSE IS SETTLED, THEN YOU
IMPRINT THE FEAR INTO HIS MIND.
SULLEN AND NERVOUS REQUIRE 2 DIFFERENT RESPONSES
A HORSE WITH A CONFIDENCE PROBLEM
REQUIRES A DIFFERENT RESPONSE FROM YOU THAN A HORSE WITH A RESPECT PROBLEM
FASTER MOVEMENT W/ TRAINER MEANS FASTER MOVEMENT IN THE
HORSES, THE HORSE WILL MATCH YOUR TEMPO OR HAVE A HIGHER ONE
HORSES ARE ALWAYS LEARNING, BOTH GOOD
AND BAD. ITS UP TO US TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE LEARNING THE GOOD STUFF AND NOT THE
BAD
RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT, LOOK FOR
THE GREEN LIGHT SIGNALS TO MOVE ON. They are talking to you clearly, listen or
you can get hurt. If the horse is giving you red light signals, moving to the
next point (like say getting on their back) can get you hurt. Learn to read
their crystal clear communication. Look for the signs and know when to stop and
back off.
3 TIMES A CHARM, GET THE HORSE TO DO IT
3 TIMES AND HE'S PROBABLY LEARNED IT. Until he's done it 3 times, he will
probably act like he's forgotten it twice.
THE RIGHT AIDS AT THE WRONG TIME ARE STILL THE WRONG AIDS
A HORSES TEMPERAMENT IS A REFLECTION OF YOURS, GET TO KNOW
YOURSELF
MUST HAVE CALM DOWN CUE
PAIN GETS IN THE WAY OF TRAINING
HORSES ARE MUCH
LIKE PEOPLE THEY WOULD RATHER BE WITH THEIR FRIENDS OR IN THEIR STALL THAN
WORKING. USE THAT INFORMATION IN TRAINING. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR
HORSE DOES SOMETHING BAD, IF YOU PUT HIM BACK INTO HIS STALL OR BACK INTO THE
PASTURE, YOU HAVE JUST REWARDED THIS BAD BEHAVIOR. I GUARANTEE YOU WILL SEE IT
AGAIN
NUMBER ONE RULE! THE PERSON CAN’T GET HURT,
THE HORSE CAN’T GET
HURT, THE HORSE MUST BE MORE RELAXED AT THE END OF SESSION THAN IT WAS BEGINNING
ANYTHING FORCED IS NOT BEAUTIFUL, ANYTHING NOT BEAUTIFUL IS
NOT RIGHT
BE PATIENT, CONSISTENT, PREDICTABLE
90% OF ALL HORSE TO HORSE CONFLICT NEVER ENDS IN CONTACT,
95% OF ALL HORSE TO PEOPLE CONFLICT ENDS UP WITH CONTACT, THERE IS SOMETHING
WRONG WITH THAT
THE MORE RESTRAINT, THE BIGGER THE CRASH
-When
hanging anything on a horse, (new or different tack, a different bit, a new
saddle, side reins, draw reins, standing or running martingales, drop nose
bands, figure 8, tail cruppers, leg wraps, shipping boots, a driving harness, a
cart, long lines) allow the horse to just sit in his stall for at least an hour
before you ask him to do anything with the new equipment. The more comfortable
the horse can get in his own environment, the better he will be when you have to
put him into your environment or some place new. Don't hang anything on a
horse and then immediately ask them to perform and expect it to go perfectly,
some are so sensitive that it may go very badly unless you allow them time to
get used to the new equipment.
HORSE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS (FROM THE HORSEMAN'S POINT OF
VIEW)
FOOD/WATER, SHELTER, SEX FOR STALLIONS,
HEALTHY BODY, SOCIAL/HERD LIFE, NOT ACT LIKE PREY, GIVE TRUST/RESPECT, HEART &
DESIRE, SELF ACTUALIZATION, THE BASICS HAVE TO BE CARED FOR BEFORE YOU CAN ASK
THE HORSE TO DO ANYTHING, THE MORAL OF THE STORY: YOU CAN NOT ASK A HORSE TO
CARRY YOUR FAT BUTT AROUND IF HE'S HUNGRY OR HURTING!!!
RED LIGHTS: RAISING HEAD, TENSION, BIG EYE, FLARED NOSTRIL,
SHAKING, SHYING, SNORTING, RUNNING OVER A PERSON IN HAND, RUNNING OFF UNDER
SADDLE, TAIL UP, NECK ARCHED, ANY SIGN OF DISRESPECT OR FEAR IN HAND, THEM NOT
ALLOWING YOU TO GET INTO THEIR SPACE, THEM NOT ALLOWING YOU TO TOUCH THEM
EVERYWHERE. RED MEANS STOP, DO NOT GO ON UNTIL YOU ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS AND
GET THE GREEN LIGHTS. NEVER NEVER NEVER GO ON IF YOU HAVE ANY RED LIGHT
SIGNAL!!!!!
GREEN LIGHTS: CHEWING, LICKING LIPS, EAR COMING IN, LOWER
HEAD, RELAXED FACE, CALM, LISTENING, RESPECTFUL, RELAXED HEAD, SMOOTH MOVEMENTS, QUIET, RELAXING TOP LINE & TAIL,
RESPECTING HANDLERS SPACE, DOING WHAT IS ASKED OF THEM ON THE GROUND
MOVING OR SELLING OLDER HORSES
(ESPECIALLY MARES)
-Take
extreme care when moving older horses, especially when you are changing more
than just the home (ie. changing their humans, the environment, the region of
the country, the climate and humidity, type of ground and ground cover).
-It takes
most healthy young horses about 4 months to really settle in to a new home. It
takes about 8 months for an older gelding and about a year for an older mare.
-BEWARE
with horses of all ages if you are changing regions of the country, predominant
weather, terrain, type of ground and ground cover, people and the home environment (from stall to run in or from
stall to pasture or from pasture to stall). Many horses will not survive extreme
changes.
-If you
have any horse over 25, do everything in your power not to move it at all.
If you have a strong gelding over 20 use extreme care but do not move a mare
over age 20. Mares are more sensitive and many will die within 6 months to a
year of their move. Most of the ones we've seen we believed just died of a
broken heart when their owners gave them up.
-Mares
are very much like women, they do run the show but they are also very sensitive
about things that do not matter to most geldings.
-Every
horse sale should include more than just a bill of sale, the seller should
define what they expect in future sales, the minimum care required, the daily
care required, the feed it requires and type of feed, any special care it
requires, shelter it requires and have the buyer agree to that and sign it.
Everything must be in writing and put a clause in the bill of sale with a 20k
fine if the buyer breaks the agreement and a statement that the horse will
immediately come back to the previous owner if breeched. A written contract is
the only thing that will protect your horse. Thousands of Verbal agreements are
broken on a daily basis over horses.
-Your
horses future depends on you making the best decisions and doing things to
protect them during sales. At a very minimum, you must ask specific questions
about the following when selling your horse:
-
the
buyers financial stability (job, how long have they been at that job, salary and
money history such as money problems and bankruptcy, do they have stable work or
do they depend solely on their hubby for their horse money.... remember 50% of
all marriages end in divorce which puts your horse at risk),
-
the
buyers knowledge (training, experience, specifically what they have done....
just saying they have owned for 20 years doesn't mean anything),
-
you
should thoroughly review what the horse requires as far as amount and type of
feed and be very specific, training, care, special care, etc and ask them if
they have any problem doing any of those things.
-
Personal
stability (do they own the farm where the horse is going to be staying? How long
have they lived there? Are they married? How long have they been married.....
80% of all marriages end in the first 7 years).
-
Facilities, see current pictures of their barn, stalls and their current horses.
Current means in the last 30 days.
-
Get a vet
and farrier reference and talk to them. Go see the home if you can. Follow up a
month later and 6 months later (don't just call, go there).
-
We check
all these things, plus give a written test of 50 questions and we check
bankruptcies, criminal records, civil law suit records, credit, talk to the
employer. Even then, there is no guarantee but your chances are much better of
knowing you have a good buyer and a good home.
BREEDING
-Never
make decisions about a bred mare with an early ultrasound, always
wait for a much later palpation. You'll never guess how many mares we've gotten
from breeders or former adopters who say the mare they are donating or putting
back into the program can't get in foal or won't keep
a foal and they end up foaling here because they came to us bred.
-Every
foal is 80% of the dam, you will never have a good baby without an exceptional
mare, regardless of how good the stallion is.
-Never
never bred a mare that has ever been a rescue, more than likely she has years of
parasite damage and breeding means death to many mares with a rescue background,
especially if you add age to the picture. Never breed a mare that is not in top
shape, weight and condition. The baby is a direct reflection of the condition of
the mare.
-Many
mares that people are breeding and can't get in foal will get in foal with
better care, especially with lots of good quality feed and good shelter.
-Don't do
shots or deworm foals until 4 months old. Some shots should not be done until 6
months and some wormers are not safe for foals... read all labels.
-You can
get nearly anything in foal if you work at it hard enough.
-Breeding
any mare the age of 20 or over is risking the life of that mare.
-Always
have bred mares checked for twins very early and have the vet pinch off the
smaller of the two. TB's, Arab's and QH's have a higher probability of producing
twins according to studies done by Colorado State University.
WINTER CARE
-We lose
at least one adoption horse every winter at an adopters because of major
fractures from falling on ice and snow. This has happened every year since we
started the program. Turn out is important but is turn out more important than
the life of your horse? This is one of those tough love things, you keep your
kids in too when going out will hurt them.
-We lose
another adoption horse every winter at an adopters because of colic. Loads of
Fresh water must be available to every horse but not only that, you must make
sure they are drinking. Some horses will not drink cold water, they certainly
won't drink water that is solid ice or has an ice layer on it. Here we have 250
gallon troughs in each and every stall, they are either heated or we break ice
and take it out twice a day. Horses can live without feed but they will die
immediately without water. Feed and no water is a set up for colic. The water
and hay gets the grain through their body.
-Spend the summer getting your horse round for
winter. If the horse if going into winter thin, you'll have to feed 3 times the
amount to get the weight back up in the cold months.
-You
don't have to bump up feeds in the winter to keep horses round if you put a
heavy weight rug on them in temperatures at freezing and below and a light
weight rug between freezing and 40 degrees. Much of the feed is being used up to keep
them warm and you can do that with a simple water proof rug. Without a good rug and good shelter you should plan on adding 1/4
to 1/2
more to the daily ration in the winter to keep them warm and round.
-Some
horses will never grow a winter coat and yes horses do get hypothermia and can
die from being cold and getting core temperatures down to low.
-You need
to put a heavy weight rug on older, thin, sick or injured horses during the winter
months because much of their feed if going to get them better or to take care of
the injury, so nothing is left to keep them round and to keep them warm.
RIDING
-Don't
ever get on any horse until you do a Monty Roberts style join up. Not just
mindless lunging, don't drive the horse around in a lunge, you can actually get
a horse hyped up and hot by driving them in a lunge, this should be a relaxing
lunge to allow them to get the edge off, you must see the "green light signals" that the horse is
accepting of you as their partner and leader and is confident about what you are doing.
If you don't get those signals, you are risking your life when getting on the
horse. Every ride and every training session at SWAP HQ starts with this
procedure in the round pen. Make no assumptions even when you know the horse,
you are between 100 and 200 lbs and they are at least 1000 lbs, you give them
the definite advantage when you get on their back.
-Do not
get on any horse if you get any of the 'red light signals'.
(see Red Light and
Green Light signals above under training).
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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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