HAPPY ENDINGS 00

Hello, Celeita,

I just wanted to update you on Koda Bey. He is the most amazing horse you could ever wish for. I just came in from giving him his midnight carrot snack :) He has such a cute personality. When you walk over to the fence, he is always the first one to come over and search for his breakfast carrot, or nicker. I have been riding him every day, he is a bit spooky on the trails. He recently got a minor girth rub, (I am putting Corona and Wonder Dust on it, along with washing it) so I have been lunging him more than I would usually so he will get a sufficient ammount of exercise every day. (He gets Sunday off). I have tried to ride him bareback, but his wither is just too large, and we are hoping within the next few months of a lot off good feed and care he will develope new muscules in that area. He gets fed twice a day, and eats 3 pounds in the morning and evening. Consisting of 14 % Sweet Feed, Pellets, and Alf-Alfa Pellets. I think I have spoiled him a bit. He is already used to a wash down everyday, and a lot of carrots and apple treats. Our TB gelding, Happy, really loves Koda, but Koda is still playing hard to get with everyone but Foxy (They're grazing partners). The alpha mare Jade has very little tolerance for him when Happy goes over to sniff him. This evening Happy was following him around, and he and Koda had a squealing face off, but in the end poor Happy got ignored agian. Ever since Koda has gotten here - he has pretty much been my favorite out of all four of our horses. He is just the most beautiful horse, I can see exactly why he was a halter champion. He trys so hard to please and do everything that is asked of him, he is truely a dream, and to me he was worth every penny of his adoption. Every night he stands by the woods and trees, I think he enjoys the peaceful crickets and night birds. He is facinated by the frogs in the pond aswell. Koda really loves his grass. The instant he leaped out of the trailer the first thing he went for was a big clump of grass. He isn't ravenously hungry as he was when he first came, and he seems to be very well sated on the grass. His ribs are almost all filled in already, and his chest seems a little more bulked up. He has revived my interest in the Arabian horses, and I am now looking at various stallions that in the future I will breed my mare to. She is currently at my mother's house, but will soon be living here with me. Thank you so much for allowing us to adopt Koda, he is certainly a wonder of a horse, and such a magnificent mover. I will keep you updated on both Koda and Fox in the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Olivia Carpenter

Hi Chris and Celeita:

Just wanted to drop a note to tell you that Abby's doing well. She a great
girl. Everyone at the barn is amazed that she's an adoption horse. She is
so pretty and so sweet. The barn owner, Barbara, loves her. She lets her 5
and 6 year old kids lead Abby in and out of the pasture because Abby is so
well-behaved and safe.

We're working on our riding. Abby is a bit above my abilities but I'm
taking lessons on her and things are getting better and better. Wanted to
let you know that she's not a spook but she is lazy and spooking is her way
of trying to end work. I can tell that Abby has definitely called the shots
in the past as to when she thought enough was enough. She and I have come
to an understanding. I don't ask more of her than she can give but we
aren't finished with work until I say we're done. Now that she understands
that, she's become much easier to ride and to work with on the lunge line.

Anyway, to any potential adopters who are afraid to adopt a horse, tell them
not to worry. Abby was exactly what you made her out to be and whether you
adopt a horse you've never seen or you buy one that you've ridden, there is
always an adjustment period and you just have to be patient and work through
it. These are horses, not machines. They have to get to know you and trust
you. Their lives and well-being are in your hands.

On that note, I rode Abby yesterday and she was good as gold for me. She
didn't try any of her tricks at all. Then I let a friend hop on her who is
a much more experienced rider than me and I was selfishly pleased to note
that Abby is now definitely my horse. She didn't like having someone else
on her back and she made it known. Maybe I'm a bit sentimental, but I
really think she's so good for me now 'cause she knows me and cares for me
the way that I care for her.

I wish I could help you out financially but I donate as much as I can spare
to the TRF to go toward the care of my TB gelding. But if this helps to
adopt out any horses, then I feel that I've been able to help a little bit.

Thanks for all you do for the horses and thanks for Abby. I'll send some
pictures when I get a chance. She's a little butterball.

Warm wishes,

Lil Kleingardner

Hi All,
Tucker got to work with Kenny Harlow (The Virginia Horse Whisperer) last
weekend. We've had a few little handling issues...nothing serious, but
just more easily dealt with in a good training session....I felt would be
best handled by a professional. (Who doesn't have bad knees like I do...)

Tucker had a good round penning session, and settled right in for some
ground manners work. He learned to stand patiently for the shoer and how
to move off whip signals without panicking. (He had told my animal
communicator that he had been whipped by a man and terribly frightened.
This, I suspect happened when he was a baby before he was donated to
Crossed Sabers. Have to wonder if it had to do with his leg surgery and
all the bandaging, etc. he had to undergo as a foal.) It took minimal
time and effort for Kenny to have him standing there like a puppy,
perfectly still and obedient.

Kenny was impressed enough to suggest he could probably just saddle him
up and ride right off, but I told him I wanted Tucker to grow up a bit
more before that. I am trying to get into a clinic in the Spring so he
can be one of Kenny's "unbroke" horses. The techniques he uses really do
give the horse a solid foundation on the concepts of being ridden safely.
By then, I will have fully trained Tucker in ground driving so he will
turn, stop and work correctly on the bit. Getting on to ride then will
just be one more little step in the training process. (Hope we all don't
need a step ladder though. He's already topping 16.1 and I doubt he's
done growing.)

He is a sweetheart, all huggy and cute. He is also very smart. My oldest
horse, PJ, thinks he, Toby, and Tucker are a "great gang," and he really
enjoys their time together. It sure is fun watching them play, cavort,
frolic, and just generally have a good time.

I'm sending two pictures. The marks on the boy are a result of playing so
much, and purely cosmetic. I'm not thrilled with the full body shot, so I
need to work on getting some better ones.

Take care,
Jean D.

Theyre coming fast and furious now...LOL the updates.

Please...forgive me for multi sending again...its that typing something over and over again that Im avoiding...

so to all my horsey friends...and Addys "mommy"

Weve been exploring the local trails. Being of sound mind and wanting to stay sound in body...we did our prior and proper preparation. The first time we headed out he went on the 12' line and natural halter. We got down to this one house that had blow up plastic style bags that were goblins, witches and ghosts. He was like oh no...thats really scary. We played some games and he went by. We just had a nice walk then hand graze. Then headed home. Weve been riding out back there ever since. Ive even ridden him with just the bareback pad and natural hackmore. We confronted our first kiddy driven sand dune buggy back there in our 'bare' tack. He did great. He still remembers the halloween decorations...and we still play some games to get past it...but he gets better each time.

Ive been contacting the neighbors and getting some riding space in the now cropless fields. We have to time it with the hunting season(s). I think the one guy is going to be great...he has like 75 acres across the street. Nice paths from the tractors around the rim and through some sections. Back behind where we board is all creeks, woods, sandy areas and residential. The neighbors are all cool with riders going through.

The big news. This past sunday (10/20) we went to a clinic in Willards. Theres a beauitful brand new indoor arena up there. Theres a jump course and proper size dressage ring. This guy Jorge Chevanes (sp?) has trained Andalusians and is into the round pen aspect of natural training. He was only charging $65 for a 2 1/2 hour clinic. I figured it was worth that to me to find out how Addy would do in a more active multiple horse situation. Were thinking about doing the Nassawodox trail ride Nov 8th (I think).. about 100 riders....do woods...fields...and beach. I also figured I was at least on par with this guy. Im sure hes better at the 'polish' than I am...but after chatting...riding with and meeting this guy...I think I probably have more versitility than he does. Anyway....I of course felt my failings. Having broken this leg...my balance is a bit harder for me to maintain at the working trot without stirrups. I feel tipped over to the right from time to time and cant pull myself back with that bad left leg...so he goes...sideways...want me to go sideways? Hes so funny. When I ride in stirrups I can easily maintain everything because I can maintain the balance. I think its something I need to work on. I dont know if I can get it better without some repetition. The bouncing when I get unbalanced irritates my back too...so thats still stiff today. I looked Jorge in the eye and went look...I need to get into the stirrups now...I realize that I need work here...but I dont want to fall off in front of spectators. LOL.

Adlige was a star. I see why he was called that. He was pretty funny. We checked out the indoor...then got our tack on. Nancy grazed him while we did the picture/lecture portion of the clinic. Bridled up...tightened our final hole and went to the block. He stood like a champ to be mounted. He was so polite and good. We went to the outdoor dressage ring. Different people wanted different things out of the clinic. I wanted to play with passage and passes and to see how he would do in the situation...Would my training hold up? Off to the outdoor dressage ring. We just did some walking. Then walking without stirrups. Then trotting without stirrups. I got through about 10 minutes before I felt like I wanted to get back in the stirrups. We did some circling...bending work. He was soft and supple. Then everyone moved over to one side of the arena and we did individual figure 8 movements. Addy was so nice and soft. The horse to follow me was like a pistol over something in the one corner. He would scoot forward...and then the rider would get tight...then he would launch into bucking. He put her off 2x. Jorge ended up getting on him. That went better but the horse was ....In my opinion.. shying over something and then when the rider got tense he got tense. I want to stress that a lot of my success with Addy is in that I can stay relaxed even when he gets tense. Jorge didnt mention anything to the girl about the one rein halt to stop the bucking. It wasnt my clinic so I didnt mention it at the time...but told her about it after Jorge had left. Once he got off that horse...and sent him back to the barn...we got into leg yields. Oh boy...what fun. Addy is sooooo awesome on yielding. You can do shoulder in...shoulder out...full sideways...half pass 2 tracks..hes sooo fun. Some of this I accredit to the porcupine game playing that we do. The yielding the body no matter where I touch. I can point at which foot he needs to pick up for the blacksmith...its so cool. I can point at his shoulder..hip...leg...whatever and he yields. As the others struggled to get shoulder ins...we played...on the diagnals half pass to the left...hit center... change to half pass to the right. We could start out moving on the diagnal to the right...then just switch our body position to finish the pass moving to the left. He was awesome. We went to do some cantering... but he was like come on...come on...just a few bucks.. ppplllleeease? Im like ...no bucking....We tried again..a little light in the hind end but got himself together. I think he just wanted to mess about. We didnt do much on the canter. Just a canter around the rim in each direction. Hes great about picking up the proper lead. I think my only complaint about him in the session is that when each person was performing their own 'solo' figure 8 he would be a bit antsy. I want him to learn to just stand...I dont want to have to maintain contact on his mouth to get him to stand. We need to work on that....but as I explained to the people after the clinic when we discussed the session...I was willing to just do my hurry up and relaxes (lateral movments...one rein halts) and not repremand or negatively reinforce. He stood like a saint to be mounted. Waited for me to get my stirrups adjusted. He went to a strange place and did everything asked of him with enthusiasm. He didnt spook...he loaded like a level one horse by just being pointed at the trailer....twice. Im going to pretend like that didnt happen. Im going to work on it...Im aware that its there...it just needs work. Overall....another great experience. For him and me.

I think hes also really starting to enjoy trail rides. We go places and do things. When we ride out in the hackmore...we have our favorite lush green spot that we stop at to graze for 15 or 20 mins. I figure if he just spent 1 1/2 hours doing what I want to do ...I can spare that to let him do some of what he might want to do. He seems to appreciate it. Weve been riding 2 or 3x a week. Other days we just play around in the field. Hes gotten to the point that he knows my car (its kinda creepy because my dog is like that too)...as soon as he sees me pull up he matches my pace to and into the barn. My buddy. My mother was like...you were showing off a bit ....I was like mom... you dont even know how much more I could have shown off. I could have done all that in the natural hackmore. I was good...I rode in a saddle...I rode in a bridle. I could have done the pad and hackmore. I made sure everyone in the clinic understood that I spent 3 months on the ground with this horse prior to stepping a foot over his back.

Ill keep you all posted. Im heading up to Fair Hill this coming weekend. I think I might go to the Washington international on fri or sat...then go up to Fair Hill. Lisa is competing the team for the triple crown...Becky...my old roomate from Mrs T's wants me to meet her up there on Sunday for the marathon. I guess they have to use that area of fair hill for the 3 day on saturday...so they have the marathon while the 3dayers are doing their show jumping. I guess cones must be on monday. I dont know how all that works. Theyre doing the endurance there too. All at once. That would be a planners nightmare. LOL. Yikes.

All is well.
Chris & Addy

Celeita,

Butch will be picking up GG and Trippin some time Thurs morning.
As soon it stops raining we can start tearing down the old barn (more like a shed) and grading for the barn. Hopefully after the 1st of the year I will be set up to foster or adopt a few more.
I wanted to run a few things by you to see what you think. VI college is having a horse show at the VA horse center in Lexington Feb 27-Mar 2. We can get a 10x12 vendor booth for retail, information, or publicity purposes. I will pay the vendor fee if you think this is something that will generate some interest in the program. Last year they had over 500 horses competing from 10 states. I think that the VA state director lives in or near Lexington and may be able to find out more info before we decide.
Another thing I was thinking of doing is sponsoring a horse show for the Fun Fest next summer. They had one every year until this past year (don't know what happened to the sponsor). The show was part of the local show circuit with points awarded to the winners toward year end awards. I know that the Therapeutic Riding Center hosts a charity show so I don't know why we couldn't with the proceeds going to CSS. They get people to sponsor the different classes. You could come down for the weekend to host the show and we could show what some of the adoption horses can do and have an information booth set up with info on adopting.
Just let me know what you think and we can go from there.
Karen
Bristol, TN

Celeita,

GG and Trippin were fine this morning. I'm using a 10% protein/10% fat textured feed for most of the Tb's. It seems to keep the weight on them better with 3-6 lbs per feeding instead of 6-9 lbs per feeding of a feed with less fat. I use a protein supplement for those that need extra protein. I also use alfalfa cubes and a mixed grass hay. GG likes the cubes, she and Baron were on them before according to their paperwork. Baron begs for them like they are candy. Trippin isn't sure the cubes are food. He just crumbled it up in the pan and went back to his hay. I can't believe all the stuff that came with him. Did his owner get out of horses?
We will be working on the old barn some more tomorrow. We are cleaning out 2 stalls and fixing them up and cleaning out a feed storage area. Artie didn't realize he had accumulated so much stuff. He found some halters and leads that he gave me; some looked brand new. We are going to leave the other side of the barn open (approx 20x30) so we can get 4-6 horses in there if the weather gets really bad before the new barn is up. It usually doesn't snow here before Jan but we have had some light snow in Dec. It will be in the 60's this weekend. We plan to let GG and Trippin get aquatinted with the others while we are working.
I'll keep you updated on how things are going.
Karen

gotta read this, its hilarious! Diasy, bless her heart was one of our oldest companion horses that we have had in the program, all the young geldings loved her here, made me want to be a horse. She was at least 25, had ring bone, had one eye, had a club foot. I mean anything you could ever have go wrong was wrong with this poor girl. This is one of the few horses that when it came here I said, "I know she will here forever" but it was always such a hoot. The young studly TB geldings would follow her around like puppy dogs. She is just like an old woman though, according to Karen, she wants to eat at a certain time, wants to go out at a certain time and lay under her favorite tree and wants to come in at a certain time and by george you better be there. Trippin just arrived at Karen's and I guess he has the hots for Diasy, too. Here's Daisy's reaction to Trippin. :)

Celeita,

We let GG and Trippin out with the group last Sat afternoon. We took them in the bottom gate because none of the herd was nearby. They wandered around a little and then started up the hill. One by one horses started to appear on top of the hill. It reminded me of an old western movie when the Indians would appear on a hill above the wagon train. Trippin kept on charging up the hill, GG turned around and came back to us. Bandit (he is top dog) came down to meet Trippin; they did some squealing and then the other geldings came down, even Hootie. The mares ignored him for the most part. GG decided it was okay to go up when nothing happened to Trippin. Missy came to meet her followed several of the other top ranking mares. More squealing and then they all ran off. Trippin and GG were on the outskirts of the herd Sat night. Sunday morning we thought we had lost Trippin. We finally found him down by the creek with Daisy. She came over to us a fast as Daisy can run and gave me the "eye." It was if she was saying "do something about this guy, he won't leave me alone." Several days later he was hanging out with Two Wap. He likes older women I guess. GG hasn't found a friend yet but the others don't pick on her or try to run her off. Sometimes it takes a while. We plan to get her and Baron together in the early spring. We are going to build a run-in and fence about 2 acres for Baron, GG and Moon. Moon doesn't have a close buddy either so may she and GG will bond. More later.
Karen

Hi Celeita,

Sorry it has taken me so long to email you. Just wanted to drop a line to say Rocky is a wonderful horse. He is all and more that you said he was. We learned from the vet. and the farrier that he had been pinfired (I hope I spelled it right). They explained what it is and that with allot of rest he would be around quite a few years but would need to have a " Flex-all" I think that's the spelling, during the cold days and winter. He is adjusting well and is so attached to Midnight it is difficult to separate the two for any amount of time. He and her took about one hr. I suppose to get acquainted. Nothing harsh but just a quite stand still don't move attitude on her part before she would finally let him move around. The next day though he was boss and that's how it has been since. It's interesting to watch them and how the horse rules apply. Thank you very much for him. We will take care and love him much. My husband did not like hearing what kind of life he may have had due to the pinfiring on his front legs and one back leg but to tell you he was here now, and Rocky would be able have the horse life that he so richly deserves, no schedules of any kind just being a horse and doing horsey things. In other words he really is impressed with Rocky. Asking him to explain his thoughts about Rocky and his reply was " The muscles he shows when trotting through the field is something to behold. He is a stunning horse indeed". This is not a person he has spent time around horses and his comment about Rocky made me feel good. Some of the farmers around us has been by and their comments were nice too.. " I'll bet he was something to see in his prime racing days because he sure is pretty". The vet said he was beautiful and was a pleasure to be around. Again, thank you very much. He has brought so much pleasure to our hearts. I hope Rocky will feel the same.

Kim Grizzell

P.S. Is it okay to contact the owners for his registration papers? We were wondering also when he came to your farm and where is was before hand.

Hi all,

Glad to hear the good news about the mortgage. We have our own mini-farm! Our new address will Oxford, Ohio. The closing is set for the end of this month. We have some fencing to finish and a little work to do on the barn before we can move PG and Hawk to their new home. They will have horsey neighbors. There are some pretty black and white paints next door. We will have 5 acres for the 2 horses. In the Spring, my friend will be bringing her 21 year old Arabian from West Virginia to board with us. We are thinking about getting a miniature horse, but no other large animals. Our plans are to build an arena in the Spring so Allison has a nice place to ride Gem and I have a place to work with Hawk.

Gem is having some stiffness in her back leg since the colder weather has set in. She is still running, but does not like me to pick up her leg when I pick her hoof. She also does not want to put weight on it. The vet gave me some Bute for her and she is doing better today. It was warmer today, so I don't know if her recovery is a result of Bute or the better weather. I am going to e-mail her former owners and ask if she has ever had this reaction to the cold before. I think she may need some joint supplements. We are not riding her right now, but she is still getting excercise running around with the young horses. I

I will let you know when the move is complete. I will send pictures.

Thanks,

Michelle Henley

Dear Celetia,

I just wanted to write you a short note to let you know how Harry is doing. He arrived last Wednesday afternoon, and has settled in nicely. He is not at all nervous, as I was worried he would be since his new home is a busy boarding stable. I guess all the peace and quiet in West Virginia was unnerving him, as he now stands quietly in the cross ties, and looks really bored most of the time. I trimmed his mane and bridle path, and he looks very handsome. I am having a good time letting everyone guess what kind of horse he is. Most think a warmblood of some kind. He is docile and kind, and has totally sold me on the standardbred horse.

Thanks again for Harry, and all the STB material you sent with him. He is definitely a keeper!

Sincerely

Pam Walsh

{and Thank YOU!}

Hi, my name is Reba, and I have a special friend named Kaleigh.
Kaleigh is six years old, and says I'm "the prettiest big blonde
pony" she's ever seen. Kaleigh is only big as a minute, and is
missing two front teeth. She gives me treats, brushes my mane, and
sometimes takes me for trail rides in the woods.

I live on a 20 acre farm in northeast Ohio with Kaleigh's Grandma and
Grandpa. Kaleigh visits a lot, but most of the time I just hang out
with the other horses. And that's fun too. See, I'm getting on in
age, and my joints are a little stiffer than they used to be. Before
I came here, I had a job in a kids camp, That was OK, but it got to
where I just couldn't keep up with all the work they needed me to do,
every single day. I started getting cranky and misbehaved a lot. When
I heard my previous owner say it was time to retire me I was
thrilled. But when they said I was going to be donated to SWAP, I had
no idea what that was. It turns out that SWAP stands for the Second
Wind Adoption Program. They took me to a huge farm called Crossed
Sabers in May 2001. I was pretty scared at first but they worked with
me and taught me that the bad behavior was unacceptable. Finally, I
was put on their website for adoption, and that's how I found Kaleigh.

Actually, it was Kaleigh's Grandma who found me. When she spotted me
on the website, she jumped in her car and came to visit. I was in my
new home the next day! Kaleigh was there waiting for me and my second
life began. I was a little stiff and limpy because of the long ride
to Ohio so Grandma put me on arthritis medicine right away and in a
few days I was much better.

Even now, Grandma checks the Crossed Sabers website searching for
older horses that have experience with kids or have been
lesson/school horses. She says that older horses and young kids go
together like peanut butter and jelly. So far, she's been right.

Sometimes Kaleigh also plays with Snickers, who started out as one of
our Foster kids. Snickers was an old lesson horse that couldn't stay
sound for his daily grind either. His owner thought he needed a
quieter life with room to roam. She donated him to SWAP but Crossed
Sabers was full (which happens a lot, I hear), and Snickers had to be
moved. Lucky for us, Grandma had room to take him in as a foster. I
remember the first day Snickers came here. They put him out in the
newcomer pasture, all by himself, and he just stood there. It was
like he'd forgotten how to run, or maybe he just didn't know what to
do with all that room. Well, to make a long story short, Snickers is
still with us. Grandma adopted him a couple of weeks after he arrived
for Kaleigh's Mommy to ride. He hasn't been lame since he came to
live with us. His old owner was right. He just needed to have a
quieter second life and she gave it to him by donating him to SWAP.

Last week, our newcomer pasture was occupied again. His name is Giant
Boulevard. Boy, does he fit his name, at least the `Giant' part! I
get a crick in my neck just looking up at him! Boule is just a
youngster, but he limps a lot and has a knee that's really big. He's
a Foster Boy too, and Grandma says he needs some `recuperation.' I'm
not sure what that is, but I'll bet it has something to do with
eating lots of grass and not working so hard. I saw Snickers talking
to him through the fence yesterday, so I'll find out more about him
later.

Snickers and I have happy endings to our stories and I'm sure Boule
will, too. I heard Grandpa say just the other day that they do more
looking then riding anyway and he is a looker! I've heard a lot of
scary stories about some other horses who weren't so lucky. It seems
like a lot of older or injured or misunderstood horses wind up at an
auction, and I don't want to talk about what happens to them. But
since SWAP was there, our previous owners had an alternative. Because
we were donated to the Crossed Sabers Second Wind Adoption Program,
we all got a second chance at life. There are good stories about
horses like us all across the country. But right now, SWAP NEEDS YOUR
HELP! If they're not able to collect $55,000 by September 1st,
they'll have to close the doors and turn away a lot of horses just
like me. That makes me sad, so I'm going to stop thinking about it
right now.

PLEASE HELP!

Hello,

My name is Hurc's Big Boy, also affectionately know as Pony Pony by all those who know me. I am a Mustang/Appaloosa cross gelding. I came to Crossed sabers in the Spring of 1997. I came from a place in Ohio from a woman that was really scared of me. Why, I don't know, but some people and animals just never hit it off. So she sent me there hoping for me to find a good home. Well, in the late summer of 97, this girl came to the stable and was looking for a horse, A big horse, I'm just a little guy, but I am tough. So she looked and looked all over the barn and Celeita suggested me. She looked at me and was not really impressed with me, but I knew that I would be good for her, she and I would be good together. They took me out of the stall and she looked at me further and then they put me back. I didn't know what to think. The girl left and said that she would be back another day, she lived a couple of hours away. My heart was sad because I felt that she didn't want me. But much to my surprise, the girl came back a couple of days later and rode me. I had not been ridden for a while and I was spunky but not harmful. She said that she would like to have me, yeah! Finally, someone that wanted me.....me little old me. I was the happiest horse in the barn, I had found a home.....This is where my story really begins.

I went to Kim Collins. She had been around horse for a while and she loved to have fun, So I knew that I was the best horse for her. Low and behold so did Celeita too. When I got Pony Pony in the late summer of 1997, I had not clue what I was really getting, but I had not clue that I was getting a very trusted and loyal companion. You see, I was told that Pony Pony didn't like where he was and that he was a fire breathing dragon and had everyone afraid of him. Well, let me tell you, this guy is a push over with me and everyone that we have been around. He is the ultimate baby sitter for ANYONE. I have cattle penned and barreled him, poles, small jumps, riding in traffic to ponying scared and anxious horses past their fears of whatever. He ever does search and rescue. But you can turn right around and put the most novice person, child or adult and he knows it and will not do one wrong thing. Pony and I have a very special bond that you don't find anywhere. He is the most loyal animal I have ever had. He is out in a large field with his other CSS pals, Galano and Chavez, but he still likes the girls because he was geld late in life, like the age of 14, so he still talks, but that's all. I trust this guy with my life and my hats off to Crossed Sabers Stables and the Second Wind Adoption Program for helping me find a friend for life. May God Bless us all, Everyone great and small.

Kim and Pony :>)

Celeita: Thought you and your team would like some recent photos of Jesse.
He is doing just fine and I hate being away from him when I have to work!

Hi Celeita:

Hope all is well with y'all & all the horses are happy & healthy.

Just wanted to give you a quick update on how Panache is doing. He had a nice long rest while I was in Canada for 10 days - no poulticing, no icing, no soaking! Just before I left I had another vet check him out - poor Panache was once again flexed & trotted, prodded & poked. The vet (Dr. Graden) agreed with Dr. Rey that Panache was sore in the hind end. In fact Panache seemed quite sound in the front & only slightly lame behind - and in the back left only! After some more checking, Dr. Graden found an old deep abcess in the hind left foot which we treated with soaking and packing. Two days later, I had back shoes put on him for protection & support.
I got back from Canada & couldn't wait to get out to the farm to see my boys. Thankfully, they had not forgotten me - in fact seemed happy to see me. Panache has called hello to me when I get to the farm ever since he first arrived. And he certainly knows his name. He comes right up to the gate & waits for me. What a doll! Anyway, I took Panache into the round pen for a little exercise & he let me know right away he was feeling pretty good! After a few steps trotting, he started blowing & snorting, tossing his head and trotting a beautiful extended trot. This quickly moved into a canter which he has never volunteered before. The most he would do if asked would be 2 or 3 short canter strides then back to trot or walk. Not this time! He kicked his heels up & away he went. It's a good thing we were in the round pen & he was on a lunge line! And thankfully he was very respectful of my space.
When really looking for it, I could detect a slight lameness in the back left foot at the trot so he is resting again for now. However, he has improved tremendously in the last month. The injections have definitely helped him plus I have him on new supplements; the bad thrush is slowly clearing up; the new support shoes all around and finding that old abcess - Poor guy - with all these things going on no wonder he was lame! I'll keep you posted as things get better as I am confident they will. I plan to take him back to Dr. Rey in a week or two for a follow-up & to get his opinion on his progress. I'll e-mail again then.

Thanks for all you do .........Gwen

Celeita,
Amira foaled Monday morning between 6:00 & 8:00 a.m. We missed it. She was hanging her head out her door at 6 waiting on breakfast. It had been a very long week checking on her through out the night so Julie went back to bed until 8. We didn't think she would foal after day break. She sure fooled us. When Julie went back out at 8, there he was peeping around Amira.
He is a bay colt with 3 white socks. He has VERY long legs. I've attached a few pics of him and of Bru and the filly she adopted.
Karen Harlan
Bristol, TN

Hi Celetia (think I spelled your name wrong...sorry!!). Whiskey is doing fine, this email is not about him. In fact, we got to meet his old mom about a month ago, she was in Columbus on business and stopped to see him. She said he seemed very happy, Whiskey and Patsy were so happy to be reunited!! The reason I am writing...

I know you sometime place dogs and cats. I have a friend who is in a bind. She has a dog that she needs to find a good home for. She has basically been left homeless (very sad story that I won't get into). Her dogs are her children. She has 4 dogs total, but is unable to keep the one because of his size. I was wondering if you guys could possibly help place him. She is so afraid to find a home for him herself, afraid he will get into the wrong hands.

Thanks, Celetia, I hope you can help!!

Michele Kopiec

Hi,

I wanted to let you know how Shadow (Vanity, Gray Arab) and Gem (PG, Standardbred) are doing. Gem is doing great. I rode her yesterday and had a lot of fun. My daughter, Allison, is intimidated by her size. So, as soon as I get my farm (which is getting closer), I will need to adopt another horse that is smaller so Allison can get her confidence back. Anyway, last Sunday I noticed that Shadow (Vanity) was having coordination problems. I told Sharon Bennett (her adopter) and she stayed up most of the night checking on Shadow. In the morning she called the vet. They diagnosed her with West Nile Virus. We were all very upset. Because we caught it early and the vet gave her a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs, she has fully recovered. Some other horses in our area have not been as lucky. She is back to running in the field. Last week, she could barely keep standing. It was very scary. Sharon said Shadow will definitely get the vaccine next season. She has seen how it protected Gem (PG) and my other horse Hawk. I just wanted to let you guys know that we had a happy ending.

Thanks,
Michelle Henley

So for all my horsey friends...that I think might be interested.

Ive been working with Adlige on his training. We just have to polish off a few things ...12' away trailer loading...better yo yo in the saddle...little yo yo on the ground...little more in saddle squeeze. His sideways..single track and 2 track are awesome...he's willing to do it over (sidepass over objects) some fun stuff...barrell...branches...etc. We'll soon graduate our level 1. What a dude. We're doing a little prior and proper preparation for level 2 as well. Hes very smart and willing...so attentive.

Ok...Ive also been working on the twitchy mounting thing on the left side at the base of his neck. Ive found that he did fine as long as I scratched that area until it didnt twitch. I just desensitized it prior to mounting. About 3 weeks ago I began putting more and more pressure to the left stirrup for longer and longer periods of time as I dismounted. Then I started to use the left stirrup to step up (after scratching of course) into a lay over. Adlige now mounts normally from the left hand side again. He doesnt move until hes asked to move off. All that ground work is paying off in spades.

So...I broke down and started saddle shopping last month. I was so bummed out that Thorowgood just isnt being stocked by anyone right now. Its an english made synthetic...Millers was their distributor and anyone dealing with Millers knows the financial difficulties and stocking problems that theyre having now. Anyway....so I was looking at Wintecs and the Cair system....but with all told...girth..irons.. leathers and a few pads it was going to run me like $750. I was like man...for just a kick around saddle that will be kind to this horses back...and fit him well....I think Im paying for too much name here. So I hit ebay. I found a great Thorowgood all purpose. Brand new. Saddle...shipping...girth...leathers... irons And....a high density padd...2 dressage type pads and one non slip on one side...fuzzy white to saddle side....all for $400. It has a "sima tree" that flexes with shoulder movement...a gel seat and nice soft cushy flockings underneath. I got the high density to give him even more cushion. He moves great in it...it fits him well and should wear down to fit and flex with him. I found out with the non slip standard pad that if I put it on him...it doesnt move even if hes twitching. I think sometimes he found it a bit disconcerting when the pad started to slip back and off to the side when he would twitch.

Riding. Well...I wrote today to let everyone know about a milestone. Addy & I along with Charlie & Nancy went for a ride on Assateague Island yesterday. It was a beauitful day. We tacked up saddle wise in the barn with the girths just snug enough and shipped the 2 of them over. When we got there...we unloaded. I played a few games with Addy to show him around and let him get a look at the sights and smells. I tightened up the girth. Got my helmet on...bridled him. He stood like a champ...didnt tie him... just held him on a shank. We looked around one more time.. went to our little portable mounting block. Stood stock still to be mounted normally from the left. We wandered around a bit (he was a little tense but not spooky/leavey style...kinda tense across the back snorty)...He came down a bit. Nancy got on...and we headed down the parking lot. Nancy had suggested that if we were going to go we should park further down so we just had to go straight onto the beach...I went no way. If we're going to culture shock him...lets do it proper. Lets just throw the whole works at him. So we walked about a 1/4 mile past 4 wheel drive trucks, people flying kites, people bicycling, people walking, jogging, sun bathing. There were people on the bayside kayaking. He was such a dude. He relied on Charlie a bit. He eyeballed the difference in colors of sand thinking about his footing. He eyeballed the horseshoe crabs. I think the only things that he thought about spooking over were 2 cars that had 2 kayaks on each roof. He looked that over and we played yo yo with it...a bit of squeeze game with it. Then we walked calmly on. I think he was looking at it going 'that sure looks like a dead horse'....LOL. He got his feet wet at the bay.The back bay waters just gently lap. He didnt want to go in at first...but then Charlie went in and he said if charlie could do it ...he could. Now the Ocean....he was making me laugh. I had Charlie get down to about 30 feet from the line of water coming in from the waves...then had Nancy get him a bit closer (we got to about 20 ft away) each stride to squeeze Adlige (I had him on Charlies right) a little closer. As we got closer...you could feel his back muscles tense when a wave crashed. It was pretty big surf yesterday. The Ocean is still (at least yesterday) active from the reminents of Isadore. He got more relaxed about it...when he did I then let him travel to Charlies left side. We changed positions a couple of times...to teach both horses.. and they did well. Addy was like...I know that eats horses....Its so big...it must!!! LOL

We got to see the ponies on the causeway over to the island. People were there photographing them with telephoto lenses.

All and all it was an awesome experience for both him and myself. He took it all in...and what Im all happy with is that he went..."if youre ok...im ok." I didnt get tense at all...and therefore kept him from getting or staying tense. The saddle fits. He is over the mounting issue. We're having a great time and hes a wonderful fella.

Emily (adliges owner) ...he is such a dude. I fall more and more in love with him everyday. Hes attentive...smart and willing. I was just lucky enough to have the type of experience to teach him and help him through this nerve damage thing. I couldn't be happier with him.

Chris & Addy

Hi Celeita,

Another update on Sam! I took him to the Jump Start
horse trials at the KY horse park this weekend and we
took 2nd out of 20 horses in Beginner Novice. He went
clear in both stadium and cross country jumping, and
his dressage score was low as well. We had a great
time, and I'll be sure to email pics of him jumping
when I get them scanned!

See ya!
Kristen

Hi, Just a quick note to let you know that they are both doing just fine. They have adjusted quite well to their new home. We are so happy to have them. Junior has taken the other horse, Daisy, under his wing, and they all get along wonderfully. We are trying to get a digital camera to take some pictures to send you. Thank you for the opportunity to adopt them and keep them together, we just love them.
Terri Paradis and Stephanie Mayger (Adopted momma's of Rosie and Junior)

Angel Heart enjoys her new home in Glenwood, MD and her new best buds, the DeIuliis Family

Here are pictures of ABCD Goldfish "Goldie" with his adopter (Lori Starnes, NC), who writes:

"Goldie is wonderful! He has gained weight and has a beautiful summer coat. I am riding him about twice a week at the walk and trot. We have not mastered the canter yet. Goldie canters beautifully in the pasture!

Thank you for such a wonderful horse!!"

Saber, Buddy and Ivory with their adopters, the Williams family of Phillippi, WV.

Tropic Knight with their adopters, part of the Coen family, Dad, Bill Koen rides Knighty for the first time.

Cute Frosty and his adopter, Jean Emerson.

Boo-Boo and her adopter, Sam.

Kristi and her adopters, Bob and Susan McClanen. She's all dressed up with places to go!

Lou and his new adopter, Jeannie & Bryon Younger, plus all of his pals.

Mike Cassidy & Summer's Class Act "Remmus" of Columbus, Ohio. Remmus, a TB gelding, was a former race horse in Lexington, KY but now spends his life on the trails with Mike and the entire Cassidy Family.

Who ever said all TB's are hot have not met our boy, Big. Shown here with the Sobey Family in Rural Retreat, VA. They ride him with a lead and halter! Margaret and her family also adopted Emperor, our Oldenburg who is speeding his way to recovery from Founder at the "Sobey Spa".

Sarah Gibson of Culloden, WV shown here with #15 from the Charles Town rescue. The vet during the rescue thought she was 12..... after getting her papers from the court, we found out that she was Cathy's Fort, a 21 year old TB mare.

Thanks Sarah, we think you are Katy are pretty amazing, too!