Crossed Sabers Stable and The Second Wind Adoption Program,

International Horse Adoption Program

SWAP HQ: Rt 2 Box 24A Jockey Camp Road, West Union, West Virginia 26456
Office: 304-873-3532 Fax: will be up soon

Email: secondwindadopt@aol.com 

Winter Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9am to 4pm

Stable Visiting Hours, Pick Up and Delivery of Horses: by appointment

Click here to see all the dogs that are up for adoption!!

Help Wanted, HORSE TRAINER:  We are also looking for a trainer that can also help in the office as an executive assistant at times (emails, calls, matching people with horses and vise versa, showing horses to adopters, working with adopters and their horses, possibly taking adopter horses for training, talking to donors, escorting visitors, helping with the website, some of the special care of horses... wrapping/shots/hand walking and some training of adopters/interns). Knowledge of all the riding and driving disciplines and all breeds of horses is helpful but a good quiet seat is a must. Salary is starting at $500. a month with free room and board but if the person is a good worker and a good rider, it will go up to $750. a month at 6 months and if they are good at placing horses into homes and a good consistent worker. The work is 7 days a week with every other weekend off (but the weekend hours are usually pretty slow, (just feeding/turn out and taking care of the barn/stalls) unless adopters or donors are visiting), some barn work (feeding, grooming/cooling out and turn out) but mostly just training and office work, some horse transport if you can drive a trailer. We can probably work the hours so if someone wants to go college or grad school on line we will make every attempt to work it in but work hours are around the normal work day and the best hours to ride (dependent upon weather). Some travel may be involved with this job to go check on program horses in homes, help adopters with training with horses and guidance and possibly some pick up and delivery of horses in the program (with the program vehicle/trailer of course) and potentially setting up displays and tables at some of the big horse shows and events. I hate to say it but I'm much more interested in a lady/girl that is more interested in horses and helping them than boys or making a fortune. email secondwindadopt@aol.com or call 304-873-3532.

Some one has been going into our pasture and barn and cutting horses tails and manes off, ruining their natural fly swatter right before fly season. If we see anyone in our pasture or barn that is not suppose to be there you will be shot on sight. That is not a threat, its a promise. We have no trespassing signs up everywhere so this is a criminal offense and vandalism. Criminal complaints have already been filed.

A special thank you to Erin Burnside of Elkins High School and all the riders that came to the benefit trail ride for SWAP. As her Senior project Erin raised over $400. for SWAP. Kudos Erin. If we had 100 kids do this as their senior project or even just as a fund raiser, they could pay to feed all our horses for a year!! Please consider us kids when you are doing your volunteer projects for school or if you want to do a fund raiser this summer. One kid with the desire to help can make a huge difference, just like Erin did. Bravo for a job well done!!

Congratulations to our Executor for her selection and award for the International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women for 2006/2007. Kudos!!

Yehaa, Kudos again to our Executor for her selection to receive the National  Leadership Award by the Republican Party.

Click here to put a horse into our  adoption program

Click here to see what we have learned over the years and with thousands of horses.

If you can't adopt, think about a gift to one or all of our horses: supplies, tack, dewormers, a donation, fly spray, or a new halter. Click here to be a sponsor to one of our horses

SWAP is now taking monthly payments for adoption fees. This can be done  with personal checks from an established checking account. Just another way SWAP is making it easier for you to have the horse of your dreams. Click here to see about monthly payments to adopt your

horse.

Click here to see

all the horses up

for adoption right now!

 

Click here to get

an adoption application!

 

Click here to get

the adoption contract!

Great Goals for 2008:

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). Ask friends, family and neighbors to be part of your plan. Most 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. Use your microwave for only heating water, it kills the nutrition value in food. 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, stay clear of negative people and those very negative chat rooms and bulletin boards). Stop Complaining and be Thankful for what we each have. Do one hour of walking, yoga or weight training every day and it will make you strong, lean, look great and you'll get wonderful complements from friends, coworkers and loved ones and the horse work will be easier and more enjoyable.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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. 

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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 usually 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).

15. 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.

16. 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..

17. 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?

18. 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.

19. 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 plan 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.

20. 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.

21. 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 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.

22. 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 believe 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.

Always in hope and admiration, Celeita

Happy Endings 2004

SWAP babies in their new homes! (And notes from some of our donors, too) Happy Endings I is the most recent page, then 2, 3 4, etc.

"You will always achieve the goals you write down"

Hello All at Second Wind Adoption,

Thanks for the email about the Christmas adoption special.  I have several friends who are looking for horses, and will be passing this info along to them.

Celita,

As far as Seth's move to Apex, he only gets better with time.  Now he's gelded, and any "stalliony" traits are dissapearing.  Our mare, Tess, went into season this weekend and is very flirty with him, but now food interests him more than the ladies.  

You may recall that Caitlin has ridden hunter-jumper for the past five years.  When her instructor left to have a baby, I took Caitlin to a barn that specializes in dressage, jumping, and cross country.  She loves it, and is probably going to change over to that discipline because it's a new challenge.   Today, Caitlin used Seth for the first time as her mount in a dressage lesson.  How great he listens!  Caitlin told me afterward that Seth was much better than herself in the lesson, and that she wants to ride him from now on in dressage/jumping lessons.  

When we adopted Seth, I had in mind he would be Caitlin's move up hunter-jumper horse.  However, we've used him in a couple of hunter lessons, but his jumper background is very obvious.  Since Caitlin is enjoying the new combined training lessons so much, it makes sense to let her make the transition instead of Seth.  Our other horse, Tess, does a good job in hunter competitions and she also loves trail riding, so Caitlin can enjoy her doing these.  In fact, I think having two different types of horses is going to be a great situation for us.

And now to update you on our most recent news, we will be moving to Aiken, South Carolina by next summer.  Charles has already started a new job there, and we all love the town -- it is "horse-lover" paradise.  What better place to raise a 14-year old girl who loves horses!  At present, we are looking at a five-acre tract in an equestrian community.  There's a neighborhood riding ring, as well as deeded trails.  Charles and I hope to finalize our plans before Christmas, and if we buy there, will start building after the first of the year.  Should we decide against having our own mini-farm, we will still be keeping both horses and will find a suitable barn for boarding.  I will keep you posted on our progress and will be sure to have your approval of barn facility before we make the move. 

Your email gives information about being able to purchase a horse you've had for at least two years.  Will this be allowed when we've owned Seth for that period of time?  We most certainly are interested.  In fact, if you can waive the time limit, we'd like to do it now.  I know we do not plan to return him to you.  All of us already love him, and he and Caitlin are a good match.  He's putting on weight and getting some muscle now.  I guess he's gained over 100 pounds, and is looking quite handsome.  I've turned his stall into a run-in, and let him choose when he's in as long as our weather allows.   Although he loves his stall, and obviously has been pampered in the past, he also loves the freedom of getting to choose when he's outside.  He seems happy and well-adjusted to being with us.  The funniest thing I've seen him do is spread his own shavings around when we put ou t clean ones.  And at night, he comes into his stall to sleep and when he poops, he kicks it to the side of the stall, covering it like a cat would. 

Didn't mean to be so long-winded.  In closing, please let me know if we can purchase Seth.  Also, let me know if any of your horses would be suited to intermediate hunter-jumper riders and/or for combined training?  I'm pretty sure I know of some friends who would be interested.  Some do not own their own barns, but board at great places.

Peace and Joy,   Carol Paramore

We all hope all of you have a great and safe Holiday Season     and a lot of luck with finding homes for your beautiful babies, especially with the wonderful Christmas Special.

Celeita,
Just a few lines to let you know that God has smiled on Hank (Doin' Hard Time, now completely blind) and I, we found a place down here that not only will board him, but he'll have a small turn-out area too and its close enough that I can visit often.  Plus they will keep him on the feed that he is used to and likes.  Gives me more time
to find my own place.  And eventually I'll find a companion for him, preferably one I can ride on trails.  Wish I was ready now, Harry would be perfect and just my size, but I sincerely hope he finds the best possible
home.

I will add Crossed Sabers to my prayers, and you and your team also.....it would be terribly sad and such a loss to the needy horses for ya'll not to be around...  May God Bless and Thank you, Rose

Hi Celeita,
Tucker, Doitright Tobe, is back from several weeks trail ride training in the mountains of Virginia with Kenny Harlow. Apparently, he had quite an adventure including a 30 mile ride up and down hill. For a kid who is far more used to schooling dressage exercises, that was quite a change of pace. On the other hand, he needed the mileage, as he has been a bit of a challenge once he stepped out of the ring and into the real world.

So far, things are really going well back at home. Tucker has taken me out on three trail rides (hunting season limits the trail riding to Sundays), and we have had a good time. He is still a little unsure about some of the strange sights, like chopped down trees *G*, but he doesn’t make a fuss about it. That’s nice because I really do like to trail ride as much as possible, especially in the colder weather when my ring footing is not good.

Our ring work is progressing nicely too. We should be showing first level in the spring with our sights set on second level by the fall.

I hope your holidays are bright and good fortune finds you and your family in the New Year.

Best Wishes,
Jean Dvorak and Tucker

Hey Celeita - I haven't talked to you in ages - since June, I think. How are you doing? How is the farm? I'd love to come down for a visit sometime soon. Avery has been doing good and progressing pretty rapidly. Actually, we are heading up to Knoll Farm in Long Island on December 18th. I'll be a working student for Anne Gribbons, and Avery and I will get up to 3 free lessons per week. I'm planning on staying for about 6 months. I was wondering if you could recommend someone to haul Ave up there for me? None of my local acquaintances have the time. Thanks so much! Take care,

Alison

Emmy arrived yesterday at noon safe and happy.  She
traveled very well and settled in very quickly.  She
is was fabulous.  What a great horse she is going to
be.  She is so sweet and friendly.  This morning I
lead her around the paddocks and the small field then
let her explore on her on.  She'd wander around in the
new snow then come and visit with me. She wasted on
time letting Razz know who was going to be boss.  Razz
is fine with that she is a follower not a leader.  I
haven't turned them out together yet but they visited
over the stall doors. 

She is everything I could have hoped for and more.  I
am so excited to get to know her.  What an adventure.
Thank you for making this possible.
Merry Christmas   Anne

Hey Celeita,

Just wanted to send a couple of pics of Big. He's
doing great. One is his first bath which he loves. The
other is taking a nap under saddle :)   Poor guy came
with a short tail, hopefully it will grow back! The
black lab you see in one of the pictures likes to grab
hold of my horses' tails (very bad habit!), but Big's
is too short for him to grab!
He's a sweetheart, thanks again for letting me adopt
him.
I have started getting standardbred fever...I can't
remember if I told you about working at Castleton Farm
in Lex, KY my last year of vet school. I got to bond
with Abercrombie and Pine Chip, more with Ab (much
older and more spoiled). Amazing horse.
I can't believe Farney hasn't been adopted. Jenna's
Beach Boy is another awesome horse. If he's still
there at Christmas, I might have to do something about
that :)
Well, guess I better go to bed, early day tomorrow. I
just wanted to let you know how Big's doing and how
much I enjoy having him around!
Thanks,
Joy

I just wanted to let you guys know that Res is doing GREAT! He's gotten so much better out in the open fields. We can canter and do small crossrails out in the open (anything bigger gets him REALLY excited) We can now do about 2'3 courses w/ about 4 or 5 jumps. We're working our way up slowly so that he doesn't think he's show jumping any more. He's adjusting REALLY well to being a hunter horse.(alot easier than I expected) Now that it's getting cold and wet we haven't been riding much but he doesn't seem to mind much.....he's enjoying being a fat and happy horse! He loves his blankets and his run-in when it's wet and cold. His pasture buddy is leaving our barn at the end of the month so I think he's gonna be a little sad

My mom is on the search for a dead broke older draft horse for her to ride and to be Resolute's new pasture buddy. We hope she finds one soon!Thanks again for allowing us to adopt Resolute! We couldn't love him any more if we tried!

Hello Celeita,

Thought you would like to see Quincy's Christmas spirit.

I think it's great that I may be able to buy Quincy, I'd have to make
payments, probably after the holidays.

I sure wish we could give all these horses homes for the holidays.

Have a terrific one!!!!

Michelle Morris & Quincy

Hi, Celeita,

I wanted to update you on Sid's dental adventures.  He has good dentition except for the wear on his incisors from the cribbing which he is so determined to do.  I had tried everything the dentist suggested as a cure and his final comment was "I wish they could find a cure for cribbing."  That makes two of us.  I would even buy wooden dentures if I thought that would help. 

Sid is doing well.  He is up to 960 lbs after a summer on grass.  He is doing extremely well and still loves Jadie best.  Our pasture is mud as usual after the monsoons and more to be expected.  Oh, well....

Hope you are all doing well.  As always, please do not hesitate to call me for anything... I am still getting the virus-laden emails and after erasing them over and over they come back as much as twice in a day and am afraid to block them, because they might be from you.  Diane says you have good protection, I hope so.

We are looking for Butch Etters' number.  He hauled Sid for us and we were wondering if he still does it...

Have a happy, happy Thanksgiving--I know all your fellow creatures (great and small) will.

Love,

Sid & family
 

Ernie had his first lesson on Trooper today. His trainer fell in love with
him, I think she wanted to play with Trooper more than she wanted to train
Ernie! I definitely wouldn't consider Trooper hot..stubborn as a mule but
not hot. Ernie had to crop him to get him to trot. For all his hesitation
about having to trot to qualify for adoption once he got Trooper trotting he
had to be told to stop. He leads very well once you get him moving. He
doesn't like to be in the trailer by himself but I'm sure he'll get better.
He's settled into the heard nicely. He loves the woods. Every time we turn
him out he takes a walk through the trees before he starts grazing. Ernie
would be sending this e-mail but he's busy cleaning Trooper's bridle trying
to decide if he wants the cair system saddle or the one with the gel foam.
I'm confident SWAP won't be seeing Trooper again.
Erena

Celeita,

Here are some pictures of our little superstar.  This shows potential adopters that horses can come back from tendon/ligament injuries.  It just takes time and good care.  It took Hero a year of rest and good care from his prior owner and look at him now.  The dressage and cross country pictures are from the Jersey Fresh Two Star.  The stadium picture is him going Intermediate.  We have not had the first problem from his injured leg.

Kristen Kelly, Chief Magistrate

Greene County Domestic Relations Court

Hi

We adopted National Scooter this summer through you and our friend, Lisa Marple. Though we were heistant to take on Scoot since we had not spent much time with him and knew he did not have much time under saddle in the past few years  - he has been the best thing we could have done.

We have been working him mostly in hand and on the ground, reviewing and reinforcing basics.  He has been working slowly through some trailer issues and has been a wonderful horse to ride. He is great with my husband, who is quite green and has charmed eveyone in our family. Though we were told he did not do well with women - I have found him easy o manage and he is incredibly responsive to small trust building excercises. He will sleep in my hands and willingly takes on new tasks and excercise.

Actually - what Dave and I have been doing has caught the attention of a few people in our area.  They are horse people who have been very supportive and a bit incredulous at the time energy we have determined to devote to this and who are amazed at how we are all coming along. That has translated into new friendships and an invitation to join the board of a local equine rescue. E.P.O.N.A. They have some Excellar fund retirees (one that gave me a good kick today - he may be retired but he ain't dead!!!) a therapuetic program and an incredible Premarin program (41 at the moment - some purchased, some from mares purchased away from farms cut out of production contracts)

Yours!

Kristina 

That's wonderful News!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED YOU FOUND SOMETHING SO FAST, i have been really busy trying to pack and getting the horses situated. I found a temporary place for Liam and i would like to send him. But I have to get my house moved by Monday, so later in the week would be a better time. I would like that who ever adopts him keeps in touch with me. He's such a wonderful boy. And I would like to keep track of him so he doesn't end up at a feed lot ever again. Here are some pictures of him for you to show the potential adopter. Let me know if she likes him. He would be well suited for lower level dressage. so that would be wonderful!!!! i do not have transportation for him to go to Pensacola though we'll have to figure that out I don't have any money to pay for shipping either.

Thank you Meredith

How are people so awful!!! He [Orphy] is a sweet boy!! Our young lady who will be his primary rider has fallen head over heels.  She is totally in love as he is too.  He has bonded beautifully with our old guy Joe.  They are even walking into the turnout together and resting on one another.  it is so sweet.  I agree he probably needs a new name, and it should be staying with the Murphs.  The cribbing is interesting.  But my feeling on that is....This is part of him, we need to respect him and let him do what he needs to do to feel good about where he is, We will hopefully do a relationship adjustment series...pairing him with one caregiver, and one horse to allow him to settle, sometimes this helps with lessening the cribbing.  I do not believe in collaring unless, he is suffering from cribbing, ie weight loss, etc.  But working towards a dependance on his caregiver hopefully will lessen the cribbing.

Oh...Kaleigh took pictures.  I will figure out how to send them and show you Jolly, and Brendel.  Man...Jolly is doing some serious advanced dressage movements and looking good.  He has turned into a puppy.  At times his canter is so slow that our trainer says he is in slow motion.  What a switch from the beginning.  Kaleigh and he are one unit.  They know each other well. 

Brendel is starting under saddle with us this weekend.  I have seen his spook side.  And it all has to do with his right head area.  Too fast, too short movements causes stress.  Driving may have set this in motion.  He is a bit green in the ring, but we love that....he is so trainable.  The only thing is his unpredicability.  We are working him into a schedule and I know this will help everything.  Ground manners are Fabulous.  Unbelieveable.  So....I am hoping his spirit and schedule will gel, and we will be off and running, no pun intended.

Take Care, Katie

Hello all!!

Hi there !!!

I wanted to update you on Caesar and his training!

He is doing great!  He is under saddle and doing fine at the walk/ trot - we still gotta keep him on the lunge line however in order to keep him focused.

I ride him around off the line as well but he is still learning commands.

He has taken over the herd on turn out... He is the boss but very gently, we havent seen him fight or kick at any of the others.  He just asserts himself well :)

Being the biggest guy on the block probably helps.

Caesar is the horse for me and I am very happy with him!!!

I believe he is happy as well,  always willing and easy to deal with.

Thank you very much for this opportunity to have him!!!

I have attached a picture of him at his new home for you.

Talk to you soon!

Jere