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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
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.
This should
probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could read it every day.
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.
Good
friends are like stars.......
You don't
always see them, But you know they are always there.
"Whenever
God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another,
I would
rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here than a whole
truck load when I'm gone.
Always in hope and admiration, Celeita
| |
 Happy
Endings 2008
Hope you both
are having a wonderful Monday and things are better on the farm.
Just
wanted to let you both know that we finally took Cinnamon out on a trail
ride yesterday and she did wonderful. We had a little
trouble getting her in the trailer but nothing like Zeus.
Remember he doesn’t like trailers so to
get him in we had to lung his butt for 1
½ hours before he got the picture that he was only going to
get rest inside the trailer. I think that it took about 20 to 30 minutes
for Cinnamon. We lunged her a little bit but not
much. She pawed a little in the trailer but at least
she didn’t try to come out the window again. Coming
back it only took about 30 minutes to load them both.
Cinnamon
did great on the trail ride though she had a little much energy for me when
she got out in the open field she wanted to go into that natural gate of
hers and I’m not ready for that. Remember I’m a
beginner and a walk or trot is the best I can do until
I get more riding lessons so after numerous one rein stops I
told Jeff that it was his turn to ride her since he is a better rider than
I am although I might have been better
off struggling with Cinnamon than riding Jeff’s Arabian but at least
I knew that Zeus would listen to me when
I told him to walk. We took
Cinnamon on probably a longer ride than
we should have being her first ride because she was whipped on the
way back but we wanted to take her into
a residential area to see how she does around
cars. A couple of cars passed us one slowed down the other
one didn’t but neither bothered her. We even took her down to Route 50
where car’s were flying by at 55 and 60 MPH and she just watched them they
never bothered her either. It’s not going to take much to get her ready for
the parade the end of May. We were riding Sunday with
one other horse that will be in the parade. I
also know of four other that I’m going to try to arrange a
ride with prior to the parade. You should come it’s
the Memorial Day Parade in Grafton on Monday, May 26th
at 10 a.m. Let me know if you are coming so I can
reserve you parking or come early because this parade is a big deal here.
If you can’t make it I’ll send pictures.
Cat,
thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciated the training lesson
and I know a lot of my problems have to do with my
inexperience I just need to practice
twirling that rope, etc. I watch the
trainers on RFD
and the DVD’s I get from Clinton
Anderson’s No Worries Club and they
make it look so easy but when you get in the round pen it’s like you lose
your brain or something. I was talking with Becky my riding partner and was
telling her about the training you gave Cinnamon and how you are not able to
trail ride the horses because you don’t have anyone to ride with. Becky and
I would love to come ride with you we could ride the horses at SWAP
if that’s allowed or bring our own.
Becky is a very experienced rider. I
have every other Tuesday off so that would be the best
day for us. Let us know if that’s an option.
Lisa, Just be careful, you did an awful lot with a horse you really don't
totally know yet and with your experience, its just not advisable. Take it
very very slow or you may find yourself in my situation with a broken back
(which I got riding a horse I didn't know that was way over my head on a
trail). We recommend about 6 months of riding a new horse in a ring before
venturing out on trails, especially a young horse and especially a rider just
learning. Please be very careful. I sure hope you weren't on her back when you
were beside all that traffic flying by, that could be an accident waiting to
happen.
Unfortunately, our farm insurance does not allow for trail riding here at all
except for people that are extremely experienced and on extremely experienced
trail horses and they have to ride here in lessons for months before my
insurance will even talk to me about it. They talk of raising my premium
$3500. every 6 months when we discuss it, which the standard price for
insurance for a farm allowing trail riding. It is that much because
trailriding can be such a high risk hobby. I have also been an expert witness
on two court cases involving trail riding companies and trail riding, both
were against the trail company for major injuries to the person riding. Both
people had permanent damage and the accident totally changed their life.
I really don't want to scare you Lisa but someday I will have to tell you
about the two women that got killed trail riding in our county on an organized
trail ride on a farm about 30 minutes south of here. My friend Mary was called
in because she had horse experience and one lady was dead on site and the
other died at UHC that night. Mary herself broke her back riding a horse she
barely knew on a trail (but that she had ridden in a ring at least 20
times) and she has over 35 years of riding experience. Please please be very
careful.
Its critical to start slow with a new horse because if she scares you bad
enough, more likely than not, you will never get on her again and your
relationship may be ruined, we see it time and time again and its terribly sad
when it happens as the horse always comes back to us. I'm really glad you had
a good experience with her, thank god but please, I don't want to see happen
to you what I've seen happen with so many others. Celeita
Omni was written up this
past week in the Chronicle of the Horse. Thought you would like the article.
The article in the magazine is a little longer and there is an additional
picture. Enjoy!
It was in the magazine…the April 18 issue (Rolex Issue). It’s in the” In The
Country” section in the back. There was an extra picture in the magazine of
me holding Omni… He was absolutely glistening.
SWAP adopter Rena on Omnibus
Rena Bouchal, M.S.
PS. Do you have the picture of you are Omnibus? McLain put another horse in
the program last year, all in all I think that is about 4 or 5 he has sent to
us and I bet he's given us 10k in donations by now and probably 20k in
supplies and tack. He's been a wonderful supporter of our program. Such a joy
to see for such a successful rider who doesn't have to do any of that. He's
never once asked for a tax write off for what he has given. Now there is a
horse lover who cares more about horses than the money. He sent some fancy
coolers from WIHS and the big Long Island show. We are going to sell them on
the website soon. They are sooooo nice. Well, kiss Omnibus for us. Thank you
for taking such good care of him all these years. I wish all our adopters were
like you. Celeita
Catrina or Celetia,
Hello there! I had noticed your website said she was adopted and that's
absolutely wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know, I wonder about
her all the time. I actually just got the info you all mailed to me on the
adopters yesterday. I haven't had a chance to call and ask about her yet, and
probably won't until early next week, but I definitely plan to. I hope you all
are doing well and settling back in after your move. I'm so excited to hear
Cinni's found someone that's so thrilled with her. :D
Catherine
Yes, Catherine, Cin's adopter came to ride her and really enjoyed her and she
didn't mind her stable manners. At her facility she will be out much more so she
probably won't see her fussing with the other horses as she liked to do. She was
certainly a fun horse to ride, that is for sure. I hope it works out. She
certainly is a stable home. Thank you again for being such a good owner who
really cares, Celeita
Sonata Update..... we have improvement, and the chiropractor
has confirmed and identified the area of the trauma. she has a bulging disc
in her neck about an inch below the poll, maybe 2. so, she definitely fell
with her head underneath her.
he found her withers and poll out and made minor adjustments and she felt so
much better afterwards that when the garbage truck came two days later (which
is always a time she would have gotten herself into a dither and fallen down
before) she was observed to have cantered a little circle going her good way,
instead.
the chiropractor said if i kept her calm and she didn't re-injure it, he'd
seen worse in younger horses that had healed in just a few months and he said
quite possibly i'd be riding her again by end of summer! he also recommended
we cut back on her meds, he said some of the numbing effects might contribute
to her falling or allow her to move in such a way that she would hurt herself
repeatedly. after consulting with the vet by phone, we began cutting back and
she is now (only 4 days since he came) on quite a bit less steroids and is
doing better and better. we'll continue to cut 5 then 2 a day from her daily
dose (was 50) and see how things progress. the goal is to manage pain but
leave it enough that she does not do anything that will hurt it again.
mentally, she is not thrilled about her life - she is in a paddock alone and
misses the horses terribly when any are taken out that are on either side of
her, but we are never leaving her alone, we simply have some next to her at
night and some next to her at day. on one side, she has the newest member of
the farm, a 2 week old colt and his mother. she mostly calls when he goes
into the barn for the night which will happen less and less as he matures. my
trainer is grooming her daily and we take her out and let her graze on the
lawn and she is happiest those times.
it is so nice to hear there is light at the end of this tunnel. and
absolutely astounding to me that she could have been so bad and now be so
improved, but as you'll remember, it took almost a month to begin to see it.
and we had to finally start to pull her off the meds to see it all. if you
ever hear of someone with this kind of problem and bloodwork rules out all the
sicknesses, get them to a really reputable chiropractor or have them pay to
get the spine xrayed before they give up hope. i guess this kind of injury
can easily recurr, but it also might just heal up and be fine for the rest of
her life and that's what i'm certainly hoping for. Charna
Hi Celeita,
I'm happy to report that
Commander is here and settling in well to his new home.
He's so sweet and gentle -
we're very lucky! I wanted to send you some photos, but don't know how to
reduce pixel size - they're too big!
Thanks, Celeita
Mary
Hi
Celeita,
I
thought I’d just write a little note to let you know you’ve been in my thoughts
lately. I hope the move went well. I can imagine it was very difficult.
You’ve built a strength throughout your life that is serving you well now. I
hope you’ll get your farm back on good footing soon so that you can let your
heart heal. You’re of course welcome here any time.
With
love,
-
Elizabeth
-
www.naplessailingadventures.com
Thank you Elizabeth. You've always been such a good friend and so positive,
that is so nice to have right now. Thank you. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara at the
end of Gone with the Wind when she returns home and realizes how important her
home is to her. It feels good to be here. I'm hopeful that we will survive, the
economy, the prices of everything, the potential of another draught and the
horse market has us all worried but we are working on some other things that
might help us get through it. Hopefully we can get them going in time to help
us. As always I'd love to come down but I know getting away is going to be
pretty slim but its not from lack of 'want to'. Maybe some day. Thank you again,
hope all is well with you. Celeita
Hi! Just a quick note to let you know how awesome Sam & Moon
were for
the farrier. Now, granted, we have a fantastic farrier (aren't they
worth their weight in gold), but Sam & Moon were great. They both put
their heads in my arms and went to sleep while he was doing their
feet. Almost knocked me off balance a couple times but that was ok.
I was so happy with them.
Also, Moon amazed me. She is your usual silly Arab most of the time,
but you put a halter on her and it's like flipping a switch. She
settles right down and becomes very loving and snuggly and well
behaved.
Sam is quickly turning into my horse. He is very respectful of me and
loves to play with me. Don't know that I'll ever be small enough to
ride him, but that's ok. Gotta get his feet straightened out before
anyone thinks of that anyway.
I hope things are going ok for you all. I wish we were closer so we
could help with the move and all that crap, but if we were I'd
probably have too many horses. Celeita's ex- would definitely have a
problem if I were there, so it's probably better for everyone that I'm
not. At 6'5 and 300#, there's not many that want to mess with me,
especially if they don't know what I'm really like.
Thanks for 2 great horses!
Jeff Weber
Hey Jeff, sorry its taken us so long to respond. Moving, yuk!!
Hey, I can't tell you all how happy we are to know Sam and Moon as doing so well
with you. It really says a lot about the two of you. I'm so grateful that we
found you as adopters. Many blessings and thank you both for giving these two
such a wonderful home. Celeita
Hi Celeita-
How is life with the farm? I got the CD you sent re:
Mistral. Both she and Classy are doing great- these images were taken last
nite. Both my girls rode both of them. WE also rode today and the horses seem
to be doing great under saddle- Mistral needs work on being more collected-
she is all over the place with her gaits- pace, trot, canter then pace, trot-
not sure what to do but is so pretty and wants to please.
Classy is maintaining her original weight; Mistral looks
fine but seems only slightly thinner tho Im not sure of that. Judge for
yourself by the shoots. They are both fed McCAuley's pellets and hay; once in
morning, once in the evening with all day turn out in a pasture with an
average of 4 to 5 other horses- mostly mares, tho there may be one or two
geldings stuck in there. All horses are brought in at night and kept in a
12x12 stall, with a bucket of water for each stall. The barn manager, Melanie,
gives them worm meds every 4 months or so- I pay the bill but not sure how
often. I also have a farrier trim their hooves about every 2 months. They both
need it now.
Both the girls seem happy and well adjusted to life there-
Classy loves her stall at nite and Mistral is very easy going about being
turned out in pasture.
I hope this covers it - but if you need something more
formal I can provide that too.
Thanks
Will send more pix too-
Betsy
Betsy, got the wonderful card from Derek and love the horse on the
front of the card... great pics... looks like your business is booming and
the pictures are just the best. So glad to know Derek loves Mistral so much
and the girls are really enjoying Classy, she looks great. Its hard to
believe that Derek is some tough guy for the FBI or CIA (one of those, I've
forgotten) but he's such a sweetheart.
Thank you for everything. We are home now and it feels really good to be
here. Much Love, Celeita
Just got your email- yes, that is Mistral's face on
the front of the card. He does really like her and is now studying up on
Parelli and natural horsemanship. Seems the feeling is mutual. Both horses
are doing fine. They just got their shots and feet were trimmed a few
weeks ago. We start the barn pad excavating on May 5th and then it arrives
a week or so later.
We are all busy here! It never seems to slow down but
tho the kdis will soon be out of school my biz will pick up and things
just keep going! I am home schooling my older girl this year, and my
younger is in private school in 3rd grade- both are very smart.
Derek is with the FBI- he does have a tender heart
toward kids, animals, etc...........b/c he has a tender one towards God
first! But he sure can be a tough guy too! I am blessed and know it so I
am thankful- good guys are hard to come by.
Glad you are relieved to be home! Where did Trina'
family end up? Enjoy this lovely weather!
Bye for now-
Elizabeth Bailey
www.ebaileyportraits.com
Hey Betsy, I'm so excited for you all about your barn. You'll love
having your horses at home, its more work but so much more
enjoyable. Gosh, I hope Regal is still available for you all to get her.
That would be great. I feel blessed to have you all as adopters. I know
our horses are.
Trina found a small farm out on Rt. 23 about 1/2 hour from us but right
now they are still in a hotel as its not ready for them yet. We are
hopeful they can move soon as its getting expensive for them and the
hotel is not the best place for the kids. We are hopeful it will all
work out for them as well. Times are tough for so many right now with
the economy and the prices of everything but we're keeping our chin up
and working hard to try to keep things going. I have to say I am worried
about the winter coming up and I hope and pray we don't have another
drought.
Take care Betsy and kiss those girls for us (all 4 of them). Celeita
TWH gelding Spade and his family on an outing
I am sad to
hear of such things happening to you guys. My thoughts are with you. I think
people who's hearts are it the right place will still adopt. It's one thing
if you are looking for a show prospect but not everyone is. The idea of such
low life people. Trying to hurt someone when really harming innocent
animals. It's unforgivable to me! Anyway, I am sorry for you. It turns out
that Charlie is a fabulous trail horse! He goes with, alone, over, under,
whatever. He is just happy to do whatever you ask. I think he and Jaynah are
going to have a fabulous time at camp in June. She is opting out of the
local shows and trying to event this year instead, as well as the local
"hunter paces". She is excited about this. Charlie is also happy to
jump........so happy I keep telling the trainer that one day we may see
flames coming from his nostrils. He is still a lot of horse when he sees
those jumps! Anyway, they are happy as clams together, and Jaynah keeps
telling me everyday how great it is having a horse who gets happy when you
put the saddle on. It's all in the attitude!. He weathered winter well.
Aside from a little sole tenderness when the snow melted and the stones
surfaced in the pasture. He gets his shoes and pads next week. It turns out
he is a pretty easy keeper for a TB. He ate less than my aged appy mare.
They all look great,, and seem happy. The vet was here last week for the
annuals. I am ready to do my own annual paperwork. Coconut, our little
peanut, is having a blast on our walks now that the weather is good. He just
runs and runs. He is finally venturing into the pond, and is still bunking
with Jaynah. He is a cutie, and we all comment here and there still about
how good it feels to have given him this home. Especially when he himself
seems to be loving life. Well, hopefully a bit of happy news in your day.
Take care, Lisa Ross
Hey Lisa, thank you for the kind words. I'm thrilled for Coconut, Charlie and
your family, especially Jaynah. I'm certain Charlie will be the horse she will
think of the rest of her life as her favorite horse and I'm certain you will
see him as the horse that raised her into a fine young lady. They give us so
much more than just fun, they will give her memories that will last a
lifetime. You've made our day. Thank you, Celeita
She is
here and settling in to her field nicely. She is over the fence (electric) from
my stallion though and he is very excited to see her...boy is he in for
disappointment. I may have to move some horses around if she comes in and starts
pushing the fence cause her side isn't electric yet. But everything seems fine
she is just munching hay and going about her business.....hopefully she will
stay away from the fence line she is on about 4 acres all to herself for right
now. I will turn her out with others after a day or so to settle in. Thanks a
bunch we should really enjoy having her here. (from Cin's adopter)
Hi there,
The kids are fine. Duker is right at home. AND the kids are loving him to death.
What a sweet dog. I will take him to our vet tomorrow to get his kennel cough
and his paw looked at. Hershey was quite frazzled upon arrival, but who can
blame him. He did not get here until 1:00 AM. Today he is an entirely different
guy and he is loving life and living large. He has been brushed for an hour and
they still aren't done. Ally has gained 75-100 # since her arrival and is now
following the kids around the arena like a puppy. I must admit, I never knew
horses did that kinda stuff. So please rest assured we love having the
stewardship of caring for the wonderful animals. Thanks for all of your help. We
will occasionally send you pics to see how they are progressing. Thanks and bye
for now.
Chip
"Cookie's & Cream"
Looking good doing her new job as a lesson pony!
(she was 1 of the many from the Lewis Co. rescue of abused &
neglected horses & boy look at her now!)
"SA EI Celtic Matador"
also doing a fine job with the kids, both are doing great with
Morgan Crabbs in MD
A NOTE FROM MORGAN: the
kids love both horses and you can't even imagine how great cookie is doing! she
has gone on trail rides and even jumped a little tiny jump! We love them and
they have the best home!
morgan
Here's pic's of "Zoe" and her baby "Lette"
"Lette"
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Happy
Endings 2008
Hope you both
are having a wonderful Monday and things are better on the farm.
Just
wanted to let you both know that we finally took Cinnamon out on a trail
ride yesterday and she did wonderful. We had a little
trouble getting her in the trailer but nothing like Zeus.
Remember he doesn’t like trailers so to
get him in we had to lung his butt for 1
½ hours before he got the picture that he was only going to
get rest inside the trailer. I think that it took about 20 to 30 minutes
for Cinnamon. We lunged her a little bit but not
much. She pawed a little in the trailer but at least
she didn’t try to come out the window again. Coming
back it only took about 30 minutes to load them both.
Cinnamon
did great on the trail ride though she had a little much energy for me when
she got out in the open field she wanted to go into that natural gate of
hers and I’m not ready for that. Remember I’m a
beginner and a walk or trot is the best I can do until
I get more riding lessons so after numerous one rein stops I
told Jeff that it was his turn to ride her since he is a better rider than
I am although I might have been better
off struggling with Cinnamon than riding Jeff’s Arabian but at least
I knew that Zeus would listen to me when
I told him to walk. We took
Cinnamon on probably a longer ride than
we should have being her first ride because she was whipped on the
way back but we wanted to take her into
a residential area to see how she does around
cars. A couple of cars passed us one slowed down the other
one didn’t but neither bothered her. We even took her down to Route 50
where car’s were flying by at 55 and 60 MPH and she just watched them they
never bothered her either. It’s not going to take much to get her ready for
the parade the end of May. We were riding Sunday with
one other horse that will be in the parade. I
also know of four other that I’m going to try to arrange a
ride with prior to the parade. You should come it’s
the Memorial Day Parade in Grafton on Monday, May 26th
at 10 a.m. Let me know if you are coming so I can
reserve you parking or come early because this parade is a big deal here.
If you can’t make it I’ll send pictures.
Cat,
thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciated the training lesson
and I know a lot of my problems have to do with my
inexperience I just need to practice
twirling that rope, etc. I watch the
trainers on RFD
and the DVD’s I get from Clinton
Anderson’s No Worries Club and they
make it look so easy but when you get in the round pen it’s like you lose
your brain or something. I was talking with Becky my riding partner and was
telling her about the training you gave Cinnamon and how you are not able to
trail ride the horses because you don’t have anyone to ride with. Becky and
I would love to come ride with you we could ride the horses at SWAP
if that’s allowed or bring our own.
Becky is a very experienced rider. I
have every other Tuesday off so that would be the best
day for us. Let us know if that’s an option.
Lisa, Just be careful, you did an awful lot with a horse you really don't
totally know yet and with your experience, its just not advisable. Take it
very very slow or you may find yourself in my situation with a broken back
(which I got riding a horse I didn't know that was way over my head on a
trail). We recommend about 6 months of riding a new horse in a ring before
venturing out on trails, especially a young horse and especially a rider just
learning. Please be very careful. I sure hope you weren't on her back when you
were beside all that traffic flying by, that could be an accident waiting to
happen.
Unfortunately, our farm insurance does not allow for trail riding here at all
except for people that are extremely experienced and on extremely experienced
trail horses and they have to ride here in lessons for months before my
insurance will even talk to me about it. They talk of raising my premium
$3500. every 6 months when we discuss it, which the standard price for
insurance for a farm allowing trail riding. It is that much because
trailriding can be such a high risk hobby. I have also been an expert witness
on two court cases involving trail riding companies and trail riding, both
were against the trail company for major injuries to the person riding. Both
people had permanent damage and the accident totally changed their life.
I really don't want to scare you Lisa but someday I will have to tell you
about the two women that got killed trail riding in our county on an organized
trail ride on a farm about 30 minutes south of here. My friend Mary was called
in because she had horse experience and one lady was dead on site and the
other died at UHC that night. Mary herself broke her back riding a horse she
barely knew on a trail (but that she had ridden in a ring at least 20
times) and she has over 35 years of riding experience. Please please be very
careful.
Its critical to start slow with a new horse because if she scares you bad
enough, more likely than not, you will never get on her again and your
relationship may be ruined, we see it time and time again and its terribly sad
when it happens as the horse always comes back to us. I'm really glad you had
a good experience with her, thank god but please, I don't want to see happen
to you what I've seen happen with so many others. Celeita
Omni was written up this
past week in the Chronicle of the Horse. Thought you would like the article.
The article in the magazine is a little longer and there is an additional
picture. Enjoy!
It was in the magazine…the April 18 issue (Rolex Issue). It’s in the” In The
Country” section in the back. There was an extra picture in the magazine of
me holding Omni… He was absolutely glistening.
SWAP adopter Rena on Omnibus
Rena Bouchal, M.S.
PS. Do you have the picture of you are Omnibus? McLain put another horse in
the program last year, all in all I think that is about 4 or 5 he has sent to
us and I bet he's given us 10k in donations by now and probably 20k in
supplies and tack. He's been a wonderful supporter of our program. Such a joy
to see for such a successful rider who doesn't have to do any of that. He's
never once asked for a tax write off for what he has given. Now there is a
horse lover who cares more about horses than the money. He sent some fancy
coolers from WIHS and the big Long Island show. We are going to sell them on
the website soon. They are sooooo nice. Well, kiss Omnibus for us. Thank you
for taking such good care of him all these years. I wish all our adopters were
like you. Celeita
Catrina or Celetia,
Hello there! I had noticed your website said she was adopted and that's
absolutely wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know, I wonder about
her all the time. I actually just got the info you all mailed to me on the
adopters yesterday. I haven't had a chance to call and ask about her yet, and
probably won't until early next week, but I definitely plan to. I hope you all
are doing well and settling back in after your move. I'm so excited to hear
Cinni's found someone that's so thrilled with her. :D
Catherine
Yes, Catherine, Cin's adopter came to ride her and really enjoyed her and she
didn't mind her stable manners. At her facility she will be out much more so she
probably won't see her fussing with the other horses as she liked to do. She was
certainly a fun horse to ride, that is for sure. I hope it works out. She
certainly is a stable home. Thank you again for being such a good owner who
really cares, Celeita
Sonata Update..... we have improvement, and the chiropractor
has confirmed and identified the area of the trauma. she has a bulging disc
in her neck about an inch below the poll, maybe 2. so, she definitely fell
with her head underneath her.
he found her withers and poll out and made minor adjustments and she felt so
much better afterwards that when the garbage truck came two days later (which
is always a time she would have gotten herself into a dither and fallen down
before) she was observed to have cantered a little circle going her good way,
instead.
the chiropractor said if i kept her calm and she didn't re-injure it, he'd
seen worse in younger horses that had healed in just a few months and he said
quite possibly i'd be riding her again by end of summer! he also recommended
we cut back on her meds, he said some of the numbing effects might contribute
to her falling or allow her to move in such a way that she would hurt herself
repeatedly. after consulting with the vet by phone, we began cutting back and
she is now (only 4 days since he came) on quite a bit less steroids and is
doing better and better. we'll continue to cut 5 then 2 a day from her daily
dose (was 50) and see how things progress. the goal is to manage pain but
leave it enough that she does not do anything that will hurt it again.
mentally, she is not thrilled about her life - she is in a paddock alone and
misses the horses terribly when any are taken out that are on either side of
her, but we are never leaving her alone, we simply have some next to her at
night and some next to her at day. on one side, she has the newest member of
the farm, a 2 week old colt and his mother. she mostly calls when he goes
into the barn for the night which will happen less and less as he matures. my
trainer is grooming her daily and we take her out and let her graze on the
lawn and she is happiest those times.
it is so nice to hear there is light at the end of this tunnel. and
absolutely astounding to me that she could have been so bad and now be so
improved, but as you'll remember, it took almost a month to begin to see it.
and we had to finally start to pull her off the meds to see it all. if you
ever hear of someone with this kind of problem and bloodwork rules out all the
sicknesses, get them to a really reputable chiropractor or have them pay to
get the spine xrayed before they give up hope. i guess this kind of injury
can easily recurr, but it also might just heal up and be fine for the rest of
her life and that's what i'm certainly hoping for. Charna
Hi Celeita,
I'm happy to report that
Commander is here and settling in well to his new home.
He's so sweet and gentle -
we're very lucky! I wanted to send you some photos, but don't know how to
reduce pixel size - they're too big!
Thanks, Celeita
Mary
Hi
Celeita,
I
thought I’d just write a little note to let you know you’ve been in my thoughts
lately. I hope the move went well. I can imagine it was very difficult.
You’ve built a strength throughout your life that is serving you well now. I
hope you’ll get your farm back on good footing soon so that you can let your
heart heal. You’re of course welcome here any time.
With
love,
-
Elizabeth
-
www.naplessailingadventures.com
Thank you Elizabeth. You've always been such a good friend and so positive,
that is so nice to have right now. Thank you. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara at the
end of Gone with the Wind when she returns home and realizes how important her
home is to her. It feels good to be here. I'm hopeful that we will survive, the
economy, the prices of everything, the potential of another draught and the
horse market has us all worried but we are working on some other things that
might help us get through it. Hopefully we can get them going in time to help
us. As always I'd love to come down but I know getting away is going to be
pretty slim but its not from lack of 'want to'. Maybe some day. Thank you again,
hope all is well with you. Celeita
Hi! Just a quick note to let you know how awesome Sam & Moon
were for
the farrier. Now, granted, we have a fantastic farrier (aren't they
worth their weight in gold), but Sam & Moon were great. They both put
their heads in my arms and went to sleep while he was doing their
feet. Almost knocked me off balance a couple times but that was ok.
I was so happy with them.
Also, Moon amazed me. She is your usual silly Arab most of the time,
but you put a halter on her and it's like flipping a switch. She
settles right down and becomes very loving and snuggly and well
behaved.
Sam is quickly turning into my horse. He is very respectful of me and
loves to play with me. Don't know that I'll ever be small enough to
ride him, but that's ok. Gotta get his feet straightened out before
anyone thinks of that anyway.
I hope things are going ok for you all. I wish we were closer so we
could help with the move and all that crap, but if we were I'd
probably have too many horses. Celeita's ex- would definitely have a
problem if I were there, so it's probably better for everyone that I'm
not. At 6'5 and 300#, there's not many that want to mess with me,
especially if they don't know what I'm really like.
Thanks for 2 great horses!
Jeff Weber
Hey Jeff, sorry its taken us so long to respond. Moving, yuk!!
Hey, I can't tell you all how happy we are to know Sam and Moon as doing so well
with you. It really says a lot about the two of you. I'm so grateful that we
found you as adopters. Many blessings and thank you both for giving these two
such a wonderful home. Celeita
Hi Celeita-
How is life with the farm? I got the CD you sent re:
Mistral. Both she and Classy are doing great- these images were taken last
nite. Both my girls rode both of them. WE also rode today and the horses seem
to be doing great under saddle- Mistral needs work on being more collected-
she is all over the place with her gaits- pace, trot, canter then pace, trot-
not sure what to do but is so pretty and wants to please.
Classy is maintaining her original weight; Mistral looks
fine but seems only slightly thinner tho Im not sure of that. Judge for
yourself by the shoots. They are both fed McCAuley's pellets and hay; once in
morning, once in the evening with all day turn out in a pasture with an
average of 4 to 5 other horses- mostly mares, tho there may be one or two
geldings stuck in there. All horses are brought in at night and kept in a
12x12 stall, with a bucket of water for each stall. The barn manager, Melanie,
gives them worm meds every 4 months or so- I pay the bill but not sure how
often. I also have a farrier trim their hooves about every 2 months. They both
need it now.
Both the girls seem happy and well adjusted to life there-
Classy loves her stall at nite and Mistral is very easy going about being
turned out in pasture.
I hope this covers it - but if you need something more
formal I can provide that too.
Thanks
Will send more pix too-
Betsy
Betsy, got the wonderful card from Derek and love the horse on the
front of the card... great pics... looks like your business is booming and
the pictures are just the best. So glad to know Derek loves Mistral so much
and the girls are really enjoying Classy, she looks great. Its hard to
believe that Derek is some tough guy for the FBI or CIA (one of those, I've
forgotten) but he's such a sweetheart.
Thank you for everything. We are home now and it feels really good to be
here. Much Love, Celeita
Just got your email- yes, that is Mistral's face on
the front of the card. He does really like her and is now studying up on
Parelli and natural horsemanship. Seems the feeling is mutual. Both horses
are doing fine. They just got their shots and feet were trimmed a few
weeks ago. We start the barn pad excavating on May 5th and then it arrives
a week or so later.
We are all busy here! It never seems to slow down but
tho the kdis will soon be out of school my biz will pick up and things
just keep going! I am home schooling my older girl this year, and my
younger is in private school in 3rd grade- both are very smart.
Derek is with the FBI- he does have a tender heart
toward kids, animals, etc...........b/c he has a tender one towards God
first! But he sure can be a tough guy too! I am blessed and know it so I
am thankful- good guys are hard to come by.
Glad you are relieved to be home! Where did Trina'
family end up? Enjoy this lovely weather!
Bye for now-
Elizabeth Bailey
www.ebaileyportraits.com
Hey Betsy, I'm so excited for you all about your barn. You'll love
having your horses at home, its more work but so much more
enjoyable. Gosh, I hope Regal is still available for you all to get her.
That would be great. I feel blessed to have you all as adopters. I know
our horses are.
Trina found a small farm out on Rt. 23 about 1/2 hour from us but right
now they are still in a hotel as its not ready for them yet. We are
hopeful they can move soon as its getting expensive for them and the
hotel is not the best place for the kids. We are hopeful it will all
work out for them as well. Times are tough for so many right now with
the economy and the prices of everything but we're keeping our chin up
and working hard to try to keep things going. I have to say I am worried
about the winter coming up and I hope and pray we don't have another
drought.
Take care Betsy and kiss those girls for us (all 4 of them). Celeita
TWH gelding Spade and his family on an outing
I am sad to
hear of such things happening to you guys. My thoughts are with you. I think
people who's hearts are it the right place will still adopt. It's one thing
if you are looking for a show prospect but not everyone is. The idea of such
low life people. Trying to hurt someone when really harming innocent
animals. It's unforgivable to me! Anyway, I am sorry for you. It turns out
that Charlie is a fabulous trail horse! He goes with, alone, over, under,
whatever. He is just happy to do whatever you ask. I think he and Jaynah are
going to have a fabulous time at camp in June. She is opting out of the
local shows and trying to event this year instead, as well as the local
"hunter paces". She is excited about this. Charlie is also happy to
jump........so happy I keep telling the trainer that one day we may see
flames coming from his nostrils. He is still a lot of horse when he sees
those jumps! Anyway, they are happy as clams together, and Jaynah keeps
telling me everyday how great it is having a horse who gets happy when you
put the saddle on. It's all in the attitude!. He weathered winter well.
Aside from a little sole tenderness when the snow melted and the stones
surfaced in the pasture. He gets his shoes and pads next week. It turns out
he is a pretty easy keeper for a TB. He ate less than my aged appy mare.
They all look great,, and seem happy. The vet was here last week for the
annuals. I am ready to do my own annual paperwork. Coconut, our little
peanut, is having a blast on our walks now that the weather is good. He just
runs and runs. He is finally venturing into the pond, and is still bunking
with Jaynah. He is a cutie, and we all comment here and there still about
how good it feels to have given him this home. Especially when he himself
seems to be loving life. Well, hopefully a bit of happy news in your day.
Take care, Lisa Ross
Hey Lisa, thank you for the kind words. I'm thrilled for Coconut, Charlie and
your family, especially Jaynah. I'm certain Charlie will be the horse she will
think of the rest of her life as her favorite horse and I'm certain you will
see him as the horse that raised her into a fine young lady. They give us so
much more than just fun, they will give her memories that will last a
lifetime. You've made our day. Thank you, Celeita
She is
here and settling in to her field nicely. She is over the fence (electric) from
my stallion though and he is very excited to see her...boy is he in for
disappointment. I may have to move some horses around if she comes in and starts
pushing the fence cause her side isn't electric yet. But everything seems fine
she is just munching hay and going about her business.....hopefully she will
stay away from the fence line she is on about 4 acres all to herself for right
now. I will turn her out with others after a day or so to settle in. Thanks a
bunch we should really enjoy having her here. (from Cin's adopter)
Hi there,
The kids are fine. Duker is right at home. AND the kids are loving him to death.
What a sweet dog. I will take him to our vet tomorrow to get his kennel cough
and his paw looked at. Hershey was quite frazzled upon arrival, but who can
blame him. He did not get here until 1:00 AM. Today he is an entirely different
guy and he is loving life and living large. He has been brushed for an hour and
they still aren't done. Ally has gained 75-100 # since her arrival and is now
following the kids around the arena like a puppy. I must admit, I never knew
horses did that kinda stuff. So please rest assured we love having the
stewardship of caring for the wonderful animals. Thanks for all of your help. We
will occasionally send you pics to see how they are progressing. Thanks and bye
for now.
Chip
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