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SWAP
FEED FUND
MAKE CREDIT CARD DONATIONS TO THE SWAP FEED FUND... CALL
FOSTER FEEDS AT 304-269-1333, TALK TO CHARLIE TO GIVE A DONATION TO THE SECOND
WIND ADOPTION PROGRAM FEED FUND, WE GO THROUGH 6 TONS OF FEED A MONTH. YOU CAN
ALSO PAY FOR ADOPTIONS AND PURCHASES THIS WAY!!
monthly counters started on February 13, 2010 for the website, because this is a
free counter, it will only show about a 1/4 of our total numbers, so its
not an accurate depiction of all of our visitors, just gives an idea about all
the people that visit our site. We do love our international visitors. Welcome!
Visitors By Country
Top 100 Visitors
Last 100 Visitors
Visitors Map
Daily Stats
Congrats to our President for the nomination and eventual induction to the
ROTC Hall of Fame at West Virginia State University, nominated by the former VP
of the University, the induction will take place at the Embassy Suites in
Charleston, WV October 14, 2010. A former military school, rich in a history of
national defense has only inducted just over 100 military retirees to its Hall
of Fame, many of them general officers. Congratulations on this huge honor.
Stay up with our President/Executive Director, all the
directors, volunteers and riders. All the CSS/SWAP supporters and adopters are
having a big time sharing stories, pictures, lots of good stuff about their
horses. Our President is at her max friends so she is full but we are going to
set up a fan based page so everyone can be added. So sorry to the 200 + people
who have asked for a friendship.... we'll get our fan page up soon.
Benefit Wines is a unique online retail wine shop that partners with
non-profit organizations to raise funds. Every charity partner has their
own unique wine label. Supporters enjoy fine, organic wines while
supporting their favorite cause. Cheers!
Raise $1000. for Second Wind
Adoption Program and have a 1 in 70 chance at a 15 carat Ruby/Diamond
Ring! ... mail donations to Rt. 2 Box 24A Jockey Camp Road, West Union,
WV 26456
The Wish List of Our Needs:
More than anything we need a large donation to help us pay off our farm, we just
owe 70k. With a farm paid for, we will never worry about the program and schools
closing.
We are looking for 2 to 3 people to do work in exchange for a place to live.
1. New or lightly
used truck and 3 to 6 horse trailer, our equipment has seen its better
days, we've been using both for nearly 14 years to pick up horses and move them
to their new homes.
2. A Farm in any
location for low cost long term lease or donation to expand our program
to develop a retirement farm for our now aging horses returned to us from
adopters who could not retire our horses. Our highest priority locations
initially are Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
or Delaware.
3. New or Lightly
Used Farm utility vehicle (like a john deere gator), farm tractor,
& manure spreader
4. Tack and large
horse items donated... like carts/buggies, racing bikes, jog carts,
harnesses, saddles, horse trailers, blankets/rugs to use or sell on SWAP
Shopping. Supplies to use around the barn or office.
5. A bulk feed bin
that will hold anywhere from 6 tons to 9 tons of grain donated or at low cost or
even a break on the cost of purchase and instillation.
6. A volunteer or low cost
employee who can help us fix our
database that lists all adopters, donors, supporters and horses/dogs/cats
in the program.
7. Some sort of a cloth
facility like Cover-all or Farm-Tek
building to increase our abilities to be able to take more horses and
have an indoor area to work and train horses in winter, donated, grant or
partially donated. anywhere from 50 x 200 to 72 x 300.
8.
Monthly Sponsors for our light
use, elderly or retirement/sanctuary horses/dogs who's possibilities for
adoption are very low, ie. Orphy, Jelly Bean, Dixie, Allie, Kochese, Darlin, Mr.
Darcey, JoJo, Freckles, Lucy, Bandit, Max, etc.
9. Volunteers
to commit to doing one fund raiser for SWAP horses at your location during 2010,
it can be a golf tournament, a bake sale, book sale, lemonade stand, car wash,
setting up an information stand at a horse show. This is a great way to kids to
get involved in helping horses.
10 Anyone interested in
free high quality top soil
(manure already composted) and manure for gardens, you can pick up for free by
the truck load at our WV location (bring a loader). If you are a gardener and
only need a small amount, pick up in a truck or we'll be selling it by the feed
bag full at $2.00 a bag (in a bag that is usually used for 100 lbs of feed).
This is beautiful clean top soil. This offer will only last so long because we
will be leveling the manure pile this August when its dry enough to get a dozer
in there.
11. Someone to do
dozer work on the farm, level arena/round pen, do terracing on the hill
sides to keep water out of the barns and level the top soil and manure pile to
increase the level of that land in that bottom so we can put our methane
digester in and indoor arena. Volunteer or at a reduced cost.
Reporting Neglect:
Please, if you see neglect (ribs and hip bones showing or no
food available), its critical to call the sheriff of the county where the
horse/animal is located. Have the address where the horse is located or
directions to the farm, pictures and the owners name (if possible). If the
sheriff does nothing email our cruelty case workers Tom and Ruby Fleming at
tomfleming64@cebridge.net or email
PETA's cruelty case workers Stephanie or Tori at
sbell@peta.org,
or
ToriP@peta.org Remember horses can not speak for themselves so
we must speak for them!! All reports are kept anonymous.
Getting Help for Your Horses/animals if you can not care for
them:
If you can not feed your animals, whether they are horses or
other animals, if you are adopters, call SWAP HQ immediately, if not, call your
local horse rescue and plead for help, if they are full then call your animal
control officer or sheriff to release ownership of your animals so they can get
them help Before they are starved to death, do not wait until they are starved,
its critical to get help early. Contact us if you do not know what to do. call
304-873-3532 or email
secondwindadopt@aol.com. Many counties have pet
pantries so you can get feed when times are tough.
If things are getting tight with costs, go to a less expensive
grain like a simple stock pellet supplemented with corn, according to Ohio State
Corn is the leading horse feed in the US according to their research, many large
equine schools and large farms feed these all natural feeds because of what they
get for the price, a lot of negative stuff has been written about corn but no
one can support it with actual proof and research. We feed a simple all stock
pellet from southern states and we supplement with cracked corn for those who
need more calories, here is the link:
- http://ohioline.osu.edu/b
- 762/b762_7.htm
TOP TEN WAYS YOU CAN HELP PROTECT HORSES
(ASPCA and SWAP Suggestions)
1. BE THEIR VOICE - your vote is your
greatest weapon against injustice, so register and actively support horse
protection and preservation legislation.
2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE - Walk the talk. Don't support or attend cruel
horse activities such as Tennessee Walker events using "soring" techniques -
painful techniques to make the horse walk a certain way, or events that use
drugs to make horses achieve results. High-diving horse acts are cruel, as are
rodeo events that don't promote respect for animals and their health.
3. BE AN INFORMED CONSUMER - products made from horses like Premarin
(pregnant mare urine pills for estrogen replacement), are created through
horses' suffering. Your spending dollar is a weapon.
4. SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE - inform people what happens to horses after
their short careers are over (slaughter plant bound), or where Premarin comes
from, talk to them about over breeding, the hazards of over using young horses
or not training a horse. Engage them in discussion.
5. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HORSE RESCUE OR SANCTUARY - these organizations
make life better for horses.
6. VOLUNTEER - your gift of time is valuable to horse groups and if
you have special talents, so much the better.
7. REPORT CRUELTY - if you witness abuse or neglect, report it to
local animal control or your county sheriff. Someone cruel to animals is cruel
to humans, too.
8. PROTECT THE AMERICAN WILD HORSE - mustangs have a special place in
our history and you can support federal and local legislation by writing emails
and letters to your government reps.
9. KEEP YOUR HORSE SAFE AND HEALTHY - if you own a horse, maintain
its health with regular hoof, medical and dental check-ups. Make sure they are
companioned as horses suffer living alone - even a goat makes a good companion.
Feed what the horse needs, if you are seeing ribs and hip bones, the horse is
not getting enough, if you can't afford to buy more feed, then give the horse to
someone who can, just be sure to check the person out and make sure they are not
selling the horse to slaughter or just going to turn out and sell the horse to
anyone that has the money. .
10. PLAN AHEAD FOR YOUR HORSE'S CARE - your health and finances
change so what happens to your horse of you can't care for it anymore? Research
your options, including a pet trust. Horses live into their mid 20s and early
30s now - that's a lifetime of commitment.
Crossed Sabers Stable:
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As many as 60
million visitors per year |
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As many as 530,000 hits in one day |
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Visitors from 113 different
countries |
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Website Visitors from every
continent of the world |
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Thousands of adoptions (of 68
different breeds) in homes today with SWAP |
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Horses adopted in 46 states and
Canada |
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14 Year History |
Preparing for a Cold Winter:
HAY: Get
your hay now before the prices become outrageous, get enough for the winter
(good planning is 2 bales for every 3 days for one horse or 10 bales per month
per horse, so to make it until the middle of June (first cutting), you're
looking at 90 bales per horse at the very least (from September to June). If you
have good thick grass that has been mowed and fertilized then depending on where
you live in the US you might just need 60 to 70 bales. For good grazing its
recommended that you have 3 to 5 acres of mowed, seeded, fertilized grass per
horse. Remember Grass is dead in WV from Oct/Nov until about April and every
state has some months where the grass does not give the horses their calories or
nutrients it needs to sustain life (USDA has details of that for each state).
They may be grazing in the winter but they are not getting anything from the
grass to survive. I know most know that but I say it because we had an adopter
last year in WV that thought if they were eating grass that was all they needed
and she nearly killed 2 horses.
GRAIN:
Remember on average horses need 1 lb of concentrated feed (grain) for every 100
lbs of body weight, so on average horses need about 10 lbs of grain a day, more
when its very cold or if they are living outside in a run because much of their
calories go to keeping them warm. Some horses need more so its critical to
watch to make sure their ribs and hip bones are staying meaty and covered. If
you see ribs, the horse is too thin and needs more calories, not supplements
but more calories.. Easy keepers may be round but it does not mean they are
healthy, most easy keepers need a multi vitamin to stay healthy.
WATER:
One of the most critical things needed in winter is clean fresh water all the
time, anywhere from 5 to 20 gallons per day per horse and everyone knows what a
pain that is when there is ice and snow on the ground but its critical to
preventing colic. Get your electric heaters, defrosters now, heated buckets,
what ever it takes to make sure they have good water in front of them all the
time and at least 10 gallons (2 flat backed buckets at the very least). Here we
keep 100 gallons troughs in the stalls since we have big stalls, its much easier
than frozen buckets in winter, all we do is break the ice and remove it most
days and put a heater in them on really cold days. We use a sump pump to empty
water and scrub troughs each week which keeps water fresh and clean.
SHELTER:
Domestic horses need shelter, they are not wild and can not survive outside
without shelter or some kind of heavy waterproof rug to keep them warm during
snow/ice and freezing temperatures but the best is a closed in shelter that is
free from drafts (meaning its closed on all 4 sides with some sort of
ventilation). Wild horses first of all don't live very long, living outside in
the elements is very hard on them, secondly wild horses move in cold
temperatures to keepselves warm and they often times move over thousands of
acres to keep warm or to find cover or water. No domestic horse can not do that
on 5, 20 or even 100 acres. Just because your horse has learned to survive in
bad weather does not mean its good for them, they need shelter in bad weather.
CARE:
Its important to make kids take care of their horses but they must have adult
supervision on a daily basis to make sure horses are getting what they need.
Trust me, I usually have 30 year olds working in our barn and I still have to be
there daily to make sure things are done, that they have clean water, especially
when its cold because our young helpers want to get out of the weather and then
the horses are left at risk for colic. Every day check your child's work, do not
leave your horses care to a child (completely).
The Woman I will Be
- I shall wear diamonds and a wide brimmed
straw hat with ribbons and flowers on it
- And I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots
- And sit in the alley of my barn and listen
to my horses breathe.
- I will sneak out in the middle of a
summer's night And ride the dappled mare across the moonstruck meadow, if
my old bones will allow. and when people come to call, I will smile and
nod, As I walk them past the gardens to the barn And show, instead, the
flowers growing there
- In stalls fresh-lined with straw. I will
shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel. And I will
be an embarrassment of all who look down on me Who have not yet found the
peace in being free To love a horse as a friend, a friend who waits at
midnight hour
- With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes For
the Woman I will be when I am old.
The perfect analogies for why we
have the life school tied into SWAP and animal welfare work:
"Everyone thought we took this
broken down horse and saved him but really he saved us"
Jockey Red Pollard from the
movie Seabiscuit
I rescued a
human today
Her eyes met mine as she
walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her
need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too
exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel
I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't
want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers
get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card
I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look
forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees
and made little kissy sounds at me.
I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.
Gentle fingertips caressed
my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I
raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.
Soon my kennel door opened
and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would
promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would
promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her
eyes.
I was so fortunate that she
came down my corridor.
So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors.
So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
I rescued a human today.
Baggage
by Evelyn Colbath
Now that I'm
home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked into my warm new bed,
I would like to open my baggage,
Lest I forget
There is so much to carry -
So much to forget.
Hmm, Yes, here
it is, right on the top
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my halter hides Fear & Shame
As I look on these things I have tried so hard to leave-
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them,
the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things
And take me right back?
Do you have the
time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never re-pack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
A young boy was walking along the beach
- as high tide came in.
- With every crash of the waves
- he noticed that dozens of seahorses were
being cast onto the beach,
- where they lay gasping and squirming.
- Hurriedly, he ran to each seahorse he could
find
- and gently tossed them back into the surf.
- A man watching all this approached the boy
and said;
- "Son, what you are doing won't make a
difference",
- to which the boy replied,
"To
that seahorse .
. . it will".
Some folks said they missed my great goals
list for 2010, so here it is back again
1. Spend an hour a day with your horses, not just
feeding, training and turning out, but real quality time doing something that is
enjoyable for the both of you. Grooming or hand walking is a great way to bond
with your horse and good for both you and the horse.
2. Get your loved ones more involved in your
horses. Divorce is the biggest reason we see horses coming back to us. Don't
just share the work, share the fun too and find something they really enjoy
doing with horses.
3. Learn a new discipline, go to a clinic, a
horse show, or equine affaire. Come to one of our clinics or watch a training
video. If you are an adopter you can check out books and video's from SWAP's
Library for just shipping costs. Take a lesson at least once a month or Bring
your adoption horse here and we will help you. The better you are, the more fun
you will have.
4. Make a plan for your horse after you are gone
or if you have a major injury, let your Will Executor know your plans. Make a
plan for emergencies or financial bumps along the way for your horse. Have a
plan if you or your horse gets injured, even for the tough times of year like
winter (or summer down south and for a drought winter when hay prices
skyrocket). Ask friends, family and neighbors to be part of your plan, most
people that don't have horses or a farm love the idea of getting away and
helping. And people can not resist someone when they are asking for help for the
welfare of an innocent animal.
5. Get yourself healthy and in better shape to
prevent injury, to live a long life and to more enjoy your horses. Eat 1-1-1
(one ounce of dark chocolate, one ounce of fresh walnuts, one glass of red wine
daily) and 2-2-2 (2 servings of fresh vegis, 2 of fresh fruit and get 2 sources
of fat free calcium). Drink 100 ounces of spring water a day, get a whole house
water filter. Change over to Sea-salt. Take one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
every morning to keep your body alkaline (cancer and disease can not grow in an
alkaline body). Eat more fish and chicken and less red meat. Get a good air
cleaner and do daily deep breathing exercises, get outside in the fresh air and
sunshine for at least 1/2 hour every day. Get away from high fat food, processed
foods, fast food, can or boxed food, sugar or artificial sweeteners, soda and
don't eat anything if you can't read all the ingredients and know exactly what
is in it. Clean all vegis and fruits thoroughly, buy organic, buy ocean caught
fish, not farm raised, buy fresh meat and raw milk, not packed or processed. Eat
only natural carbs (potatoes, rice, oats) bake/broil or steam everything. Get 8
hours of sleep, reduce stress/risk (reduce commuting by car pooling, tight
schedules, cell phone use in the car, watch or read the news only once a day or
better yet once a week. Do one hour of walking, yoga or weight training every
day and it will make you strong, lean, you'll look great and get wonderful
complements from friends, coworkers and loved ones and the horse work will be
easier and more enjoyable.
6. Stay clear of negative people and those very
negative chat rooms and bulletin boards, they seem innocent but every time you
go to them you lose a bit of your positive self, they are truly emotional
vampires that will leave only a shell of a person. They are not based on the
truth, they are based on harassment, complaining, whining and dishonesty. We all
become tomorrow what we are around today, every person we come in contact with
defines who we are tomorrow so be careful who you choose for friends, even the
websites you go to as each of them affect who you are tomorrow. Do you want to
be a bitter, miserable, complaining person or do you want to be happy, inspired
and honorable, all that is affected by the decisions you make today. Stay away
from Toxic people and Toxic websites/forums that are negative or that spend all
their time talking bad about people and their horses. What you are around today
and what you are doing today is what you will be tomorrow. Stop Complaining and
be Thankful for what you have. If you become a target of harassment or anyone
saying anything negative about you, if you are doing only good, positive things
and not hurting anyone then ignore them, its all based on jealousy and a sick
sort of wish to be like you. They have the problem, not you.
7. Read at least one book on training your horse
and one on care each year, if for nothing else but just inspiration. SWAP has a
great library of books/videos that adopters can check out for just the cost of
mailing it.
Click
here to see our Library
8. Get carrots/apples every time you go to the
store, your horses will love you for it and always come running when you call.
Don't feed candy or anything sweeter. Carrots are sweet enough. Get rid of the
sweet feeds and you'll get rid of the hot horse once and for all.
9. Realize that if you are having a problem with
your horse, more likely than not, the problem is you. Learn more, practice more,
ask in a different way, be patient, change their environment or daily schedule
to better suit them. Taking better care of a horse always brings out the best in
that horse. Good feed/hay, time to rest in a quiet stall out of the elements,
lots of fresh water, time to be with you and time to just be a horse, time with
their buddies, farrier and vet care always done is a good start. The biggest
part of this relationship puzzle is you, not the horse. If you are struggling,
then you need to learn more and get better.
10. Ride at least once a week, regardless of
weather. Use this time as your down time for healing, your therapy, your time to
relieve stress and the pressures of daily life. Even if you don't ride, go sit
and read a book in the pasture with the horses or sit in the barn and listen to
them munch on dinner, away from the crowd and noise of your day. Enjoy the peace
and quiet, enjoy hearing happy horses eating dinner or grass in the pasture.
11. Spend time leisurely grooming your horse once
a week. Rubber curries are shine makers. You will have a beautiful horse and a
very loyal friend who will do anything for you.
12. Come and spend a week at SWAP HQ,
volunteering and focusing on helping a horse and giving will change your life
plus it will be the best vacation you ever had. Help an animal in need, whether
fostering, being one of our state reps that goes out to check on our horses in
their homes or helps us approve adopters in their area. Find horses in need and
help us find them homes. Buy a horse at a slaughter auction, get it fat and
trained and we'll help you place it into a good home. Foster and volunteer for
your local small animal adoption program. I promise, the good things you do will
come back to you a hundred times over. Every person has a talent they can offer
and if you help one horse or one dog or cat find a good home, you have changed
their life forever.
13. Know that every goal is obtainable and it
starts with a single step. Take that first step today!! No matter what it is or
how big, YOU CAN DO IT!! Every goal that is written down will come true
(really!). Every famous person, every great or notable scientist, author,
trainer/rider, parent or friend started out as just a thought, just a goal.
Remember to take one step today to reach your goals.
14. Start every day with thinking about, what is
the most important thing I can do today to change my life and make it better. Do
that one thing and in 30 days your life will be totally different. Can you
imagine what your life would be like if you did that for 60, 90 or even 365 days
a year. The opportunities are endless.
15. Want to keep your horse sound for life? (That
should be every horse owners number one goal) do a long slow warm up (cold
muscle is easy to injure, a warm one is nearly impossible to injure). The very
best cool down is hand walking your horse for 1 hour after every work out. Yes,
get off the horse and walk with it. Its great exercise for you and a good time
for you to bond. Stop riding your horse during cool downs and stop using a hot
walker, do something good for you and the horse, hand walking. Its also the best
rehab for over work and injuries, the only thing better is hydro therapy and
swimming your horse. Allow soft tissue and hard tissue to become more
conditioned before going into any training program... that means 3 months of at
least 3 days a week for soft tissues and 10 months of work for bones to become
strong enough to jump or do any strenuous training program. Don't start any
upper level work, jumping or extensive training until the horse is fit and at
least between age 4 and 6 and has been conditioned for at least 10 months
(especially if the horse has never been jumped/worked or not been jumped or
worked in the last year).
16. Appreciate what you have and be thankful.
Instead of looking at what you don't have, look at what you do. Thank those
people who have helped you and supported you. The more you give, the more that
will come back to you. When you give something away or give something to
someone/something in need, you make space in your life for something good to
come to you. We are all very blessed, if we just take a moment to look around
and enjoy those things.
17. Get used to using favorite mantra's and
visualizations every day, simple ones that are easy to remember, like 'I can do
this, I will do this', 'this isn't going to get the best of me' or even, 'I
deserve the best' or 'the gift of love, caring, and support always comes back'
and take two minutes every morning as you wake and at night as you go to sleep
to visualize the life you want, the you you want to be, Our thoughts become
things, what you see is what you get, if you expect the best, the best will
happen, change your self-talk from negative to positive and I promise your life
will change for the better..
18. Each person is put on this earth for a
reason, each of us has a mission. What is yours? Seek and you shall find,
finding is a journey ... in the journey and the search you'll find your life
purpose. If you died in your sleep tonight is there something you haven't done
that you need to do or want to do? Someone you need to mend fences with, burnt
bridges to fix? People you need to tell them how much you love them? Have you
fulfilled your purpose in your life? Ask yourself, Why am I here? How can I make
this better? Who do I want to be? Who am I suppose to be? What reason was I put
on this earth? What is my purpose?
19. Be an inspiration to your family, co workers
and friends. We all fall on our face, we all make mistakes, we all get
discouraged, most times we all get up and try again.... sometimes we need a
nudge. Instead of being negative or doing negative things, be their inspiration.
You do believe they can do it, so why not tell them. If their self talk is
negative, then you be their positive self talk.... eventually they will start to
say it and believe it too. Life is self fulfilling, failure feeds on itself or
causes more failure, achieving does as well. So if you or your love ones are in
a negative cycle, break the cycle by changing your thoughts, your self talk,
achieve something small to get yourself and your family back into the cycle of
achievement.
20. We all file a flight plan every single day
for our life. Where is your flight going today? Just like a pilot flying, the
winds, the gravitational pull will change your flight and take you off course,
so you must make small corrections along the way to make sure you make your
destination. Have you selected your destination? Have you picked the steps in
your flight plan to get there? Every goal is really that easy, pick the goal and
figure out how to get there. The easiest way to pick your flight path/plan is
find someone who has done it before you, then do what they did. Its all baby
steps you know. Just keep an eye on that destination and keep saying...."here is
my destination, this is where I'm going, this is where I am now, this is how I'm
going to get there.... I will arrive at this time on this day. You can do
it..... its just like getting in your car to go to the store, its just deciding
where you want to go and how to get there, then take that first step. You can do
it!! No matter how big or how outlandish you may think your dream to be... it
is obtainable.
21. Laugh every day and try (as hard as it is
sometimes) to find the positive and the humor in each situation (and have at
least one bite of a truly decadent desert once a week). Life is just too short
to not enjoy it thoroughly.
22. We learn the most and do our best work when
we have fallen on our face, when we are struggling, when we are worried, scared
or frustrated, when we are anguishing over something or troubled by it. It is
then that you have true motivation, when you think clearer. The most brilliant
ideas come to people when they feel lost, frustrated, or at the bottom, helpless
or hopeless. Cherish these times because its when you can come up with your best
ideas to your biggest problems and challenges. You see, there is a reason for
the rainy days.
23. You can't make everyone happy, its useless to
try and wasted energy to think you can. 50% of all people will not agree with
you at any given time, don't worry about it and don't let it stop you. 50%
becomes a lot of people when you are in the public eye. As long as you are not
hurting anyone and you are doing the right thing, then go ahead and do it. If
you are wondering what is the right thing to do, its usually the harder thing to
do, the toughest path to take. The easy way out is rarely the right thing to
do. Instead of worrying over what someone thinks of you or says about you, do
something amazing and outstanding to inspire them or at least have them sitting
on the side lines being jealous, secretly saying, "wow, she has guts". One
person with purpose becomes the majority, one way or another.
1. There are at least two people in this world
That you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world Love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you Is because they want to Be just
like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, Even if they don't Like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you Before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists, loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, Something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has
Turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
Always in hope and admiration, Celeita
YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and
shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home
today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he
smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a
visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
hung on his window.
'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.
'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.
'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or
not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my
mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when
I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of
bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and
all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
I am still depositing.' Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Our
lives with horses...
Our lives with horses are rich with feeling. You know this if you've
ever.... choked back tears watching a new foal wobble to his feet for the
First time ...or watched your good horse wobble to his feet after surgery....
or seen the ends of the reins float straight out as a reining horse spins
beneath them . . or chuckled to yourself as you watched a tiny tot on a
patient pony trot through a barrel pattern at a saddle club payday ... or felt
the building tremble as an eight-up hitch of feather-legged giants towed a
hand-carved beer wagon into the arena ... or had your heart stop when you saw
your horse lying motionless in the pasture on a sunny day and waited
breathlessly for an ear to flick ... or cheered at the screen when 'The Man
From Snowy River' slid Dennie down the mountainside, .. or when Seabiscuit
made his final surge to beat War Admiral ... or cruised along the highway and
seen a horse in a pasture and wondered what he's like to ride or pictured him
as a prospect ... or sucked in your breath as a horse and rider approached a
six-foot wall ... or sworn a solemn oath to your horse that together you would
triumph ... or flipped through the TV channels and stopped when you saw a
horse even when it was a commercial ... or laughed aloud when you rubbed your
horse's face and he rubbed back ... or gotten chills hearing Dave Johnson's
'and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!' (or 'Run for the Roses' circa 1980 ish?)
... or stood in awe at your horse in morning play as he sprinted around the
pasture, then stopped, head erect, and snorted defiance at the rest of the
world
... or been thankful to see wild horses grazing casually at the foot of a hill
... or felt calmed by the sleekness of a silky
haircoat beneath your hand ... or felt your jaw drop as you watched a Lipazzan
perform a capriole ... or if you've ever seen someone in the grocery store
wearing a certain kind of hat, or boots, or buckle, or have a certain cut and
length to their jeans, and felt some remote kind of connection ... or felt
warmed by a soft nicker greeting as you entered the barn ... or slid your hand
under your horse's blanket to straighten it out, only to pause in the glowing
feeling that you get when you touch the
warmth of his coat... or riding on a trail with your horse, thinking how that
trail over there looks nice and almost without asking, your horse has sensed
your slightest movement in the saddle and he's now taking you there. ... or
pulled up to your barn where you board and only your horse greets you with a
welcoming hello from the sound of your car or your voice.
HEROES AND HORSES
SOME NOTABLE HEROES AND THEIR HORSES ARE MENTIONED AND WE KNOW YOUR HORSE IS
YOUR HERO AND VICE VERSA.
1. Kanthaka - Buddha's horse, the one he used when he was still Siddhartha
the prince, to escape from his father's palace and begin his journey toward
enlightenment. Kanthaka's hooves made no sounds as they fled together and he
is often depicted being lifted on his four feet by benign spirits.
2. Pegasus - the mythical winged horse parented by Neptune and Medusa and
ridden by Bellerophon to rid the world of Chimera, the monster. Athena, the
Greek goddess of wisdom, was able to capture and train Pegasus when he allowed
her to place her golden bit in his mouth.
3. Phosphorus (Light Bearer) - the great Roman racehorse immortalized by the
4th century Roman poet Ausonius (at the emperor's request) in a beautiful
eulogy: Fly with haste to join the wing-footed horses of Elysium; may
Pegasus gallop on your right and Arion as your left-wheeler, and let Castor
find a fourth horse for the team.
4. Babieca - famed white gelding of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz of Bivar, the
Spanish hero who united Christians and Muslims against a Moorish onslaught
from Africa. Babieca lived to be 30 years old and carried El Cid into all his
battles. Babieca means "crazy" as Rodrigo made a crazy choice since the colt
was the runt of the herd.
5. Bucephalus (Ox-head) - beloved horse of Alexander the Great who bore the
Macedonian hero on his back from Greece to India. Odds against a horse living
past 20 in that era were great, but Bucephalus, in his 20s, endured until he
fell in battle in India.
6. Sleipnir - the eight-legged war horse of Odin, the Norse god, was able to
fly without wings and shape-shift.
7. Balios and Xanthos - a grey and bay, both sired by Zephyros, the West
Wind, who together pulled Achilles' chariot.
8. Vivasat - a Hindu sun-god who often took the form of a stallion.
9. Al Burak - Mohammed's horse, on whose back he ascended to heaven, was
brought to him by the archangel Gabriel
10. Chiron - the centaur who taught Achilles, Jason and the first physician,
Ascelpius, all he knew.
11. Rakhsh - blue-eyed and dappled red horse of the legendary Persian
warrior, Rustam. Rakhsh was highly intelligent and saved his sleeping master
from a lion's attack, killing the predator.
There are many more famous mythical and real horses and we will be adding to
our list. Can you help us add to this list?. thank you Harmony Horse Works.
The question is not: "do you support horse
slaughter."
The question is: "do you support the cruel, terrifying
transport for days without food and water in their journey to death?"
The question is: "do you support the torture and abuse of
the killer chutes, even for crippled horses, pregnant mares, wild horses,
protective mares with foals by their sides?"
The question is: “Do you support the horse slaughter
factories that lie to their consumers about the many chemicals that taint the
horse meat, and call it Organic?
The question is: do you support the breeder who breeds
hundreds of horses just to pick out the good ones and cash in the rest to the
killer buyer?
The question is: Do you support the person who uses the
horse its whole life and when it gets to an old age sends it to slaughter as a
thank you?
The question is: “do you support the slaughter workers who
cheer a horse on that struggles extra hard for its life?
The question is: Do you support the killer buyer who not
only buys up the strong, fat and healthy horses and leaves the meek weak and
unhealthy for society, but also bids against the good homes and horse rescues?
The question is: “Can you see though the lies of the ones
who stand to loose a buck with the end of horse slaughter?
The question is: Do you support ripping the last of our wild
horses away from their families and peaceful lives to be slaughtered?
The question is: As a nation, can we allow this to continue
and still call ourselves a civilized country?
The question is: "Can you look at the footage of innocent
horses with their eyes gouged out, hooves ripped off, legs broken, beaten by
the workers, faces smashed in from being on the transport trucks, horses
stabbed in their spines, horses conscious for the entire killing process and
do nothing?
That is the question, so what is YOUR answer?
Resolve to make the world a better place for animals
(credit: PETA)
| If you haven't already done so,
have the companion animals who depend on you spayed or neutered. These
simple procedures help protect your furry friends from many types of
cancer and prevent thousands of animals from being born only to end up
abandoned on the streets or dumped at severely crowded animal shelters.
|
| If you live with a dog,
pledge to walk him or her every day, even when it's cold outside and you'd
rather hide under a blanket. If you share your home with cats, set
aside some "kitty (or horsey) quality time" every day to play
with, brush, and bond with them. It's sometimes too easy to overlook our
feline friends, but they can get bored and lonely too. |
| If there is a lonely "backyard dog" in your
neighborhood, try befriending his or her
guardian. Start by politely talking to him or her about the dog's needs,
such as companionship, daily portions of fresh food and water, and a
weatherproof doghouse filled with straw. Many lucky dogs have had their
lives changed because someone like you cared enough to intervene.
|
| If you're shopping for yourself or buying
holidays gifts for your loved ones, stay
away from fur, wool, leather, and companies that make or sell products
made from the skins of animals. |
NOTE: Crossed Sabers can not fully guarantee the accuracy of every page
on this website which is huge (38,000 files and over 300 pages). We do not
have the personnel or time to keep it up to date and accurate for every
situation as this Stable and all its programs have always been a dynamic
entity, ever changing and improving itself to meet the needs of horses and
horse people. We do try to make sure each page is up to date and accurate but
the best thing to do If you have a question, is email or call us. Additionally
Crossed Sabers can not guarantee anything that anyone says about us on line,
we have no control over other people and their websites, forums or ads, all we
can tell people is if you do not know the person, their name, address and
their experience, age or history/background/education and location do not
trust what they say. That is true for everything on the internet. Some things
said about us have been grossly inaccurate and did not come from CSS, some
come from past employees we fired for cause (for hurting horses or stealing
from us), people that are pro-slaughter and hate our mission and what we do
for horses enjoy trying to make us look bad, some are horse traders that we've
helped put out of business and some are people we helped put in jail on
neglect cases. Again, if you have questions about us, our services, our
company structure, how we are licensed, how we pay taxes, how we do things or
anything at all, please feel free to contact us, just don't assume that all
you read on another website is accurate because 99% of it is not true,
especially if you read it on a forum, blog or chat room and don't assume that
it came from us, just call 304-873-3532 or email us at
secondwindadopt@aol.com,
or better yet, come and see our operation and you will see how we do things. I
can guarantee it's 1000 times better than what the liars and frauds say who
are jealous of our work.
All programs and services listed on this website, including
SWAP is a part of Crossed Sabers Stable which has been licensed in WV for the
last 13 years. The Mountain State Horse School and Second Wind Adoption
Program, Inc. and Crossed Sabers International Horse School, Inc. was
incorporated on 4 Sep 08 to address the education needs and life challenges of
people and horses.
Buyer and Seller Beware!! Update on the
Robin Hollingsworth of Blacksburg, SC
(she has several alias's and about 10 fake names) fraud case for those
of you who have been asking. The SC prosecutor accepted a plea bargain from
her and dropped the case if she paid the people she ripped off (the people she
took money under false pretenses from when she sold them horses she did not
own), she did that so she was let go but the 3 arrests will stay on her record
and the record of what she did to all those people is still on the books and
will stay there. If she is caught again I'm certain she will go to jail but
people who are cheated by her must stand up and testify.. If more people that
she ripped off would have not chickened out and backed out because of fear
(Quote from them was we are scared of her, she is crazy) she would be in jail
right now but beware, she is still loose and still taking free horses or
companion horses that have things like ringbone and navicular and drugging
them and then selling them as high level jumpers and competition horses on the
internet. Her daughter works with her, Amanda or Mandy, she helps her rip
people off. Beware, I'm getting calls almost every month where Robin has
committed more crimes against people, taking horses, not paying for them,
bouncing checks, buying vehicles and horse trailers and not paying for them.
BEWARE OF THIS WOMAN!! If you want her history or to check a person's name
against our black list (our do not adopt to, do not sell to, do not buy from,
do not hire or even rent to list), then contact us.
BEWARE: Do not buy a horse from anyone you
do not know, ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET, unless they have websites like ours,
their names and addresses listed and they show they have a long long history
on their website and do not buy unless you go to see the horse and have it vet
checked and you have contact with the vet, not the seller or even trainer
telling you what the vet said. DO NOT GIVE YOUR HORSE OR SELL YOUR HORSE
WITHOUT A WRITTEN AGREEMENT AS TO WHAT IS TO HAPPEN WITH THE HORSE, RESELLING,
USE/LIMITATIONS, FACILITIES NEEDED, ETC. It you sell or give away a horse with
no agreement, they could go to slaughter the same day you release them or they
could be sold and misrepresented, living a life of neglect, abuse, over use
and miss use the rest of their lives. We hear stories all the time where a
best friend or neighbor, the nice lady you gave the horse to sent the horse to
slaughter or is neglecting it and there is not a thing the owner can do now
because they no longer own the horse and they made no written agreements
signed by both parties. If you need help doing written agreements, back ground
checks on buyers and sellers, just contact us, that is part of our 'SAFE
SELLING' SERVICES. Your horse's life depends on you being safe and thorough!
BEWARE: People are selling horses on the
internet that don't even exist so beware, the horse industry is full is liars,
cheaters, and thieves, even we have had to deal with them from potential
adopters who were in jail applying to adopt, to employees and former trainers
who totally ripped us off by stealing tack and tools, asking for huge advances
and then leaving after they get them, people who don't even know us or had any
experience with us slandering us on forums, harassing us and our supporters,
interfering with company operations and even adopters who don't think twice
about breaching their contract or forging their vets signature on applications
& annual updates or even selling their adoption horse to programs like ours
and even 501c3's public charities selling horses to slaughter auctions or
being put in jail for neglect and animal cruelty. We are bringing each person
that has wronged our horses to justice one at a time and winning all our cases
but that does not protect the general public from these liars, thieves,
con-artist and cheaters. Your horses life can easily be ruined forever, they
could end up in a fate worse than death so buyer and seller beware, your
horses life depends on you keeping them safe and you being thorough with doing
things like getting references and making sure the people have stable
employment, that they really own the farm they say they do, doing background
checks to check for criminal records. The horse world is full of dishonesty
which ruins it for honest people that really care and always try to do the
right thing, such a shame. Just be very careful and get proof that your horse
is going to a good home, get more than a feeling because we promise you about
50% of the time when it comes to horses, your feeling that its a 'nice' person
or a 'good' person' is wrong. And even when you pick a good home, they can
turn around and sell or give away to a bad home.
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and
height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches and negative people pull
you down. People who like to cause trouble will shorten your life and make you
just like them... miserable.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen.. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who
is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next
county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away
| |
Second
Wind Adoption Program
[Home]
- My ladies
(at SWAP) have promised that I shall never be sold,
- and so I
have nothing to fear;
- and here
my story ends.
-
- My
troubles are all over,
- and I am
at home......
- standing
with my old friends under the apple-trees.
 Black Beauty
If the only cost was love, we
could save them all.
The Second Wind Adoption Program was founded by the stable owner, Celeita
Kramer, when her mentor, Evelyn Duhr died of cancer
the summer of ‘97. Evelyn owned Second Wind Farm in Maryland where she ran a
standardbred adoption program. Second Wind was dedicated to Evelyn’s work but
was expanded to address all breeds and horses in need. Second Wind
Adoption became a not for profit animal welfare program the summer of ‘98.
Crossed Sabers is registered/licensed with the state of WV and SWAP is
registered with the state as a not for profit organization. The stable has been
licensed since 1996. Second Wind has added foster homes all over the continental
US and Canada in order to be able to address the great need and the vast number
of calls from horse owners looking for a quality home their equine friend.
In 2008, to address some of the issues that people and horses face, The Mountain
State Horse School and Second Wind Adoption Program, Inc. and Crossed Sabers
International Life School, Inc. was added to Crossed Sabers Stable.
PRIMARY MISSION OF THE SECOND WIND ADOPTION
PROGRAM
Prevent
animal abuse/neglect
of all the equus species and the need for rescue through adoption,
there by being a catalyst for “Rescue Prevention” by placing horses into
quality homes before the need arises for rescue or intervention by
authorities.
Make up for the lack of state
protection laws by having
adoption contracts that govern minimum care and use of each horse.
Allow exceptional adopters
the opportunity to purchase their adoption horse with a safe selling
contract that will protect the horse for life,
after any where from a 2 to 5 year probation period for certain horses
but not necessarily all horses and all adopters.
Whenever possible, provide all horses
(everyone in the equine family) including race, show, eventing, fox hunting,
steeplechase, contest & working horses, polo ponies or any other sport or
endurance horse an easy transition to a second career and
give owners in every facet of the horse industry and private owners
a
viable, safe place for their horses to go and a more humane place than a bad home, selling or giving the horse to just
anyone or resorting to unnecessary slaughter.
Offer educational and support services
to horse owners/donors and adopters (transportation, foster homes, training,
follow up, guidance with problems, lessons and clinics for adopters).
Offer adopters training services
(lessons, clinics, training of their adopted horses, continued follow-up
to insure continued success with their adoption horse, and organized
trips to regional, state and national horse events that can be both
educational and fun).
Whenever
financially and physically possible, provide horses in the Adoption
Program ground and under saddle training to insure every chance for success
in their next home. Provide horses that are in need, the required
vet care, rest and rehab needed to get better
and find companion horses or horses that can no longer be ridden or
driven a safe and loving home for the rest of their lives.
Give people
that might not normally have a lot of up front money to buy a trained
horse but can afford the
daily care of a horse have the opportunity to adopt and experience the
joys of horse ownership and for kids to be able to grow up with horses
and learn responsibility, dedication
and the satisfaction to a job well done
and to offer people, individuals, families and kids opportunities that
can be both educational and fun but additionally that gives families and friends
something that they can experience together
that is good for the body, mind and spirit.
When
possible, support equine and animal
rescue in times of natural disasters.
When
possible, support state and regional
officials with abuse cases by being the expert in care
and conditioning of the equine and by giving them a place to send
horses that are taken from owners for abuse or neglect.
When
possible, as a secondary mission,
support other equine and small
animal adoptions and programs.
Support all rescue and adoption programs in order to offer a more
educated, well managed, unified approach to animal welfare.
Our Horse Welfare Missions
SUPPORT AND
ANIMAL WELFARE
SERVICES OF SECOND WIND ADOPTION PROGRAM
-
Basic And Transitional Job Training For Horses
-
Lay-Up, Rehabilitation From Injury
- Rainbow Bridge Equine Cemetery
- SWAP Shopping
- Mountain State Equine Retirement
- Flying Horse Rehab
- Red Horse Retreat
-
ESMT, Farrier, Dental, Grooming & Clipping (At Swap HQ)
-
Referrals for
Equine Appraisals For Donors
-
Spend A Week, Pick Your Horse Program
-
Cinderella Program (extreme make overs for horses and their
riders/handlers)
-
Over Night Boarding And Housing For Donors/Adopters And Their Horses
-
Estate Planning (Preparing Your Animals For Your Death)
-
Short Term Boarding
-
Horse Transportation referrals
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OF THE mOUNTAIN STATE HORSE SCHOOL
-
Advisory Program For Adopters
-
Local And Regional Adopter Follow Up And Assistance
-
Quarterly Newsletter
-
Educational Library
-
Training And Riding Instruction
-
Student Internships, Work Studies And College Credit
-
Breaking And Training Services
-
Instructional Clinics
Training (Training 101)
Training Under Saddle (Training 102)
Training 103 Driving
Training 103 Dressage
Training 103 Hunter/Jumper
Training 103 Going Gaited
Horse and Barn 101
Transitional Training for Race Horses (TB, Arab and QH)
Transitional Training for Harness Horses (STB)
Starting and operating a welfare program or
rescue
Description of the Adoption
Program
Second Wind is an all breed equine adoption program sponsored by
Crossed Sabers Stable, in which the stable works with owners and horse
associations/registries to find homes for horses no longer cared for or wanted
by their current owner. The stable finds good homes for these animals so that
the horse may have a second chance at a healthy, productive and good life. It
also gives horse owners a more humane way to dispose of animals than sending a
young, healthy or sound horse to needless slaughter by way of auctions, selling
to just anyone, or donating to organizations that only protect the horse for two
years. Horses come to the program
from all over the United States and Canada and from all types of situations.
Private individuals and families, breeders, trainers & owners from every facet
of the horse industry. They are all ages from weanling on up, at all training
levels, all breeds, both sexes, to include nice breeding stallions. We can
guarantee to the owner donating the horse, that the horse will always have a
good home and will never go to slaughter. The biggest restriction for adopters
is that they cannot sell or transfer the horse. If they decide they don’t want
the horse, it comes back into the program and is placed again. This also
guarantees to the adopter that they will not be stuck with a horse that they
don’t want or is not a good fit for them. Honesty is critical for the program to
survive and to best place each horse. The Donor gives extensive information
about the horse, which in turn is used to place the horse into the best
situation for both the horse and the adopter. All information about the horse is
passed on to the adopter.
We accept horses from their owners and place them in a safe home that
lasts a life time. The adopter fills out a 4 page application that looks at
financial and personal stability, their employment, their facilities and
it looks at their experience
and plans for the horse to be able to match experience with what the horse
has done and still can do. Once we help them find a 'match' with a horse
that can do that job at that level without drugs and injections and stay
sound for life doing it, they sign a 14 page contract that protects the
horse for life, that defines minimum care, required facilities, care and
defines over use for that particular horse and defines the large fines for
abuse or neglect and the annual requirements for formal follow up with the
horse and they pay a small adoption fee. We've completed thousands of
adoptions and placed horses in homes in 46 of the 50 states
and Canada. We've placed horses of 65 different breeds into homes. Our goal
is to not turn away any horse in need but last year 35,000 people went to
our donor page about putting a horse into the program and we can only take
between 150 and 300 depending on how much money is coming in to be able to
care for them. While the horses are here we take care of all care, vet, farrier, dentist, etc, work with the horse and all horses are housed in
their own stalls with regular turn out, when a trainer is available and
weather is good horses are trained and exercised. A description of our
facilities is
on the web site on the About Us page.
The owners/donors receives a receipt once the horse is placed and they know who the horse goes to, they have all their contact information.
They fill out several pages of information on the horse and all that is open
to all approved adopters to review in order to place the horse into the best
home. We usually have a waiting list of horses waiting to come in, of
course, we are restricted by the number of horses we can take here by the
amount of money we are able to raise. The more money we raise, the more
horses we can help. Most of our 'income' comes from the small adoption fees
that adopters pay, which is much smaller than buying a horse on the open
market, allowing people that don't have the money to buy a fancy horse to
have a nice horse without all the upfront cost. That is the nickel version
of what we do, a lot more goes into it, in our mission we also have an
internship program and give away two scholarships each year to deserving
students who come here to volunteer in addition to assisting adopters with
problems and offering clinics and educational trips to horse events.
More Tidbits on Our Horses,
Donors and Adopters
Thousands of
horses have been adopted through our program of 67 different breeds since October
1998. 90% are mares and geldings with the other 10% being made up of stallions,
colts, and fillies. 82% of the horses have been registered; several of the
horses were imported from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The breeds encompass
everything from the horses that we have all grown up with to the many wild
horses on American soil, such as the Mustang, Chincoteague and Assateague ponies
to the Cracker ponies of Florida. In addition to every type of racehorse,
competition/sport horse and warmblood to the more exotic breeds like Friesians,
Irish Draughts, Nakota’s, Mecklenburg’s, Lippazzans, Azeteca’s, Spanish Norman’s and Fjords.
We’ve placed gaited horses and the south’s finest saddle horses into homes,
numerous Grand Prix Show Jumpers (even one Nations Cup Winner) and Grand Prix
level Dressage horses. We placed into a home horses that were trained & ridden by 2 people that won an Olympic
Silver Medal in show jumping and one horse that was trained & ridden by a person
that won a Gold Medal in dressage, several horses have been placed that were
trained by Olympic level riders, even horses that were owned by Breeders Cup
Winners in the racing world. We are proud to mention that we have both donors
and adopters who have been recognized by AHSA as Horsemen of the Year and even
adopters who are Olympic level riders. We’ve
also placed horses from nationally ranked steeple chasers, fox hunting horses
from various hunt clubs, including one huntsman’s horse. Our horses come from
the following professions or situations:
-
·
Dressage 30%
-
·
Racing 25%
-
·
Hunter/Jumper 15%
-
·
Family or pleasure mounts 10%
-
·
Low level showing or
competing 6%
-
·
Rescue (abandoned, abused,
neglected, taken by authorities) 5%
-
·
Breeding and Training
facilities 4%
-
·
Endurance and Competitive
Trail Riding 2%
-
·
Steeple Chase 2%
-
·
Rodeo, Cutting and Working
horses 1%
We’ve had the progeny of great
sires in the TB world find stable, happy homes through our program: Secretariat,
Man O’ War, Alysheba, Alydar, Buckley Boy, Blushing John, Chiefs Crown & Mr.
Prospector and the progeny of great sires in the Harness Racing world: such as
Albatross, Niatross, Abercrombie, On the Road Again, Jaguar Spur, Meadow
Skipper, Super Bowl & Bret Hanover
Second Wind rescued 112 horses that had been abused/abandoned/neglected by their
original owner, including one grandson of Secretariat. We have also placed 147 dogs and cats into homes, most
of which were pulled out of shelters the day before kill day.
Second Wind is a national
program supporting the entire continental US and Canada. Our adopters come from
every profession, both blue and white-collar workers including professionals
throughout the horse industry, family situations and individuals, with annual
incomes ranging as high as 1.3 million per year, but averaging around 75k per
household.
Second Wind has a total of 3.5
million to 5 million visitors from 113 different countries and every continent to the website each month (www.crossedsabers.com)
Agencies we
work with
American Horse Council,
West Virginia Horse Council, Hooved Animal Humane Society, American Horse
Protection Association, American Humane Association, Humane Organization For
Retired Standardbred Equines (HORSE), Humane Society Of The Unites States, Int’l
Society For The Protection Of Mustangs And Burros, US Trotting Association, The
Jockey Club And The American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCA),
Standardbred Pleasure Horse Owners Association (SPHO), Best Friends, People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA), the American Horse Shows Association (USA
Equestrian), the US Equestrian Team and all breed
registries.
Adoption
Many of the adopted horses have a working
background, racing or showing/competing in all disciplines and with all
breeds. The restrictions we place on the horse are around the owners wishes and
what the horse can do and stay sound for life, the
owner can restrict the horse from racing, breeding, competing or from any type
of work at all, including riding. Horses are available for adoption to anyone
who can prove that they have the desire, employment, financial backing,
knowledge about horses or plans to learn, ability to give proper care, time
available for the animal, other horses owned and facilities for a horse. a visit to the adopters
stable is done when possible. An agreement must be signed by the adopter
governing the care and restrictions on how the horse can be used. SWAP protects the horse for the
rest of its life. It is the owner’s decision as to whether they release the
horse’s registration but it is recommended by the program to release it for
showing/breeding purposes. At the least, horse facilities should be a 3 sided
shed with the predominant winds blocked for winter, an acre of grazing land per
horse, daily turn out and cover available for the horse to get out of the
weather at any time. Preference is given to anyone who has individual stalls for
each horse in a barn situation and 2 to 3 acres of pastureland per horse.
Minimum care is worming and farrier care every other month, at least 20 gallons
of fresh water per day and at least 1 lb. of feed (hay/grain) for every 100 lbs.
of horse. Though the basic requirements are clearly defined, we treat each horse
as an individual and look for the same basic living standards and environment
that the horse has become accustomed to, variation is also considered in the
adopters climates, predominant weather, individual facilities, size of farm,
when placing the horse. Adoption fees range from free to a good home up to 40%
of the appraised value of the more expensive horses. But most are placed at or
below $1000. All money earned by or donated to SWAP is applied to helping the
horses in the adoption
program.
Dedication
The Second Wind Adoption
Program is dedicated to Evelyn Duhr who owned Second Wind Farm in Accokeek,
Maryland. Evelyn ran the Standardbred Adoption Program for Maryland, from which
Crossed Sabers adopted it’s first horses, thus beginning our great appreciation
for adoption programs. She quickly became a good friend and mentor to our
stable and allowed the SWAP executor to adopt when many of the other programs
had turned her away, you see even though our executor had a Masters degree in
Equine Management, she had never owned a horse, even afer a career as a
helicopter test pilot and military officer, she had never been able to live her
childhood dream of having a horse. She had always rescued horses and adopted her
animals so to her adoption was the only way to go. Evelyn was the only one that
would give her a chance and took the time with her to make sure the horses were
cared for, she took the time to work with the adopter, our Executor. Evelyn died of cancer the summer of 1997 but she will always be
remembered as a generous, caring woman who had the tenacity of a bulldog,
especially when it came to her Standardbreds. She was always more concerned for
the horses in her program than anything else, including herself. Evelyn was able
to find loving homes for hundreds of Standardbreds just coming off the race
track, many that required huge veterinary and therapy bills, all she gladly
paid. Our executor saw her as the only person that would give her a chance to
adopt and the only one that really took the time with her to teach her
'everything they don't teach in a classroom'. These horses went on to have productive happy lives as family pets,
pleasure and show horses in every discipline, plus excellent breeding stock. Evelyn Duhr was literally, a horses “Second Wind”, for us . . . She always will
be. Today, SWAP does not turn away first time owners who have no
experience but yet looks for someone who has a good plan to learn. Everyone must
start their horse experience somewhere and we understand that. We are very
pro-education and will always assist every adopter to learn more because the
more the adopter knows, the better and more enjoyable their horse experience
will be. Evelyn taught us that first hand.
Some of the
Reasons Horses are given away, donated or released to a program like The Second Wind Adoption Program
-The horse is no longer racing, showing,
competing, eventing, fox hunting, steeplechase, or doing endurance, polo or any
other type of sport where they horse can not longer compete at that level, hold
up physically, or make money doing it.
-The horse is
finishing one career and ready for another, retired police horse, race horse,
show horse but can still go and have another career, can't physically hold up to
the rigors of its current profession, not winning enough to pay the bills or the
horse hates its current job or is not suited for it.
-The horse no longer has a career as a broodmare or breeding stallion, not
producing or the farm is changing focus of breeding goals and objectives
-The owner has too many horses and its causing hardship or affecting the general
care given to the horse, owner is no longer breeding, showing, giving lessons or
racing.
-The horse has training issues or capabilities beyond owners riding or handling
abilities, owner is advancing beyond the capabilities of the horse.
-The horse needs to
be the center of someone's world instead of just another horse in the barn
-The horse had a
racing or competition accident and owner wants to save the horse from the
anguish of going back.
-There is personal hardship or change in personal life.
Family is moving and can't take the horse, divorce, health problems, loss of
job, death in family, retiring, down-sizing the herd or farm, loss of the family
farm, lack of time for the horse or for riding, owner is going off to school and
can't afford both, change in personal situation including pregnancy,
deteriorating health, getting married, etc
-The horse needs someone more advanced to handle or ride horse, owner has
advanced beyond the capabilities of the horse, and child has grown out of the
horse/pony
-The horse is not going to make a
race or show horse, doesn't have the desire to race or show, and doesn’t have
the physical conformation or size for racing or showing.
-The horse has
special needs, needs to get out of the sun or heat of the south or needs warmer
climate, needs to ridden more, needs to be ridden less
-There is a change in
equine business climate. . Raised taxes, drought and the lack of hay, raising
costs of grain, costs of keeping horses, drought
winters, seasonal fires, etc.
-The owner loves the horse, appreciates the loyalty the horse has had and their
relationship is more than an owner/horse but more like a parent and child and
they could not imagine selling or seeing money as being more important than
their child.
-The owner because of either excessive income
or capital gains needs a write off or is showing a loss, which is given
to the donor up to the appraised value of the horse when donated. Additionally professional horse people
use horse donations on the years when they have to show a profit in their horse
business.
-The one thing
all owners and trainers that put horses into our program have in common is that
they all could sell the horse, some for large sums of money but they care more
for the horse than the money and want to know that the horse is guaranteed a
good home for life.
-Though the Second Wind Adoption Program is not a Rescue operation we try not to
turn down any horse in need. We have and will take horses that are considered
rescue horses when the need arises. Defined as horses that have been taken by
authorities for abuse/neglect or lack of care and abandoned horses.
|
PROGRAM |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
|
Second Wind Adoption Program |
One of CSS's oldest programs and one of the
biggest welfare programs in the US, thousands of horses of 67 different
breeds placed into excellent homes in 46 of the 50 states and Canada. If you
can't keep your horse and the home for life means more than anything else,
than this is the program for you. And if you like the idea of getting a
great horse for less, Adoption with SWAP is the only way to go.
Click here to see
details. |
SWAP has several programs within itself
centered around the welfare of the horse and it is also associated with many
of the training, educational and services programs |
|
Internships and college credit |
Looking for practical experience, you're 18 years of age,
you have horse experience and a good seat. CSS and SWAP has internships
available for 8 girls each month in summer (June - August) and 4 girls
during the fall (September - December) or spring (January - May) semester,
CSS Owner has a graduate degree in Education and has the ability to set up
and meet curriculum for college credits at the interns college. We've done
this a couple of times and it works out nicely for CSS and the student.
Click here to see details about Internships and
college credit. |
the experience and room is free or in exchange for work full
time for the stable while here. You also cover your food while at CSS.
Selection of summer interns are completed on May 1st every year, selection
for fall and winter semisters are done around the students schedule.
Click here for more information and the
application |
|
Scholarships |
CSS and SWAP has two annual scholarships, one to the Intern
of the Year for $500. which is applied directly to college or trade school
expenses and one for $300. to attend the USTA Driving Training at the
Delaware Fair Grounds each May. SWAP has also had Grand Prix/Olympic Riders
who offer our Intern of the Year an internship for the winter in Wellington,
which is a paid position and wonderful experience for some lucky person.
Click here to see details of these Scholarships
that started back in 2003. |
free scholarship, application fee is $50. |
|
SWAP Shopping |
SWAP has a long list of things for sale, from furnishing to
horse related items, carriages, tack, etc all for sale. All proceeds from
SWAP Shopping goes to caring for the adoption horses. On occasion, SWAP has
an auction of these items where the bidding starts extremely low.
Click here to see all the great things listed
today. |
free service, items for less before they go on sale at ebay |
|
Financing |
A service offered by CSS and SWAP that is literally unheard
of in the horse industry, being able to take home your adoption horse while
paying payments, donating and paying for stable services over time, always a
no interest loan. Click here to see the details of
financing. |
free to adopters and owners with a horse
being donated for placement through SWAP, other stable services, always 0%
interest loan |
|
Transport Referrals |
SWAP has organized as many as 600 transports in a years time
so we have plenty of experience in picking a transporter, we look for nice
people to work with, good with people and horses, that are great with the
horses, knowledgeable, have good, safe equipment, an excellent driving
record and have enough money coming in to maintain the equipment long term.
Click here to go to our Transport Page |
free |
|
Library |
one of the best selections of books, video's, dvd's on
horses, horse training, horse/farm care and management. Adopters can check
out any references for as long as 2 months and all visitors can view and
read while visiting CSS.
Click here to see our
extensive Library |
free to adopters only for the cost of shipping and available
to over night guests, visiting adopters and visitors to Red Horse Retreat at
CSS |
|
Visit, Volunteer and Pick Your Horse |
A service to potential adopters, who come to SWAP HQ,
volunteer and get to know all the horses, while here there are options to
take lessons, training, working together with the horse you are adopting,
getting approved, doing the adoption application, etc
Click here to see the details of this
program. |
free to potential adopters, all you have to do is provide
your food and volunteer while visiting |
|
Adopter Advisor/Trainer |
A service available to adopters that has been going on for
the last 10 years. Anytime an adopter is having trouble with their horse or
if they need training, we either have them come here with the horse and we
help them or we go there or find a trainer we know in that area. Most times
its the adopter needing training and not the horse but with some effort
there is always a solution. Click here to
see all the services that are available to adopters. |
free normally, there are fees if an outside trainer is used
or if the adopter comes here with the horse for a week or weekend. |
Other Programs
|
Professional Training |
20 to 60 minutes of work depending on the horse and its
needs, includes tacking up, untacking, cooling out and grooming before and
after, completed by a professional trainer, can be in any discipline or job
including driving, 4 to 5 days per week.
Click
here to see details of training available at CSS |
$500. per month (must be done at CSS) |
|
Flying Horse Rehab, Professional Rehabilitation |
Got a sick or unsound horse that needs more care than you
have time for. CSS and SWAP has been doing rehab and getting horses sound
and healthy for 10 years. This is what we are truly good at.
Click here to see details of Flying Horse
Rehab |
$500. per month (check out the long list of services
included in this price, hand walking, ESMT, Equi-Stim Electro Magnetic
therapy, physical therapy, hydro therapy, stall rest, leg wrapping/feet packing, farrier
trims, exercising and conditioning, deworming, annual shots, blanketing,
grooming, turn out, hay and grain daily, full service with a stall for every
horse) |
|
Mountain State Equine Retirement Center |
Click to see the services listed at Mountain State Equine
Retirement Center or a lay up of 12 months or more, owner has signed a long
term commitment to get the lower price.
Click here to see the
details of the services that CSS offers as a retirement center.
|
$350. per month (check out the long list of services
included in this price, farrier trims, deworming, annual shots, blanketing,
grooming, turn out, bathing/clipping,hay and grain daily, full boar with a stall for every
horse) |
|
Boarding and Lay Ups |
For boarding of a month but maybe less than a year, not on a
long term commitment, done month to month. You will be amazed at the long
list of services you get for free when most stables charge for them, with us
everything is included.
Click here to see
details of boarding and short term lay ups |
$400. per month (a long list of services included in this
price... your horse is treated like one of our horses). |
|
Brokering with a heart and Safe Selling |
CSS will list and market anything horse related on the
website that has as many as 5 million visitors each month.
Click here for details on Brokering.
For
horses being sold, CSS will do a background check on the buyers to make
every attempt to know its a good home and will provide a purchase agreement
for the seller that will protect the horse in its new home. Click here for
details on Safe Selling. |
CSS is paid 10% at the time of sale of horse related items,
For Safe Selling of horses, CSS gets 20% of the total sale. |
|
Cinderella Make Over |
Do you or your horse need a complete or partial makeover in
looks, temperament, condition, training? This program might be for you. Can
be used to focus strictly on the horse, the horses owner or both together.
Click here to see more details of this program.
|
$250. for the first week or weekend, $200. for the following weeks and
$150. for the last week. This includes board for your horse and board for
the owner (all the owner has to do is cover their food). CSS can accept no
more than 4 horses in this program at one time. |
|
Clinics |
Weekend Clinics are available in Training 101, Training 102
Beginner Riding, Training 103 Riding with a focus on the individual
disciplines and Driving, Horse and Barn and Transitioning a race horse (TB,
STB, Arab, QH), Running a Rescue and Running a Horse Business, Clinics held
at CSS are scheduled on the Mane Events Calendar. Clinics can also be
scheduled for clubs, associations, groups at your location.
Click here to see more details about clinics |
Clinics at CSS are $75. a weekend per student and includes
all classroom supplies and lunch both days with a maximum of 30 students per
clinic and a minimum of 10 students. Special Clinics with bigger name clinicians will be held at another
location and the fees would be set according to the clinician and the
location requirements. Clinics at other locations are $100. per student with
a minimum of 15 students plus travel expenses and does not include lunch at
your location but does include classroom handouts. |
|
Equine PI |
CSS Owner has been doing this for some time so we just
started listing it as an option. If you have had a lease or sale gone bad, a
broken contract or broken verbal agreement, a lost or stolen horse and there
is any type of trail, we can advise you and do much of the leg work, since
we had the experience with much of the same with SWAP. We also do free
referrals for equine lawyers.
Click here to get more
details of this program. |
This is paid for by the hour or by the case. Usually hourly
rates are $35. an hour for PI work, plus travel if travel is required. Call
with questions about your case or problem. |
|
Expert Witness |
CSS Owner has completed the services on 3 horse cases
already and scheduled for another soon, in the areas of horse/farm
management, liabilities, wrongful death, neglect/cruelty, and horse fraud.
She is also listed with TASA Expert Witness Referral Company located in PA.
Click here to get more details of this service.
|
If you or your lawyer comes to us directly then our rates
are $50. an hour, which is much cheaper than going to TASA which will nearly
double your fees. |
|
Estate Planning |
Concerned about what will happen to your animals and horses
if something happens to you? We all are. SWAP can pick up your slack and
make sure they all get into good homes as long as you prepare today. All you
do is fill out SWAP forms for estate planning, put them in your living will
and let your family know your wishes. All funds paid go into an escrow
account until needed. Click here for more
details. |
Once forms are filled out and the living will completed,
family notified. Transport and health care costs to get transported go into
an escrow account until needed. |
|
FitLife Bootcamp |
One of the best and most needed programs that the stable has
for women and girls. A 6 week fitness camp (3 at CSS and 3 at home) that is
involved in healthy eating, easy exercise and of course, working and helping
horses. A huge success for the stable and for attendees!! Change your Life
Today!!
Click here to see more details. |
The 3 weeks at CSS is $2000. which includes all costs except
transportation to get to CSS and back home and if you have been recommended
to lose weight by a doctor there is a good possibility that your health
insurance will pay up to 1/2 of the cost of this camp. You can do one week
for $800, two for $1500. if you like but we do recommend the full three
weeks so you can get a good taste of success before leaving. |
|
Horse High School |
Horse High School has 3 possible venues for the
student, resident training, take home CD/DVD training school and on line.
Subjects covered are: Horse and Barn 101, Training 101, Transitioning and
Understanding the Race Horse, Leg and Hoof, Dental, ESMT, Equine Business,
Starting and building a rescue/animal welfare program, breeding/AI and
collection, Safety and Risk Management |
TBD |
|
International Life School |
This school is
centered around the top 10 issues that women and girls deal with, addressed
in a farm setting and while working around the horses.... for women, things
like setting and achieving life goals, surviving divorce, finding you life's
mission, deciding about a career or changing careers, addressing health and
weight issues, living a positive fulfilled life, surviving a loss of job or
home, allowing women a place to work while they are going through a life
change or a major transition. We are seeing way too many women homeless,
jobless, going through divorce, major illness or injury.... this school
gives them a place to work through these issues and also have a way to learn
that when you give, you get back... thus using the work in helping horses as
a way to complement that.
Classes for
girls includes
the top 10 issues for girls today and covering smoking, drug abuse, obesity
(lifestyle, fitness, exercise), alcohol abuse, motor vehicle
accident/safety, pregnancy, internet safety, school violence/safety,
sexually transmitted infections, abuse and neglect, figuring out their
life's goals and mission and self esteem. |
TBD |
|
Mane Events Calendar |
Our annual schedule, 2010 will be a huge year for us. Get
ready! Click here to see the Mane
Events Calendar. |
Costs for each event varies |
|
Mane Events Travel |
Organized trips to horse events, CSS in the past has
organized and sponsored trips to several different events in the world of TB
racing like the Preakness, STB racing like the KY Futurity and Grand Circuit
races like at Goshen, NY, Hunter/jumper events like Merrill Lynch, eventing
like Rolex and Fair Hill int'l, rodeo, big name Clinics, Equine Affaire,
national events and conventions. CSS does all the work and you just enjoy
the trip. We've been doing this service since we opened in 1996.
Click here to see details of Mane Events
Travel. |
There is a $50. registration with CSS and then covering your
own expenses, luckily traveling as a group is cheaper than traveling alone.
Most times we depart from CSS but we have also met many travelers at the
event to share hotel and the event costs. We've had groups from 2 to as many
as over 10 people traveling. We can also organize and implement travel for
horse organizations. |
|
Best Friends Mentoring Program |
The Mentoring Program can be for anything you need to
learn from someone who has been there and done that and can certainly keep
you from making serious and costly mistakes both for you and your horses. We
have already helped several people start Equine businesses and assisted
several more to start animal welfare programs, some just call with a horse
problem and bring their horse here and stay for training together. Some get
their education from us over the internet and phone and some come and spend
a weekend, some spend a week.
Click here for details. |
Fees are $50. an hour for one hour
consultation on the phone or in person, 375. per day, $600. per weekend
or 2000. per week, which ever is best for the customer. This can include as
many attendee's as you need to attend. Overnight boarding for visitors is
free and we can house from 2 to 8 people depending on availability and the
mix of men and women. |
|
Rainbow Bridge Horse Cemetery |
One of the hardest times for horse owners, what to do when
the end is near. CSS has a humane solution that honors the horse, not just
dumps him and has him trucked off to who knows where.
Click here for details. |
Burial services are $500. which includes everything
but the transport to CSS. If you want us to put the horse down humanely with
a vet and then perform the burial its $750. which includes farm call, vet
fees, burial, head stone, preparing grave, funeral and blessings from a your
choice of denominational leader |
|
Red Horse Retreat |
Are you worn out? Stressed out? Tired of the rat race?
Feeling that your life lacks purpose? Red Horse Retreat is the answer. Wake
up to the best coffee, omelets, the trees blowing in the breeze and the
sound of birds singing during your hike with the stable dogs, take a ride.
Tell us what you need, a class, a lesson, want to learn how to drive... or
just want to relax, sit in the pasture, reading and watching the horses
graze, picking out a book or video in our extensive library. Its all here at
the Red Horse Retreat. |
Can include or not include food, include or not
include housing, include or not include special activities or training. Just
tell us what you need for your weekend to be perfect. These weekends can
range from 200. a weekend to 1000. a weekend depending on your needs and
wants but one thing is a fact, weekends here are always the best. |
|
Overnight Boarding for Horses and People |
A single room is available for one or two people or there
are 2 rooms available for groups as large as 8, plus full board for horses.
CSS is conveniently located between I-79 and I-77 in the middle of 5 of the
top 10 horse states in the US.
Click here
for details. |
One room for $35. for up to 2 people or two rooms for $60. a
night. Overnight full board for one horse is $25., additional stalls
are $20. a night. |
|
| |
Every Dream Starts with a Single Step, Take Your Step Today!
Women from History Who Dared To Change the World (credit: O Magazine)
600 B.C. TO 200 B.C.: Tribes of statuesque women (and men) roam
the Eurasian steppes. The fearsome Amazons of myth? Not exactly. But
archeological evidence suggests that among these nomads, the women were the
warriors.
Circa 39: Dynamic sister duo Trung Trac and Trung Nhi amass a
Vietnamese army in a revolt against Chinese rule. For four years, they lead
the rebellion.
Circa 395: Fabiola, a Roman aristocrat whose divorce and subsequent
remarriage were condemned by Christian society, founds a hospital for the
poor and other outcasts of her city. It's likely one of the first hospitals
in the Western world.
Circa 1001: Murasaki Shikibu begins writing The Tale of Genji,
an epic portrait of court life (twice as long as War and Peace),
considered by many to be the greatest masterpiece of Japanese literature and
possibly the world's first novel.
1429: Peasant girl Joan of Arc commands the French army in a series
of victorious battles to liberate her homeland from the English; she is
burned at the stake for her trouble.
Circa 1579: Grace O'Malley, a swashbuckling Irish pirate known for
raiding ships, fights off an English government expedition sent to stop her.
Circa 1613: In her graphically violent painting Judith Slaying
Holofernes, Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi slays the ideal of
submissive womanhood: Her heroine is fierce, powerful, and ruthless.
1777: Teenager Sybil Ludington rides all night long through a storm
to alert the 400 men in her father's militia that the redcoats are coming.
She's called the female Paul Revere—but Paul rode with two of his buddies.
And he was captured by the British.
1805: Sacagawea joins Lewis and Clark as their expedition's
interpreter, traveling thousands of miles across the Rockies with her
newborn babe strapped to her back. Who says life ends when you have kids?
1814: As the British torch Washington, D.C., First Lady Dolley
Madison remains in the White House long enough to rescue historic
valuables—running out moments before the soldiers charge in.
1862: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, just 19 and dressed as a man, enlists in
the Union Army. In a letter home, she assures: "I don't fear the rebel
bullets nor I don't fear the cannon."
1867: Ida Lewis rescues three drowning men from wind-whipped swells
in Newport Harbor. Then she rows back to save their sheep. Ida later
becomes the country's first female lighthouse keeper.
1872: Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first woman to run for
president. A colorful candidate, she advocates for free love.
1906: Madam C.J. Walker hawks shampoos and serums door-to-door. The
orphaned daughter of former slaves, she becomes one of America's
wealthiest businesswomen.
1912: Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovers the
period-luminosity relationship (later used to calculate the distances
between Earth and the stars).
1914: Barnstorming adrenaline junkie Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick makes
the first-ever free fall from a plane.
1916: In a tenement neighborhood in Brooklyn, Margaret Sanger opens
the doors of the country's first birth control clinic. Outside at least
150 women are waiting.
1916: Movie star Mary Pickford insists on becoming her own
producer. America's Sweetheart is no sucker.
1937: Amelia Earhart disappears on the ultimate adventure—her
attempt to fly around the globe. In a note to her husband, she explains:
"I want to do it because I want to do it."
1938: Anna Mary Robertson Moses sells her first paintings, at age
78. Known as "Grandma" Moses, she continues to paint for 23 years,
becoming one of the century's most renowned folk artists.
1941: Protofeminist superhero Wonder Woman first appears in a comic
book, fighting off Fascists in star-spangled hot pants.
1946: Super-geekette Dorothy Hodgkin cracks penicillin's chemical
makeup with an X-ray crystallographer. (Eighteen years later she'll earn
the Nobel Prize.)
1953: Jackie Cochran flies an F-86 Sabre jet through the sound
barrier. She learned to fly so she could travel around selling cosmetics,
but it turns out trashing speed records is a lot more fun.
1959: On the edge of the Serengeti Plain, Mary Leakey digs up and
pieces together a 1.7-million-year-old hominid skull, one of the most
important finds in the history of archeology.
1960: At the Rome Olympics, Wilma Rudolph (left)—once partially
paralyzed by polio—earns three gold medals in track-and-field, the first
American woman to do so.
1963: Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first female
to fly a spacecraft around the globe.
1967: Kathrine Switzer dares to run the all-male Boston Marathon,
while an irate race official chases her.
1981: Alexa Canady becomes the first black female neurosurgeon in the
United States.
1985: Just 175 miles from the Iditarod finish line, Libby Riddles
heads into a blizzard when other mushers opt to stay in camp; this gives her
a six-hour lead and, ultimately, the win.
1989: Performance artist Karen Finley smears her body with chocolate
to illustrate that women are treated like, you know, dirt. The National
Endowment for the Arts rescinds her funding, but she ultimately gets it
back.
2005: Roz Savage quits her corporate job, leaves her unraveling
marriage, and rows across the Atlantic by herself. Midlife crisis averted.
2008: Sandra Andersen, a barista at a Starbucks in Tacoma,
Washington, learns that one of her customers needs a kidney to live. So she
gives the woman hers.
2009: Navigator Ann Daniels leads the Catlin Arctic Survey, a 74-day
journey from the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole to measure the thickness of
sea ice.
******************* The Warmth of A Horse
When your day seems out balance...
and so many things go wrong ...
When people fight around you
and the clock drags on so long ...
When some folks act like children
and fill you with remorse ...
Go out into your pasture and wrap
your arms around your horse.
His gentle breath enfolds you as he
watches with those eyes ...
He may not have a PhD but he
is, oh so wise!
His head rests on your shoulder
you hug him good and tight ...
He puts your world in balance
and makes it seem all right.
Your tears will soon stop flowing,
the tension will be eased ...
The nonsense has been lifted.
You are quiet and at peace.
So when you need some balance
from the stresses in your day ...
The therapy you really need
Is out there eating hay!
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