VISIT & PICK

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.

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.

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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!