If you read Smrp's blog then you already know about the Animal Rescue Site Shelter Challenge but just in case you don't wander over to Dream Valley Ranch we will post it again here. If you visit The Animal Rescue Site you have the opportunity to vote for a shelter to win $20,000! Smrp and I know all too well how much rescuing these horses takes. Now imagine yourself rescuing animals that have physical disabilities that render them, at least in most folk's eyes as un-adoptable but that still have wonderful lives ahead of them with just a little assistance from us human-folks.
That is just what Rolling Dog Ranch in western Montana does. If you haven't heard of Rolling Dog Ranch, there is a great introduction here:
so.... If this touches your heart as much as it does ours, please visit the website above and vote for Rolling Dog Ranch. Compassion wasn't born at Rolling Dog Ranch but it sure flourishes there.
Okay... maybe not snow exactly and maybe not quite dashing but we did get to see our friends at Horse Carriage of Las Vegas at work during the Holiday Festival in Henderson Town Square in the Water District. It was right chilly for a desert southwest afternoon and although there wasn't really snow there was plenty of drizzle and lots of chill.
In all the time I have known them and even been on the trail with them, I have never seen Jerry work under harness. We braved the weather and went out to support our friends. How can you not want to see this guy?
And this was his demeanor in spite of children rushing past him with balloons or foam lizards on sticks dancing and skidding across the ground. He stood as loudspeakers blared with Christmas spirit and strangers approached him with outstretched hands and open cellphones hoping to get a picture of him to later send to friends.
Round and round he went, Rodney at the reins as six to eight riders at a time got a taste of old-time transportation and listened to the rhythm of sleigh bells as this giant of a horse stepped out lightly. He was beautiful to see as he moved out along Water Street in front of City Hall amd the convention center.
And his passengers both young and old were all smiles. Rodney kindly repeats the answers to the same questions over and over with a gentle understanding that this might be the 65th time he has repeated it but it is the first time his passenger has heard it. He is an ambassador for the Percheron as he explains the history and character of the breed. It is a magical trip back in time even if it lasts for only a few moments.
I took lots of photos and video clips. Hubby and I rode along with Rodney and his daughter Ryan as they took their break.
Yep, that is Hubby there in that gray felt hat. He is so impressed with Jerry's demeanor and of course, his s-i-z-e! It was a fun afternoon and wonderful to get the opportunity to have those special 'privileges' of friendship and get that extra time to be a passenger and learn a little more about what it is like to drive a horse. I have a huge appreciation for the art of it and I always love to see the partnership between a horse and handler.
I don't want to leave out Rodney's helper and daughter Ryan! She was doing a good job keeping people organized, counted and filling out the paperwork as well as helping Dad with the big guy.
So maybe we didn't exactly get to 'dash' although we were able to get to trot along in the wagon for a bit during our private ride and maybe there wasn't exactly snow but how could there be snow? This big guy and Horse and Carriage of Las Vegas are warming so many hearts that it just can't get that cold around them.
I promised I'd tell you about our very first rescue. Her name was Chloe... that is what WE named her after we found out that her name translated from Spanish to English as 'Taco Meat'. He laughed when he told me that as if I would find it funny. She was no use to him anymore. They had tried unsuccessfully to treat the swelling in her knee with poultices, wraps and penicillin injections. At least the boy that was riding her and whipping her to trot constantly was no longer allowed to ride her. It just so happened that I was going by as they were forcing her into the trailer. Never being the shy one, I inquired if they were taking her (finally) to the vet. No... they were taking her to a 'rodeo' to give her away.
She was on her way to becoming a trip horse. Several moments of negotiation later I was left standing in the trailer dust holding the lead rope of a 13 year old appendix mare. Now what?
Do you see that left knee? It is crippling arthritis. You see that hunter's bump from ill fitting saddles most likely and oh!... look at the angles on those hind feet =( And to this day I can still see that chubby boy whipping her and whipping her to go. And go she did, as best she could. Sigh... what now?
There has to be a place for her. At that time we hadn't really formed The Huppie Syndicate. There was a local horse rescue, Shiloh Horse Rescue and I called them to see if they would take this sweet, sweet girl. They would take her they told us, if we could help raise funds for her care. As I was contemplating how I was going to raise those funds I got a phone call from Smrpie. I smile to think of it now... In any case, Smrpie called her BFF, Myra in California and the money was raised for Chloe's care and she was transported to Shiloh.
Hubby comforts Chloe in the trailer. Her knee was so painful and stiff that stepping up was horribly painful for her... and yet she did willingly, politely and it brought tears to my eyes to know the enormity of what she was doing for us.
Here is a photo of Myra and Smrpie visiting Buttercup before she moved to the Rockies. As you can see, Buttercup is totally resistant to all affection....
Our very first rescue still resides at retirement village at Shiloh Horse Rescue. Her name was changed to Clover and you can still visit her there. She was spared a life of cruelty and neglect by some very special horsewomen. Myra was right there at the beginning and when we thank all those special people we can't do without, well, she ranks right up there at the top of the list. Myra also stepped up to help the Mustang Boys and in turn Wildflower. I'm supposing that makes her a pretty darned big part of The Syndicate, don't you? And when Myra isn't loving her own horse and helping us save them she works pretty hard at finding solutions for saving the planet. Now, how cool is that?
Chloe/Clover was the first horse that we rescued. We friends simply thought we were stepping up to help a horse in need and doing the right thing. At that time I had no idea where it would lead nor do I know where this journey will end but what I do know is that there are horses that have better lives because of the friendships that have been forged by hearts in kind.
We found her at just four months of age. Her owner had taken the dam away to train her for racing. Since this was a filly, there was little use for her. Colts were treated as royalty, babied and pampered but there was little use for a filly. So if she was four months when I found her and Momma had been gone for a couple of weeks... There were no horses where she was kept. There was a cow.... She was being fed buckets of foal-lac. She had an upper respiratory infection and we were afraid she would die.
We got her a baby blanket and called the vet in. Smrpie and I formed a partnership over her and although people think she was our first rescue, she really was our second. We actually rescued our first horse with Smrpie's other BFF, Myra. But I'll tell you about her later. In any case, Smrpie, Tammy and I jumped in to rescue this little four month old filly.
She was frightened, velcro friendly but would bite at anyone that even resembled the twelve year old boy that tormented her by pinching, poking and kicking her. This caused Tiny Tammy and her problems in the beginning. She is what is called a breeding stock paint because she is a paint with out color. Though she does have spots on her socks and one brown spot above her nostril. We made a video of her... please excuse the crudeness of the video, I was just learning to do them:
In any case... after working with her and doing training, she became a very nice little girl. And then one day when Huppie was nine months old, a family came along to adopt her. We did do a home check and got references and everything but still, I was uneasy about the placement. My friend talked to me and told me it was probably just my heart not wanting to let go (true) but there was something else bothering me....
Just before her second birthday I got the call from the owners telling me that they could not keep her because Huppie was too small. At just under two years of age, Huppie was only 13.3 hands. And back she came to The Syndicate with no questions asked. When I went to go see her however, there was a bit of a problem. Huppie would bite, she would rear and I was told that she positively would not load in a trailer. Are we talking about the same horse? Biting? Four people could not load her in a slant load? I clearly remember trailer training her and she always loaded willingly
And yet, when I went to load her this time she reared and refused. When she reared I drove into her, swinging the end of my lead and hitting the leather fob against the ground. That front end came right down and when it did I became quiet. She looked at me for a few minutes and I let her gather her thoughts before I asked her to load again. This time, she walked right in the trailer without hesitation.
She was only 13.3 when she came 'home'. The last measure several weeks ago put her at 14.3 and I fully expect her to mature at 15 hands. She is a beautiful little girl. Hard to believe she has grown so. These days she is larger than Mae. Okay... okay... she is taller. I don't think she will ever have the 'bulk' that Mae has but I do think she will be a very nice sized little mare.
I believe Huppie was about six months old in this photo with Mae. And here she is today:
Me is a solid tank and squarely 14.2 hands and though Huppie doesn't have Mae's large bones and bulk, she clearly is larger. I'd say she will mature at 15 or 15.1 hands. She is sweet, too clingy and in your space but we are working on that. She has a very clear need to be close to her human and she has the most beautiful, floaty trot. She is barefoot at the moment and Rodney says her feet are good. She will make someone a nice, nice horse. With that beautiful, extended trot of hers she would make an excellent English Pleasure mount, certainly a ground covering trail horse.... if you are a good home she could possibly be YOUR horse.
The storm passed late last night but not before the winds screamed in protest. The wind always keeps me awake... I worry, I suppose about how the horses are faring out in the open air barn. During the rainstorm last night Hubby and I stood in the aisle and talked about the driving rain, the normal bellowing of the wind and possibly enclosing one end of the barn as a wind and rain block for the horses. Last night however, they were given extra helpings of alfalfa and the Geezers were blanketed and I worried.
This morning, the stalls looked like this:
(Ha! I am just noticing the reflection of Cayenne's hanging apple toy in the standing water.)
The gelding dorm fared far better than the mare dorm. I set about my morning chores as usual but knowing that I would not be raking the stalls like I usually do. My plan was to put down wood pellets (the kind that you use for a pellet stove,) and let the stalls absorb the pellets. Of course, I am out of pellets so I was going to be making a trip to the feed store. In the meantime, I fed and set about mucking the stalls.
Oh crap =( Why didn't I put my other boots on? I swear sometimes I have no brain cells functioning at all! Off I go to put on my other boots...
Now THESE are the correct winter boots for mucking stalls in that have been rained heavily upon! With the correct footwear in place I completed my mucking chores. The Geezers had been blanketed the night before and were all tucked in and comfy. I swear that The Pie would take his blanket out of the tack chest on his own and does not really want to surrender it. Maybe he thinks of it as his woobie??
Sun is ... well... Sun. How on earth does he do it? How is his neck dirty but his blanket clean?
Sigh.... Now Sun always wants his blanket OFF in the morning. And I have to tell you that there are some nights that he really doesn't act like he wants it on at all. I only blanket The Geezers and I only do that once temps really get below 40 and stay there.
Huppie helped me clean her water bucket out. I didn't want to simply tip the bucket into the aisle way since things seemed wet enough so I brought the wagon over and used a scoop to empty it. Huppie was an absolute help (not.)
After all was said and done today was a pretty busy day for a sickie! There was snow on the higher peaks both north and south of us but we didn't get any snowfall. I had intended to take my camera back out and get some pics of the snow covered peaks but... well... did I mention I get distracted?
It has been drizzling rain steadily here since around one this afternoon. I know. I should have taken a photo to post here but I did not. Darn. The stalls have held up fairly well but we need to raise the levels of dirt in a few of them. Overall we are pretty happy. The Geezers have been blanketed for the night and I am sitting here drinking a cup of tea. This flu is finally letting go of me and today for the first time since Friday I am feeling better.
We might actually get s-n-o-w. Imagine that!
Happily I have seen our Mustangs posted on both the National Wild Horse Association website as well as the Return To Freedom website and blog. By the way, if you have a notion to help a Mustang but can't adopt or don't have horse experience, you sure can donate to help a Mustang either find sanctuary or at least a foster home until sanctuary can be found. It simply makes me heartsick to realize how many Mustangs are in trouble in this country. Sigh...
I can tell you that I have seen them running on the open range up in Northern Nevada. I've seen bands of them wandering in and out between the sage and mesquite near the custom homes in Virginia City Highlands. Each and every time I have seen them it has taken my breath away. There is just something so majestic about seeing them out there... seeing the burros shading themselves beneath Joshua trees and regarding us with dark, intelligent eyes and oh! those long ears! My husband always has to drag me away. (I am secretly lusting for a pair of burros but my plate is already so full...)
But if you have never seen them out there... oh... oh... oh... it stirs something inside you. I will have to get Shana to let me use some of her photos... but at least for this post... maybe this one of Lightfoot taken right after we got him will do...
I'm still sick with this stinking flu. I did miss Joe's clinic and I am really bummed. However... I called my ponygirlfriend Lindy and asked her in my tiny, croaking, squeaking voice how the clinic went and she loved Joe! She said that she learned a great deal and was impressed with his skill and manner with the horses. Although I felt awful missing the clinic that I had been so looking forward to, I am glad that my friend came away with such a good experience.
The night before the clinic I emailed Joe to let him know how sick I was and that I might not be able to be at the clinic. In return I received a very sweet email asking me to take care of myself and telling me that there would be more clinics. I sure hope so. I'm really looking forward to working with him. Now I'm going back to that hole that I've burrowed so well in the sofa....
In the meantime... here is Joe on Bella, the Mustang he trained for the Western States Mustang challenge. I love the softness in this photo and the connection between rider and horse:
My feet hit the floor at 5 a.m. every morning. That alarm goes off and without fail I get right up and out of bed. Normally I mosey on in to get the coffee that has already brewed and is sitting there in the beautiful silver thermal carafe as lovely and steamy as can be. Then I set about getting my day started. I feed the dogs and then we all go outside to feed, care for and clean the horses. The list of chores goes on during the day and I keep myself right busy until it is time to fall back into that bed at night.
Today my alarm went off and I slapped it right in the speaker. Stop that racket! I huddled back under the covers, freezing and sure that I might expire of hypothermia. Brrr.... I briefly considered making it a three dog morning and inviting the critters up so I could steal their warmth. It is only 30 degrees. That would be a virtual heat wave for Smrpie. Still, I could not stop the shivering even after adding socks and flannels. Damn. I knew it. I'm sick. But I have a clinic tomorrow with Joe Weitekamp!!!
An hour later I reluctantly leave the bed. I am dressed. I've managed to keep a cup of coffee down (though I currently do not trust that it will stay where I put it.) The dogs have been fed though Albert is watching me with concern and uncertainty and I managed to slide into my Carhartt Thermal Coveralls and get out there to feed the horses. Maximus whinnied at me indignantly. 'You're late!' I know... I know buddy... I shiver in my coveralls and my Carhartt knitted cap. (Can you tell I love Carhartt?) I would have taken a photo of it all for you ... at least the shadow of my bulk as it moved across the ground with me in the morning sun. It was rather amusing-looking but only until the next shiver shook me. Anyway... I don't know where the hell my iPhone is at the moment and I'm having a hard enough time keeping my mind on one thought at a time. Shiver.
Ponies are fed, the Geezers have had their blankets removed and the manure has been picked up. I have to feel better because there is a big day tomorrow!! I've downed cold medication and I am heading to the sofa to shiver under the afghan my sister Candi made me. (Thanks Sis.) Ugh.... where ARE my toe socks???
How exactly did Sun get that black eye? I've been wondering myself. Sun has no real secrets and this morning he showed me how he might just have gotten that shiner...
Um... Sun, you have your own water. That water belongs to Max the Terrible.... Yet Sun continued to slop in Max's water and bite the edge of the tank. (So THAT is the noise we keep hearing!)
'Listen Dufus! Stop screwing around with my water or I'll give you another shiner'
'Dude! I wasn't doing anything! I swear!'
Yeah, right.
I'm imagining this is how Sun cracked his eye. Max probably got irritated with him and really went after him. Sun is like a very pesky kid brother. He has no harm in him really but he is a huge pest.
And after getting the horse chores all done, I see this when I enter the dog yard...
Zoom had not only broken her e-collar, she was tossing the broken bit around like a dog toy.
Sigh... I have a cold. I'm going back to bed.... I really think they might take over some day...
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