When does it end?

Text:  "I HAVE A DAPPLE GREY QUARTER HORSE,STANDS 14.5 HANDS HIGH.VERY LOVEABLE AND DEAD BROKE TO RIDE.HOWEVER SHE IS PREGNET AND SHOULD HAVE BABY JAN,31.VERY HEALTHY,HOOFS HAVE BEEN TRIMMED AND SHE IS GATED.10 YEAR OLD.MORE INFO CALL WENDY OR TRAVIS (615-485-8513) THANKS"

You know, I used to care about blocking people's phone numbers and somewhat protecting their identities.  I'm over it.  If you are this oblivious, you don't deserve to own horses.  Basically, I hope you don't reproduce more humans.  

A "gated" quarter horse that's "pregnet" and "14.5 hands", too damn skinny whether she is bred or not (doesn't look bred, just looks way too thin) ... but hey, we'll just trust you that she's "dead broke" and too pregnant to try out at only $200.  A 2-for Christmas gift for $200, no less.  Bet she's not been dewormed or had any shots, and I'll bet you that $200 she's either not registered, or her papers are so far gone there's no telling whether she's really a quarter horse or a cross or ... Then, there's the question of what in the world she might be bred to.  The neighbor's jack?  Another "quarter horse"?  Something "gated"?  Wonder what method they've used to so closely calculate her due date??  

Where do these people think these horses end up?  

Sweet lord, my eyes hurt...

Today's WTF Craigslist moment.  Here we have a 15 year old "reg." broodmare. It never mentions what she is "reg." as.  Does it matter?  Apparently not to the current owner.  

Incredibly underfed, straight shoulder, long back, weak hip, post legged...heck, her entire back end is horrible.  Definitely need to pass all these traits along to offspring for a next generation of $400, broken down young horses.  Who the HELL looked at this mare in her youth and thought, "let's not break her, let's BREED BREED BREED her!"

Not to mention, it looks like she may have an old injury  on the right front knee, and maybe an eye infection going on, too.  

Yes, I think we should breed her every year, because she is a shining example of a "reg." horse. Sarcasm intended.  

There are one of two ways this will end.  A good Samaritan will see this mare's ad, go negotiate a price, take her home, feed her right, vet her, and keep her as a pet or turn her into a trail horse.

Or.

The seller will quickly realize no one is going to pay $400 for a 15 year old broodmare-only that looks like crap and is built like crap, and will get tired of feeding her.  They'll haul her to one of the local sales and take the first $100 bid, likely from a dealer or killer who will spend  a few weeks throwing high-pro food into her to fatten her up fast before shipping her.  

CL Winner of the Week

Ad:

Beautiful mare for sale - $500 (Summertown)

I have two horse for sale they r not registered or gaited. Sugar is a beautiful strawberry roan for sale. She rides n has also been trained to pull a buggy, tho it has been a few years .' She is 17 years old n is about 14.5 hands. I'm asking 500. For her. Also have for sale her paint colt he will be two next month. He's very good looking horse an really sweet. He is ready to be trained. He is my daughters horse n she is asking 400. Please call 931-xxx-xxx thank you n god bless 

In summary.  You owned an unregistered mare and three years ago decided to breed her.  Probably about the last time you used her to "pull a buggy."  Now you have your unregistered mare and her unregistered stud colt.  He's almost 2 which somehow qualifies him as "ready to be trained" - does this mean you think you should be riding him already?  Is he halter broke?  I'm sure he's probably not gelded, but he's almost 2 and he's living with your mare.  Anyone want to guess whether the mare is bred back to her son?  

I'm not touching the text-speak or the other aspects that make me question WTF.  

God Bless is right.  Someone please upgrade both these horses.    

Just sad

Anyone who has read my blog before knows that I am, mostly, pro-slaughter in as much as I understand the need for a real option for horses that are otherwise unsellable and unusable.  If you've read that, you've also read that I strongly favor a cooling off period at the feedlots prior to slaughter, a last-chance for rescues and private buyers to be able to pull directly from the doors of the plant.

Saturday night, I was a firsthand witness to men who profit from the slaughter industry and excel in making horses disappear without a whisper.

Triple J Ranch out of Williston, Florida arrived at the little Alexandria Horse & Mule sale barn around 7pm Saturday.  It was a horse sale night, but when someone asked the driver if these horses would be going through the sale, he said no and did not wait around for more questions.  The truck and trailer were nice, newer models and the trailer proudly proclaimed the farm name. 

The horses had been on the stock-style (open, no dividers) trailer since midnight the night before.  There were 12-15 thoroughbreds and 2 quarter horses, halterless, run off the trailer and into a small corral, probably 40x40 with a roll of hay in the center and water troughs to one side.  They were obviously race-fit, mares and geldings (I did not notice any colts).  Sorrels, bays.  Shiny, slick-coated, muscled up, young and healthy.  One big mare, at least 17 hands, ran everything else into a corner as she ate hay. 

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.  If these race-fit horses were still racing, they'd have been at least haltered and stalled, not to mentioned overnighted at some nice facility - not hauled into a rinky-dink, dimly lit little sale barn with 2 pens and 12 stalls, a gravel drive and unlit parking area, 30 minutes from anywhere.

Florida to Tennessee to Texas to the border.  They are being well fed along the way.

A load of unwanted, throwaway, not fast enough racehorses disappears without a whisper and no one cares.

As one lady loudly said, "Don't they know we don't ride them things here?"

Of course they do.  That's precisely why they can bring them in here en route to disposing of them quietly and without complaint. 

Terry Blair - owner of the sale barn - is mentioned in this article as having purchased 20 horses at a kill sale in Kentucky.  (Just for your information).  The article doesn't mention that he runs a small sale in the middle of nowhere, not-far-off-the-interstate, Tennessee.  Perfect for picking up some extra money along the way.  Perfect for making unwanted horses disappear.

On the flip side, it is neither Blair, nor Triple J's "fault" - but the unscrupulous racehorse owners don't follow track code of ethics enacted to try to prevent slaughter.  Owners don't want to fund aftercare or follow through on finding homes for their horses once they are no longer winning money on the track.  Breeders breed dozens - sometimes hundreds - of thoroughbreds a year hoping to end up with that one horse that is special, but they don't have the time, resources or money to take in animals they've bred after their shot at glory has come and gone.  Therefore, disposing of these "problems" is now a lucrative business, just as shipping any other commodity is. 

I didn't say anything, other than to casually ask if they were off the track.  I doubt this was a one-time occurance.  I don't have the current resources to pull even one.  But, now I know where to check when I do.  And, maybe, armed with the knowledge that it's happening nearby, a few quiet and committed people can tip the scales in favor of the horses.  I hope the little bay with the snip on his nose finds his way off the truck, but back in the real world, I'm sure he won't.   

Dear TWHBEA, what are you skerid of?

Your VP of horse shows took it upon herself to do a legal, certified poll of your membership to find out their stance on pending legislation.  But, you won't publish the results on your (members') official breed website?  What are you scared of?  That you good ole boys are wrong?  That the rest of the world is going to see that you are only out for your own sad, sorry, dwindling minority -- and that he rest of your membership wants to enjoy their horses as the breed's founders originally intended?  Why don't y'all go to the big haus and let the lil dogs have their day?  See Billy Go Boy for the full story:  Poll on PAST Act controversy.

Not exactly an equine observation, but we can call it "horse related" ...

I grew up in a small town in the middle of small town farm country in the northeast.  Our local feed store was "local" and you could bet that the person working the counter knew you by how many bags of which livestock feed you came in to pick up each week.  I'm sure that's not much different, no matter what part of the country you grew up in.  You could always count on a couple of farmers buying baling twine or rake teeth, the older ladies picking up garden seeds and the retirees standing off to the side sharing stories of the good old days. 

Enter the Big Box Store.  In this case, Tractor Supply Company, who built success on selling, what else?  Tractor parts, farm supplies, and livestock needs.  Then, sometime in the past few years, their ad campaigns have proudly boasted "We don't sell tractors."  Managers near retirement - managers who, by the way, knew customers by their names and needs, who didn't mind the corner of the store becoming the meeting place for retirees in the middle of the week - replaced.  Somewhere along the way, becoming successful and growing meant losing sight of what brought them success in the first place.  Now, in place of "Made in America" and International Harvester parts, we see racks of cheap tools and dog toys.   

I suppose the story is much the same across "corporate America." 

It's just a shame that, as part of "success," that these Big Box stores also drive the small-town feeds-and-anything-you-need stores out of business.  It's not just the stores we're losing.  We're losing that connection to our neighbors.  We're losing that connection to the store that not only knows but cares what we need on Saturday morning.  We're losing that free advice that the small store worker would gladly share on feeding the rejected calf or giving the new puppy his first vaccines or which gate hardware would work best for that particular project.  We're losing that place to stop in and get the chainsaw fixed while browsing the bulletin board of community announcements and livestock for sale. 

How we spend our money can affect whether this trend continues.  Will it? 

 

Some thoughts on why horseback riding is good for kids

I was reading a news article the other day about yet another bullied child who felt her only way to deal with her life was to end it.  It seems like there is one of these stories in the news at least once a month.  The comments to the story were quite insightful; if you spend any time on news websites, you tend to see the fringe "trolls" of society, those who have free time to spout off hate, conspiracy theory, and the like.  But, on this particular story, they were on-point.  School bullying has been around since the beginning of schoolrooms.  Ever watch "Little House on the Prairie" or old episodes of "Seseme Street"? 

It's the world around the children that has changed.

Smartphones allow for kids to document bullying, to circulate videos and photos of the victims, to do more than dropping an anonymous note into a locker or picking an actual fight in the hallway.  Furthermore, our kids aren't taught to lose.  We've somehow become a culture where every child grows up thinking they are a winner.  Peewee sports teams all get trophies at the end of the year, whether they finish first in their division - or last.  Visit a Wal-Mart and watch the "discipline" meted out by young moms who seem to think they have to be the best friend and cave to every whim of their screaming, pouting five-year-olds.

I don't know about you, but on the rare occasion I chose to have a temper tantrum in a public place as a child, I got a firm spank on the butt, was picked up and sat in the seat of the cart, and don't-you-ask-to-get-down-until-we-leave.  Which is why the tantrums were rare.  No positive attention = no reward.  These young kids, 17-and-under, think life shouldn't be hard and everyone should love them all the time.  They don't know how to deal with it when someone points out a flaw - or worse, shares a mean comment on Facebook.  (I'm not defending the bullies, by the way.  Some kids are inherently mean.  So are some adults.) 

Anyway, back to the point.  I've been involved with horses for 25 years.  I have seen a lot of little girls grow up into confident young women on the backs of their horses.  I can't speak to those who "grow out of" the sport.  But, those who grew up riding learned how to win and how to lose. 

They always had a friend they could count on in their horse, but they knew every ride wouldn't be perfect.  If they had the chance to show, they knew every class would not result in a blue ribbon - or a ribbon at all.  They learned that running a clean pattern or having a clear round was a victory to be proud of in and of itself.  They learned responsibility and a sense of accomplishment by working to improve their riding - and working cleaning stalls and tack.  Maybe some of these girls were still picked on. But chances are, they didn't care so much, because they had a real, living, breathing animal who looked out for them - and that they could not only control, but be a partner and friend.     

So, help your kids.  Put down the iPhone and go to the barn.  It will be money and time well spent. 

It's the little things

1.  Remembering how to pick up all 4 feet.

2.  Remembering how to lunge both ways, including voice "trot", "canter" and whoa facing center.

3.  Remembering how to steer and ground driving without freaking out or breaking gait.

Weaning time is coming.  First ride in 8 years is right around the corner.  Stay tuned...

Busted!

Trucking company owners indicted

Does anyone still think Terri - of Terri's Lookout Meadow Farm AKA Terri Vincent - isn't shipping horses to Mexico to be slaughtered?  Considering she's continued to do business with Dorian Ayache, a known kill buyer who has been in trouble for over a year for shipping horses in vehicles that violate DOT standards, I'd say her denials look pretty thin.  Not only that, but she's listed in the indictment as a TRANSPORT COMPANY.

I wonder how many horses she's promised to find good homes for that ended up dying in a Mexican slaughterhouse?  I wonder how many of her home-bred crappy quality appaloosa babies, out of skinny, fugly, unbroke mares and a fugly, untrained stallion she wants 4 grand for, have had short, hopeless lives bred only to be shipped on a 24 hour last ride once they grow big and fat enough to make a buck?

She could be the poster child for dishonest pseudo-rescuers AND irresponsible backyard breeders.

Catch-up/background:
Kill buyer
Sad day after follow up
Crappaloosa sandwich, anyone?

I'm off to visit the USDA website.  Call it morbid curiosity.

Speaking ... er, writing, off the cuff

I'm sure I break more "rules of blogging" (other than 'post more often').  Sometimes I stress, edit, fact check, save, re-edit, and finally post.  Other times, like today, I've just read and seen enough the past few days that I'm going to write 'off the cuff', so to speak.

It's Celebration week in Tennessee.  The world championship of Tennessee Walking Horses that used to create $30,000 horses and thousand-dollar stud fees.  The high-stakes mess that became so abusive and corrupt, Congress actually passed a federal law (HPA) to try to protect the horses.  It's the week that brings political posturing and pandering on both sides of the aisle, and what gets lost is the horse itself.

HSUS announced an initaitive this week to "recognize and reward" TWH's outside the show ring.  If HSUS was an organization of horseback riders, they would already know that probably 95% of owners enjoy recreational trail riding, and maybe some local fun shows, with their walking horses.  These owners don't care about pads, chains, chemicals, 24/7 pain, suffering and abuse.  Most people will roll their eyes and go on with their riding, because they don't want to be "recognized and rewarded" by HSUS.   

On the other hand, if TWHBEA (the Tennessee Walking Horse registry) was smart, they would've implemented a program such as the Horseback Riding points program AQHA touts, the PAC program for Paints, or the Trail program for Appaloosas, all of which allow riders to earn points and prizes for non-breed shows and trail rides.  In other words, people are rewarded for simply logging the time spent riding their horses. 

All in all, the horse is on the losing end either way.  HSUS comes in, and to people in the south, completely discredits the entire argument.  TWHBEA has alienated all but a small percentage - the "good ole boys" club is alive and well, and HPA violators hold board positions. The dubiously nice thing about the Horse Protection Act, being a federal law, means the list of violators are public record.  Want to check on a walking horse trainer or owner?  You can pull the list of tickets he's had, on what dates, with what horses, and why - scars, chemicals, heat ...  TWHBEA has failed miserably at policing within its own ranks, and so the lay person who owns a TWH is turned off from showing, and many times doesn't even bother to register their horses.  (Not to mention that TWHBEA's fees are high compared to stock horse breeds, and, unlike associations like AQHA and ApHC, you even have to pay to research a horse's pedigree).

People argue that 'soring' is the only issue, or that eliminating pads and chains altogether isn't the answer.  Well, I have never, NEVER seen a padded horse that is sound later in life.  When the front end is 6+ inches higher than the back end, it puts a tremendous strain on hips, stifles, and hocks.  When you pad an 18-month-old BABY, you do irreversible damage.  I don't care if you are putting nails under the pads or painting the legs with mustard oil -- or if you are simply keeping him in a 12 x 12 stall with pads on his feet 24/7 -- it ruins the horse.  End of story. 

People act like if you only have flat-shod classes, you eliminate soring.  Guess again.  Road-sore one and slap a set of flat shoes on him a few hours before he shows.  Hot nail him.  Use chains and chemicals up until the day of show.  If you think eliminating the padded performance division will 'clean up' a high-stakes show like the Celebration, you're dreaming.  The scum will move from one event to the other, complaining the entire time.

Oh, and that whole thing about HPA violations and suspending trainers from showing?  They just move from a TWHBEA-sanctioned show, to a local show, and keep on doing the same thing over and over again, knowing that the USDA's budget for inspections might allow it to get to 30 shows a year, nationwide.  (If you're the USDA, which shows will you try to hit on your pathetically small budget?  The big ones:  the state fair shows, the regional championship shows, and the Celebration.  You don't care about Johnny Q's backyard points show series that earns a trophy at the end of the season.) 

So, what is the answer?  First, people need to give a damn about the horse.  Breeders need to get back to the foundation of the breed - that was a naturally gaited, comfortable horse for plantation owners to ride for hours.  Stop breeding a leggy, 17-hand pacer that only gaits with weighted pads on his feet, and get back to the days of the 15 hand rocking chair that you didn't need to hang on its face to set it in gait.  (BTW, many naturally gaited horses get PISSED if you try to "set them" - because they gait on their own, without the ventro-flexion crap!)

Owners need to give a damn what the trainer is doing to their investment.  You buy a young walking horse and are paying a trainer, do your research!  Don't endorse and support someone with HPA violations.  Their excuses don't matter.  Visit their barns.  Do you see healthy, happy horses - or do you see horses laying in their stalls in pain?  Are there unlabeled bottles sitting around?  What's in the tack room?    Don't take someone's word for it -- your horse can't make the decision himself; protect him.  Take pride in winning based on your horse's talents, not his pain. 

Next, people who "only trail ride" their walking horses need to give a damn. Speak up for your breed! DO show them off. Put them in shows - you might lose to the sored horse, but people who know what is going on will appreciate your horse more than the poor cripple Go to a Paso Fino show ... these people are happy to let an interested person ride their horse; they love showing off the natural gait of their breed. TWH's should be the same, or better - they are quiet, calm, family horses, but all a non-gaited horse person hears is the negative press about soring, abuse, and arrests. Demand educated judges; demand better DQP procedures. Demand more from YOUR REGISTRY that YOUR MONEY supports.

     

When you show that you don't know everything you THINK you know...

Copied verbatim from Nashville Craigslist:  

1) A Sorrel Quarter Horse gelding with white star/strip/snip blaze and a swirl on his forehead. Born on March 1, 2003, he spent his early years in a barrel racing program when, at the age of three, a run-in with a fence post injured his left forelimb. During the recuperation period that followed, another horse took his place in the program and he came to live with us shortly thereafter. Because of his early training, he has wonderful ground manners and a loving demeanor. He always takes a bit on the first try, is neck reined and is extremely dependable on the trails. He weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, stands about 15 hands and loads/unloads from trailers without incident. Detailed records of all shots, worming, Coggins, dental checks and ferrier visits since January 2008 are available. This horse is registered with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).

2) A Sorrel Quarter Horse mare with a white blaze that includes one nostril and two swirls on her forehead. While her exact date of birth is unknown it is estimated that she is 20-23 years old. She is also a retired barrel racer with many years of service on her resume. Her registration lapsed at some point and attempts to reinstate her with AQHA have not proved successful. Like the gelding, she is responsive under saddle, responds to neck reining techniques and is extremely dependable on the trails. She weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, stands about 15 hands and loads/unloads from trailers without incident. Detailed records of all shots, worming, Coggins, dental checks, ferrier visits and other items since January 2008 are available.

The two horses are almost identical in appearance, have formed a strong bond and will only be re-homed as a pair. They are accustomed to a diet consisting of monitored amounts of quality hay and pellet feed in addition to grazing. The pair, while content to stay outdoors, are accustomed to being brought inside during inclement weather for the past five years. Both horses have recently been examined by both a qualified veterinarian and a ferrier and have been declared by each to be in excellent health. They allow us to clean their stalls around them and pick their hooves after turn-outs. These beautiful animals have received daily hands-on care since coming to us early in 2007.

We have made the difficult decision to re-home them due to a (non-equine related) knee injury, among other motivators, that makes it difficult to ride. They are wonderful trail horses and we simply feel that they need to be under saddle more often than our aging bodies will allow. We will miss them terribly.

Also available is a two-horse straight-load bumper-pull trailer (shown at left) that we have used to comfortably haul them to vet visits and trail heads for years. It's a W trailer with four newish tires and an electric "brake buddy" mount. The inside shows signs of wear but the two horses fit quite comfortably and enjoy hay in the removable feed bags. The trailer offers plenty of ventilation and the recently upgraded ramp is a wonderful feature.

We are entertaining offers for either the pair of horses or the pair plus the trailer. The horses will not be sold individually.

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY, PLEASE

OK, I give these folks props for trying to do the right thing, for the right reasons, while the horses look good.  However, seriously ... Your horses are broke.  Everything you are describing I would expect from any well-trained, well-broke, teenage trail mount.  This doesn't make them special, superior, or more loving than the horse in the previous or following ads.  It simply means he's be trained to comply.  

And, it's yet another example of fluffy pony syndrome.  These two horses are "bonded" because they have lived with each other for 5+ years.  They are turned out together, they are trail ridden together, they are hauled together, they are fed together.  I'd be surprised if they aren't incredibly buddy sour, which is how you determined that they are too "bonded" to be apart.  It would probably do them good to be separated and expected to work.  I wonder if either one rides apart from the other quietly at this point.  I guarantee if you bought one, took it home and introduced it to another herd, within a week, it would be fine.  It may not know how to do anything but follow another horse, but as long as it has company, it won't pine away for the previous pasturemate.  (I'm not saying horses don't recognize long-lost herdmates or form bonds, but to throw human emotion into the mix, to the detriment of what's best for the horse, is what always makes me shake my head.)

Which brings me to my final point.  The majority of the time when someone sells a "package deal" like this, someone will come up with the money because they only want one horse in the package.  Guess what happens to the others?  Either they are retrained and sold for a profit (best case scenario), or they are put back on Craigslist the following day to try to recoup the money spent on the horse the buyer wanted to begin with. 

Oh, and PS - fArriers trim and shoe horses.

You've probably heard, 'Only sissies wear helmets.' ... or some variation ...

When I was a kid, I was not allowed to ride if I didn't wear my helmet.  It didn't matter if I was taking a lesson in an indoor arena on a schoolmaster, or riding my old man.

When I got a project horse, (he 2 1/2, me, fresh out of college and only 6 months back into riding after almost 2 years off), I continued my helmet habit.

Then, somewhere along the way of dating "cowboys," guiding trail rides where the dress code dictated cowboy hat and the work including riding for 8 hours in 90 degrees, and literally trusting my own horse with my life, the habit turned into, only wearing one when I was riding a green or unfamiliar horse.

Almost eight years ago, I had a wreck that changed my life.  I was trail riding with a group of people, including an ex-boyfriend and some friends.  My (green but had been trail ridden a lot) mare stepped into some creeper vine and hung her back leg for a half-second.  It was enough to turn her into a bucking, rearing mess.  My un-graceful dismount included getting hung in the stirrup long enough to lay me back toward her back feet.

Her kick landed along my eyebrow.  I don't remember much about the ride back to the barn, except that I doubled with another rider.  I remember my shirt was covered in blood.  And, I don't remember anyone bringing up going to the hospital or seeing a doctor.

Here's my first piece of advice:  Never let the injured person make their own decisions.  My "friends" let me drive home (I couldn't ride, but they let me drive?!?), where I went straight to bed (a no-no for someone with a concussion).

To this day, I don't have much short-term memory.  I have to write things down, or I'll forget them.  I also have trouble concentrating on one thing at a time, much like ADD, but I never experienced such difficulty in school.  I can say with confidence that the injury to my head was more than likely the start of both of these issues.

When I started rescue/rehab/retrain and sell, I started wearing my helmet again.  I had a couple of hard hits, broke a few ribs and had lots of bruises, and ... a cracked helmet proved the point of wearing one.

I now wear a helmet 98% of the time.  If I go out to the big field to catch a horse and they happen to be out on the back 40, I might hop on bareback and ride back to the barn.  That's pretty much the only time I'm without.  Believe me, I've heard all the obnoxious 'mouth' in the world.

 - Don't make a video of a horse for sale wearing your helmet; it makes the horse look unsafe.  (Um, I think it makes the rider look smart and prepared and reflects on the rider's responsibility and good judgement, not on the horse.)

- You're going to run barrels, but my horse is broke.  He's not going to do anything.  You don't need a helmet.  (I love this one, especially when it involves kids.  The horse may not buck, but he's running 25+ miles an hour; what if he slips, trips, or falls?  What if your saddle chooses your run to break?  What if you coming off has nothing to do with the horse purposely unseating you?)

- Only those fru fru English riders wear helmets.  The judge will laugh a western rider out of the ring if she's wearing a helmet.  (Again, any judge worth his/her salt will recognize a well-prepared, responsible rider, regardless of headgear.  Judges are not supposed to penalize for helmets - and if one can find fault with me wearing a helmet at a show and places me lower, I don't really care to get a ribbon from him, anyway.)

Care about yourself enough to wear a helmet.  We make kids wear them riding a bike.  Most states have laws requiring them for motorcycles.  A horse has a mind of its own, and a lot of what happens when riding is out of your AND your horse's control.  

Playing the Odds

"They say" it can't be done.

"They say" it won't be worth it.

"They say" why bother.

I said, I'm willing to try.  Nevermind that I'm a sucker for old-time quarter horse conformation and bloodlines.

It is never the horse's fault.

The mare didn't ask to spend the last seven years popping out babies.  She doesn't care whether they were the right color or size.  She's lived out in a pasture with other broodmares, occasionally being moved from one farm to the other as needed, herded on and off a stock trailer like a cow or goat.  She remembers being handled as a young horse, but sometimes she's not sure how to react to all the changes in her life.    

If it wouldn't be like starting all over, I wouldn't care.  I would be a little surprised, and a little thrilled, but I'm completely expecting that she is an 11-year-old blank slate.  We move forward day by day.  She's never been handled while she's had a colt at her side.  She's learned that's okay.  She enjoys her brushing and barbie-doll time.  She'll be back under saddle this fall after more than an 8 year break.  It might be easier than "they" think.  But if it's not, that will be okay, too.  We'll keep moving forward day by day, figuring each other out, learning to trust each other.  Maybe, just maybe, we'll prove "them" wrong.  

The ignorant, stupid, sad and cruel things I've seen ... Part I

I was talking to a friend the other day who has had the dubious pleasure of working at a stable I worked at several years ago.  Her comment was, "thank goodness I'm done there."  Which led to our sharing stories.

For purposes of the Interwebz, I won't name names.  Some of these things happened 20+ years ago, so there would be little point in calling people out now.  But, I want to share for the sake of education, and for the sake of, yes, someone at some point really has done that.

1.  Stable doesn't want to pay an actual farrier to shoe 22 horses, but one of the trail guides says he used to shoe.  He goes down to Tractor Supply, buys some who-knows-what-size Diamond shoes and who-knows-what-size nails, and proceeds to shoe owner's three horses (using a hammer, nippers, no anvil, no shaping the shoes, no setting the clinches...)  Yeah, thank goodness he started with the owners horses, or there would've been 19 trail horses lame and throwing shoes left and right.

2.  One of the older, dead-broke, kid-safe horses starts colicking Saturday afternoon.  Gosh, that would mean an emergency farm call on top of a large bill.  Give him some Banamine (IM, by the way, since no one knew it should be given IV).  Wait.  Still wanting to roll three hours later.  One of the trail guides says he knows how to tube a horse; he's tubed a cow.  Enter a garden hose cut for the purpose and a gallon of oil.  Everyone leaves for the night.  Come to work at 7 a.m. to a dead horse.  Big surprise.

3.  Young thoroughbred has a frisky moment after 20 minutes of good lunging and another 15 of good riding and bucks off young apprentice.  Barn manager says, let me have him and proceeds to lunge him until covered in foamy sweat.  When barn manager moves out a year later, new owner finds all the empty vials and syringes in the loft ... from where so-called trainer was doping colts before riding them.

4.  Stable hires third new manager of the year.  (Ever heard, it's not you, it's me?  In this case, it was THEM) ... New manager believes in Parelli Natural Horsemanship.  Immediately transfers 19 trail string horses to rope halters and begins putting clients on them without re-schooling or test rides.  I'm still amazed no one was injured from this ... only one horse took off back to the barn, and half a dozen realized they could stop and eat along the trail rather than go on.

5.  Overweight draft-cross pony with feathers and mane that falls down both sides of her neck.  Owner starts washing mane every other day.  Pony starts rubbing mane out.  Owner can't see the connection.

6.  Conversation with a young horse's owner.  Owner owned the filly's dam, hand-picked the sire, raised this filly.  She was a young 2 year old at the time.  "I have to have the farrier out to shoe Baby."
-- "Why?"
"Trainer won't take her unless she's shod."
Are you kidding me?  Find a different trainer.  Preferably one that doesn't think shoeing a growing baby is OK.  (see previous blog)

7.  Horse continually tosses his head while being ridden, but especially when evading contact.  Owner/trainer's solution?  Ride him in a tie down so he can't toss his head.  (Nevermind checking teeth, chiropractor, backing training down to a very basic level and working back up.)

Trust and training - Roanie

A long, lanky just-turned 3 year old filly came in with last spring's string.  She was foundation bred quarter horse with a lot of old speed blood and had that deep bay, almost blue roan coloring that people go crazy over.  She still had the coltish, not-quite grown into her legs look.

She was bred and raised by a local breeder.  The trainer he had on staff wanted nothing to do with her; had deemed her crazy and sent her to one of the local cowboy colt-breakers.  After 30 days, the breaker basically said she'd never be worth a thing, and they brought her home and turned her out, debating whether to spend more time and money or just call the local kill buyer and be done with her.

Since we were coming to pick up a number of his mares that were ready to break, Roanie came along with us.  From the beginning, she was personable.  She had a soft, kind eye, but she would tremble if you so much as brushed her too hard.  The boys rode her a few times and deemed her "too lazy to buck" - which is usually how I end up with 'my' string.  The lazy, the uncoordinated, the non-interested in cattle.  In the end, Roanie turned out to be none of these.

The first time I saddled Roanie, I knew it would be a long time, at least in a trainer's terms, before she was ready for a 'real' ride.  For the first week, we did round pen work, just lunging and ground driving, letting her relax while wearing the saddle.  The next ten days, I would get on and just sit.  It was like straddling a rocket.  She was so tense, no wonder they thought her lazy; to move out would've been to use every muscle she was bracing with.  She wasn't humped up like a horse that's thinking of bucking; this was more a fear of what was to come, a fear of yank and spur and ye-haw.  So, I would swing my leg over and sit and breathe.  If she wanted to step forward, we'd walk.   If not, we'd stand.  And, when she let out her big exhale, we'd be done for the day.  After a total of maybe two weeks of this, she was ready.  We'd walk and trot out in the open field.  We'd walk over and visit the cows across the fence.  And one day, we loped.  Free, easy and willing.  Her sensitivity made her incredibly responsive to leg, and while she was in her comfort zone, she learned incredibly quickly.          

I'm back

OK guys, anyone who might have stopped in or been paying attention has noticed I've been gone a long time.  Like, more than a year long time.  A lot has changed in my personal herd and in my employment, and I just haven't had the time and energy to properly keep up with the blog.

In all honesty, constantly absorbing idiocy in order to share and attempt to teach from it gets kind of depressing.

I have a lot of recent developments to share, and the blog is going to take a much more personal, "documentary" style turn in the next few months.  I'm still going to blog about stereotypes, misconceptions, and the occasional idiot owner (because let's face it, we all know that person down the road who has horses but shouldn't) ... but, for the most part, the blog is going to become a much more personal journey.  So, I hope you will come along and follow the adventure as I share my summer re-training project, my visits to regional clinics and shows (I promise ... observations will not call out people by name) ... and, we'll see what else comes along as we go!