Amazing Recovery Story of Arabian Youth Nationals Rider

CLICK HERE for article.

Impaled Horse Recovery

www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/07/090.shtml

Interesting Article

news.discovery.com/animals/horses-communication-dogs.html

Endurance Horse Recovering from Tree Branch Impalement

The Horse | Endurance Horse Recovering from Tree Branch Impalement

Posted using ShareThis

Roy Roger’s “Rider’s Rules”

1. Be neat and clean.
2. Be courteous and polite.
3. Always obey your parents.
4. Protect the weak and help them.
5. Be brave but never take chances.
6. Study hard and learn all you can.
7. Be kind to animals and care for them.
8. Eat all your food and never waste any.
9. Love God and go to Sunday School regularly.
10. Always respect our flag and our country.

Portland Pony Project link

Interesting!

http://www.horseproject.net/

What's Your Story?

Test riding a former champion Peruvian Paso gelding

I saw this horsey questionnaire on a friend's blog, and thought I’d post my answers here. I won’t officially tag anyone, but it might be fun if readers passed it on by filling it out and posting it to your blogs with your own experiences, and encourage your readers to do the same. Hope you decide to play along! And if you do, leave a comment here letting me know. :)

(All horses/ponies mentioned were rentals, schoolers, or owned by friends. I have never owned or leased.)

1. How old were you when you first started riding? I was 2 when my dad sat me in the saddle on a large pony and walked beside me.
2. First horse ridden: Rode with an adult when I was 7 on "Shamrock" a mixed draft/QH, and by myself on "Dolly" (his dam) when I was 9.
3. First horse trotted on: Same answer as above.
4. First horse cantered on: "Honey" an older mixed TWH ex-police horse.
5. First Horse fallen off of: "Alfy" a roman-nosed part TB.
6. Most recent horse fallen off of: Same as above.
7. Most terrifying fall: Same as above. I did a somersault in mid air landing on my upper back.
8. First horse jumped with: "Shea" on a trail over a log.
9. First horse who ran away with you: "Alfy"
10. First horse that scared the crap out of you: "Alfy" because of my fall.
11. First horse shown: "Freckles" at horse camp.
12. First horse to win a class with: none
13. Do you/have you taken lessons: Yes, English.
14. First horse you ever rode bareback: Only Welsh ponies.
15. First horse trail ridden with: "Shamrock"
16. Current Barn name: none
17. Do you ride English or western?: Both, but mostly Western.
18. First Horse to place at a show with: "Freckles" 3rd in Western Equitation.
19. Ever been to horse camp?: Yes
20. Ever been to a riding clinic?: No
21. Ridden sidesaddle?: No
22. First horse leased: none
23. Last Horse Leased: none
24. Highest ribbon in a show: 3rd
25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show?: No
26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races?: No
27. Ever fallen off at a show?: No
28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers?: No
29. Have you ever barrel raced?: No
30. Ever done pole bending?: No
31. Favorite gait: Walk (now), canter (when young)
32. Ever cantered bareback?: Yes, on Welsh ponies
33. Have you ever done dressage?: No
34. Have you ever evented?: No
35. Have you ever mucked a stall?: No
36. Ever been bucked off?: No
37. Ever been on a horse that reared?: No
38. Horses or ponies: Horses
39. Do you wear a helmet?: When the rental place requires it.
40. What's the highest you've jumped?: 2 feet
41. Have you ever ridden at night?: No
42. Do you watch horsey television shows?: When there are any.
43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall?: No
44. Most falls in one lesson: none
45. Do you ride in an arena/ring?: Did during lessons.
46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse?: No
47. Have you ever been bitten?: No
48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?: Yep, but not hard.
49: Favorite riding moment: I have a lot, but two stand out. 1)Test riding a former champion Peruvian Paso, my first time on that breed and first time on a gaited horse! Was a dream fulfilled just after my 50th birthday. (see video on my sidebar). 2)Another favorite moment was riding a Paint on a short cattle drive in Colorado. (I was 13.) Very responsive horse. All I had to do was hold on as he headed off the steers.
50. Most fun horse you've ridden: The above Peruvian and also some of the rental horses and ponies over the years. One rental, a 22 year-old Morgan/QH mare, was a willing trail horse with a smooth, fast walk. A real joy to ride!

Some Quotes

"The old mare watched the tractor work,

a thing of rubber and steel,

ready to follow the slightest wish

of the man who held the weel.

She said to herself as it passed by,

you gave me an awful jolt,

but there's still one thing you can't do,

you cannot raise a colt."

~ George Rupp

"A horse is the projection of people's dreams

about themselves; strong, powerful, beautiful

and it has the capability of giving us escape from

our mundane existence."

~ Pam Brown

"Is it the smell of their body as I hug their long neck,

or the scent only a horse has that I can't forget?

Is it the depth of their eyes as they contentedly rest?

No, it's just being around them that I like the best."

~ Teresa Becker

A Horse's Prayer

Enjoying Life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Amazing Horse Rescue Story

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081225.whorses26/BNStory/National

I've Been Tagged....

by Pony Girl at http://ponygirlridesagain.blogspot.com/

Here goes:


1. What was I doing 10 years ago? I was still a volunteer band booster even though our son had graduated from HS in 1997. I was also still enjoying walks with our yellow Lab "Bogie" (RIP).


2. Five Things on my to-do list: Buy new blinds, get rid of junk in the house & garage, plant flowers, go on a vacation this year, replace our windows.


3. What is a snack you enjoy? My top 3 are cold cereal, buttered popcorn, ice cream or popcicles.


4. What would you do if you were a billionaire? Give lots to charity, put away for retirement spending, travel the world, attend the Arabian horse National & World Championships, buy a piece of land and build a nice ranch house with an indoor pool & spa, have a couple of horses and hire staff to help with the care. (I'm getting too old to do it all myself!)


5. Places I have lived. California and Washington.


6. Do you have any bad habits? Spending too much time on the internet!


7. Jobs I have had? Kitchen worker at an assisted living center, Keypunch Operator, Data Entry/Office Specialist, and being a wife & mom!

"Run For The Roses" song lyrics

"Run for the Roses" by Dan Fogelberg

(The 134th Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 3rd)

Born in the valley and raised in the trees
Of western Kentucky on wobbly knees
With Momma beside you to help you along
You'll soon be a-growin' up strong.

All the long, lazy mornings in pastures of green
The sun on your withers, the wind in your mane
Could never prepare you for what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red --

And it's run for the roses as fast as you can

Your fate is delivered, your moment's at hand

It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance

And it's high time you joined in the dance.

From sire to sire it's born in the blood

The fire of a mare and the strength of a stud

It's breeding and it's training and it's something unknown

That drives you and carries you home --

And it's run for the roses as fast as you can

Your fate is delivered, your moment's at hand

It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance

And it's high time you joined in the dance

It's high time you joined in the dance --

Horse Chow for People

(From the following web blog at http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2008/04/scott-nearings-horse-chow-conclusion.html)

In the early 1930s, before health foods and granola became household words, there was a dish called Horse Chow. At that time raw oats were not being eaten by humans. This is the simplest granola of all and perhaps one of the earliest. It was dreamed up in the Austrian Tyrol, where people holed up one winter in a village far from supplies and with a very slim larder of hit-or-miss articles, but with great appetites.

4 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned, not the quick-cook kind)
1/2 cup raisins
Juice of 1 lemon
Dash of sea salt
Olive oil or vegetable oil to moisten

Poem

"The old mare watched the tractor work, a thing of rubber and steel, ready to follow the slightest wish of the man who held the wheel. She said to herself as it passed by, 'You gave me an awful jolt, but there's still one thing you can't do, you cannot raise a colt.'"
by George Rupp

"The Foal" poem

I'll lend you for a little while my grandest foal, HE said.

for you to love while he's alive and mourn when he is dead.

It may be one or twenty years, or days or months, you see,

but will you, till I take him back, take care of him for me?

He'll bring his charms to gladden you, and should his stay be brief,

you'll have treasured memories as solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return,

but there are lessons taught on earth I want this foal to learn.

I've looked the wide world over In my search for teachers true.

And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes, with trust, I've chosen you.

Now will you give him total love, not think the labor vain,

nor hate me when I come here to take him back again?

I know you'll give him tenderness and love will bloom each day,

and for the happiness you've known, forever grateful stay.

But should I come and call for him much sooner than you'd planned,

you'll brave the bitter grief that comes, and someday, understand.

(Author unknown)

Our lives with horses are rich with feeling

(borrowed from a discussion board in 2005)

You know this if you've ever...

• choked back tears watching a new foal wobble to his feet for the first time...
• or watching 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 hair coat beneath your hand...
• or felt your jaw drop as watched a Lipizzan 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....
• if you've ever been moved by any of these feelings, I hope you enjoyed the time you spent reading this.

Awesome Model Horse Web Site

http://www.geocities.com/ansatacustoms/specialpages.html

The Horse's Prayer

To Thee Master I offer my prayer; feed me, water and care for me, and when the day's work is done, provide me with shelter, a clean dry bed, and a stall wide enough for me to lie down in comfort.

Always be kind to me. Talk to me, for your voice often means as much tome as the reins. Pet me sometimes, that I may serve you more gladly and learn to love you. Do not jerk the reins, and do not whip me when going uphill. Never strike, beat or kick me when I do not understand what you want, but give me a chance to understand you. Watch me; and if I fail to do your bidding, see if something is wrong with my harness or feet.

I cannot tell you when I am thirsty so give me clean, cool water often. I cannot tell you in words when I am sick, so watch me, that by signs you may know my condition. Give me all possible shelter from the hot sun, and put a blanket on me, not when I am working, but when standing in the cold. Never put a frosty bit in my mouth; first warm it by holding it a moment in your hands.

I try to carry you and your burdens without a murmur, and wait patiently for you long hours of the day or night. Without the power to choose my shoes or path, I sometimes fall on the hard pavements which I have often prayed might be of such a nature as to give me a safe and sure footing. Remember that I must be ready at any moment to lose my life in your service.

And finally, O Master, when my useful strength is gone, do not turn me out to starve or freeze, or sell me to some cruel owner to be slowly tortured or starved to death; but do thou, my Master, take my life in the kindest way. And your God will reward you here and hereafter. You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the name of Him who was born in a stable.

Amen

~ anonymous