Saving Faith

Goodbye is Never Easy

2010-08-16T18:45:00.006-04:00

It is with tears in my eyes that I write this post.

As many of you know, the past month has been difficult for Faith. A few weeks back, she laid down in her paddock as she always did, soaking up the sun. However this time would not be the same as usual. She struggled to get up, but could not make it to her feet. Unbeknownst to us as the time, she had snapped the ligament in her left hip. She was down for three hours until the vets and five adults helped her to her feet. But she made it. She always pulled through.

We quickly learned of her injury, and at that time, I was contemplating saying goodbye to her. A horse of her age would not recover from that sort of injury, but my vet insisted to give her a week. Even though I doubted him greatly, I knew that if anyone could pull through, Faith could.

The next week was filled with oral medicine every 8 hours, and a big mare learning how to rebalance her hind end. As sure as heck, the old lady pulled through. Once again, I was amazed.

However, the last few weeks have been difficult. Each time Faith laid down she would need assistance getting back to her feet. And each time her hip became worse. She was just too old and too weak to be able to do it on her own any more. But I always gave her that one last try. At all hours of the day and night we helped her, rolling her over and encouraging her to her feet, at least a half dozen times. And each time she eventually made it to her feet.

Last Saturday morning I woke up early to go to a horse show. I looked outside my bedroom window and Faith was laying down in her paddock. My heart sunk. I rushed out to see her and it was clear that she was tired. She had done enough and it wasn't fair to her. It wasn't safe for the people around her. It was time.

Dr. George came out for one final visit. She laid there, with a full belly and surrounded by people who loved her. Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep one last time. Everyone was emotional, including the vet who had worked so hard for her over the past 18 months.

I drove to the show, holding back tears from my students. They would be competing all weekend and I didn't want to ruin their fun and excitement. They didn't need to know what had happened at that point. I did my best to hide my devastation. When we returned from the show a few days later, they learned of the news and broke down. Then one by one they wrapped their arms around me and thanked me for saving her and loving her. It meant so much.

I can't remember who it was, but someone had posted a while back that horses aren't afraid of death like we are, they are afraid of pain and fear. That quote helped me get through this, so whoever said that, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To my dearest Faith: Eighteen months with you went by too quickly, but the memories we shared will last forever. You were loved by many, and loved us back in your own special way. You touched the lives of countless people and animals, and for that I thank you. However your work is not yet done. Your story will continue to educate and help others. I love you very much, and I miss you even more. Rest peacefully, my dearest Faith.

Faith - May 16, 1982 - August 7, 2010

Nine Lives

2010-06-29T09:01:00.002-04:00

Faith shockingly continues to improve. She has regained about 90% of the control over her left hind leg and appears comfortable and content.

I cannot express how amazed I am at this old girl. Just when I thought we couldn't do any more for her, she has pulled through another challenge yet again with grace and determination.

More coming soon - off to work I go!

Looking on the Bright Side

2010-06-23T21:59:00.003-04:00

I hate to say this, and I fear that I may jinx myself, but here goes: Faith is making improvements. I was ready to make the dreaded decision, but my vet said, "Just wait, Julie. Give her a week." And for the first time ever, I doubted him. Thankfully, I followed that instruction.

Since she went down on Friday night, her left hind leg was rotating way more than it should (due to the stretched/torn/broken ligament in her joint) and because of that, she was constantly rotating her hind end towards the right side.

I pulled her out of her stall an hour ago to clean and rebed it, and I didn't believe it - she was almost standing straight. Her hip still rotates more than it should when she walks, but she seems at least 80% more comfortable and coordinated.

Don't get too excited though, she still has a long way to go. But if she can hold in there a few more days to see if her hip continues to improve, then maybe - just maybe - she can be comfortable for a while longer.

Just when I was almost ready to say my goodbyes, this old lady proves that's it's not her time just yet...

Now onto a fun update!

Remember Jag, the Thoroughbred gelding I took in last January? Well he is doing wonderful in his rehabilitation and is in search of a new home! Just in case you didn't remember him, this is what he looked like in December:

And here he is today:

If you know of anyone looking for a wonderful family horse, please send them his way! You can always reach us at greenwoodstables@aol.com!

Update

2010-06-22T15:42:00.004-04:00

The vet just left and the verdict is that Faith tore her round ligament in her left hip. It is a condition that will never repair itself, however blood clots that could be formed in her joint would be making it worse right now.

Dr. Barnes suggests giving her until the beginning of next week to see if there are improvements. He does not believe she is in pain right now, just trying to readjust to the way she now moves. She will still remain on stall rest with Banamine twice a day.

If we do see improvements, there's hope that she can become pasture sound again. If not, then next week will be a very difficult one. Please keep your fingers crossed.

And thank you all, once again, for your amazing support!

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My Hero...

2010-06-21T22:05:00.005-04:00

I know it has been a while since I have written, and for that I apologize. Life brings with it many changes, and for me, those changes meant an absolute lack of free time. The farm has been running smoothly, the horses and all of the rescues are doing well. I just haven't had a chance to update our site.

But tonight I'm asking - no, I'm begging - for your help.

Two nights ago, our dear Faith was eating her dinner in her paddock. She seemed content and enjoying the cool breeze after what was a fairly hot day. Two hours after dark I went out to check on her and found her down on her side and lathered in sweat.

As you know, Faith has always had a difficult time getting back onto her feet. Apparently Friday night was worse. Struggling to get her hind end underneath her, she exhausted herself.

When I approached her, she turned her head to see me. My heart sank. I checked her out - no gut sounds and a heart murmur so loud I almost didn't need the stethescope. A good friend of mine turned the truck lights on so we could see her, while I ran to the barn for Banamine. It had worked each time before, so it was just the matter of three or four minutes until she jumped to her feet.

While we waited, I sponged her off to cool her down and called the vet. She was an hour away.

Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. Nothing. A half hour. Nothing. I hooked her lead to her halter and gave her a tug. She moved her legs a bit, but didn't attempt to move. This wasn't like her at all - she had been a fighter since day one. I walked towards her head and did something I didn't want to do, but knew would work - I smacked her in the nose.

It was enough to piss her off and get her out of whatever mood she was in, yet I still felt horrible. She whipped her head up off the ground and sat upright. I pulled her front legs out in front of her as she was too weak to do so. With another smack on the butt, she lunged forward and attempted to get her hind legs underneath her. It didn't work; after a minute she began trembling, and we let her lay back down.

For the next half hour we let her rest. The vet showed up and evaluated her. Since she had been down on her right side for at least two hours, she suggested rolling her over. Two leadropes and three strong people slowly flipped her onto her left side. Faith sat up, and then stopped again. Another quick flick on the nose and she lunged to her feet, this time making it up.

She stood there trembling for a few minutes, quite shaky on her old legs. Dr. Eldredge listened to her heart and gut sounds, and sure as heck they were normal again.

We slowly brought her into the barn and into a stall. She was obviously quite sore from the ordeal, but she eagerly inhaled a grain mash and munched on her hay.

That was two days ago...

Tonight things took a bad turn. Faith is extremely weak throughout her hips, so much that she is actually walking crooked. She seems mentally aware of what is going on around her, but unable to control her hind end.

I am heartbroken.

I'm not really sure what to think at this point. It could be a neurological problem, it could be a fracture from Friday night, it could be a dislocated joint. I'm not really sure. Thankfully Dr. Barnes is coming out tomorrow around 4pm to look at her and let me know what he thinks.

I have always said that when the time comes and she is no longer comfortable, that I would do the right thing and let her pass peacefully. And I will - I made that promise to her an hour after I met her. And I know it's going to hurt just the same whether it's now or a year from now, but it's going to be so difficult to make that decision.

Of course it's pure selfishness on my part, but she's one special animal who is going to be very hard to say goodbye to. She has changed the lives of so many people, and countless other animals, just by fighting to overcome what she was put through. And for that, she's a hero. My hero.

Please keep her in your thoughts.

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January Updates!

2010-01-16T10:35:00.002-05:00

This new year has certainly begun with a bang! Between assisting with more rescues, teaching lessons, retraining ponies, and working another full time job, I barely have time to think! So without much further ado, here are the updates everyone is looking for...

Faith - The namesake of this blog, she is doing simply wonderful!

I must admit, I was very worried about how she would handle another winter. The winters in our area can get pretty bad, making it difficult on our older equines. The cold weather and hard ground affects their joints. The temperature drop also makes them burn more calories to stay warm, which can lead to weight loss in older horses as well as those with medical problems. Due to her history, Faith was a huge concern of mine.

Faith has been blanketed all winter, kept inside on the cold days and turned out on the nicer ones. Thankfully, she has maintained her weight fairly well and seems comfortable and content. On the cold days, she is a bit stiff leaving her stall in the morning and it takes a while for her muscles and joints to get working comfortably. But once she has time to stretch out and get her body working, she seems to move around pretty well. She is on a joint supplement and I think that has made a huge difference in her rehabilitation and maintenance.

Pet - the blind Appaloosa Mare

Pet is also doing extremely well! Liz, one of my student's moms, has been working with her and riding her. They are quite a pair and are really clicking together. It's just wonderful for Pet to have a job to do - she seems very happy on the days that Liz spends time with her.

Pet is turned out each day with Faith and they enjoy each other's company. If she losese track of where Faith is, Pet nickers for her and Faith nickers back. I've never had a blind horse before and I have learned so much from her. It's amazing to see how she communicates with other horses and her handlers.

Stewie, the skinny Paint pony, is doing well. He has put on about 100 pounds so far and still has a way to go. He is groomed daily and learning the basics of walking on the lunge line. Hopefully within the next few weeks we'll start working with him under saddle!

Grace, the flaxen Welsh pony mare, is coming along under saddle nicely. Courtney and Nicole have both been working with her and she is learning how to canter. She has the funniest personality and is just too cute for words.

Penny, the pony mare rescued from a feed lot pen in New Jersey, is amazing! She is the sweetest pony and Miranda has been having fun working with her. "Penny Pony" has had basic training under saddle before she ended up in New Jersey, so her training has been progressing fairly well. We will be working on collection and balance over the next few weeks. Hopefully by summer, she'll be schooling over small fences.

Miranda and "Penny Pony" ~ January 10, 2009

On a side note, does anyone know anything about webcams? Someone suggested putting one in Faith's stall and I thought it would be a great idea! But I'm technologically-challenged and I don't have a clue how to start.

Have a great day! More pictures and updates to follow!

Victoria, the Incredible!

2010-01-01T06:20:00.001-05:00

For those of you who are new to our blog, Victoria the piglet was the runt of our sow's last litter. She had a very hard time during the first few weeks of her life, and spent the better part of two weeks living in my house. For more info, you can read about her struggles here: http://savingfaithgws.blogspot.com/2009/10/taking-bad-with-good.html and here: http://savingfaithgws.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-caption-this-photo.html

I received an email in my inbox about Victoria, and laughed so hard I cried. Her new family keeps us updated on how she's doing and sent me a hilarious email recently. I hope everyone enjoys it!

"Julie, I had to share the latest and greatest Victoria story.

Yesterday afternoon Victoria was running around the barn while I cleaned out the horse stall. The middle aisle of the barn has a cement floor which was slippery with the snow I tracked in. Victoria came running towards me, stopped short and slid across the floor. I warned her to slow down but instead she went out the front door of the barn and came running back in and did it again. This time she skidded even farther. She was so thrilled with herself, she came into the horse stall and twirled around. She must have repeated this 10 times!

She had me laughing so hard, I sat down on the floor with her and she actually climbed up into my lap and fell asleep! What a baby...and a heavy baby at that!

Then this morning, we were on our walk with the dogs and the driveway had been plowed but was still snow covered. We were going down the hill and she ran to catch up with the dogs and stop short again and slid. That smart little girl ran back up the hill and slid down again!

Victoria piglet, the incredible skiing pig!"

I always knew she was a superhero!

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The Latest Neglect Case

2009-12-28T18:41:00.002-05:00

A horse-friend of mine on Facebook sent me an urgent message this morning. Two horses a few towns away were in a dire situation and needed to be rehomed immediately.

I made a few phone calls and learned a bit more about their situation. The gentleman who owned them died on Christmas Eve and his family couldn't take care of the horses. There were two geldings at the farm and they were both "skinny and in bad shape". A kind local lady saw their condition and dropped off a round bale for the two of them yesterday.

On my lunch break, I jumped in the truck and headed over to see them. I was greeted by a teary-eyed lady who used to own one of the geldings. She trained and showed him in his younger days and sold him to this man 13 years ago. He is now the ripe old age of twenty. Unfortunately, she wasn't in a situation where she could take him back and wanted to find a loving home that would rehabilitate him.

We stepped out back and my heart sank, again... Standing behind a round bale was a skinny, sad looking grey Thoroughbred. His spine was jutting out of his back, his ribs were all visible, his hip bones poking out.

Absolutely nothing I write here can describe the feeling I get in my chest when I see an animal in this condition. It's a feeling of heartbreak, infuriation, sympathy, sadness... the list goes on.

I took a deep breath, choked back the emotions and got to work. I started evaluating "Jaggar" and learned that besides his weight loss, he appeared overall healthy. He is approximately 250 pounds underweight and has a body score of 2/9. Not nearly as bad as Faith was when she first arrived, but not a whole lot better, either. He needs dental work and farrier care, but my first priority was to get a visit from our veterinarian to evaluate him and update his vaccinations.

His conformation was pretty decent for a man of his age. He was sweet as I worked with him and seemed to be an overall pleasant horse to be around. (Although so did Faith when I first got her, and we all know how that little princess's attitude just blossomed!)

As I talked to his previous owner, I learned more about his history and that he is a registered Thoroughbred and a son of the great racehorse "Affirmed". "Affirmed" was the last horse to win the Triple Crown, so his bloodlines are nothing but amazing. Jaggar, however, wasn't all that wonderful on the track as he was on paper, so they retired him as a 4-year-old and he was introduced to the Hunter/Jumper and Dressage world but his new owner.

After an early retirement from his show career, she sold him to this older gentleman who owned him for the past 13 years. He was a trustworthy, quiet trail horse and had always been well taken care of. However the gentleman's illness interfered with his ability to care for his animals, and his family didn't know what to do with them.

Besides him, there is also a 21-year-old Appendix Quarter Horse gelding that needs to be placed. He is also thin, but not nearly as thin as "Jaggar" is. There is a possibility that he has a home waiting for him, but we are not 100% certain on that yet. Jaggar, pictured below, does not. Keep in mind as you look at the pictures, that he has an incredibly long, thick winter coat that covers up quite a bit of his condition.

So after another one of my (all-too-frequent) financial conversations with Dan, (what a great guy he is, kiss kiss!), we have decided that Jaggar can come to live with us on a temporary basis for rehabilitation until we can find him a "forever" home. Finances are tight and we have decided to do a fundraising campaign to help with the cost of his care.

All money raised will go directly towards his rehabilitation expenses. If we are so lucky as to find him a new home before his fund runs out, the balance will be sent along to his new owner! You can click here to help us out: http://horserehab.chipin.com/help-us-with-the-rescue-and-rehabilitation-of-a-neglected-horse Thanks for reading and please pass this link along to everyone you know!

~Julie

New Jersey Rescue Mission #2

2009-12-28T17:58:00.006-05:00

My second trip to New Jersey was, (unfortunately,) nearly as exciting as the first one! We had a terrible snow storm here on December 20th - we were pummeled with about a foot of snow. I knew driving was going to be atrocious, so I decided to be safe and get a hotel room overnight in New Jersey. My friend Courtney tagged along, and as soon as the roads were salted enough to see pavement, we were off.

On the way down, we stopped in Connecticut at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. That is my all-time favorite restaurant ever, and if anyone has the recipe for the "Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake", I will gladly buy it off of you. Moving on...

We made it through New York and passed the New Jersey border around 10pm. Everything was going well... until my truck started shaking violently. After about 15 seconds the shaking subsided, followed by a loud pop. Even though we had already passed through the Bronx, I still looked at Courtney to make sure we hadn't been shot at. I glanced in my mirrors and didn't see any issues with the trailer. My brakes worked, my steering was fine as well. Thankfully we were getting off at the next exit, which was only 10 miles down the highway, and I could get a better look at it.

As I pulled off, I glanced at my mirrors and saw what I had dreaded - there was rubber flopping from underneath the wheel well of my trailer. It didn't just pop - it was shredded. Ugh...

We pulled into the nearest hotel and I called AAA. I explained that one of my tires had blown and I needed help. I was then overwhelmed with happiness when she told me that my membership only covered the vehicle I was driving, not trailers. Wonderful. (If anyone who reads this hauls horses frequently and has AAA, call them and upgrade before you get stuck like me!)

I forgot to mention that the tow truck driver didn't show up until 1:00am and it took him the better part of a half hour to change it. And it was 5 degrees outside. And we needed to leave by 5:00am.

My hot shower was wonderful, but 5am came way too quickly. We checked out of the hotel and headed over the auction house. We were picking up two horses, a chestnut mare and a bay mare. The chestnut loaded up beautifully, but the bay wasn't nearly as willing. Of course, the guy who works there and was "helping" us by cracking her repeatedly on the butt with a whip wasn't making her trust us any more. Eventually she made the smart decision to jump on with us rather than stay with him, so we loaded up and headed out.

The ride back was definitely better as far as driving conditions went, but there was quite a bit more traffic. We opted to take the scenic route through New York City. Courtney was having fun with my camera and took some fantastic shots of the New York skyline!

And below is the George Washington Bridge. Note the crazy traffic, snow on the vehicles and the immense amount of salt on my windshield.

The horses made it back safe and sound. They rode fairly quietly and seemed pretty content to munch on their hay nets. We arrived home around 1pm and unloaded them. You can see the green kill pen tags on their hips. I don't know if they realize how close they were to getting on the wrong trailer, but the look on the bay mare's face says it all.

They will live to see another day and hopefully will provide years of enjoyment to their new families!

Also, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated towards our cause! We received a few donations towards our travel expenses and they were well needed and extremely appreciated. It's so wonderful to have such wonderful followers!

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A Quick Update on the Slaughter Bound Horses...

2009-12-19T21:45:00.007-05:00

All 35 horses this week were placed in homes! It was a close call, but we spread the word like wildfire and none needed to be loaded onto the "bad" trailer.

Tomorrow evening, weather pending, I will be leaving to transport a few more horses north. Their pictures are below.

Unfortunately this auction is weekly so there will be a new group of horses looking for homes beginning Thursday morning. If anyone wants to be put on my email list, just let me know and you'll get a complete list of available horses, ponies and donkeys.

Also, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who donated towards our cause! We raised over $200 towards shipping fees!

It is 10:00pm now. I have to head downstairs and make sure all of the horses are snuggled in for the evening. Their buckets are topped off with warm water, their hay racks packed full. It's going to be a long, snowy evening.

Before I shut the aisle lights off each night, I check on Faith last. I like to spend a few extra moments with her, sometimes just watching her munch on her hay. I pull a treat out of my pocket, give her a kiss on the nose and tell her, (jokingly and lovingly of course,) that she started all of this crap for me. And I wouldn't have it any other way...

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Our Latest Rescue Mission

2009-12-18T16:44:00.002-05:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I have been working around the clock trying to find homes for the next group of horses who are currently in a kill pen in New Jersey, awaiting shipment to the slaughter house in Ontario. They will ship Sunday night at 9pm, so time is of the utmost importance!

Again, I will be shipping as many horses out of there as we can raise the funds for. We are currently working with other farms and rescue organizations to raise money for the horses' bail and shipping costs.

If anyone is interested in donating towards our cause, donations can be made via PayPal to: savingfaithgws@yahoo.com

Thank you for your continued support!

Our Rescue Journey

2009-12-16T09:43:00.001-05:00

The trip on Sunday was successful, despite absolutely horrendous driving conditions. We were hauling five horses from the kill pen in New Jersey to safety northbound. Two horses were being delivered to a farm in Connecticut, two horses were spending a layover at my farm before heading north even further, and then there was our special pony that was coming to live with us.

The ride down was fine - we made it to the auction house by 11am. The place was eerily quiet. I parked my trailer in the lot just outside the barn doors, right next to the auction house rig. That trailer was one that would be leaving at 9pm with the slaughter bound horses...

I walked into the barn and quickly scanned the horses who's hip numbers matched those that I had jotted down on a piece of paper. Four of them appeared to be in OK shape, but one Saddlebred did not look well at all. (Pictured at the top of this post.)

The horses were led out individually and eagerly climbed aboard my trailer. It was almost as they knew that this trailer was their ticket to safety. At the head of their individual stalls, a fresh hay net hung in front of them. Fresh, fluffy wood shavings under their hooves gave them a comfortable place to stand.

I made the decision to load the sickly-looking saddlebred last. His legs were atrocious, he was underweight, and from what I could tell in my 90-second evaluation of him before he was loaded, he was extremely foot sore. I've never seen a horse quite like him, he just looked like he was in pain all over. I gave him some banamine orally and pulled over to check on him a half hour later. He seemed more comfortable but still not right.

On our way back North we ran into quite a few problems... First, we were stranded on Route 684 for over three hours. It was 34 degrees out and raining; the rain was freezing to the road surface creating an absolute nightmare for travelers. We had to wait as tow trucks and emergency crews pulled cars back onto the road. Some people ran out of gas; I was lucky to have filled up just before we got on that stretch of highway. However, I wasted a 1/2 tank of gas sitting there, but couldn't shut my truck off because it would have shut the power to the trailer down. We kept a close eye on the horses; oblivious to our worries and frustrations, they happily munched away on their hay nets. They may not have known what their fate may have been, but they knew they were safe.

Once moving again, our top speed was about 15 mph. At one point, going about 5 mph, my entire rig started sliding sideways into the brakedown lane. I straightened it out and got it back under control quickly, but it was enough to still send my heart racing. We finally got to the farm in Connecticut and unloaded the sickly Saddlebred and a Standardbred. They unloaded well and settled right into their stalls.

Then it was back to the interstate, topping out at about 40 mph the entire way back to New Hampshire. Our journey began at 5:30am and we spent 18 hours in my truck, not including the collective hour to load, unload and eat dinner! Ughh....

But the horses are safe and sound, and that's all that matters!

Pictured below is our little pony mare, who is still nameless! I have a few that I'm considering, but I honestly just have not had time to think about which one is most suitable for her. Our hope is to evaluate and train her and then find a safe, loving home to adopt her.

She is very sweet and personable. The one "odd" thing about her is that when she walks up to greet you, she walks past you a bit and stops with her shoulder right next to your body. Then she leans into you as if she wants a hug. I've tried scratching her on her back, neck and shoulders but that's not what she wants. She just wants you to wrap your arms around her neck... How a sweet, young horse like her ended up heading with a one way ticket to a slaughter house is beyond me.

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Slaughterbound Horses

2009-12-12T21:02:00.004-05:00

This post is going to be a short one because I need to finish preparing my horse trailer for a big day tomorrow.

Accompanied by my good friend Liz, I will be hitting the road around 5:30am to go to a well-known livestock auction in New Jersey. There, we will be picking up five horses who have all found homes in just the nick of time. What's the rush? They were all scheduled to be sent to a slaughterhouse in Canada at 9pm tomorrow evening. I'll pause while we listen to those collective hearts break...

Of the five we're hauling, two are being delivered to a farm in Connecticut. They consist an aged Saddlebred gelding with leg problems and a 24+ year old Standardbred ex-racehorse who won over $300k on the track. Nice retirement, huh?

Two more are scheduled for a layover at our farm until they are both picked up by their new owners. The first is a Saddlebred going to a farm in Vermont, and the other is a Standardbred is heading to a foster home just south of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

The last one? She's the one pictured at the top. She's a 13.3 hand pony mare, just 4 years old. She'll be coming to our place...

The new pony mare we're getting will need a name. I like naming my horses after songs - any suggestions?!

I will be on the road for about 10 hours tomorrow and probably won't post again until Monday morning. Keep your fingers crossed for us that everything goes smoothly tomorrow!

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Courtney's "Squishy" Pony

2009-12-10T08:51:00.002-05:00

Courtney has a love for hunter ponies, not to mention quite an extensive history competing them when she was younger. For the past few years she has been hounding me to get a project for her to work with. When Courtney first saw "Grace", she said, "That's my new pony. She's adorable and so squishy, I just want to squeeze her!"

Everyone asked to see her, so here she is! This is the little mare we went to see, and the only one who was supposed to come home with us, ahem...

Who couldn't love a face like that?!

She's a registered Welsh pony mare, about 13 hands tall. Between her flaxen mane and tail, her high white stockings and that adorable face, she is just perfect!

Good luck Courtney with your new project pony! You two look adorable together! :-)

10 Second Decision

2009-12-09T02:26:00.002-05:00

My friend Courtney was going to a horse sale to look for a new training project. I made the mistake of going with her.

I was certainly not in the market for another rescue. But, as you all know, I am a sucker for the underdogs. Not to mention that we currently have two open stalls in the barn, so I should have known it was only a matter of time.

Halfway through the sale, the auctioneer called for the next horse to enter. Before us was a homely looking gelding, the size of a large pony, covered in mud and manure, with a defeated look on his face. He didn't appear to be anything we were interested in, so I glanced back down to my booklet, waiting for Courtney's prospect to come through.

The bid started out extremely low and remained there. The arena was quiet, with no calls for bids ringing out. The silence caught our attention. As they walked him around the arena, we both looked up and saw why no bids were being placed. His ribs were visible beneath a ratty winter coat, his shoulder blade and withers all jutted from his little body. He looked terrible.

His conformation, however, was decent. But it was his calm demeanor that really caught my eye. I was even more impressed with him when the auctioneer said that he was only 4 years old.

When the bidding stopped within range of a kill buyer's price, Courtney and I exchanged worried glances. Granted, kill buyers normally do not attend this auction, but you can never be certain. Regardless, I had about 10 seconds to weigh my options, 10 seconds to make a decision. And that decision could change the pony's life.

My number went up. My bid was in. The auctioneer glanced around the room, but no one else raised their hand. With a drop of the gavel, the pony gelding was safe. But I wasn't...

Courtney looked at me and calmly said with a smirk on her face, "Dan is going to kill you...". No, probably not. But I'm more than likely never going to be allowed out of the house unsupervised with Courtney again.

I went through the paperwork that came with him and learned that he is a 4-year-old, 13.3 hand Paint gelding. He is registered with the American Paint Horse Association and even has decent bloodlines. On paper, he seemed like a great prospect to rehome. His condition was what worried me.

We went to his stall to get him. I opened his door and he eagerly walked over to me. He followed Courtney and I out to the parking lot, jumped onto the trailer like he had done it a million times before, and we headed back home.

He didn't come with a barn name, so on the ride back we decided that he looked like a "Stewie". And yes, he is just as sweet looking and adorable in person!

I am pleased to say that there is really nothing bad about this little guy. He is an absolute gentleman to work with and has wonderful ground manners. It's clear that he doesn't know a lot, but he is patient and willing to learn. We were told that he has been ridden a few times, but we won't be doing anything with him under saddle until he puts more weight on.

His weight is the biggest, and really the only, concern to me. His ribs and hips are visible in the picture above, although he is certainly not in as bad of shape as Faith was when she arrived. Overall, he appears healthy, but we'll know for sure when our veterinarian comes to check him out. That won't be for at least a few more days due to a horrible snow storm we are getting right now. (Have I ever mentioned before how much I hate snow?!)

Our plan is to have Dr. George evaluate him, update his vaccinations and float his teeth. Once he has put enough weight on, we'll start training him and see where that brings us. I can totally see him being an adorable kid's show horse by next summer. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing gets in our way!

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Another Day, Another Rescue...

2009-12-07T16:33:00.002-05:00

We have recently acquired a new rescue. More information and pictures to come tomorrow!

In the meantime, we welcome all of our friends to join us on facebook! Go to www.facebook.com and search for "Julie Hersey" in Derry, NH! :-)

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Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick...

2009-12-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

Jack may be cute, but he's as dumb as a brick? No, that's not right...

Amanda gave me an update on how Jack is doing. I present to you, "The Mirror Story":

"Sunday night I brought all my tack and I was planning on riding him if he had settled down enough. I tacked him all up and brought him into the indoor. It was later at night, and I was the only person in the indoor (besides my friend that came with me). I started to lunge him and quickly realized he had a bunch of energy, so I decided I'd try free lunging him.

After finally getting him to move away from the door, he started running around the indoor snorting at everything. He passed the mirrors on the long side of the indoor and came to a sliding halt. He was SO interested in the "other horse", which was really just his reflection in the mirror. I tried getting him to run around some more, but he was way too fascinated by the other horse! After a couple minutes of standing next to him while he was watching himself in the mirrors, I decided to just sit at the end of the arena and let him do his thing for a while...only he didn't move! He ended up staying right next to the mirror sniffing, neighing, snorting, and eventually play rearing, for over an hour! He was so confused as to who the "other horse" was!

Now the sad part:
After sitting around for so long I decided it was time to put him away. I walked up to him without the lead rope, and tried to see if he would follow me to the other side of the indoor. He followed until he reached the end of the mirrors, and all of a sudden came to a dead halt and glared at me. His eyes got real big and he was pacing back and forth between looking at the mirrors and looking at me, looking at the mirrors and looking at me. I had to walk to the other side of the indoor to get the lead rope, because at that point I realized he wasn't going to be able to just leave the "other horse".

He's doing much better now though. When I go there right after school to clean his stall he comes to the gate in his paddock when I call out to him as I'm walking up. He's learned who I am and I'm SO happy for that! I'm so excited to see how far i can get with him!

Thank you for everything again, I appreciate it all soooo much!
Talk to you soon,
Amanda"

Amanda - Thank YOU so much for putting work into him! Please keep us updated on how he's doing!

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My Bucket List

2009-12-05T10:42:00.001-05:00

Here are my answers!

1. Gallop along the beach - Done it and LOVE it! Now that I think of it, I need to go again soon...
2. Win a blue ribbon, even if it’s for the egg and spoon race - Done it, although I was never very good at egg and spoon!
3. Enjoy an evening of equestrian theater, from major touring productions such as Cavalia to local performance troupes. - Done it! Watched the Lippizaner Stallions and numerous productions of the Pfizer Fantasia.
4. Try your hand at cattle work. Find out what it means when they say a horse is “cowy.” - Did this last year at a farm in Arizona and LOVED it! I wish there were more experiences like that closer to home!
5. Jump! From crossrails to cross-country obstacles, experience the thrill of soaring over fences. - I have jumped in the arena, but have always wanted to do cross country, even if the thought frightens me a bit!
6. Fall off and get right back on again. Conquering fear is empowering. - I have fallen 7 times in my career and have gotten back on each time except for one. It was a pretty bad fall, but knock on wood, no broken bones!
7. See the majestic white Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School. - I haven't seen them in Vienna, but would love to! I have seen the local performances by the US troops.
8. Come to a sliding stop on a well-trained reining horse. - This is the one thing that I have ALWAYS wanted to do but have never been able to. Maybe some year for Christmas I'll get a reining lesson as a present!
9. Take a lesson with your equestrian idol. - I have LOTS of idols, not sure where to start!
10. Nurse a horse through a crisis and back to full health. - Check! That's kind of the point of this whole website!
11. Experience the smooth ride of a gaited horse. - I have been on Rocky Mountain Horses, Standardbreds and Trotting Ponies before, but have always wanted to try a Tennessee Walker.
12. Watch the horses come through the Head of the Lake on cross-country day at the Rolex Three-Day Event. - Not done.
13. Have the courage to do the right thing for your horse, even when it’s not easy. - Yes, we had to put one of our school horses to sleep a few years ago. She came to us as a rescue and was just an amazing horse. I'll have to write a post about her someday...
14. Attend the Kentucky Derby dressed to the nines—including hat! - Not done, but always wanted to! Minus the hat... :-)
15. Tackle a trail accessible only by horseback and enjoy the view. - Done! Picture above!
16. Take your dream vacation on horseback. - We went to a dude ranch last year and got to work cattle, learned how to team pen, rope, etc. It was a blast! I've always wanted to go to Ireland, too.
17. Master the sitting trot. - Mastered? Probably not. But I don't think I'm all that bad at it either!
18. Ride a fine-tuned horse in your discipline of choice, be it dressage schoolmaster or barrel champ. - I have also always wanted to have a lesson on an upper level dressage horse. Looks like fun!
19. Watch polo. Even better, try your hand at it! - Not done.
20. Feed, muck, groom, ride. Repeat daily. - ALWAYS done, just not the riding part!
21. Wake up to a whinny every morning. - Either whinnies or our donkey Dominic braying right outside our bedroom window.
22. Fly down the track on a Thoroughbred. - I have always wanted to do this, but think I might be too much of a chicken to attempt it! I am not sure if we get less courageous or more intelligent as we get older. When I was younger I would have done it, no doubt about it.
23. Meet one of your favorite famous horses in person. - I met the horse from Lord of the Rings, which was pretty interesting.
24. Ride bareback, bridleless ... or both! - Yes, of course!
25. Share a bond with your horse that’s deeper than words. - I think the bonds I have had with some horses have been stronger than the bonds I've had with humans!

Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

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Your Bucket List

2009-12-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

I cannot take credit for the following piece, but I found it on one of my favorite blogs and thought it would be interesting to hear back from our readers.

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The movie "The Bucket List" follows two terminally ill men (played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who embark on a journey with a wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.” Here’s our equestrian version of a bucket list—25 ultimate things to experience in a lifetime as a horse lover.

What's on your equestrian bucket list?

1. Gallop along the beach.
2. Win a blue ribbon, even if it’s for the egg and spoon race!
3. Enjoy an evening of equestrian theater, from major touring productions such as Cavalia to local performance troupes.
4. Try your hand at cattle work. Find out what it means when they say a horse is “cowy.”
5. Jump! From crossrails to cross-country obstacles, experience the thrill of soaring over fences.
6. Fall off and get right back on again. Conquering fear is empowering.
7. See the majestic white Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School.
8. Come to a sliding stop on a well-trained reining horse.
9. Take a lesson with your equestrian idol, _________ (you fill in the blank.)
10. Nurse a horse through a crisis and back to full health.
11. Experience the smooth ride of a gaited horse.
12. Watch the horses come through the Head of the Lake on cross-country day at the Rolex Three-Day Event.
13. Have the courage to do the right thing for your horse, even when it’s not easy.
14. Attend the Kentucky Derby dressed to the nines—including hat!
15. Tackle a trail accessible only by horseback and enjoy the view.
16. Take your dream vacation on horseback.
17. Master the sitting trot.
18. Ride a fine-tuned horse in your discipline of choice, be it dressage schoolmaster or barrel champ.
19. Watch polo. Even better, try your hand at it!
20. Feed, muck, groom, ride. Repeat daily.
21. Wake up to a whinny every morning.
22. Fly down the track on a Thoroughbred.
23. Meet one of your favorite famous horses in person.
24. Ride bareback, bridleless ... or both!
25. Share a bond with your horse that’s deeper than words.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Which ones have you already done? Which ones would you love to do? And what's on your personal bucket list that isn't listed above?

I'll post my answers tomorrow! :-)

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300 Days and Counting!

2009-12-02T20:42:00.006-05:00

Can you believe it? I certainly can't. Three hundred days have passed since Faith began her journey to start over her life again. Since she began the journey of touching so many lives and helping so many others.

Looking back at the events of the past ten months, I truly cannot believe the changes Faith has made. I never thought it would be possible for her to recover as well as she did. Hell, I honestly doubted that she would make it through those first few nights. She has transformed in front of all of our eyes, coming to us as a walking skeleton and slowly blossoming into a beautiful swan.

And now, she has transformed back. This time, into a wooly, hairy beast. Old man winter is on his way and Faith is going to make sure that she's prepared for him. Boy, that old lady can surely grow a winter coat on her!

Faith has made a full circle - first an ugly duckling, then a gorgeous swan, and now... a moose. (She really looks like one, I swear!) At least now her coat is shiny and thick, unlike the poor, dull winter "coat" she had when she arrived.

I haven't had time to take many pictures of her lately, but I will try to get some new ones posted soon so everyone can see how snuggly she looks!

Other Updates...

Pet - This little mare is probably the sweetest horse I have ever owned! She is quiet, well mannered and patient. And it's so cute to hear her nicker to me each morning when she hears me coming!

Victoria - Our lovely little piglet has found a wonderful home in Woodstock, NH! She now lives at a farm with chickens, cattle, a pony and a few other barnyard critters. They have sent me updates on how she's doing and they love her dearly. I'm so glad we found such a perfect home for her!

Jack - Yes, we finally decided on a name for the big guy! The choice was an easy one - he was a little naughty the first few days here when he was still unwinding, so "Jack" was his first name and, well, you can figure out what his middle name was!

Once he settled in and adjusted, we started working him under saddle. I am honestly impressed beyond words - he was nothing short of amazing! He was quiet, well behaved for the most part and... slow. He actually didn't want to move! (This is probably why he has been retired from racing!) He needed to be pushed into the trot, and once he finally decided to comply, his trot was slow and steady. I can see a career as a dressage horse in his future; his movement is incredibly fluid and balanced.

A wonderful young lady named Amanda has taken him on as a project over the winter. She is experienced with eventing and just loves working with off-track Thoroughbred race horses, so the two of them are a perfect match! She is boarding him near her house and will be working with him every day. Hopefully in the spring and summer they will be going to a few events together! I will keep everyone updated on his progress!

As a side note, one thing that "Jack" likes to do after he is ridden is stick his tongue out of his mouth and bite it. Sometimes it comes out the side of his mouth, other times it is sticking straight out. He lets you play with it and grab it, and if you don't, he flips his head up and down making it flap around. He's bizarre, but such a cutie!

Jack & Amanda, November 2009

65 more days until Faith's one-year anniversary! Can you believe it?!
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A Time for Giving Thanks

2009-11-27T19:58:00.003-05:00

Looking back at the events of the past year, I have so much to be thankful for. It's hard to comprehend all that has been accomplished in such a short time. Three horses, all knocking at death's door, were saved. It was because of an amazing group of people - some of which we have never met - who supported us, encouraged us, and helped us push on through the tough times. I cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am for everyone who has helped our cause.

To start, Dan has been utmost supportive with everything that has happened here at the farm. His drive to do what's best for the animals is unrivaled; I do not know of a more compassionate person. With his constant, unwavering support, he has stood by my side at each step along the journey. I couldn't have done any of it without him.

My family, who has always believed in me. Thanks Mom and Dad for always being there and encouraging me every step of the way.

My faithful friends, thanks for listening to me when I needed it most and always having that shoulder available to cry on, although I have probably borrowed those shoulders more than my fair share. I couldn't have gotten through it without you!

My wonderful farm "staff", the veterinarians and farriers who have helped out our animals and literally saved their lives. Without your compassion and expertise, they wouldn't be here today.

My amazing students, who have put in more than their fair share of help around here, between assisting with the rescues, bottlefeeding orphaned piglets, and taking over feedings for me when I had the flu, you girls rock!

To everyone who has supported Faith, Linus and Pet, I really cannot express my gratitude towards your contributions. We couldn't have done any of this without you.

And finally, to my lovely Faith... I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were something special, and it didn't take long for you to prove it. You are truly a miracle and you have touched so many lives. I have laughed, cried and enjoyed every step along the way in your journey. Your recovery has been emotional and educational, and I have learned so much from you in just nine short months. Even though you'll never know it, you're my hero.

Faith & Julie ~ The First Night ~ February 2, 2009

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
~Julie, Dan, Faith and Friends!
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What is YOUR contingency plan?

2009-11-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update...

All of the horses, piglets, and other critters are doing wonderful. I, however, am not. I have the flu, and have been battling a fever of 102.5 for the past two days. It is finally starting to drop and I no longer think I am going to die. So much for my appointment to get the flu shot next week, huh?!

Which brings up a good question, or rather, a series of them. This can be answered by all animal owners, not just our horse friends that read this blog...

What is going to happen to your animals when you are no longer able to care for them? What is your contingency plan in the event you are no longer around? Where will they go? Who will be responsible for them? Would you consider euthanasia?

I'm curious what your thoughts on this delicate yet grossly important subject are. Comment below!

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The Journey to New Hampshire

2009-11-09T09:29:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Pet made made the journey in New Hampshire!

We arrived in Vermont shortly before 3pm and were greeted by Pet's family. They rode her for us, showed us her cues, and told us all about her history. It was amazing to see how much this family cared for her.

After all of the goodbyes were said, we loaded her into the trailer and headed East. We pulled into Derry by 6pm and and she quietly stepped off of the trailer. She sniffed the air and whinnied to a few horses, and then cautiously followed me up the driveway towards her paddock. I walked her around, showing her where the four corners were and where her food and water was located. She called for the other horses a few times, touched a few noses over the fence, and settled right in.

This morning, Pet met her new best friend. I brought Faith out to her paddock just a short while ago and turned her loose. Pet listened to her footsteps and nickered for her. When Faith nickered back, Pet followed her sound and cautiously walked towards her. The sniffed noses and let out a few mare squeals. A few minutes later, there were instant buddies...

Pet listening to Faith drink from the water tank...

And a cute picture for everyone to enjoy: Rosalie and Victoria snuggling together in the warm sunshine...

Have a great day!

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On the Road Again...

2009-11-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

I have been exceptionally busy around here, hence the lack of new posts. Here's a very quick update:

Victoria is doing wonderful. We're still looking for a home for her - anyone looking for a friendly pet? She's adorable, but we can't keep her and don't want her to end up in someone's freezer. Email me at greenwoodstables@aol.com if you know someone who may be interested!

Faith is doing well but is stocking up a bit in her hind legs, so we're back to wrapping her every night again. She is growing a winter coat and is getting really fuzzy.

The Thoroughbred gelding (who still does not have a barn name!) is doing extremely well! He is a sweetheart and his personality is really opening up. I found a wonderful young lady who will be taking him over the winter to put mileage on for us. She likes project horses and loves off-track Thoroughbreds, so it's a win-win situation for all of us!

And finally, a few students of mine are travelling with me to Vermont tomorrow to pick up "Pet", the blind Appaloosa mare. I will have pictures and details for everyone on Monday!

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New "Caption This" Photo!

2009-10-28T21:04:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, "Victoria", the little runt of Sophie's litter had big setbacks during her first few weeks of life. Much to Dan's original dislike of having a pig in our house, she moved in with us. I carried her weak body through the door, and his perspective changed.

He set up a dog crate for her, complete with fluffy pillows and warm blankets, propping her up underneath a heat lamp with a bowl of milk in easy reach. (Just for your information, he doesn't treat me like this when I'm not feeling well... Although if he set up a dog crate for me, he and I would have words.) Victoria has since made wonderful progress, and as seen in the post below, is now back outside running around with her mom and siblings.

During her stay with us, a pretty nasty cold snap hit. It was too cold for one of our chickens (who happened to only be about 9 weeks old at the time,) to be in the barn. Granted, we had a heat lamp set up for her, but even that wasn't keeping her warm enough. So what options were I left with? She came inside too, walked into the crate and made herself comfortable in the warmest spot she could find.

I now present to you, one of the cutest pictures I have ever taken...

Let's hear your caption suggestions!

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This Little Piggy Is Not Going to the Market...

2009-10-27T11:50:00.001-04:00

Victoria is doing so well that she is now back outside with her family! She has pulled through will amazing determination and Dan and I still cannot believe that she recovered.

Here are some pictures of the pig crew!

Victoria and her mom "Sophie"... (who is looking for another pumpkin from me. That pig just loves pumpkins!)

Rosalie, Emmett and Victoria... Notice how small Victoria is compared to her brother and sister. And yes, they are named after Twilight characters. And no, it was not my idea. Remember...the vast majority of my students are pre-teens and teens!

Sophie keeping a close watch of her babies...

Rosalie's face... How adorable is she?! She is a great piglet too - very personable, easy going and cute as a button. She is quite content to fall asleep in your arms.

Most of the "pig crew"... Charlotte's babies Gracie and Charlie are on the far left, Victoria is in my arms, and Sophie is... Well, it's pretty obvious where she is, isn't it?!

We are looking for someone to adopt Victoria to keep as a pet and/or for breeding when the time comes. We just do not want her to end up in someone's freezer! If you know of anyone, please let us know!

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Hitting the Trails

2009-10-24T16:45:00.001-04:00

Many have been asking about Faith and how she is enjoying her "official" retirement! Well, she is doing great!

Her daily routine consists of getting her breakfast around 6am, being groomed once she is done eating, and then she heads out to the paddock behind the barn. On the cooler days we blanket her, but lately the weather has been favorable. She stays in her paddock until dinnertime, which is normally around 6 or 7pm. Her stall is prepared for her before she arrives, cleaned out with extra shavings, two fresh buckets of water, a full hay rack and her bucket of grain and supplements.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As many of our readers know, things around the farm have been quite busy lately! Between working at the shop, lessons, the new Thoroughbred that arrived, and managing all the farm animals, I barely have time to think!

So I decided to do one of my favorite things that I have just been too busy to fit in - I went on a trail ride! A group of students wanted to go as well, and it was a good change of pace for the school horses, so it was a mutually beneficial decision.

Everyone started choosing horses and before I knew it, all of our best trail horses had been taken. This left me with few options: a Morgan who likes to go down the trails sideways at a trot, a Half-Arab who firmly believes that monsters live in trees, or a Saddlebred who chooses to listen to the voices in his head over that of his rider. No thank you.

I thought about it for a few minutes, then I headed out back, put a halter on Faith and brought her into the barn. It wasn't until she was fully tacked up that my students actually believed I was going to take her. Her legs were wrapped, her bridle was adjusted and we were ready to head out.

Due to her leg and muscle problems, we have been careful to only put small riders on her. For that reason, I had never ridden her. She has been doing well lately, has built up a substantial amount of muscle, so I figured it was about time. I grabbed the mounting block, stretched up to the stirrup iron, and up I went!

We headed down the driveway, took a right on the street and rode towards the trailhead. Faith was a little hesitant to lead, so we changed our order and Dreamer and Nicole went in front of us. Faith eagerly followed and seemed a little more comfortable in that order.

The fall foliage was beautiful - the leaves were the brightest yellow I have ever seen before! Faith appeared quite content with herself, seemingly enjoying her time. We changed order again, Faith resuming the lead. She calmly looked at everything in sight as she walked along, never spooking or misbehaving. I was quite surprised, actually - I figured that she would at least have been a little goofy! This lovely old girl never ceases to amaze me...

Since many of you are far away and will never get the opportunity to meet or ride her, here's a little taste of what it's like to ride Faith!

As we were heading down the road to the trailhead:

In the woods underneath the bright yellow maple trees!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

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He's Never Had Cookies Before?!

2009-10-23T19:50:00.000-04:00

I spent some time working on the ground with the big guy today. First, I turned him loose in the arena to stretch out his legs and get some energy out. He enjoyed himself, bolting away a few times and letting out a few little bucks, but was more interested in sniffing the hay and shavings we have stored in the corners of the arena.

Then, Tiny and I both took the first steps of the beginning of his education. We worked on personal space, staying at my shoulder, and walking on HIS feet, not mine. He is a quick learner and caught on fairly well. He is still a bit pushy on the ground, but not nearly as bad as I thought he was going to be.

After his lesson, we headed back into the barn. A few of my students who had been tagging along watching our session went for the customary "after work" horse cookie. They offered it to him, placing it their open hand. He sniffed it, pushed it with his lip, licked it and knocked it to the floor. They tried again and he wasn't the least bit interested in it. He didn't know what it was.

I told my students that "Gus" (which is what everyone here has been calling him,) probably had never received horse cookies before, and it was obvious that he didn't know what to do with it. They all looked mortified...

"He's never had cookies before?!" It was at that point which I realized just how much we spoil our horses here, not to mention the incredibly skewed perspective my students have of how they believe "all" horses are treated...

Here are some photos of the big guy from today! Comments on his conformation would be greatly appreciated!

Trotting while sniffing the ground... I see the movement of a dressage horse here!
And stretching his legs out!

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My Last Training Project

2009-10-22T23:03:00.002-04:00

Exciting news! "Tiny" arrived today and settled in just wonderfully! He was a little hot when he first arrived and was pacing back and forth in his stall. But he eventually realized that this was a pretty cool place to live, relaxed a bit and munched on some hay.

He is easy to handle, but a little fidgety. I plan on bringing him into the arena tomorrow and working on some groundwork with him. We need to work on some "personal space" issues he has, as well as giving to pressure and not pulling on the lead. He's too big to be stepping on me and pushing me out of the way with his shoulder. Just because I walk on the bottoms of my feet, doesn't mean he is allowed to walk on the tops!

"Tiny" came with the barn name of "Gus", and we are debating whether we're going to keep it or not. His registered name is "Junaguska" and you can see his pedigree by clicking here: http://www.pedigreequery.com/junaguska. He made 66 starts, had 5 wins and earned $83,077 on the track.

I did get a chance to measure him, and the best I could see is that he is 17 hands and 1/2 inch. Still a big boy, nonetheless! I will keep everyone updated with his progress.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The last big training project I had was with a Friesian/Morgan cross gelding named "Oliver". "Oliver" was a 16 hand, 4-year-old when he came to live with us. He was sweet and sensible, but had very little training. My goal was to turn him into a fancy hunter pleasure horse, and as you can see below, the plan was quite successful.

Here is Oliver just beginning his training under saddle:

And here he is just a few short months later!

We found Oliver an amazing home with a lady in Massachusetts. He is now a competitor in the dressage arena - a perfect job for this pretty boy!

A special thanks to my student Lianna for working with him and modeling for his photos! She will also be helping us with the new guy! Hopefully "Tiny" turns out just as nicely as Oliver did!
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Let the Fun Begin...

2009-10-22T10:51:00.002-04:00

The plans have been finalized. The big Thoroughbred gelding pictured in the post below will be moving to our farm shortly.

Let the fun begin...

I have Dr. George coming out to do a full evaluation of him next Tuesday. Besides the standard tests, I am going to have him shoot a few radiographs of his left hock. (The one that was pinfired.)

We are taking him in as a fundraiser for our farm's rescues. This poses a difficult task for me - my students have a tenacity to fall in love with the horses here. And then when the time comes to see them go to their new homes, the tears begin to flow. It doesn't matter how often I tell them, "Don't fall in love, he or she is only here to be rehabbed." Tissues are always needed. Linus was a prime example.

To those of you who are familiar with off-track Thoroughbreds, I have a few questions... Do you suggest that we radiograph any other joints, besides the pinfired one and any other that may raise questions during his exam? Do any other joints pose more of a problem than others? And is there anything else in particular that Dr. George and I should focus on?

I look forward to working with him, but as many of you know, my time is fairly limited. Is there anyone in my area that would be interested in coming to work with him a few days per week? If so, send me an email at GreenwoodStables@aol.com. Any help we can get for him would be greatly appreciated!

Also, he needs a name! I was thinking "Timothy" so we can call him "Tiny Tim"... Any ideas?!

Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice so far!

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This is the Morgan gelding we are currently offering for sale. He is 6 years old, 15 hands, registered and 100% sound. He is, by far, the BEST trail horse you will find - absolutely nothing bothers this guy! His personality is adorable - he is sweet, friendly and loves attention. We are asking $6,000 for him.

A "Big" Fundraiser?

2009-10-21T20:14:00.000-04:00

A few days ago a friend of the family called Dan and I, asking if we would be interested in finding a home for his horse. We went down to look at him and take pictures, hoping we could spread the word about him and find him a loving family.

While I was informing the horse's owner that I would call a few friends and see if they were interested, he gave me an interesting idea. He knows about the rescues we have done in the past and suggested that I take this horse to my farm, retrain him, and sell him to help fund our rescues.

Hmmm...

Here is the background on the horse in question...

--> He is a 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding.
--> He was a racehorse and earned over $84,000 on the track.
--> His owner says that he is 17.2 hands tall. I haven't measured him yet, but he is an honest 17, there is no doubt in my mind. If he really is as tall as his owner says, that means that the highest point of his back just about his shoulder is 5'10" - he's a giant! For those of you who think Faith is big, this guy is 3 inches taller!
--> He has been officially retired from racing since... Thursday. Ugh...
--> He supposedly raced sound and never had any lameness problems. However, he did have a minor injury when he was younger and his left rear hock has been pinfired. That is not a big concern of mine.
--> He has decent conformation for a Thoroughbred. He has a nice shoulder and hip to him, as well as clean legs. I think he would make a nice hunter/jumper or field hunter. (I will post better body pictures of him tomorrow and everyone can help me analyze him conformationally!)

Here is my background...

--> I have worked with four or five off-track Thoroughbreds before, the last being at least 5 years ago.
--> My barn is currently full and I am in the process of trying to sell one of my show horses. (Anyone interested in a beautiful buckskin Morgan gelding!?)
--> I am afraid of heights. :-)

I really don't know what to do now. So I'm asking our loyal readers, what do you think I should do?!

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Bring on the Cookies...

2009-10-20T13:25:00.000-04:00

This is how I like to celebrate my birthday - doing victory passes!

This video clip is me aboard "SB Cookies N Cream", my Half-Arabian/National Show Horse mare. We were competing in a Ladies Pleasure class at the Deerfield Fair. One of our "show dads" taped my class and put it online, and now I can share it with all of you!

PS - this little mare is an absolute blast to ride!

Our Newest Rescue!

2009-10-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

But before we get started, let's begin today's post with a classic joke:

One day a man passed by a farm and saw a beautiful horse. Hoping to buy the animal, he said to the farmer: "I like your horse and I'm in the market for one, so I'll give you $500 for him."

"He doesn't look so good, and he's not for sale," the farmer said.

The man insisted, "I think he looks just fine and I'll up the price to $1,000."

"He doesn't look so good," the farmer said, "but if you want him that much, he's yours."

The next day the man came back raging mad. He went up to the farmer and screamed, "You sold me a blind horse. You cheated me!"

The farmer calmly replied, "I told you he didn't LOOK so good, didn't I?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I am pleased to announce our newest addition to our rescue crew. Pictured below is "Pet" and she will be arriving at our farm sometime in the next few weeks. She is not a "rescue" because she was abused or neglected. Her situation is a different type...

To most people, Pet looks like any other horse. She appears healthy, is at a good weight, and has a nice relaxed expression on her face. She looks content with life, as any horse should. She does struggle with one aspect of her life though.

She is blind.

Her disability does not stop her though. She can still be ridden and even shown, just like any other horse. All she requires is a patient human to guide her through the obstacles that may be in her way.

Pet has been owned by the same family for the past seven years. Her current owners are going through a divorce and needed to sell her. Unfortunately, no one has an interest in taking on a blind horse, so they made a difficult decision: have her euthanized.

Pet was scheduled for euthanasia on September 30th. The owners' daughter contacted me two days prior and I agreed to take her in. Her life was spared and she could continue to be a productive member of equine society.

Plans and changes have been made for her at our farm. We have a small paddock with a run-in shed ready for her arrival. She will more than likely be partnered up with Faith or Amy, our 14-year-old Paint mare.

I have never worked with a completely blind horse before, so this will definitely be a learning experience. We anxiously await her arrival and will post more information as we get closer!

If anyone can offer advice on working with a blind horse, (tips on handling, what we can do to help her adjust, etc,) would be greatly appreciated!

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Taking the Bad with the Good

2009-10-17T10:32:00.001-04:00

Dan woke me up yesterday morning. He walked over to the window in our room and drew up the shades. I groggily asked what he was doing and his response was, "I want you to see this for yourself." I secretly prayed it was a new car waiting outside for me, but what I saw wasn't nearly as exciting. Actually, it was quite depressing.

It was SNOW. On October 16th. What the hell?!

Snow is a four-letter word.

I unhappily got up, did chores around here and headed to the shop to work. The flurries ended a few hours later, but the ground was too warm for anything to stick. Thank God.

The good news... is that's all the bad news I have for today :-)

Faith is doing much better. We have gone back to crushing and disolving her meds, then squirting them into the back of her mouth. It's quicker, easier and she is now not quite as grouchy about it. She seems comfortable and is moving fine.

Rosie is also doing great. Two days of a compression wrap and anti-inflamatories and she is moving comfortably again. I still have no sympathy for her, though... :-)

And then there's our little Miss Victoria. She has been living in a dog crate in our living room for the past few days, being bottlefed milk every few hours. I have to say, I honestly believe this piglet is a superhero. She came back from being very sick twice; we almost lost her both times. It was heartbreaking to see - she was so weak she couldn't stand and would cry everytime you tried to move her. But with daily Vitamin B12, heat and a lot of love, she has since regained her strength. Yesterday, she was feeling so good, she was bouncing off of the crate walls for fun. I opened the door, let her out and she meandered all around our house, sniffing and oinking at everything in sight.

Shortly after, she began playing with one of our dog's toys. It's a stuffed cow, with hideously huge eyes, and it "moo's" when you squeeze it. She carried that around the house proudly, much to my dog's dismay. Then, as if she owned the place, she carried her new cow friend over the the dog's bed, climed up, and took a nap next to Molly...

The crew seems to be doing better. I will keep everyone informed as to how things are progressing with them!

There is more to come shortly... I will respond to the hundreds of comments and emails I received in a future post; am working on redesigning the header on the blog with a better picture of Faith; and will have another funny "caption this" photo for everyone.

Have a great day!

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Gravity is a Myth: The Earth Just Sucks

2009-10-13T21:25:00.003-04:00

Shortly after we had to put Charlotte to sleep, a reader of this blog sent me a very nice email. His heartfelt condolences for our loss, words of encouragement and humor gave me the extra push I needed to get me through that tough period. It couldn't have come at a better time.

"Several months ago I discovered your blog. At this point I don’t remember how I stumbled across it, but I’ve followed the adventures of Faith and Linus – and more recently, the funny and then tragic story of Charlotte. I have to say, in addition to your skills with animals, you have a gift for storytelling as well. We’ve never met, but after reading your posts, somehow I don’t feel like a stranger either... And while I’ve posed a few anonymous comments, I wanted to send something a little more personal this time.

Learning about what happened with Charlotte was just heartbreaking. And then to read the summary of everything else that happened on top of that, well, I remember seeing a bumper sticker once that read:

Gravity is a Myth: The Earth Just Sucks

Scott, how true indeed.

Where do I start?

This past weekend Dan and I were reconfiguring (again) our shedrow barn for our farm animal brigade. Sophie and her piglets were ready to be moved out of the barn into the barn out back, and we needed to change things around to accommodate them. And the chickens. (Did I forget to mention the chickens?!)

For my birthday, one of my students thought it would be great to add onto our farm animal crew. (Because I obviously do not have enough to do around here - hahaha) We now have four chickens at our farm. Their names are Parmesan, Marsala, Cacciatore and Alfreda... I have never had chickens before, but they are quite entertaining. And the eggs are delicious! Moving on...

As I was moving around and cutting some new stall mats, I heard a squeal and a few thuds. I ran out of the shedrow to see Faith cornered in the big paddock by Rosie, our 14.1 hand Paint mare. Rosie cornered her where their water tank is and when Faith didn't move quick enough, Rosie kicked. Hard. And repeatedly. Faith finally kicked back, which only infuriated the little mare even more. Running towards them, arms flailing and screaming, Dan and I broke up the battle. Faith took off towards the run-in and we followed.

The sight was ghastly. My poor baby had blood pouring out of her. I quickly called Dr. George and explained the situation. Thankfully he was only 15 minutes away, and knowing that alone was a huge relief. We moved Faith into the barn, a trail of blood following us the whole way. It was so bad that we put shavings down in the aisle to absorb it. Dr. George showed up just a short time later and gave her intravenous anti-inflammatories and pain relievers.

He examined her and found that she had a torn vulva. (Let's hear that collective "ouch..." from our readers.) Rosie's hoof apparently nicked a pretty impressive blood vessel, which was the source of the massive bleeding. Thankfully, it was not interal. However, it was in such a location that stitches were impossible. Over the course of the next few minutes, the blood flow had begun to diminish and her body was beginning clot the wound.

While she stood on the crossties, we clipped and then began tending to her other wounds. Her right hindquarters were riddled with perfect hoof-shaped marks. I believe that seven was the final count. Dr. George and I began clipping around the marks and dressing them. Again, thankfully there was no need for stitches.

The plan was SMZs for the next seven days and bute for the next five. The first day was fine, the second day Faith decided that she wasn't going to eat her grain if there was medicine in it, so we were back to The Oral Medications Argument. (Please refer to our February 5th article.) Let's just say that you never really forget what a bute/SMZ combination tastes like.

Faith has always been a little fussy about eating her grain. Some mornings she dives into her bucket, other days she takes her time. On occasion, a few small handfuls will be left over in the morning, but she eagerly eats it when she is brought in for dinner. Since her injury on Saturday, she has been leaving a good amount in her bucket. I'm not sure if it is because she is not feeling well or perhaps another hormonal issue like we had in the spring. On the positive side, her hay and water intake has been good.

Fast forward to this morning... One of Sophie's piglets isn't doing too well and is in my house, on my living room floor, wrapped up in a blanket and under a heat lamp. My dogs are totally confused, to say the least. The piglet's name is "Victoria" and she is the runt. She is our little redhead with black polka-dots all over her. I'm not sure why she's weak, but we're giving her vitamin B12, bottle feeding her and keeping her under a heat lamp.

And then this evening... Rosie came into the barn for dinner tonight on three hooves and one toe. Apparently one of Faith's kicks made contact and the lower portion of Rosie's right rear leg is swollen and sore. She is barely touching the toe of her hoof to the ground as she walks. We cold-hosed it, gave her banamine and wrapped it in a compression wrap. The vet says to keep an eye on it and call him in the morning if it looks worse.

So the next time you hear someone talk about the effects of gravity, tell them my story... :)

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Out to Prove Them Wrong

2009-10-09T15:10:00.001-04:00

As many of our regular readers know, this summer we brought home a homely-looking gelding to live with us. For those of you who are new to this blog, I will summarize his story here for you all.

We picked up "Linus" from a bad situation on June 2nd. It was obvious by both his physical appearance and depressed behavior that he hadn't been cared for in quite some time. He was over 250 pounds underweight, infested with lice, and had open wounds all over his body. His legs and hips were riddled with scars. His previous owner had tranquilized him so frequently that his penis was paralyzed, infected and abscessed.

This was Linus on Day 1:

Linus arrived to us with an unknown history and a faded lip tattoo. Through research, we learned that he was a 17-year-old retired racehorse. His small career earnings of $6,785 put him on a truck to the auction. He was then bounced from farm to farm, holding jobs as a trail mount and eventually a beginner lesson horse.

When he first arrived, our vet evaluated Linus thoroughly and gave us mostly positive news: he was sound and should easily recover from his trauma. Most of Linus's issues were easily treatable. The bad news was that he needed penile amputation surgery. Without the surgery, the massive infections would spread, and then euthanasia would be the only alternative.

We weighed our options about his future. I couldn't justify putting this horse to sleep. He was serviceably sound and had a wonderful disposition. But at the same time, the $2,500 cost of surgery was out of our budget. We had already put everything we had into rehabbing Faith, including our vacation fund that we had been saving for over 3 years. We couldn't afford his surgery and put the word out for sponsors.

Linus already had quite a few online friends and the donations slowly came in. However, not everyone agreed with our plan for Linus. One woman from a local online bulletin board said that we were wasting our time and money on him. "A 17-year-old horse just isn't worth it," I was told. "He shouldn't be saved." I countered her comment by stating that this horse was completely sound and usable, and with a little luck, would quickly return to being a productive member of the equine community. She stated that she would believe it when she saw it.

That one comment gave me the extra push I needed. From that point forward, Linus and I were out to prove them wrong.

Four months and five days after to arriving to our farm, this is what Linus looks like...

He is up to weight, the lice are gone, the wounds are healed. The scars he had when he arrived will never fade away, but at least now they are somewhat covered by a shiny, healthy coat. He doesn't resemble the horse from those first pictures, and for that, I couldn't be happier!

Aboard Linus is one of my students' mothers. Liz has been a huge part of Linus's recovery. She has spent countless hours grooming him, bonding with him and feeding him lots of carrots and ginger snap cookies.

I have wonderful news to share with everyone - Linus has been adopted by a wonderful young lady named Sam! Sam adopted him to be used as a light trail horse and companion for her other gelding. She and her mom will be trail riding them a few days a week together. He is only about 45 minutes from my farm, and I plan on visiting frequently with Dan and my students!

Thanks Linus, for overcoming your past and proving the naysayers wrong. You were always worth it in my eyes...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And even more wonderful news... Since Linus has been placed we now have an extra stall available. I am finalizing plans to take in a blind Appaloosa mare next week. More details and pictures to come!

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Faith's Show Ring Retirement

2009-10-06T21:19:00.000-04:00

Where to start?! This past week was absolutely amazing. I never would have thought that eight short months ago I would be writing these words, posting these pictures, sharing with the world what we have accomplished.

Eight months ago, we took Faith into our home. A broken down mare that no one loved and we saved her. It wasn't just me. All of us did. I cannot take credit for her recovery since I could never have done this alone. Our wonderful veterinary team, our corrective farrier, our friends. Those that gave financial support, those that gave moral support. It's all because of you that Faith has accomplished what we all thought was once impossible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Faith has proven to the world that with love, care and strength, you can accomplish the impossible. I have never met an animal that has made people laugh, made them cry, and inspired so many. Onto the show...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I couldn't count the number of Faith's fans that stopped by to meet her this weekend. Rita, Anna, Joyce, Sam, Jackie, Maureen... the list goes on! Faith's youngest fan was four and had heard about her from her preschool teacher. The oldest was in a wheelchair and saw her story on the news. I cannot begin to express what it felt like to meet so many that cared about her.

Everyone was so kind and supportive, and I received just about as many hugs as Faith did! Although not as many kisses or carrots... :-)

Although Faith did not win any ribbons, she went out to prove to everyone what she was made of. Here is the recap of this weekend, in pictures...

Faith getting cleaned up for her first class! Look at how thrilled she looks :-) (I am 5'4" by the way... I swear I'm not a midget!)

I might not be able to braid manes like Courtney does, but I think I can make tails look pretty darn good!

After our grooming session...

Her hooves are polished, her coat is groomed, she is saddled and waiting for her bridle...

Lucy showing off how tall her show horse is (or how short she is)...

In the warm up arena... (Do you like Faith's special browband? I normally don't splurge, but I figured she deserved something a little fancy to show in. It's a gold heart with little fake diamonds.)

Faith warming up at the trot. Great braiding Courtney, and great heels, Lucy!

Me removing Faith's wraps prior to her class...

Leading Faith into the show arena chute! Lucy looks like she is concentrating pretty hard right now...

Walking first direction...

Trotting second direction...

Since this is a youth class and safety is our number one priority, just after all of the horses are lined up, each exhibitor has an attendant called into the arena. Here the three of us are, heading to the rail to retire...

Day Two: The Championship Class!

Heading towards the warm up arena...

Lucy and Faith heading into the show arena for the last time...

Trotting first direction...

Faith and Lucy working together as a team...

In the line up...

The judge...
Heading out of the show arena for the last time...

Lucy giving Faith a well-deserved pat on the neck...

Back at the barn for a picture with some of our students!

Just after the last photo was taken, the crowd that had gathered around us began to clap. Faith's ears perked up and she looked towards them, scanning her audience. Then she dropped her head down into my chest and took a deep breath...

This horse means the world to me, and from her I have learned so much. Thank you, Faith. I hope you know how much I love you.

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Show Update

2009-10-05T10:35:00.004-04:00

***UPDATE*** Having minor computer issues right now and I can't load pictures! My picture editor is having a tantrum and keeps freezing on me... Soon, I promise!

Stay tuned! :-)

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Retirement Ceremony

2009-10-03T22:00:00.001-04:00

We will be officially retiring Faith from her career as a show horse tomorrow morning. Some may look at it as the end of her story, but I do not. I see it as just another of her many highlights.

Once she has completed her breakfast, she and I will head out to the practice arena for some quite time together. An easy lunging session will get her muscles warmed up, and after that we'll make the short walk back to the barn to get her groomed and ready for her final public performance. Her mane and tail will be braided, her hooves polished to a glossy shine, and her coat groomed to perfection. She will then head out for the last time as a "show" horse.

I must admit, I have tears in my eyes as I type this. It could be from the joy of knowing how far she has come. It could be from an amazing sense of accomplishment that I feel. It could be from the memories of seeing this mare on the brink and knowing how hard this journey has been for her. But she never gave up. She knew it wasn't her time yet and that she had a purpose. Her drive and determination is awe-inspiring.

Her career as a show horse may have been brief with us, but after everything she has been through, she deserves a special retirement ceremony. If you are in the area, please feel free to join us tomorrow around 10am for Faith's Championship class at the Deerfield Fair. And of course, everyone is welcome back at the barn to meet her in person. :-)

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If Pictures Can Say 1,000 Words...

2009-10-02T23:17:00.001-04:00

A special thank you to everyone who has supported our cause, encouraged us through the tough times, and allowed for this moment to happen. Thanks for having a little... Faith.

Final Preparations!

2009-10-01T21:19:00.004-04:00

I have been going nonstop since 5am, and am just getting in the house now. Sorry for making this such a short post, but I'm exhausted and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow!

We made the final preparations for tomorrow's big event! Courtney came and braided Faith this afternoon and did an absolutely amazing job, as usual. Her braiding skills are top notch, as you can see in the pictures below!

The greatest thing today was meeting some of Faith's fans! We had a good amount of people show up today to meet her. Some have been following her through this website, others heard about her on the news. Thanks to everyone who came to show your support!

Faith being braided in the aisle...

Faith proudly sporting our farm's colors and showing off her amazing braids...

Do you recognize this horse? She looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself!

Faith enjoying a treat from one of our "show dads"!

More to come tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

The Fair Begins Tomorrow!

2009-09-30T19:43:00.004-04:00

We spent an extremely long day today preparing for the upcoming weekend. The horses were schooled, bathed and clipped. Faith was good for her bath and looks like a million bucks!

We just received our numbers and Faith, with her new show name of "Rags to Riches", will be wearing back #219.

I am off to finish packing and prepping all of my stuff, now that all of my students are ready. I will keep everyone updated as to how the show goes. Keep your fingers crossed for us! :-) And please stop by to say "Hi! to us in Barn G!"

~Julie

Deerfield Fair Schedule

2009-09-30T08:35:00.001-04:00

DEERFIELD FAIR CLASS LIST

*our riders' classes are in bold!

We hope to see you there!

THURSDAY - OCT. 1 ST
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

1. Horse Colts & Fillies, Weanlings/Sucklings
2. Open Friesian in Hand
3. Horse Colts & Fillies, Yearlings
4. Morgan In Hand. Stallions & Geldings
5. Horse Colts & Fillies, Two Years Old
6. Arabian Halter
7. Horse Colts & Fillies, Championship
8. Pony in Hand, Open
9. Morgan in Hand, Mares
10. Half Arabian Halter
11. Saddlebred in Hand Open
12. Walk Trot Pleasure (Horse or Pony) Saddleseat

Afternoon Session - 1:00 P.M.

13. Open Pleasure Driving
14. Walk Trot Pleasure Hunt or Western Seat
15. Arabian & Half Arabian Hunter Pleasure
16. Morgan Pleasure Driving Open
17. Pleasure Pony Under Saddle
18. Saddlebred Country Pleasure, English
19. Amateur Pleasure Driving Pony
20. Morgan English Pleasure, Novice Horse
21. Half Arabian English Pleasure, Open
22. Morgan Western Pleasure
23. Saddlebred Show Pleasure Driving
24. Junior Exhibitor Hack, Under 14
25. English Pleasure Horse Novice Rider, 18 & Over
26. Arabian English Pleasure Open
27. Junior Exhibitor Hack, 14-17
28. Morgan Hunter Pleasure, Open
29. Three Gaited Park Horse Amateur

Evening Session - 6:30 P.M.

30. Friesian Pleasure
31. NEHC Saddle Seat Medal
32. Three Gaited English Show Pleasure, Novice Rider
33. Roadster Pony Amateur to Drive
34. NEHC Pleasure Horse or Pony English
35. Saddlebred Five Gaited Amateur
36. Junior Exhibitor Morgan Pleasure
37. Open Single Hackney Pony
38. Morgan English Pleasure, 15 Hands & Over
39. Junior Exhibitor 3G English Show Pleasure
40. Gentlemen’s Pleasure Open
41. Road Hack
42. Saddlebred Three Gaited Open

FRIDAY - OCT. 2 ND
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

43. English Horse in Hand
44. Open Color Breed Model
45. Quarter Horse Halter Open
46. Pinto Breeding and Halter
47. Western Horse in Hand
48. Appaloosa Halter Open
49. Lead Line Equitation Western or Hunt Seat
50. Western Pleasure Horse, Junior To Ride
51. NEHC Pleasure Horse or Pony Western
52. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Adult
53. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Under 17
54. Quarter Horse Hunter Under Saddle
55. Appaloosa English Pleasure Horse
56. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Championship
57. Appaloosa English Pleasure Horse Championship
58. Walk-Trot Equitation, Western/Hunt Seat *Faith*
59. Pinto Pleasure

Afternoon Session

60. Junior Exhibitor, Three Gaited
61. Open Color Breed Pleasure Horse
62. Morgan Pleasure Driving Novice Horse
63. Ladies Pleasure, Western
64. Morgan English Pleasure, Under 15 Hands
65. Quarter Horse Hunter Championship
66. Hunter Pleasure Horse Adult Rider
67. Hunter Pleasure Horse Junior Exhibitor To Ride
68. NHH&TA Pleasure Horse, Western
69. Amateur Three Gaited English Show Pleasure
70. Pinto Pleasure Championship
71. Appaloosa Western Pleasure
72. Single Hackney Pony Pleasure, Driving/Amateur
73. Quarter Horse Western Pleasure, Open
74. Arabian/Half Arabian Jr Rider
75. Appaloosa Western Pleasure Championship
76. Saddlebred Three Gaited Horse, Amateur
77. Pleasure Horse Championship, Western
78. Quarter Horse Western Pleasure Championship
79. Open Color Breed Pleasure Championship

Evening Session - 7:00 P.M.

80. Schooling Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
81. Open Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
82. Friesian Costume Class
83. Single Harness Pony
84. Arabian/Half Arabian Pleasure Lady to Ride
85. Road Hack Championship
86. Three Gaited Park Horse, Open
87. Morgan English Pleasure Amateur
88. Open Fine Harness
89. Arabian/Half Arabian Native Costume
90. Saddlebred Five Gaited Horse Open

SATURDAY - OCT. 3 RD
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

91. American Saddlebred Country Pleasure Western
92. Saddle Seat Pleasure Equitation
93. Morgan Pleasure Driving Championship
94. Saddle Seat Equitation 11 Years & Under
95. Saddlebred Show Pleasure Driving Championship
96. Morgan Hunter Pleasure Amateur of any age
97. Arabian/Half Arabian Hunter Championship
98. Walk Trot Equitation Saddle Seat 10 & under
99. Amateur Pleasure Driving Pony Championship

Afternoon Session

100. Hunt Seat Equitation U/14 On The Flat
101. Hunt Seat Equitation 14-17 On The Flat
102. Lead Line Equitation Saddle Seat
103. Morgan Hunter Pleasure Horse Championship
104. Saddle Seat Equitation 15-17
105. NHH&TA Pleasure Horse, English
106. Junior Exhibitor Hack Championship Under 14
107. Junior Exhibitor Hack Championship 14-17
108. Morgan Western Pleasure Championship
109. Junior Exhibitor Three Gaited Championship
110. English Pleasure Horse, Novice Rider Under 18
111. English Pleasure Horse, Novice Rider 15-17
112. Walk Trot Pleasure Championship Saddle Seat
113. Walk Trot Pleasure Championship Hunt/Western

Evening Session - 6:30 P.M.

114. Schooling Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
115. $500 Jumper Classic, Table II, Section 2.2 (b)
116. Ladies Pleasure, Hunt Seat
117. Ladies Pleasure, Saddle Seat
118. Single Harness Pony Championship
119. Morgan Park Saddle Horse
120. Saddlebred Ladies Three Gaited Stake
121. Roadster Pony, Open
122. Morgan Pleasure Horse Jr. Rider, Championship
123. Three Gaited Park Championship
124. Arabian/Half Arabian Costume Championship
125. Morgan Pleasure Open Ladies to Ride
126. ASB Country English Pleasure Championship
127. Hackney Pony Championship

SUNDAY - OCT. 4TH
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

128. Miniature Horse at Halter Stallions & Geldings Open
129. Saddle Seat Pleasure Equitation Championship
130. Miniature Mares at Halter Open
131. Single Hackney Pony Pleasure Driving Championship
132. Saddle Seat Equitation Championship
133. Miniature Horse Championship Halter
134. Walk Trot Equitation Championship Saddle Seat
135. Walk Trot Equitation Champ Western/Hunt *Faith*
136. Arabian English Pleasure Horse Championship
137. Amateur 3G Show Pleasure Championship
138. Miniature Horse Driving Open
139. Fine Harness Horse Championship
140. Miniature Horse Driving Open Championship
141. Morgan English Pleasure Amateur Championship
142. English Pleasure Horse Championship Novice Rider

Afternoon Session

143. Pleasure Pony Under Saddle Championship
144. Friesian Pleasure Championship
145. Open Pleasure Driving Championship
146. Three Gaited Horse Amateur Championship
147. Hunt Seat Equitation U18 On The Flat Championship
148. English Pleasure Horse Championship
149. Morgan Park Saddle Horse Championship
150. Junior Exhibitor ASB Show Pleasure Championship
151. Morgan English Pleasure Horse Championship
152. Roadster Pony Championship
153. English Pleasure Novice Rider Adult Championship
154. Three Gaited Horse Championship
155. Half Arabian English Pleasure Championship
156. Hunter Pleasure Horse Championship
159. Hunter Pleasure Championship Junior Exhibitor
158. Five Gaited Horse Championship

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From Rags to Riches...

2009-09-29T20:32:00.003-04:00

Faith made the trip to the fairgrounds very well! She loaded nicely and seemed quite content with the process. Here she is, standing on the trailer waiting patiently for me to fire the truck up...

In her new temporary stall at the fairgrounds...

In the show arena with Lucy... Faith worked quietly despite the change in surroundings. I have to give it to her, she may have quite the attitude, but she is a very smart, sensible horse.

Working on our half-halts... Boy does this big girl like to move! She was certainly feeling pretty darn good today!

And our final picture, Faith standing next to the center ring display!

After a few months of discussion, I have finally settled on a show name for Faith... "Rags to Riches". I think it suits her quite well, if I do say so myself. Your thoughts?!

News from Around the Farm

2009-09-28T21:10:00.000-04:00

The past two weeks here at the farm have been exceptionally busy! We are finally winding down from our busy summer... just in time to prepare for the Deerfield Fair. More on that to follow!

Last week, I somehow landed a job working as a service writer for my family's automotive repair shop. So now, on top of my daily farm chores, I put in an additional 35+ hours a week there. Thankfully it's located just a few hundred yards behind the farm, so the commute is short! Someday I will post my "new" daily routine on here so everyone can sympathize and/or laugh at me...

After the unfortunate passing of our pig Charlotte, we ventured to Vermont and adopted one to help fill the void at our farm, as well as to give our little orphans some company. The pig we brought home was built and looks just like Charlotte, except that she has black patches all over her red body. She is sweet, very people-oriented, and has a pretty entertaining personality. Here is "Sophie", enjoying the 50-gallon water tank in her paddock. (Props to Rubbermaid for making exceptionally sturdy stock tanks!)

Sophie was the newest addition to our farm up until last week... Last Sunday evening, she gave birth to an adorable litter of piglets! (We were told she may be pregnant when we took her home, so it wasn't a huge surprise.) Mom is doing well and the delivery was complication-free! Here are a few of the babies happily enjoying breakfast. (Look - no bottles! It's so much easier when mom does the job!)

OK now onto the important news - the Deerfield Fair!

Faith has been preparing diligently for the upcoming event! She has been practicing her form over 5-foot fences, her piaffes, her rack and her sliding stops. OK, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration... but she has been practicing! We have been schooling her for about 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days per week. Most of her "schooling" consists of walking with a few short trots in between. She is ever so slowly gaining muscle, but she's an old lady and I certainly do not expect her "vigorous" routine to make her look like a body builder overnight.

Faith also underwent an "Extreme Mare Makeover" yesterday. She was clipped, her mane was pulled, and she was, well... beautified! She tolerated the majority of the process, but was not pleased with having her ears clipped. We argued silently with each other, her ears back and those soft brown eyes burning a hole through me. I held out longer though and she looks spectacular! (She was so mad at me that she actually considered refusing a horse cookie from me - what a grouch!)

Here is the plan for the show:

Today we loaded up our trailer and hauled all of our equipment and feed up to Deerfield. It took about fifteen of us a little less than three hours to set up our stalls and decorations.
Tomorrow morning I will be bringing our first load of horses up to the fairgrounds: Jinks, Nicholas, Robbie, and Cori. Then around 1:00pm, I will head up with the second group: Kenny, Cash, William and Faith. We will school most of them in the show arena tomorrow, depending on the weather. I will do my best to take pictures of the events, but normally I am busy coaching children and schooling horses.
Wednesday is our final practice and preparation day for the show. After everyone goes out for their workout, we begin the fun process of bathing. (The horses, not us. Although I will be the first to admit that normally we need it more than they do.) After baths, hooves are prepared and polished, manes and tails are picked through, and our equipment is cleaned.
Thursday morning the competition begins! I will post a show schedule on here tomorrow night of when our horses and riders will be competing for anyone who would like to watch! (I will be competing in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Class with Cori, just after 1:00pm!)
Friday is Faith's big show ring "re-debut"! We will start preparing her around 8:30am and she will hit the show arena around 11:00am. Her class is #58 - Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation.
Saturday our horses will be competing throughout the day.
Sunday is Faith's show ring "retirement"! She will compete in Class #135, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation Championship. Preparation will begin around 7:30am in the barn and so far it looks like she will be going in around 10:00am.

We look forward to introducing Faith to all of her wonderful supporters! Please stop in and see us in Barn G and say "Hi!". We love visitors and hope to see you there!

Caption This!

2009-09-13T18:24:00.001-04:00

This isn't exactly what I meant when I told them to "smile" for the camera...

Linus & Miranda, September 12, 2009

What are your creative ideas for funny captions?! Post them in the comments!
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Deerfield Fair Update!

2009-09-11T21:24:00.007-04:00

Here are Faith's show times!

Friday, October 2nd, she will be in Class #58, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation. That session is scheduled to start at 9:00am and it appears that Faith's class will be going into the show arena around 11:00am. Preparation will begin around 8:30am in the barn.

Sunday, October 4th, she will be in Class #135, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation Championship. That session is scheduled to start at 9:00am and it appears that Faith's class will be going in around 10:00am. Preparation will begin around 7:30am in the barn.

* It will take approximately 90 minutes to get her cleaned up, braided, hoof blacked and saddled. We will prepare her in the aisle, so feel free to come by and watch her become beautified! I am guessing she will have approximately a 15-minute warm-up prior to her classes, so look for her in the warm-up arena!

Everyone is welcome to come meet Faith in the barn! We will be located at one end of Barn G, (remember G for Greenwood!) Come by, tell us you're one of her fans and we will gladly take her out so you and your families can meet her in person! She will be there during the entire duration of the fair, so it doesn't matter what day you come by to visit. (PS if you have your picture taken with her, email it to me and have it posted here on the blog!)

This is what the outside end of our barn will look like:

Here is a map of the fairgrounds (click to enlarge!) We are located at the red "X" in the top left corner.

We hope to see you all there!

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My Holiday Weekend

2009-09-10T10:56:00.000-04:00

Dan and I worked hard over Labor Day weekend and got a lot accomplished here at the farm. We also had a chance to get away and enjoy a nice day in the Northern part of the state.

Saturday consisted of chores, chores and more chores! We changed some paddocks around which including digging new holes for posts, installing a new gate, and reconfiguring our fencing. It took a while, but came out great and will make life around here a bit easier!

Since our little piglets are ready to go out on their own, we also "piggie-proofed" the small paddock that we have for our farm critters. We made sure there were no areas where the little ones could escape. The piglets are enjoying their time outside and are doing their best to make friends with the goats. (The goats are not impressed.)

Sunday was great! We woke up bright and early, fed animals and then hit the road with our hiking gear! We drove 90 minutes north to Mount Major in Alton Bay, NH.

There's me, heading up a steep pass...

At the top, enjoying a gorgeous view!

On the way back we stopped at the Hopkinton Fair. Below is a picture of myself meeting "Barry", a 12-year-old ox that weighs in at 3,150 pounds. His back is 6'3"!

I'm not a big fan of Llamas, but this one was just soooo funny looking! Talk about a bad haircut!

We have been working on our preparations for the Deerfield Fair. I will be posting show times soon! It looks like we will have quite a few of Faith's Fans coming to meet her and watch her compete!

Who is planning on attending the fair and meeting Faith? Let us know in the comments below!

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Channel 9 News Update!

2009-09-08T14:34:00.004-04:00

* * * * UPDATE * * * *

It may not appear until the 11pm broadcast instead!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For all of our blog followers in New Hampshire, please tune in to the News at 6pm on Channel 9 this evening. I just got off of the phone with Heather Hamel from WMUR and they will be running an update on Faith tonight!

I will post a link to their website once it is available! Stay tuned!

~Julie

Faith back on February 25th, 2009

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-06T19:50:00.001-04:00

"Charlie" the girl pig wishes everyone a Happy Labor Day!

How freaking adorable is she?!

Join Us on Facebook!

2009-09-05T16:45:00.005-04:00

After months of listening to my friends and students whine that I didn't have a Facebook account, I finally gave in and set one up a few days ago!

Feel free to friend request me by going to http://www.facebook.com/ and searching "Julie Hersey". Look for my picture and send me a request!

Dan and I will be enjoying our time together tomorrow by going for an early morning mountain climb and then up to a local county fair.

I hope everyone has a relaxing, fun and safe holiday weekend!

Linus's New Package!

2009-09-04T23:31:00.002-04:00

Shoeing package, of course! Absolutely no pun intended... Ok, maybe a little, but it's late and I'm functioning on an overwhelming lack of sleep. Moving on...

As we all know, Linus is a Thoroughbred. Anyone who is familiar with horses knows that this breed is certainly not known for the quality of their hooves. They are bred to run, and the physical quality of the animal nearly always takes a backseat to their speed on the track. Thoroughbreds today are typically thin-soled, have a poor quality of hoof wall, and are prone to abscesses, stone bruises and other hoof-related soundness issues. This has occurred after years of breeding plans that had little to no concern regarding the long term health of the animal.

After months of evaluations and researching his history, it was determined that since Linus is going to be used for arena and trail work, he would benefit from shoes and pads. Besides the obvious protection that the shoes will give him, pads were deemed necessary to help protect his soles, and an angle increase via a wedge pad to balance his hoof/pastern angle.

Brad Erickson and I have the same goals: we want to allow Linus to continue out his many remaining years as healthy as possible. Linus is nearly done with his rehabilitation and we want to do everything possible to keep him comfortable, happy and sound. Brad showed up yesterday and the pictures below tell the story of his hoof makeover!

This is what we started with... (And by "we" I mean Brad. I had absolutely nothing to do with this amazing transformation besides asking 1,000,000 questions, all of which Brad graciously and thoroughly answered.)

Brad begins to work on Linus's hooves. He had an under run, slightly contracted heel to deal with, as well as a few blemishes from past injuries and his neglect. Overall for a Thoroughbred, Brad was impressed with the depth of his soles and his hoof walls.

Front left hoof, before the trim...

And after the trim!

The right front hoof before the trim...

And after the trim!

Brad used a 3-degree wedge pad to increase Linus's angles. His heels were under run and we needed to increase his hoof angle to better match his pasterns. These pads are also perforated to allow for a pour-in pad that will help support the frog while helping to reduce the likelihood of thrush.

Pouring in the Equi-Pad CS...

A view of the pad as it dries...

Finishing up the right front pour-in pad... (Notice how shiny Linus's coat is!)

Just as a reminder, this is what this hoof looked like before...

...and this is the final product! (That's the same hoof, I swear!) The hoof is now well balanced and well supported, and there is a huge improvement in the hoof and pastern angles.

Brad, thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to our animals! We all appreciate everything you have done for Faith and Linus. Neither of these horses would have made such amazing recoveries without your knowledgeable and dedicated service!

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NH Equine Rescue 911

2009-09-03T22:39:00.002-04:00

This post is long overdue for publishing, but many have asked for more info and to see pictures, so here goes! WARNING: Graphic photos below, but a happy ending!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Around 6am on July 31st, we received a phone call from the Derry Police dispatcher stating that there were a few police officers in our driveway that wanted to speak with Dan and I immediately. Thinking something terrible had happened, we ran downstairs to find out.

Apparently two horses were loose down the street from us and their first question was to find out if they were ours. We did a quick headcount and were relieved when all of our horses were where they were the previous evening. It was the second comment that the officers made that made me laugh out loud... "Well, we don't know what to do with the loose horses and we're too scared to go near them, so do you mind coming with us to help us catch them?"

I grabbed halters, leads and a bucket of grain, then jumped in the truck with Dan and headed down the street. Two draft-cross geldings were about 200 yards off of the main road, in a field behind a restaurant. The black gelding was closest to me, so I began walking up to him. He was curious about me but not so enough to come my way. I shook the bucket of grain and his attention immediately refocused on me. He walked towards me and stopped about twenty feet away. Then he caught onto my intentions...

Within a split second he spun away from me and took off at a gallop. He let out a few big bucks, farted a handful of times, and bucked some more. The grey gelding picked up his head from grazing to watch his crazy friend, but thankfully didn't follow suit. Figuring that he would be the easier catch, I headed towards him, shook the bucket once and he eagerly walked up to me. When he stopped to put his head in the bucket, I hooked up my lead to his halter and rewarded him with a few bites of grain. One down, one naughty one to go.

I turned towards the black gelding with the grey gelding in tow. The black one wasn't going to let me get close enough to grab his halter. So I did the last thing he wanted me to do - I started leaving with his friend.

I turned the grey towards the main street and began walking back to my truck. It took maybe five seconds and the black gelding realized that being alone isn't fun. He already missed his buddy and we were only a short distance away. He trotted up to us, let me grab his halter and stood patiently while I hooked my other leadline up.

The police were still discussing with dispatch what to do with them. No one had called to claim them. All phonecalls to local farms were returned with no missing horses. We weren't going to hold them on the side of the road all morning, so we began walking them back to our farm. With a police escort, might I add.

Back at the farm, we turned them loose in the arena and gave them hay and water. They were more interested in rolling around and having a good time together, which was cute to see. They were an adorable pair - matched perfectly in height and size, identical with the exception of their color.

An hour later a trailer pulled up. The geldings' owners came up the driveway, thankful that we helped them out. They asked what we owed them, and I told them not to worry. I would hope someone would do the same for me. Later that day, I walked into the barn to see a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers with a note that said, "Thanks for taking care of our boys!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On August 7th, we received a call around midnight from the Derry Police. They told us that a horse was loose on Route 28 and wanted to know if it was ours. I ran downstairs and checked - all of ours were safe. The dispatcher again asked if we could assist them, stating that officers were located about 5 miles from our farm. Within five minutes my trailer was hooked up and I was heading down the road.

The dispatcher called back, gave me an exact location and also informed me on something they had previously forgotten to mention: the horse had been hit by a car. My heart dropped.

I headed down the hill and within minutes was at the scene. Two officers were there, one from Derry and one from Windham, the town to the south of us. The horse had apparently run south for quite a distance and crossed the town lines. They managed to corral him with cruisers, caught him and tied to a telephone pole. He was grazing on grass and seemed fairly content despite the ordeal he caused.

He was a Quarter Horse type gelding, a cute chestnut with a blaze and a few white socks. As I got closer, I saw the lacerations on his leg. Both were about 5-6 inches long, one on his forearm and one on the inside of his knee. He had quite a few other cuts, but none as serious.

As I headed back to get a halter and lead for him, I called Dr. George, explained the situation, and he agreed to come out and look at the horse. The officers then helped me load him into the trailer and back up to our farm we went. Again, with a police escort.

The gelding unloaded easily and we put him in a stall until Dr. George arrived. I gave him hay and water, but was hesitant to do much with him medically. I was reluctant to give him any medications, such as bute or banamine for the pain since I didn't know about his medical history or allergies. But he seemed rather comfortable, and since Dr. George was on his way, I figured he would be fine for the time being.

Dr. George showed up shortly thereafter and we pulled the gelding out of his stall. He asked about his mobility and I informed him that nothing appeared broken. He injected him with pain killers and tranquilizers, then pulled out his suture pack.

We chatted for a few minutes about what had happened to the gelding while the tranquilizer kicked in. During our brief conversation, we realized the poor guy didn't have a name. We agreed that we would have to name him after the car that hit him, but we didn't know the model so we started figuring out which one would sound most appropriate. Mustang? Too corny. Ram? Appropriate but he didn't look like one. Passat? It didn't suit him. I made a comment that whatever had hit him had to be small because it didn't do a lot of damage. We agreed that "Bug" would be his nickname for the night.

The tranquilizers kicked in, Bug was in his own drug-induced world, and the suturing began. He started with the one on Bug's knee. It was be difficult to suture because of the mobility of the joint, so he sutured in stints on either side of the laceration. Pulling them together, it would relieve the pressure from the sutures and allow the laceration to heal better. Next was the wound on his forearm. The skin was flipped back up and sutured into place.

His entire leg was bandaged heavily to limit movement. We put him back into a stall and kept him comfortable and happy for the rest of the evening. At that point in time - around 3am - no one had reported a missing horse to the police department.

Around 8am, shortly after putting our beloved Charlotte to sleep, "Bug's" owner showed up. She spoke with Dr. George and he informed them that he should make a full recovery. They thanked us profusely and offered to pay me for trailering him and nursing him through the night. I declined and told them that I would like to stop by and visit "Bug" when he was feeling better. (Bug wasn't his real name - we weren't even remotely close, actually.) A few hours later, a beautiful fruit "bouquet" was at my door from Edible Arrangements and a lovely note. It put a smile on my face despite the terrible night I had just been through.

I have learned quite a bit by working with the Police Department on these calls, and look forward to helping them out in the future. It's so rewarding to help out horses in need, and quite humorous to see grown men with guns afraid of them... :-)

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Faith's History

2009-08-27T21:05:00.001-04:00

This post is the one that we have all been for since February: Faith's true identity and an insight into her past. Sit down and make yourself comfortable, because this is quite surprising...

Last Saturday, while watching my horses warm up at a show, I received a phone call by a very nice lady who had a story she wanted to share with me. I leaned against the fence rail and took a deep breath. I knew where this phone call was going; I have been waiting for it for over 6 months...

She began the conversation by saying that her name was Katherine and she used to own one of my horses. She said that it took her a while to contact me, due in part because she felt guilty about the path that this horse's life took. My heart sank when she muttered the name, Capri.

I stood motionless against the fence, ignoring the horses schooling in front of me and the announcer's broadcasts. She then began the story that I have been waiting patiently to hear...

Back in 1991, she bought a Trakehner mare named Capri from Fox Horn Farm in Charlotte, Vermont. The mare had been shown on the Hunter Jumper circuit and was one of the top equitation horses in New England. She was spunky, had quite the attitude, and an even bigger buck to her. But she was elegant and refined, had a work ethic to die for, and she was beautiful. Katherine brought her home and taught the mare a new discipline: the art of dressage.

They worked as a team for over eleven years, through the thick and thin. Over a decade and three children later, Katherine could no longer keep the mare. She gave her away to a humane society in hopes that they would place her in good hands. Obviously her wish did not come true.

She told me about her personality and that she has always been considered a "grouch" in her stall. But that she was lovely to ride and was eager to work each day. They spent their time schooling in the arena and enjoying the trails together.

Katherine then told me that I had been wrong about a specific piece of information. "Faith" was not 17 years old as we suspected. She was not born in 1992. In fact, she was born the same year I was, in 1982. Yes, you read that correct...

This mare is twenty-seven years old.

I contacted the Trakehner registry yesterday and they confirmed that yes indeed, this is the same mare. Born in 1982, she is a daughter of the legendary stallion "Tannenberg" and out of a mare named "Carina". Her bloodlines are impeccable, her family is considered royalty; the more I read about them, the more I learn how valuable her lineage is to the Trakehner breed.

This is what has been said her sire:

Bred in 1966 by Dr Hans Dietrich of Wagner, Germany, Tannenberg was Reserve Champion of the 1968 Neumünster approvals. He was a popular sire in Germany until being imported to Canada in 1975. He has more approved Trakehner sons than any other ATA stallion, 10 German-bred and 1 American-bred. Among his German-bred sons were the well regarded Schiwago, Herztrumpf and Morgenstrahl. His American son Meistersinger *Ps* is a well respected FEI dressage horse and sire of FEI dressage horses.

The German Stallion Book provides the following comments:

Excellent in the type of the Trakehner horse with beautiful, masculine head; best position, length and carriage of the neck; good shoulder and good withers; harmonious body overall that is carried on four good, correct, sufficiently strong but a bit long legs; the midsection of the body is well-coupled to the forehand and hindquarters; particularly emphasized should be the broadly set hocks; his way of going is elevated and impulsive, very slightly paddling in front; in spite of his size he is very uniform overall and significant in his overall impression. His magnificent type is usually passed to his get, and so is the harmonious overall figure, with a rather good way of moving; good medium size is predominant.

Here is a picture of Faith's sire, the legendary Tannenberg:

I am glad to find out her true identity, but the phrase that keeps popping into my mind is, "if I knew then when I know now..."

Would the events of last February have been different if at the time I knew her real age? Would I have made the same decisions? I'm not certain I would have.

Granted, I'll never know for sure, but I do not think this story would have unfolded the way it did. If I had found her in that condition and knew she was 27 years old, I think I probably would have had her humanely euthanized.

Never in a million years would I think that a horse of that age, in that condition, would have been able to recover from being nearly starved to death. I would have thought that her condition would have been impossible for her to overcome. It is impossible, right?

What would you have done?

Thankfully, Faith kept quiet about her age, as any true lady does, and has made a miraculous recovery. Her story has continued to inspire, and does even more now that we know the real story behind this impressive, magical mare.

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Guess Faith's Age!

2009-08-26T11:03:00.002-04:00

The Dreamhorse.com ad worked! I was contacted a few days ago by one of Faith's former owners and found out a lot about her history. I will post the details tomorrow, but for the time being, I have a question for everyone who reads this blog...

We originally thought Faith was around 17 years old from her teeth. Granted, the fronts of most of her incisors are chipped or have large pieces missing, so it was pretty difficult to judge by them. But from what our vet thought, we guessed that she was born roughly around 1992.

So the question remains, how old do you think Faith is?

Let the comments begin!

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Linus is Back to Work!

2009-08-25T17:45:00.001-04:00

Today was the big day - Linus' first day back under saddle!

Let's start at the beginning... Linus came to us with two known "issues". First, we were informed that "he absolutely CANNOT be crosstied!". Supposedly he used to pull back and panic, but after a few days of working with him and teaching him to give to pressure, he stands nicely and behaves himself like the good boy he is.

The second thing we were told was that, "you cannot tighten his girth indoors." Well, come to find out, it's not where you tighten his girth but with what force you choose to do so. As long as his girth is tightened incrementally, Linus is fine. He doesn't blow out, or up, and stays quiet and relaxed. I have been working on this with him diligently over the past few weeks, and he has done wonderfully.

So today was the big day...

We put Linus on the crossties, gave him a good grooming and made him shine. He enjoyed every part of it, especially having his butt scratched. (Some things will never make sense to me, I guess!) Lucy put on her riding boots, strapped a helmet to her head, and the three of us headed off towards the arena.

I walked him around while tightening his girth a hole at a time and he was fine. No bolting, no sucking in, no rocking back on his hindquarters. He just needs to be handled slowly, that's all. The girth was tight enough, and with an easy leg up and Lucy was in the saddle. Linus stood like a gentleman and waited for her cue.

They began walking around the arena and within a few moments, he dropped his head down and relaxed. He seemed comfortable with the day's activities, content to be back to work, happy to have a purpose again...

After a while they picked up a trot. It was difficult at first - Linus really isn't in a hurry to go anywhere and Lucy's short legs weren't very convincing to him. It took a lot of squeezing, a lot of clicking and eventually he decided he couldn't stall any longer and picked up a cute little suspended trot. A little squeeze back on the reins and a "whoa" and Linus went right back into a relaxed walk.

We reversed direction and asked for both gaits again. It still took a bit of convincing, but he eventually decided he would give us another trot. After that came our final test - the canter. After seeing how lazy he was at the trot, I had really low expectations of him actually picking up the canter without the use of an artificial aid. But, as fate may have it, he not only picked it up, but stepped into it beautifully from the walk!

His canter was... different. Not how I would expect a 16.1 hand horse to move, but cute nonetheless. He naturally stays very collected and is a smooth but lofty mover. Lucy said he felt different than our other horses, but she liked it.

Although we haven't taken him out yet, we have heard from his previous owners that he was a quiet, trustworthy mount that used to carry 6-year-olds on the trails. After what I saw today, I wouldn't doubt any part of that.

The good news is that Linus is sound and ready to return to an easy lifestyle of being a family horse! The sad news is that we are hoping to find him a good home and he may be leaving our farm here.

We hope that over the next few weeks of working with him under saddle more, that he will be ready for a new home by the end of September. I am hoping that I will be able to find a family that will be able to adopt him or lease him long term. The "perfect home" comes in many shapes and sizes, but my biggest concern is that he is well-taken care of, and of course, adored like the sweetie he is. He deserves it.

The positive side to Linus's moving on is that this will open up room at our farm here to take on another rescue case if one should come this way.

If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in giving Linus a perfect, long term home, please contact me at greenwoodstables@aol.com
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On The Road Again

2009-08-22T18:04:00.003-04:00

In preparation for Faith's "debut" in October, we decided to haul her to the showgrounds today to let her get accustomed to the scenery. The fairgrounds are scary enough without the crowds, so this was a good opportunity for her to get used to the arena without as much commotion.

This was the first time we have trailered her since we brought her home in February, and I must say I was quite a bit skeptical as to how willingly she would load... and behave. Sure enough, the old lady stepped right on without even the slightest hesitation!

We had three horses going to the showgrounds this morning, and therefore needed to bring our bigger slant-load, step-up trailer. Faith waited patiently as we had to make some adjustments for her - she is too large to fit in a single stall, so we had to move the partitions back so she could fit comfortably.

Faith made the 30 minute trip wonderfully. She rode quietly and didn't seem the least bit nervous or sweaty when we unloaded her. The only thing that was a little bit of an issue was stepping down from the trailer. It was a little difficult for her, so the next time we trailer her we'll put her in our two-horse that has a ramp.

Much to my surprise, Faith was very quiet and well-behaved. She stood tied to the trailer for about 20 minutes while we brushed her, wrapped her and tacked her up. I led her towards the warm up arena and she willingly followed, stopping once to whinny and again to look for boogey-monsters in the trash can.

My good friend Courtney graciously offered to school Faith for me. Courtney and I have been buddies for quite a while, Courtney coming from a background of showing Hunter/Jumper warmbloods and myself coming from a background of showing Morgan and Arab hunter pleasure on the flat horses. Needless to say, our styles are quite different, but it makes for interesting conversation. We have learned a lot from each other. She can now canter with her butt in the saddle; I now have a better understanding of "hunter hair". I no longer use show bows or stock pins; she now tolerates a bit of "bling" on her show outfits and no longer ties her number with a shoestring. It's all about compromise. We're a fun pair. :-)

Faith getting used to the scenery...

Faith looking at a small crowd that gathered to watch her...

She looks interested in her new surroundings, but still relaxed...

Courtney being a wise-ass and practicing her long crest release... (This horse's days of schooling over fences are long gone, but her rider today has a great sense of humor!)

Schooling at the trot...

Courtney practicing her "perfect 30-degree upper body position" that her idol George Morris requires...

A focused team...

A content pair, both with smiles on their faces...

Cooling out in the field. The sign may say "2", but we all know that faith is #1...

Courtney looks at home on a warmblood again...

Enjoying a well-deserved peppermint...

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We Celebrate 200 Days with Faith

2009-08-21T09:06:00.000-04:00

Two hundred days ago she was on the verge of death with little hope of survival. Two hundred days ago she had nearly given up hope. Two hundred days ago, I nearly did too...

Over the course of time, I have witnessed what I consider a miracle. What I saw was an animal determined to survive, refusing to give up, and driven to overcome her past. She was bent on proving everyone wrong, that she could rise above the immoralities that had been done to her. And she has.

Two hundred days later, I have amazing news to share...

Faith will be attending a horse show. Our Faith.

On Friday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 4th, she will be competing in the Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation division at the Deerfield Fair. This show is one of the biggest open shows in our area and will be held at the fairgrounds in Deerfield, New Hampshire. Lucy will be showing her and has been practicing diligently to prepare for the event.

We are not going into this with any hopes of ribbons, trophies or prizes. We are going into this to prove that overcoming challenges is attainable, no matter how bad the situation may be.

Faith will be at the horse show all weekend, and we would love for people to come by and meet her in person. We are located at one end of Barn G, (think "G" for Greenwood) and will have our drapes and display set up for all to see, complete with flowers and pictures of our horses. Perhaps there may even be a picture on our wall of a dark bay mare with a story to tell...

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Two Weeks Without Sleep...

2009-08-20T14:41:00.003-04:00

Our little piggies are still going strong! They are all doing quite well and are growing very fast. They have at least tripled in size and get bigger with each passing day!

They have graduated from eating every two hours to eating every three. Lucky me... We recently have offered their milk in bowls instead of using the "Nanny". They are quickly learning how to drink from them, but still prefer the bottles. Also, we have slowly introduced them to a piglet grain mash made with goat's milk and they have some interest in it. Although they seem to enjoy digging through it as opposed to eating it, but it will come in time.

Our dear friend Renee (who helped with Linus' rescue and recovery) has helped once again with our piglets! She found a lady with goat's milk and brought us nine frozen gallons of it. A special thanks to Lucy and her goats who helped our little ones survive!

I had time to take a short video clip of the piglets last night. The last few seconds of the clip are hilarious. Our littlest piglet, Alex, has a tendency to fall asleep after he eats. Watch what he does at the end! Enjoy!

Faith is doing well! We have been working with her under saddle about 3 times a week to help build up her muscles in her back and hindquarters. She has remained sound thus far - knock on wood!

Linus is also doing well. He is putting weight on nicely and is still as sweet as ever. We have plans of starting him under saddle within the next couple of weeks to evaluate him under saddle. I will have pictures online for everyone to see his progress!

Here's a question for our readers...

Let's just pretend for a second that Faith was going to a horse show and needed a "show name". What do you think would be fitting of her? I have one in mind, but look forward to hearing your creative names!

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Our Little Piggies...

2009-08-12T14:05:00.004-04:00

Little Gracie and Edwin

This past week has been stressful to say the least. I am both mentally and physically exhausted and desperately need a vacation.

Here is an update of what has happened over the past week:

Last Thursday night at five minutes til midnight I was awoken by the Derry Police saying that a horse had been hit by a car on Route 28 and they needed assistance. As I was heading downstairs to get the trailer hitched up, I noticed that Charlotte had a companion in the stall with her and that labor had obviously begun. I brought the horse back to our farm and Dr. George came to stitch him up. I never posted about it because of the next day's events, but eventually I will get around to sharing the story and posting pictures.

Friday... Well, Friday just sucked. Everyone knows what happened and I'm still heartbroken about it.

On Saturday, the transmission in my truck went.

Sunday we lost three of the piglets. We're not sure why, but oxygen deprivation seems to be the culprit. Piglets only have a 50/50 chance at survival when they are orphaned. We brought them into our house and put them in a basket under a heat lamp. For 12 hours through the night we tried to nurse them back to health but to no avail. We now have five left.

Deep breath...

Our remaining piglets are: Alex, Charlie, Duke, Edwin and Grace. Grace has a permanent home here and hopefully she will grow up to be just like her mom. Here are some pictures that will hopefully put a smile on everyone's face...

Charlie...

Alex...

Duke...

Grace...

Edwin...

Charlie and Alex taking a snooze together under the heat lamp...

Miranda helping Alex nurse with Charlie in front of her and Grace climbing up her leg...

Beautiful Gifts

2009-08-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

The piglets are doing well; myself and my "crew" are beyond exhausted. The last few days have been happy, sad, exciting and exhausting all at once, but worth every second.

Our piglet count is down to eight. Two of the "c-section" babies grew very weak, went off milk, and never recovered. If memory serves me correctly, I believe that they were the last two pulled out, and even though Dan and Dr. George worked at lightning speed to save them, the two piglets may have been deprived of oxygen in their final moments before their birth. (There is a term for it, and I am falling asleep typing this and can't think straight, so if anyone wants to chime in with a quick vocab lesson, it would be greatly appreciated!)

The piglets are currently being bottle fed every two hours with goat's milk. We are running low in supply and have powered milk replacer ready if need be, but are currently looking for another supplier. If anyone knows a goat milk supplier in the vicinity of Derry, NH, please let me know!

Dan spent the second half of the night with the piglets last night so I could get some sleep. It was cute to walk in and see one piglet in each of his arms sucking on bottles, and two fast asleep on his lap.

I think the lack of sleep has finally gotten to him though... Dan used to build custom furniture for a living and decided to put his brainpower and creativity to work last night. He constructed what I refer to as the "Nanny". This thing is basically a wooden bottle holder that somewhat resembles the shape of a pig. It is braced on each end and has two long boxes on either side of it, both with five holes cut out of the bottoms. We warm the milk bottles up, place the bottles into the slots, the nipples pop out the bottoms, and presto! Just like that, the little piggies can nurse at their leisure! So far only half of them have figured out what this contraption does. The others we have to hold while they feed.

Miranda, Nicole and Lucy have slept over the past few days here and are absolutely wonderful helpers. They quickly learned how to prepare the milk, warm the bottles and bottle feed squirmy, squealing piglets. Camelia and Lilly, two of my younger students and their mom Liz stopped by today to help out as well.

The piglets are as follows:
Alex - a black piglet with a small white band around his back and white front legs. He was the first born.
Bertha - a redhaired lady who is a spitting image of her mom! She does NOT like to be held while being bottle fed. She squeals like a... well, pig.
Charlie - a black piglet with a wide white band across her back and white front legs. (Yes, "Charlie" is a she. The name stuck before we realized our mistake...) She is by far the most annoying of the group! She is pushy and loud, squeals at a pitch that makes your ears ring, and the biggest of the bunch.
Duke - a black piglet with a narrow white band across his back and white front legs. He also has a cute white spot on the end of his little snout. He was delivered by myself (let me tell you, that was an experience I will never forget...)
Edwin - a solid black piglet who is the smartest and was the first to figure out how to use the"Nanny". He is an easy keeper and pretty social.
Ferdinand (aka Boo-boo) - a solid black piglet who is the runt of the litter. He was born with a small scrape on the inside of his front left leg, hence the nickname "Boo Boo". He is tiny, built awkwardly and resembles a very miniature elephant...
Grace - a beautiful red haired girl. She falls asleep nursing and could sleep through a war. She pounds drinks back like you read about - we may need to sign her up for AA... Or as Miranda says, MA.
Hilda - our only "pinto" piglet! She is light red with white and sounds like a duck quacking.

Here is a picture of the first piglet born snuggling to keep warm, and the last one we have of Charlotte, content and happy being a mom, if only for a short time...

Although her loss tears me up, Charlotte gave us eight final beautiful gifts...

Sad News...

2009-08-07T21:35:00.003-04:00

I am writing this post with tears in my eyes... It has been a long day but I finally have a few minutes to get everyone updated. I have had 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours and I apologize for the short, unedited post.

Charlotte started delivering her first litter of piglets around midnight. The first two came out fine, but then she needed help with the next three. Unfortunately piglet number 5 was stuck and after hours of trying to free him, we knew that he was not going to pass through and that Charlotte wasn't going to make it... We made the heartwrenching decision to euthanize her. It was tough, but we knew there were no other options. A c-section at that point wasn't possible. :-(

After she quietly passed, Dr. George and Dan worked quickly and took the remaining six more piglets from her. The one who was stuck in the birth canal had a broken jaw and needed to be put down. Altogether, we have ten surviving piglets that are now orphans and need to be bottle fed every 90 minutes...

They are doing well and are adorable. They are all different colors, red, black, pink, brown, some with white, some without. There is a special little solid red-haired female piglet in the litter that I am taking a liking to...

I am off to feed them now, then head to bed for an hour and go back downstairs to feed again. I will post as soon as I have time.

Rest in peace, Charlotte. We will always miss you...

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If Charlotte had a seam...

2009-08-06T22:34:00.000-04:00

...she would burst open at it!

Still no piglets! We are getting closer though. She has begun to nest and is becoming restless. And she is getting more and more talkative! Every time I go into her stall she grunts and oinks until I scratch her favorite spot behind her ears. She has bagged up pretty well but still hasn't secreted any milk, so we are still at least a few hours off. Hopefully I will have some good news in the morning!

The kids have finally decided upon a naming system. We're doing it alphabetically and have chosen both girl and boy names for each letter. They are: Abby or Alex, Bertha or Brett, Cindy or Charlie, Daisy or Duke, Elsie or Edwin, Fergie or Ferdinand, Grace or Garron, Hilda or Humphrey, Isabella or Ike, Josie or Jimmy, Kelly or Kent and Lucille or Lloyd.

Thanks for all of the comments and advice! Her stall is set up with a corner of it blocked off so the piglets have a safe place to lay so they won't get squished. There is a heat lamp set up and ready to go once our new arrivals finally decide to get here. It is right next to a heat and smoke detector, which is on the same alarm system as our house.

We will be up again checking in on her every hour tonight. I have the first shift at midnight...

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No Piglets Yet...

2009-08-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

...but Charlotte is getting very close to delivering! She is resting comfortably in her stall with fresh water, hay and grain within easy reach. It has been hot the past few days here, so she has a fan hanging on her door to help keep her cool. My students have kept a close eye on her, making sure she's comfortable and happy.

She started bagging up a few days ago, then took a bit of a break, and now has slowly begun to continue. She has begun to go off feed and hasn't been eating as much as she normally would, which is another sign that delivery is getting closer.

Whisper_the_wind left an interesting comment about the mothering nature of pigs. Would you mind sharing more of your insight? Any advice on delivery and caring for the newborns? I'm new to this and could use all of the help I can get! Also, if anyone else has any words of wisdom or stories, please leave a comment!

Tomorrow is the full moon, so I am guessing she will deliver tomorrow night. For now, we just sit back and wait for nature to take it's course...

Also, if anyone would like to come down to see the farm and meet Faith, Linus, Charlotte and all of our other "famous" critters, you are more than welcome! We love visitors!

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The Story of a Piglet

2009-08-04T10:10:00.001-04:00

A quick update on Faith and Linus and then an entertaining story about one of our farm's residents!

Linus has started to put weight back on again. The vets reassured me that he probably lost a bit due to the stress of his surgery. We have increased his feed slightly and are closely monitoring him!

Faith is getting another set of radiographs viewed by Dr. Barnes again. We will hopefully have a plan with what do regarding her knee within the next day or two.

I did receive a phone call last week from a woman stating that she may have known Faith when she was four. I put in a phone call to the farm and am waiting to connect with the woman who may have possibly owned her. The suspense is killing me!

Brad Erickson will be out today at eleven to trim and shoe them.

Also, I have exciting news that I will be sharing next week with everyone! Stay tuned!

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Last fall, an animal came into my life that would forever leave a mark. Her name is Charlotte, and here is her story.

On September 28, 2008 we were packing up from a long horse show weekend. A student of mine happily informed me that he was chosen to participate in the pig scramble at the fair. I told him congratulations and wished him luck. Then came the question that I dreaded, yet somehow knew was coming... "If I catch a pig, can I keep it at your barn, Julie?"

Now, we travel to many shows and fairs each year. I have seen quite a few pig scrambles in my years, with the results of many favoring the piglets. You see, even though piglets are small, they are fast. And they are strong. It's quite difficult for an adult to catch and keep hold of a squealing, squirming piglet, let alone a child. There was no way that he was going to actually catch one, right?

"Of course you can," I replied to him. What was I going to do with a pig, anyway? Just to give you more insight onto my knowledge of the swine culture, here are the three things that I knew about pigs before Charlotte came into my life: They have curly tails. They make cute noises. And they are super tasty! :-) You see, I have never had a pig before. Nor did I ever think that I would. I tend to prefer "fluffy" pets...

I arrived back to my barn a few hours later, unloaded horses and began unpacking the trailer. I received a text message on my phone. It read, "What would you like to name your pig?" I assumed it was a joke and kept doing my work. Then came a text from another student's father. He had stayed with a bunch of my students to watch the scramble. "Julie, you really own a pig now. Think of any names yet? From, Mike"

Forty-five minutes later, Mike's pickup truck pulled into the yard. Out popped my student, a big smile on his face, holding a burlap bag. At first, I was sure they were only joking. Then the bag started moving and oinking.

He carried it into my barn and gently placed it down onto the shavings in a freshly cleaned stall. Out popped a little red-haired piglet. I couldn't believe my eyes. I also couldn't stop laughing. In front of me was the cutest piglet I had ever seen!

At first, we decided to name the piglet "Wilbur" from Charlotte's Web. Then I checked and realized that she was in fact a girl, and we quickly made the change to "Charlotte". The name fit her well.

Thankfully, Charlotte came with a bag of grain and an instruction manual. I kid you not. It was a few pages in length and had great information in it. The first half of the manual explained how to care for her. The second half focused on when and how to butcher her. Gross...

So we made the decision right there and then that we didn't need the second half of the manual. Charlotte wouldn't be eaten, and until we could figure out something to do with her, she was here to stay.

Charlotte learned her name very quickly. Once it was spoken, you could hear her oinking in her stall. She was very friendly and enjoyed human interaction. At night, she would push all of the shavings in her stall into one corner and drag all of her hay on top of it. Then she would take the sack she was brought home in and place that on top of everything. We would peek into her stall to find only her curly tail sticking out from underneath the pile. She stayed warm in her little nest and would sleep into the morning hours when we woke her up.

I eventually trusted her enough to let her out in the yard, and she would follow me around every morning while I turned horses out and fed. She would run from stall to stall as I cleaned them out, sucking up the last bits of grain off of the floor. She kept me laughing and was pretty entertaining company.

However, I felt bad for her. She was used to living with her brothers and sisters, and was now in a new place with no friends. I decided it was time, and I brought the dogs out to meet her. She instantly took a liking to them, but they weren't quite sure what to do with her.

Charlotte walked right up to Molly and sniffed her nose. Molly turned to look at me with a puzzled "do I eat it or play with it?" look on her face. Ginger thought she was pretty cool and tried to get her new swine friend to partake in a game of chase. After a few minutes, Charlotte realized what the objective was, and took off running with them!

The next half hour was comical. The pig would chase the dogs. The dogs would turn and chase the pig. The pig would turn and chase the dogs... You get the idea.

Although Charlotte enjoyed the company of my dogs, it was my dad's dog that she fell in love with.

"Mikey" was a puppy that we rescued for him in December of 2007. Our family's old dog passed away a few years ago, and my father informed us that he was "too busy" for a dog and didn't want another. But the hints kept coming, and soon we heard of a little german shepard mutt that was at a kill shelter down south. A few phone calls were made and Mikey arrived two weeks before Christmas. On Christmas Day, we put a big red bow around his neck, opened the door to my dad's house, and sent him inside. They have been inseparable ever since! (I'll do an article on him sometime, too. His story is inspiring!)

Back to Charlotte...

Charlotte took a fond liking to Mikey, and they played with each every time Mikey came to visit. Their friendship was picture perfect...

I ended up putting them together in a power point presentation and Mike (Charlotte's "Dad") put them online for everyone to see! (It's a big file and it may take a while to load!) http://home.comcast.net/~thejuddz/pig.ppt

Charlotte grew bigger and bigger each day. Every Sunday morning after we did our barn chores, Dan would weigh her. She weighed in at a whopping 14 pounds when she first came to us. As the weeks went on, her weight gained averaged about 11 pounds per week. That's over a pound and a half a day. She quickly became too large for Dan to pick up, so we found a formula online and began using that to chart her progress. She hit the 200 pound mark by Valentine's Day, 300 pound mark by Mother's Day, and now she clocks in at a hair under 400 pounds. And she's only a year old!

Charlotte is very friendly and exceptionally intelligent! She is by far the smartest animal I have ever had the pleasure of caring for. She lives in a paddock with our two goats and our donkey, Dominic. They have their own 10X10 stall that they go in and out of, plus the goats have their own house they sleep in. Charlotte and Dominic get along quite well and frequently take naps laying next to each other.

A few months back, after calculating how much Charlotte was costing us to feed, we decided to breed her. The piglets can be sold and will pay for her grain for the rest of the year. After some searching, we found a very handsome, solid black husband for her, creatively named "Midnight", who tipped the scales at 525 pounds. Things went well with them, they did what needed to be done, and then he went back to his home in Massachusetts.

That was four months ago. Today, Charlotte is nearing the end of her pregnancy. Although we never had her ultrasounded, we knew that her interaction with Midnight worked. She never went back into heat, which was our first major clue. About three weeks after she was bred, she went from eating 5 quarts of grain each day to 13. Her activity decreased and when she wasn't eating, she was sleeping. And snoring. She snores very, very loudly!

As many of you may know, pigs enjoy a roll in the mud and water. It helps them stay cool and protects their skin from the sun. That combined with the fact that Charlotte is pregnant, we figured we'd do a little something special for her. We were given a child's pool a few weeks back, so we dug a hole in her paddock, put the pool in it and filled it with water. Needless to say, she just loves her very own inground pool....

Charlotte is due to deliver her piglets roughly between today, August 4th and Saturday, August 8th. We have temporarily moved her back into a stall in the barn so we can keep a closer eye on her. She has begun bagging up and the milk production means she is getting close to delivering. We are having a full moon on the 6th, so my money is on her delivering that evening.

She could have up to 14 piglets, but typically their first litter is a bit smaller. I think that she's going to have nine piglets, Dan is betting on ten. We have been trying to come up with names, but nothing has stuck with us yet. Does anyone have any ideas? I was thinking, "Ham," "Bacon," "Sausage," and "Pork Chop", but my students don't approve...

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Mystery History

2009-07-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

Faith's history has always been a mystery to us. When we found her, she was a lost soul who was in desperate need of many things; medical attention, feed, compassion, love. But she wasn't always this way. She was someone in the past, and now we're going to try to find out who she was.

As a recap of everything on this blog, here is what we know about her:

=> The name she came with was "Capri".

=> 16.3 hand mare, solid bay with no white markings, and a noticeably clubbed left front foot.

=> We were told she was a Trakehner. The American Trakehner Association will do a DNA test for her, however they cannot search the entire registry. We would need to know either Faith's name or a sire or dam's name,and then they would be able to confirm it for us.

=> She definitely had a foal, but more than likely two or three.

=> She was owned by Doug Daniels in Loudon, NH from roughly October 2009 through February 2009. She was purchased as a gaming horse for his daughter to compete.

=> Prior to that we believe she was owned by Roger Eastman, also of Loudon. From that point backwards, we know nothing about her history. Neither Roger nor Doug are willing to release any information on her.

=> From what we have learned about her by a combination of watching her under saddle and her obvious physical issues, it is clear as day that someone spent a lot of time training and, more than likely, competing her.

This mare was seen by a lot of people at one point in her life, and now it's up to us to find one of them! In an effort to spread the word, we have created a Dreamhorse.com page for Faith. Please pass this link along to every horse person you know - someone out there knows this mare and where she came from! Help us find out who she was!

http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1435069

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Linus: Fat Vs. Happy?

2009-07-23T22:35:00.005-04:00

I am halfway through our most busy season of the year, and I'm shockingly still smiling...for now! July and August here at the farm are just crazy, but everything is going fairly smoothly. :-)

Faith and Linus are doing great! We are still waiting to hear from our vet regarding a plan of action for her knee lameness. I will let everyone know once I do!

Linus's surgery site is healing quite well. He is, however, starting to lose a bit of weight. He had been gaining quite easily and had put on about 65 pounds, but has appeared to have hit a slump. The only difference lately is that he has been receiving a lot more turnout time with Faith in order to keep him happy. The extra exercise is having a negative effect on his weight gain. As many of you know, he is a weaver, so the more turnout he gets the happier he is. Grouchy horses are a pain in the butt, and since Faith has enough attitude for our entire crew, we figured Linus would benefit from the fresh air! Now we need to find some way to balance it out a bit so we can fatten him up.

He is currently receiving about 8 quarts of grain twice per day, a combination of senior feed and a high protein and high carb, easily digestible pellet. They also have free choice hay, and each consume about 4-5 flakes a day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Exciting news: I will have a link ready for everyone by tomorrow (hopefully!) and it will help us find out more about Faith's past. More to come!

Faith and I, May 2009

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Back from the Show!

2009-07-20T14:45:00.002-04:00

We just got back from the American Saddlebred Association of Maine Horse Show and had a great weekend! More information to be posted soon, but for now, enjoy a video of one of the highlights of our weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZgv8Y2UiOA

Congrats to Nicole and "SB Cookies N Cream"!

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eBay Auctions!

2009-07-15T20:06:00.002-04:00

We recently put on a LOT of auctions on eBay to help us raise money for Faith and Linus's ongoing care. Take a moment to check out our auctions and if you see something you like, put a bid on it!

View Our Auction Items Here

To everyone who reads this blog, thank you for your continued support! We have had over 52,000 hits on this site since February!

Thanks always,
Julie, Faith and Linus!

Anyone Looking for a Pony?

2009-07-15T12:55:00.002-04:00

I figured our readers could help us out on this one...

A week before Christmas in 2007, I stopped by an auction to look at some saddles and tack for sale. I, like every other horse lover, just had to walk through the horse barns to see what would be going through the sale. There were draft horses, donkeys, a few ranch horses there. Nothing caught my eye, and I headed back down the aisle towards the auction ring.

Just before turning into the arena, I peered into a dark, shadowed stall to see two eyes looking back at me intently. In the back corner of the narrow pony stall was a little black figure who was obviously confused and downright scared. I stood there for a few minutes in an attempt to get him to come towards me. He stood rigid in the darkness and as I moved my hand towards him, he began trembling with fear. It broke my heart, but from what I could see, he was cute and I figured he would go to a good home.

A half an hour later the pony hit the sale floor. He entered the arena and stopped, his eyes bulging out of his petite forehead. A sharp tug on his lead rope by a six-foot-tall, rough-looking farmer, and the pony cautiously tried to match his big stride.

Conformationally, he was built nicely. He had a short back, straight legs and a beautiful, chiseled head. The teeny-tiny ears that were perched on top of his head were barely visible through his fluffy forelock. His was overweight and obviously hadn't missed many meals lately. He had a lofty little gait to him and appeared sound. He was also just adorable. He was solid black, about 12 hands tall, and had the fluffiest mane and tail that I had ever seen.

The auctioneer started the bidding at $1,000. No hands went up. He called out $750. Nothing. $500? No one even flinched. The price continued to drop. Finally at $100, one hand rose from the back of the room. I glanced over and my heart sank. The kill buyer.

I waited for someone to contest him, but no one moved. The silence was eerie, the only thing overriding it was the increasing heartbeat that was racing in my chest. I looked left and right, but no one had any interest in him. Right before the gavel hit, I raised my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the kill buyer turn his head towards me. I can only assume he was surprised and angry, but I kept my focus straight ahead. He quickly bid against me and we played this back and forth game until I was up over the "price-per-pound". I signed a little yellow slip and the little black Christmas pony was all mine.

I have never purchased a horse from an auction before. Since I wasn't planning on coming home with anything with fur on it, the pony had to wait for me to come back the next day.

A farm worker met me in front of the barn with him. As I took his lead and we headed towards the trailer, I noticed that he kept his eyes glued to me the entire time. Waiting for the ramp on the trailer to go down, I reached out to touch his face and he quickly shied away from me. I walked onto the trailer and he followed willingly, and back to New Hampshire we went.

On the way home, a few of my students and I discussed name choices for him. Keeping with the fact that all of our animals here have human names, he would be "Teddy Bear," or "Teddy" for short. Seeing that I have no use for a pony, my plan was to try him out and eventually place him in a good home.

Teddy arrived home and was put into a stall. He quickly lunged for the hay and began a process of munching away on his hay and stretching up to look out the window in his stall. A few hours later, as I was closing the barn up for the night, I took a step inside his stall to check on his water. It was then that I realized what his "issue" was. He was petrified of people.

The second he heard the latch on his door move, his head jolted up and his eyes bulged. As the door began to slide open, he spun towards the back of his stall. It was when I slowly stepped one foot inside that I had hit the button: he tried crawling up and out of the back of his stall.

I stood motionless and calmly said, "whoa, little fella," a few times. After a minute or two, he eventually looked at me and stopped trying to find a way out. His eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, and he was beginning to sweat. Knowing that I had a long process in front of me, I bent down and leaned up against the side of his stall, trying to find a somewhat comfortable position while still being able to move in an instant. He looked at me and snorted. I responded to him the same way.

About five minutes later, he took one step towards me, his head pointed straight at mine, ears forward, nostrils flared. Another minute brought another step. And another. And another. He sniffed at my leg, his weight shifted back on his haunches prepared to turn and run. As I opened my mouth to say, "easy buddy," I learned how quickly the little guy could move. He backed up as fast as he could, slamming his butt into the wall, then spun to face it. I remained where I was and kept talking to him. He turned back towards me, still curious. This time the steps he took were closer together.

A half an hour passed. My legs were starting to cramp and I needed to move. He had sniffed my entire body again and seemed OK with me. But every time I did something even as small and scratch my , he would flinch and immediately go backwards. Eventually, I slowly stood up and he did not panic. He stood there like a statue, trembling the entire time, but his flight response had waned.

The next morning I fed him his breakfast first, then continued with the rest of the animals. I came back to him, and he was obviously more comfortable with me. I stepped inside his stall and he did not try to flee. However, he did stand like a statue, his eyes glued to me. I let him walk up to me, and then I slowly started touching his head and his neck. His shoulder was too much for him, and he backed away. Eventually he came back up to me, and we repeated the practice. Ten minutes later, it was time for me to leave and let him finish his breakfast.

That afternoon Dr. George was coming out to evaluate him and update his vaccinations, so back into his stall I went for another session. Teddy and I worked on his personal space issue some more. This time my concern was getting him to allow me to run my hands over his back and hindquarters. He would just tremble when I touched his back, hips, hind legs. He never offered to kick, just stood totally still, his skin moving as fast as his heart. He flinched and shook, but eventually he realized that he was safe I wasn't going to hurt him. I put his halter on his head, and turned him out in one of the small paddocks until the vet showed up.

A few hours later I received a phone call saying that vet was on his way and would be at the farm in about 30 minutes. Surprisingly, Teddy was rather easy to catch. I stood at the gate and he eventually walked up to me. When I put my hand out to touch him, he shied away but didn't really move. He brought his dainty little nose back towards me and I attached the lead to his halter.

Dr. George pulled in the driveway a little while later. He remarked at how fat Teddy was and how he needed to lose about 100 pounds. (Keep in mind that this pony is only 12 hands tall...) We checked his teeth and determined that at that time, he was about 14 years old. Dr. George checked him all over, found nothing wrong with him and then floated his teeth, gave him his vaccinations and drew blood to update his Coggins.

A week later our farrier showed up and spent about an hour working with Teddy to trim his hooves. Although he had no trust in our farrier, he was well behaved and never offered to flee or be naughty.

Throughout it all, I worked with Teddy on quite a few different topics, but was shocked to learn that he was very well schooled on the ground. He crosstied, led nicely, and had great patience. He was a willing, albeit cautious, student. He became used to being handled and touched, no longer shuddering when someone walked into his stall or ran their hands over him.

Finally it was time to see if he was trained under saddle. The short version is that no, he was not. We saddled and bridled him in the barn and brought him to the arena. He was perfect with his bridle and never fussed with it. However, he kept looking back at the saddle with suspicious eyes. I lunged him for a few minutes both ways and he seemed comfortable. I then ground drove him and was pleased that he knew the cues to stop and turn. It was clear that back in his day he was a driving pony.

The next few days we repeated this process until I was certain of Teddy's comfort level. Shortly thereafter, one of my students hopped on him with me at his side. Although this pony was extremely well-behaved and did nothing wrong, it was quite obvious that he had never been ridden before. He became used to carrying weight on his back and learned how to balance himself underneath her. We practiced stopping, walking and turning until she was ready to take him off of the lunge line. He listened to his rider intently and did a perfect job. She eventually clicked to him and asked for a trot, and the little bugger listened to her! His trot was that of a typical pony, short strided and bouncy. He looked great doing it and seemed happy to have a job!

Over the next few months, my more advanced students rode him in the arena and finally in small lesson groups to get him used to traffic. Teddy was a total trooper and became so solid under saddle, that I started teaching my younger children on him. He quickly became the barn favorite and learned to love - not fear - all of the attention he was getting.

Teddy accompanied us on many trail rides, trips to the ocean and even went on a week-long camping trip with us in the White Mountains of New Hampshire! He has always been sweet, reliable, and just downright adorable. His trust in humans has long been reestablished and he has never faltered.

Teddy is ready to move on...

With Faith and Linus's expensive and ever-ongoing medical bills, we need to cut back and Teddy needs a job. Although letting him go is not something we had originally planned on, I feel that his training and personality will be an excellent match for a family-type situation.

We are looking to either lease him on- or off-farm, or possibly sell him to an absolutely perfect, loving home.

If you know anyone who might be interested in him, please have them email me at GreenwoodStables@aol.com and I will get back to them with more information.

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Medical Update

2009-07-12T20:42:00.004-04:00

Dr. George came out to check on our two rescues!

First up was Linus... The first comment out of Dr. George's mouth was that he was very impressed with how much better Linus looks all around! He was glad to see the weight he has put on and mentioned that he appears happy and content.

Dr. George checked on his surgical site and Linus was a very good boy about being handled. The sutures look good. Two of them broke, but didn't concern Dr. George. Just to check, we took a picture of it and emailed it to Dr. Myhre. He called back within twenty minutes and said that the lack of sutures in that particular area is fine because the granulated tissue is forming nicely. Overall, everything looks great!

If anyone is interested in seeing the photo we sent to Dr. Myhre of the surgical site, please feel free to email me!

Next was Faith... She has been having soreness in her right front knee and Dr. Barnes wanted a closer look to determine what the best course of treatment would be. Dr. George took five radiographs of her right knee and three of her left for comparison.

Dr. George taking one of the five radiographs of her knee. Doesn't Faith look just thrilled with this process? And sorry, Dr. G., for the butt shot!

Dr. George reviewing the radiographs in the barn aisle.

A CD of the radiographs was given to me and I have since passed them on to Dr. Barnes. I should have an answer from him when he gets into the office tomorrow!

And for all of you who have an interest in becoming a vet, (or are one!) let me know what you see wrong with these radiographs! If you want a full-size picture, shoot me an email!

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Summer is Finally Here!

2009-07-07T22:44:00.009-04:00

Faith, July 7th, 2009

Our summer camp program began yesterday, so I have been up to my ears in paperwork, lessons and organizing activities for the kids. The days are long, the work is tiresome, but I love every minute of it! And now I finally have a chance to sit down and give everyone updates on how Faith and Linus are doing.

Faith has been doing very well. We cut back her grain slightly again and thus far she has maintained her weight nicely. Lately she has had more frequent sore days with her knee. The mornings seem fine, but occasionally she looks off at night. On those days she gets a gram of bute in her grain at dinner. (The apple-flavored bute works great for her!) Other than that, things with her have been uneventful... knock on wood!

Linus is doing amazing! He is healing well and seems quite comfortable and content. And now I don't feel awkward showing him to visitors! Below is an updated picture of him, shortly after receiving a bath. He has gained weight (the weight tape says 65 pounds!) and lost something else... Hahaha! What a handsome boy he is, huh?!

Faith and Linus have both been very helpful with our summer campers and have been an integral part of our team. The campers seem to have taken to them very well; the horses enjoy all of the extra brushing, cookies and attention.

During their stay here, we try to introduce our campers to as many different aspects of horses as possible. One of the topics I have found more difficult to make fun and exciting is the "Health and Nutrition" discussion. However, after learning about what Faith and Linus went through, the kids seem much more interested in learning about colic, thrush, lamenesses, leg wrapping, etc. The questions they are asking are thought-provoking and their interest in it is impressive. As I have always said, educating the public about animal abuse and neglect is the second most important job that Faith and Linus hold. The first is getting better. :-)

The sun came out in the afternoon and myself and the campers had a chance to give Linus a bath. He still had some sweat marks on him from the anesthesia he received at the hospital, so it was good to finally get him cleaned up and looking handsome again!

Linus enjoying a full body wash and the sunshine!

Lucy scrubbing Linus's tail clean.

Linus and his girls!

My favorite part of the week so far happened yesterday morning. A 6-year-old girl walked up to Faith, hands outstretched, with a big smile on her face. The old mare dropped her nose into the girl's hands, her forehead resting against the girl's body. The little girl then whispered into her ear, "You don't need to worry. I won't hurt you." It was an absolutely perfect moment and nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Linus is Back Home!

2009-07-03T21:04:00.011-04:00

Our boy is back home! I went up with two of my students today to pick up Linus from the hospital. I spoke to Dr. Myhre and he said that Linus is doing really well and has been an excellent patient. The swelling was minimal and he is urinating normally. Dr. Myhre answered all of my questions and gave me directions for his recovery period. Linus was sent home with his notes and pictures that his staff took.

The letter reads as follows:

"Linus was presented to Myhre Equine Clinic on June 20, 2009 for penile amputation surgery. History included paraphimosis of the penis will associated swelling and abrasions. Preoperative blood work was within normal limits. Linus was started on a regimen of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. He will go home on these same medications. Linus was put under general anesthesia for the procedure. A urinary catheter was placed, the distal end of the penis was removed, and the incision was sutured with 3-0 vicryl. Linus recovered well from the anesthesia and urinated through the catheter immediately following surgery. He continued to urinated through the catheter. The urinary catheter was kept in place for two days. On July 2nd, the catheter was removed, there was minimal swelling at the surgery site and the penis was retracted normally into the sheath. Linus is currently receiving 11 tablets of SMZs orally twice daily and 1 gram bute twice daily. He has been a wonderful patient and very good to work with.

AT HOME CARE

Medications: SMZ - 11 tablets orally twice daily for two weeks; Bute - 1 gram orally twice daily for one week.

Recheck: Please have Linus examined by Dr. George within one week to ensure that surgical site is healing properly.

Further Care and Monitoring: Please continue to monitor Linus for any increased swelling, discharge or difficulty urinating. If any problems occur, please call Dr. George or MEC immediately.

Thank you for bringing Linus to Myhre Equine Clinic. Do not hesitate to call with any questions or concerns.

Grant Myhre, DVM"

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Before surgery....

and after...

GRAND TOTAL

Since surgery took longer than planned, Linus's total bill was larger than we expected. The grand total was $2707.60, but Dr. Myhre was very generous and took off $500.00 as a donation towards our cause. He told me that he thought what we were doing for Linus was valiant and that, "it is nice to see someone willing to clean up someone else's mess for the sake of the health of an animal". Thank you Dr. Myhre for the compliment and helping us out!

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Update on Linus

2009-07-01T20:13:00.002-04:00

Linus relaxing at the farm before he left for the hospital, June 29th, 2009.

I spoke with the technicians at the clinic today and they told me that Linus is doing very well! His appetite is back to normal and he seems comfortable. He is on antibiotics and pain relievers, and will be for the next 10 days.

I never thought I'd be so excited to to say this, but... Linus peed this morning! That means that there are no blockages and everything works like normal. He had a catheter stitched into place and the entire area bandaged, so it is staying clean while it heals.

The plan is to keep him under supervision at the clinic for the next few days. His catheter will be removed Friday morning, and if all looks good, I will bring him home Friday afternoon.

I will keep everyone updated as I hear news about him!

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Surgery Day!

2009-06-30T18:42:00.015-04:00

We just got back from the hospital and thankfully Linus's surgery went well! Dr. Myhre said that there were no complications and everything went quite smoothly. Here are pictures of today's events! (Most were taken through a glass window, so I apologize for the poor quality.)

Dr. Myhre (second from left) preparing Linus for surgery on the table. Note the plastic exam gloves on his hooves to help keep the area as sterile as possible. The technician on the far right cleaned his entire abdomen with betadine solution. By the time this picture was taken, the temporary catheter is already in place.

Dr. Myhre assisting a technician in starting his IV. Apparently Linus has difficult veins to work with.

The technician on the left is standing on the operating table monitoring Linus's vitals. Every few minutes she took notes of his heart rate, his breathing and the amount of drugs and fluids he was receiving. The machine she is standing in front of is the ventilator, and it is breathing for him.

Dr. Myhre, himself prepped for surgery, doing a final check of the ventilator and IVs. Here you can see the tubes for the ventilator going into Linus's mouth.

Dr. Myhre covering Linus with drapes to keep the area as sterile as possible.

The first incision with the help of Dr. Myhre's assistant.

The excess has been removed and now comes the delicate part of suturing the skin in place and recreating the end of the urethra.

The surgeons finishing up the last details. The tech in the background stayed next to Linus's head throughout the entire process and monitored his condition.

The table was lowered back down to ground level, where Linus was given an injection to begin reversing the effects of the anesthesia. The breathing tube was temporarily disconnected to put Linus's halter back on.

The vets prepare to move him back into the recovery room, strapping his hind legs together and then untying his front legs from the table.

With a veterinarian and technician lifting his head and Dr. Myhre at the controls, Linus begins to gracefully lift off of the operating table.

With a few pushes and pulls, Linus heads for the heavily-padded recovery room.

About a half an hour later, he gets himself up to his feet and is slowly led back to his stall. His entire body was trembling from the anesthesia, and he was a little off-balance, but he made it back safely. Here, two of the techs remove his IV.

Linus will stay at the clinic for a few days. The catheter will be removed prior to coming home, and then he will be under the supervision of Dr. George. We are told to expect about 7-10 days before he is healed and pain free!

A special thanks to Dr. Grant Myhre and his wonderful staff! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who donated to Linus's cause! We couldn't have done this without you!

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At the Hospital

2009-06-29T20:51:00.005-04:00

We just pulled into the driveway after dropping Linus off at the Myhre Equine Clinic. Three of my students tagged along for the ride: Jenna, Miranda and Lucy. We stopped for a quick lunch, and then an hour and twenty minutes later, we were at the clinic.

We rounded the corner into the clinic's office, I noticed that the operating room was being used. As I began filling out Linus's admit forms and I pointed my students towards the OR. They eagerly walked up to the window to watch, curious as to what was waiting for them on the other side. The veterinarians were getting ready to begin surgery on a 3-year-old TB stallion who was under anestesia and upside down on the operating table. Unbeknownst to me, he was a cryptorchid and the surgeon was going in to remove his undescended testicle. I'm shaking my head as I write this... These kids are definitely getting quite the education lately!

Linus's paperwork was filled out and we headed towards the barn to see where he would be living. His name and medical chart were hung on his door. We then headed to the parking lot to unload him and bring him into his (hopefully) temporary home.

He willingly walked next to me as I headed into the new barn, albeit he appeared quite anxious about the ordeal. Hopefully he hasn't figured out what is about to happen to him, although I'm sure if he had, he would have high-tailed it in the other direction!

I led him into his stall and he dropped his head for me to remove his halter. We let him settle in to his new surroundings as we brought his specially-packaged dinners into the feed room of the clinic.

Afterwards, we went back to watch more of the stallion's surgery, just in time to see the surgeon find, pull out, and remove what he was looking for. The looks on the kids faces were priceless... :-)

Jenna saying goodbye to Linus at the clinic.

Linus's medical chart on his stall door.

Lucy stretching up tall to say a temporary goodbye to the old man.

Linus will be fed his regular dinner tonight, and then will have all food removed from his stall by 8:00pm. He will not be fed breakfast in the morning, since they want his stomach empty for the anestesia.

I will be calling the clinic in the morning to speak with Dr. Myhre to find out what time he will be going in for surgery. Then, I will head up to the clinic with my mom and some of my students to watch and take pictures.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow!

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Admitted at 4:00pm

2009-06-29T13:18:00.002-04:00

Linus will be admitted to the hospital at 4:00pm today.

We are getting the trailer ready and hitched up now. Linus is groomed, looking handsome, and totally unaware about what is ahead of him.

I will keep everyone updated on his status. It looks as though his surgery will take place around noontime tomorrow. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

~Julie

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Something Beautiful

2009-06-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

Early this morning I was browsing through the pictures on this site, from top to bottom, all the way down to Faith's very first post. The regression shown in each group of pictures shocked me.

As strange as this may sound, of all people, it is the most difficult for me to judge her progress. I spend the largest amount of time with her, by far. But since I see her every day, it's hard for me to notice the changes she's making. Studying all of the old pictures, it's clear to see the progress she's made and how far she has come.

A few days ago, one of my students' fathers walked into the barn with a carrot in hand. He said that it was "for the rescued horse", but he didn't know where she was. I told him that Faith was in her stall, the second door on the left. He walked down the aisle, looked in at her, paused, and kept going. He checked every stall, and then headed back my way, again inquiring as to where she was. I led him to her and opened the door. His eyes widened as he scanned her body. "Wait a sec, that is Faith?" he stuttered. "She looks so... different. She looks so... good!"

Everything was stacked against her when she first arrived here, everything. Her body was in ruins, her muscles atrophied, her organs on the verge of failing, her spirit ready to quit. But she didn't. Every odd was against her, but she persevered and proved everyone wrong. She even proved me wrong.

The abscesses that once lined the insides of her legs have healed over and the hair has grown back in. The sores in her mouth are gone. You can no longer grab each individual rib on her. Heck, now you can barely even see them. Her spine and pelvis no longer jut out of her body; now they are covered by a layer of muscle and fat. The bald patches that covered her chest, abdomen and hips have all grown in. Her entire body is now covered by a shiny summer coat, a gorgeous, rich, deep mahogany color. The fire in her eyes is burning wilder than ever before.

She still has a bald spot on her face from where her halter cut into her nose. It used to really bother me, and I prayed that it would grow in, but now I've grown accustomed to the fact that it's just part of her. I think it gives her character. It is Faith's way of telling her own story. This may be what happened to me, but it didn't change who I am.

The first picture showed a sad-looking horse who hadn't felt love in a long time. But that is who Faith was. She is different now. This mare has transformed into something... beautiful.

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Linus's Future

2009-06-24T23:08:00.008-04:00

Linus enjoying being groomed by Nicole, Lucy, Rachel and Miranda - June 24, 2009.

The weather here lately has been terrible. Today was officially the 9th day in a row that we have had rain. Our turnout areas are getting muddy, so we have been rotating horses in the arena. Faith and Linus have been cooped up more than they'd like, but they are taking it well.

Faith has been doing fine. No big news on her part.

Linus's "part" though... Well, let's just say that it's still hanging around! (Bad joke, I know...)

Last night Melissa stopped by just as I was beginning my nightly routine with Linus. Every night I tend to his all of his wounds and need to make sure "the organ" is clean. It also gives me a chance to make sure the infection isn't getting any worse. Since Melissa was there, I figured she would eagerly and graciously volunteer for the cleaning task, but she somehow was a lot less excited than I had hoped. I lost the "nose goes" game, so she held him and I did all of the work. She must cheat because I seem to lose every time... :-)

I put on rubber gloves and cleaned him up with a topical cleanser. Some of the scabs have begun to break off, so it was rather nasty last night. (I actually felt sick a few times, and I'm pretty good at dealing with gross stuff.) After everything was cleaned up, I slathered Silvadene on it. Thankfully, since it has been exposed for so long, the nerve endings are mostly dead and he has very limited feeling in it. He has been a good boy and hasn't offered to kick or act naughty.

Although I have close-up pictures of "the organ", I know that a lot of kids read this blog, so I will not post them on here. (Actually, even if kids didn't read this, I probably still wouldn't post them.) However, many have asked about the severity of his infection, so if anyone is interested in seeing the extent of the issue we're dealing with, feel free to email me and I will forward them to you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here are a few pictures of Linus taken outside today. Look at how much this guy has improved in just over three weeks!

Besides issues with "the organ", the only other issue that we're working on are the massive cuts Linus has all over his body. His hips, back and hindquarters are just riddled with what appears to be marks from bites and kicks. They are all 2-6 inches long and some are fairly deep. None needed stitches when he arrived; all were too old at that time to benefit from sutures anyway. We have been putting topical ointment on them twice daily and many are improving. His hair is starting to grow back in some areas, which means his body is functioning better now. He has quite a few wounds on his forehead, as shown in the picture below.

Overall, we are on the right track and Linus is improving better than expected! Not to mention that he is an absolute sweetheart and just a doll to work with!

What is going to happen during and after surgery for Linus?

The surgery consists of removing about 90% of the actual penis. The surgeon will basically cut it off, reroute the blood vessels, and then reconstruct the urethra. The urethra is made of very elastic tissue and will try to collapse on itself. Therefore, Linus will have a catheter inserted during surgery, and it will remain in place for approximately 5-7 days.

When the surgery is complete, his penis will just slightly protrude the end of his sheath. He will still urinate like a normal horse and there should not be any long-lasting issues or concerns with it. The surgeon informed me that very rarely will this procedure have any concerns once it is healed. The only psychological anguish he will suffer will be from the other geldings cracking jokes at his expense... :-)

Linus will stay at the hospital for at least a few days for observations and IV antibiotics. Once out of the hospital, he will return home and be under the supervision and care of Dr. George. Hopefully Linus will be back to normal within 7-10 days. The catheter will come out in that same time frame.

This procedure should not affect his future use at all. Actually, it will improve it! It's not healthy to ride a horse with a paralyzed penis, so once it is taken care of, he'll be a new and improved model!

I stand corrected...

When Dr. Barnes came last week for Faith, I discussed Linus's problem with him and learned something new! Apparently, there is a difference between a prolapsed penis and a paralyzed penis. Get your notebooks and #2 pencils ready...

A prolapsed penis occurs when the muscles begin to pull the penis back into the sheath and the skin folds up on itself and basically gets caught. The muscles keep pulling the penis in, but it can't move, and eventually it cuts off circulation to the end of the penis and the tissue dies. And we all know what happens to dead tissue - it falls off. Gross...

A paralyzed penis is one which the muscles inside the sheath lose their strength and elasticity, (often from over-tranquilizing,) and can no longer retract the penis. The tissue still remains alive and functional, it is just exposed. The problem with the exposure is infection and pain. This is what Linus has.

My dad always says that you learn something new every day... He is probably just overflowing with pride from the article his daughter just wrote. Good thing the old man has a good sense of humor, right?! :-) I love you, Dad!

Future Plans for Linus

Once Linus has fully recovered from surgery we will continue to rehabilitate him and get his weight to a healthy level. Although he is making excellent improvements, he still has about another 175 pounds to go. I am sure that the stress from the surgery will also hinder his steady improvement, but I have faith in him that he will pull through despite the setback!

The way he has been improving, I think that we may try him under saddle around the beginning of August. This is totally a guess, but if he continues to improve, I think we just might be on him before summer is out!

I'm hoping that everything I have been told about Linus's work ethic is true. It would be great to find him a job to do. Having a "purpose" after their rehabilitation helps any abused animal recover psychologically from what has happened to them. And people too, for that matter!

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Help Us Reach Our Goal!

2009-06-23T09:41:00.005-04:00

We are so close to reaching our goal for Linus's surgery! All we need is another $380 to cover the expense of his surgery. If we can get 19 people to each donate $20.00, we will reach our goal!

http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-06-09.3805482862

Another Bump in the Road

2009-06-22T22:06:00.000-04:00

The past few days here at the farm have been ridiculously busy, so I apologize for not posting updates sooner. We have completed preparations for our summer programs, along with yardwork, barn cleaning, and fence-fixing - enough chores to keep us busy for months!

Linus

Linus had made absolutely amazing improvements in such a short time! The weight tape says that he has put on 40 pounds so far, which is just incredible. He looks a million times better than he did back on June 2nd and I am consistently pleased with his demeanor and attitude. He is such a sweetie!

He is all set for surgery on June 30th. We recently received a written estimate from the clinic for the procedure, pictured below. The estimate totals $1711.96 but may change depending on any issues they encounter during the procedure, if he needs additional anesthesia, etc.

Faith, the Good

Then there's my dear Faith. Let's start with the positive...

Faith absolutely loves getting a massage! Shirley Fraser graciously volunteered to donate her time towards Faith's recovery. Faith has never been one to enjoy people touching her, she is a mare after all, but after only a few minutes of grouchy faces she realized that Shirley had quite the magic touch!

Faith enjoying her massage with Shirley Fraser on June 19th, 2009.

Shirley worked on all of Faith's sore spots, mainly her neck and back. There were quite a few knots, and Faith graciously let her loosen them all up for her. Faith eventually got over herself and enjoyed it. She leaned into Shirley's hands, dropped her head down into the crossties, and closed her eyes. She looked so peaceful and relaxed - it was great to see!

I am very impressed with Shirley's knowledge and ability, and highly recommend her to anyone who needs a massage therapist for their horse! She can be contacted at (617) 290 1200 or through email at svf59@hotmail.com.

Faith, the Bad

Dr. Barnes came to reevaluate and readjust Faith on Thursday. The first part of his visit was wonderful - Faith showed a zero response from her pressure points on her back and hindquarters. The second half of his visit was not as exciting. We narrowed down where her front end lameness is coming from...

Faith has arthritis in what I consider the worst joint to have pain in: her knee. Unfortunately when dealing with arthritis in a knee, it's difficult to treat. The knee has three main joints made up of seven different bones. These bones are lined up in two different rows, held together by ligaments. With the combination of having all of those components in one joint, and it being a highly weight-bearing joint, there is a lot that can go wrong.

There are a few things that we can do to nurse the symptoms, but nothing we can do to fix the joint. If we can narrow her pain down to a specific joint, our vet can do direct injections with hyaluronic acid and depo-medrol. If we cannot narrow her pain down, we can give her systemic injections of either glucosamine and chondroitin, the HA/Depo mix, or Legend or Adequan.

Before we do that, we must figure out exactly what is going on in her joint. The next time Dr. George comes to the farm, we will have him take five radiographs of her left knee, as well as three of her right knee for comparison. Once both he and Dr. Barnes look at them, we will figure out which treatment will be the best one to take.

It seems as though once things start to go right, we hit another bump in the road. All I want is for this grouchy old diva to be comfortable and happy. Is that too much to ask for?! :-)

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A Pictoral History...

2009-06-20T18:35:00.002-04:00

...of Faith's rear end!

Lots of updates on Faith and Linus coming soon! I've been busy and haven't had time to sit down and type!

Jewelry Auctions

2009-06-17T21:18:00.006-04:00

The jewelry auctions on eBay end tomorrow - don't forget to place your bid!

Also, I am currently placing a huge amount of items on our eBay page right now (and probably into the early morning!) so make sure you go to our page at: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/saving-faith-gws

Thanks a bunch!
Julie, Faith & Linus

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News Update

2009-06-16T21:47:00.005-04:00

So much news, where do I begin?!

First, let's start with a super adorable picture of Faith and Linus officially meeting each other for the first time.

With an OK from our vet and an updated negative Coggins test back from the lab, Linus was finally "officially" out of quarantine. Lucy brought Faith over to Linus's stall in the arena and they sniffed noses and became instant buddies. Since then, they have been turned out together and get along wonderfully!

I think this picture is just... perfect. One horse who recently arrived here and needs our help to survive meeting another who was at one point less than a week away from starving to death and has been successfully rehabbed. It's beautiful!

OK back to the topics...

Faith Under Saddle (How cool is THAT phrase?! Woo-hoo!)

I still cannot begin to explain how proud I was last week. Faith looks amazing and seeing her under saddle brought tears to my eyes. She has made a remarkable recovery and I just cannot believe how far she has come.

A few hours after that first ride she seemed a little sore on her right front leg. This is the same one we have been having soundness issues with over the past month or so, with inconsistent good and bad days. Faith wasn't terribly sore, just a bit stiff, so when dinnertime came around I ground up a bute and put it into her grain.

After I poured her dinner into her bucket, she lowered her head into it took one big sniff of it. That was all she needed. She picked her head up and looked me dead in the eye, lovingly pinning her ears back the whole time. Surprisingly, she dropped her head back into the bucket, reluctantly eating the entire meal. Later that evening she seemed more comfortable and the next morning went out to her paddock sound. I don't think it's a new problem that we're discovering, just the same old issue we've been trying to narrow down.

Faith went out for her second workout under saddle, and we found out that she is definitely NOT a beginner's horse at this time. Lucy was in the irons again and Faith did OK, but wasn't nearly as sweet as she was the first time. She was forward, forward, forward and didn't want to stop cantering. Now would probably be a good time to mention that never once during the 20-minute ride did Lucy give her a canter cue. Faith took it upon herself to make the decisions, which doesn't surprise me in the least. She has always been a strong, independent old lady. Although she wasn't running away per se, she wasn't too interested in stopping right away either. Part of me was a little disappointed that she wasn't behaving herself, and the other part was just elated that she was feeling so damn good!

Faith's Upcoming Spa Treatment

Dr. Brad Barnes is coming out Thursday morning to reevaluate and readjust her. We may start her on joint injections or possibly a systemic injection depending on what Dr. Barnes thinks is most appropriate for her. My goal is to just keep her as sound and comfortable as possible, even if it means keeping her from work under saddle. I'll keep everyone updated with what he decides!

Then on Friday, we have a massage therapist coming around 10am to give Faith her first massage! I am fairly certain she'll close her eyes and begin to fall asleep as she did with the chiropractor last time - and that was only for about two minutes! She'll be in heaven after 45-75 minutes! I will post pictures for everyone to see.

Random Thought: I just realized that this horse is treated better than I am. Do you know when the last time I was treated to a nice spinal adjustment and full body massage?! It's been a while! Hmph....

Linus

Overall, Linus is doing really, really well. To start, he has gained about 30 pounds since he arrived here 14 days ago. The weight he has put on is noticeable even to me, and I see him every day. The lice are gone. His wounds are scabbing over and healing.

My favorite thing about this guy is his absolutely adorable personality. He must be the friendliest horse that I've ever worked with before. His personality is amazing and I love spending time with him. He is very well socialized, loves attention and is very gentle. Plus, he'll do anything to get his butt rubbed. He's a big fan of that. :-)

Farrier Visit

Brad Erickson came out last week to trim Linus. Linus could have been a bit better, but was distracted by one of our farm critters here. You see, we have a pig at our farm and "Charlotte" temporarily lives in one of the horse stalls. I would like to take a moment here now to say that I am by no means a pig farmer. She was given to me by a student so she didn't end up on someone's dinner plate - I'll explain in more detail in a quite humorous post some day!

Well, it's quite apparent that Linus has never seen or heard a big snort before and he freaked out about 90 seconds after being in the aisle. He backed down the aisle a hundred miles an hour and I thought for a second that his eyes were going to pop right out of his little skinny head! I eventually got him under control, but he kept his eyes glued to the stall for the rest of his time in the barn, his muscles flexed and his veins popping out of his skin. Silly thoroughbreds... :-)

Besides the porkroast-induced heart attack Linus suffered, he was eventually OK and Brad got the job done. We are leaving him barefoot for now, but his prior owners told us that when they used him for lessons they had him shod all around with pads on his front hooves. If and when we ever get to the point of riding him, I will have Brad evaluate him and if he thinks that shoes are a neccessity we will have them put on.

Linus's Guy Issues

Linus's "organ" hasn't made any improvements despite the many treatments our veterinarians have given him. It is still infected, with parts of skin continuing to slough off, even after receiving a 4-day run of Naxcel. Due to the fact that we do not want any infections to spread, we have finalized plans to have a penile amputation completed. He is scheduled to be admitted for surgery on June 29th at the Myhre Equine Clinic, with surgery on June 30th with Dr. Grant Myhre.

I have spoken with Dr. Myhre on the phone a few times over the past week and he has been absolutely wonderful about answering my questions and making me feel at ease with the procedure. Also, since Linus is a rescue, he has kindly offered to do Linus's surgery for us at a reduced rate. Thanks so much Dr. Myhre!

You can read all about the clinic by going to http://www.myhreequine.com/MECHome.htm and all about Linus's surgeon, Dr. Grant Myhre, at http://www.myhreequine.com/DrMyhreBio.htm.

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I will respond to comments left on this blog in tomorrow's post! It's late and I'm off to bed now!

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Better than any Blue Ribbon

2009-06-13T18:16:00.009-04:00

Today is probably the proudest moment that I have ever felt. It was better than any gift I've ever received. It was better than any blue ribbon I've ever earned. Today was just amazing...

After a long day of lessons were finally over, I had my students bring Faith out of her stall and groom her. They brushed her body, combed through her mane, picked her hooves, and made her shine. I began wrapping her hind legs, something I haven't needed to do in a while, but no one questioned it.

Lucy stood next to me and put her arms up towards Faith's withers, her hands stretched upwards, her fingertips a solid foot short of her back. "Wow, I don't think I'll ever be tall enough to mount her," she said. Her observation was ironic, and I snickered to myself. "Oh, I don't know if and when that day will ever come," I replied.

When I was done with her hind legs, I headed into the tack room shadowed by my group of followers. I grabbed a saddle pad, handing it to one of them. She looked back at me with a confused look on her face. We were done riding for the day, and Faith was the only horse on the crossties.

"Go put it on Faith," I said, "Today's the big day". She locked eyes with me, froze in place and then I heard a chorus of, "No way!" and, "Julie, are you joking with us?!" I grabbed a saddle and a girth, and started walking out of the tack room with a big smile on my face. They all started screaming, high-fiving, and hugging each other.

I walked towards Faith and stretched up to put her saddle on her. She stood there quietly, glancing back at what I was doing. The 48" girth was too short for her big barrel, so I went back to get a 52". Even that barely fit.

I put an eggbutt snaffle on one of our schooling bridles and tried it on her. It was also too small, again reminding me that she's not like the 15-hand Morgans or Arabs I typically work with. Back into the tack room for a bigger bridle I went, and a minute later she was ready to go. I told Lucy to grab her helmet, and she did with gusto.

Faith walked calmly next to me, out of the barn and towards the arena. She stood patiently at my side as I made final adjustments and tightened her girth. Her rider stood next to me, a smile on her face ear to ear.

Lucy had always been my pick for the first to ride Faith. She's a good rider, with quiet hands and a solid seat. She is 11 years old, but built small, only weighing in at about 70 pounds. Faith's health and well being are obviously a big concern of ours, so our goal was to put as little weight on her as possible, hoping she'll remain sound. Lucy always knew that she'd be the first one to ride her, but wasn't sure if and when that day would come.

Lucy grabbed the mounting block and carried it towards her. As she climbed up on it, and it was clear that she was battling two emotions. She was excited to be the first to ride her, but nervous since she didn't know how Faith would react. Even on the top step, she still had quite a stretch to put her foot in the iron. With a big jump and a push on her leg from me, she made it up onto Faith's back.

She sat quietly, took her reins and adjusted her position, staring at the back of Faith's ears the entire time. I finally grabbed Lucy's attention and she looked down at me with a big, nervous smile on her face. All she could muster was a quiet mumble of, "Wow, Faith is tall."

The sight before me was both amazing and humorous. Lucy's leg barely came halfway down the big mare's sides, her saddle taking up little more than half of her back. Faith stood patiently and quietly, as though it was any other day.

I walked next to her head as Lucy turned her towards the edge of the arena. Faith played with her bit, but didn't seem bothered by it. I kept my eyes focused on the mare's for the first few minutes, gauging her reaction and watching for clues if something wasn't right. She eagerly walked forward, ears perked, seemingly content with her job. Eventually I strayed further and further away from them, letting horse and rider work as a team.

They practiced stopping, standing and turning, Faith completing each willingly. After about ten minutes I gave her the OK to ask for a trot. She gently squeezed her legs on Faith's sides, and the mare picked up a nice steady trot. Her old legs appeared well balanced and strong enough to do the task at hand.

After trotting around the arena twice, Lucy squeezed back on her reins, said "whoa", and Faith went down to a walk. She didn't appear sore, or even out of breath, and for that I was relieved. They walked for a few more minutes, and then I told Lucy to cautiously give her a canter cue. She pressed her outside heel to Faith's side, and the big old girl stepped into a nice, relaxed canter.

One canter around the arena, and we were done for the day. We let her walk around for a few minutes, went out into the yard to snap a few more pictures, and brought her back into the barn. Her saddle and bridle were removed, she was brushed down and given lots of horse treats.

Today proved that Faith was willing and trained, and not only that, but trained fairly well. It was apparent that someone put a lot of time and effort into the old girl, but we may never know her history.

One hundred and thirty-one days ago, she was days away from death from starvation. One hundred and thirty-one days ago, I never would have thought that I would be writing this. For me to even mutter the words, "we rode Faith today," sends shivers down my spine. I honestly never thought that we would ever get to the point where we could ride her. Granted, we are still trying to diagnose some minor lameness issues with her, and I figure that will probably take a few more months to figure out. However, the recovery that this old mare has made is just... amazing.

Words cannot even begin to describe how I feel about what has been accomplished on my farm. I have never been so amazed by an animal with the determination to overcome obstacles and push through the hard times with grace and dignity. I have never been so proud.

Reunited with an Old Friend

2009-06-11T20:33:00.009-04:00

At 11:30 a white car pulled into our driveway. Out stepped a lady in breeches in boots, an apple in hand. She came up towards the barn and introduced herself. She was Becky, the lady from the farm where Linus worked as a beginner school horse not too long ago.

I led her into the arena, and when she saw him, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She walked towards him and in an instant it was clear - he recognized her.

He walked towards her with an eager look on his face, glancing back at me a few times, but never skipped a stride. He dropped his head into her arms in a most comfortable way. She gave him the apple and told him how much she loved and missed him. He seemed to agree with her.

Becky was disgusted by his condition and saddened by the fact that it had happened to such a sweet horse. She apologized to him for allowing him to end up this way, although she and I both know that she couldn't have predicted the future two years ago.

Becky told me about his history with her. At his farm, he was known as "Cutter", but since he was a total baby doll he was frequently referred to as "Cutter Butter".

He taught beginner lessons and was a solid jumper. She said that he was the most bombproof, beginner friendly horse she had ever met. He was frequently seen packing 7-year-olds around a course of crossrails. They trail rode him frequently, and he would willingly and quietly lead or follow.

She also showed me one of his idiosyncrasies - Linus likes to have his butt scratched. Yes, you read that correctly. His butt. A few minutes after they were reunited, he took a few steps away from her, turned, and then began to back into her, stopping just before his tail hit her nose. She put her hands up and began scratching around his tail with her fingers, never missing a beat in our conversation, as though this was normal practice. I stopped and started laughing, and she said that "he just has a weird sweet spot." Apparently.

The more she scratched, the more he leaned. He stuck his upper lip out, and rolled his eyes back. He moved his hips so she hit the good spots, and when she found them, he leaned into her. He enjoys having his tail scratched, too, and would hold it away from his body to remind her that she had missed it. She spent the better part of the hour rubbing his butt while we talked. And he loved every bit of it...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Tomorrow, Brad will be out to trim Linus's hooves around 4:30pm. I'll do my best to get pictures of the first hoofcare that this poor guy has received in the last 8 months.

Also, I will hopefully have super exciting news about Faith tomorrow evening - I'll keep everyone updated!

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Linus has a History!

2009-06-10T22:46:00.001-04:00

After making quite a few phone calls over the past week, I have learned about Linus's past...

Just like every other racehorse, Linus is tattooed on his upper lip. The tattoo is made up of 6 characters: one letter followed by five numbers. The letter states which year they were born, the number states which horse they are. Linus's tattoo reads, "V24136". The "V" means he was born in 1992, making him 17 years old!

I called the Jockey Club and double checked to make sure his tattoo matched his markings. I told them that he had a left hind sock and a "smudge" of a star on his upper forehead. Sure enough, it was him! His real name is "Literary Claim"!

I looked up his record, and here's what I found:
-> He was born California on March 27, 1992.
-> He was sold at Barretts Equine Ltd Auction in 1994 as a two-year-old. He was purchased for $2,500.
-> In 1996 and 1997, he raced as a 4- and 5-year-old. He made 9 starts, won a single race in 1994, and won a total of $6,785.
-> The comments on his race record speak volumes of his ability on the track. The comment for his winning race was "big move, proved best". The other comments are: "outrun", "showed little", "broke slowly", "rushed and tired", "best stride late", and "outfinished". Ok, so he's not a derby winner, but he's still a special boy!

Where Linus went and what he did from 1997 to 2003 is unknown.

Then, in 2003, Linus showed up at Crowley's Auction in Agawam, MA. After he went through the sale, he was brought to his new home in Grafton, Mass.

In one of their farm's turnout pens, Linus ran away from the other horses and his leg became entangled in the gate. He stood back up, but only on three legs. His front left leg was torn wide open. They aptly decided to name him "Cutter".

They nursed his wounds back to health, and he lived at the farm in Grafton for four years. The farm is a lesson and trail riding stable, and he was a valuable part of their team. Linus's job was to teach beginner lessons and trail rides, and he did so willingly. He taught many kids how to trot and canter, and was frequently seen jumping 18" courses.

From there, his luck went downhill, but we don't want to dwell on the negative. What we know now is that he is safe, well fed, and as comfortable as we can make him.

Linus appears happy at his new home, and is exceptionally friendly and well behaved. He nickers to everyone who walks through the door, and really seems to enjoy the company of children. And he just loves ginger snap cookies!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yesterday I spoke again to the lady who was the instructor at Linus's old barn in Grafton. She loved Linus to pieces and taught many children to ride on his trustworthy back. Although she was heartbroken to hear about what had happened to him, she was glad to know he was being taken care of. She will be coming to visit him tomorrow afternoon, and I'm sure the meeting will be bittersweet.

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We Need Your Help

2009-06-10T13:48:00.000-04:00

We have a Fundable.com fundraiser for Linus! Can you help us reach our goal of raising $1,700 for his surgery? Every bit counts!

http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-06-09.3805482862

~Julie, Faith & Linus

That's Faith, taken June 6th, 2009, believe it or not!

Faith's Custom Jewelry is on eBay!

2009-06-08T20:49:00.002-04:00

We just found out today that Linus's surgery is not only needed, but it needs to be done within the next two weeks. The cost for that procedure alone is over $2,000. We can use as much fundraising help as we can get!

Please, please, please... forward this site to all of your friends and encourage them to bid. It's for a great cause!

Here are the links!

Necklace with Pewter Pendant
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220431064295

Bracelet with "Faith" beads
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220431062768

Bracelet with Silver Accents
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220431060607

Keychain
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220431059487

14kt Gold Bracelet
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220431056381

And as I stated before, if you don't have an eBay account, just send me an email and we'll figure out a way to put a bid in for you!

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It's Fundraiser Time!

2009-06-08T11:31:00.019-04:00

Are you ready for an awesome fundraiser? Giselle Rec at Hairloom Treasures has designed us custom jewelry made from Faith's own tail hairs! We have six beautiful pieces we will be auctioning off - look below!

With Faith's costly and ongoing veterinary care, and Linus's impending surgery, we can use all of the financial help we can get. Our goal is to raise $500 - let's see what we can do! Five of the pieces will be auctioned off on eBay, and one will be raffled off.

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First up is a braided bracelet with a silver latch clasp. This bracelet is what Faith is all about: simple elegance!

The second piece seems to be everyone's favorite! It is a bracelet with silver decor and a beautiful star toggle. This bracelet is absolutely gorgeous!

Up next is a keychain with gold hardware and "Faith" written in gold beads. Bring a piece of Faith with you whereever you go!

Our largest piece is a necklace with a beautiful pewter horse head on it. It is elegant and sophisticated.

Next is a bracelet with gold tone hardware and a matching toggle. Faith's name is shown in gold tone beads. Practical and stylish!

And if I could keep any of the pieces for myself, it would surely be this next one... This is an absolutely gorgeous bracelet with gold weave throughout. It is finished with an engraved 14kt gold clasp. Pictures do not do this piece justice - it is absolutely stunning!

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The great thing about all of these is that they are made with Faith's own tail hairs. Here are pictures of the process!

Cutting one clump of hair from Faith's tail.

Faith investigating what we took.

Giselle working on one of our pieces!

Most of these will be listed on eBay shortly. If you are interested in bidding on them but do not have an eBay account, please email me and we will try out best to get a bid in for you. I will post links soon!

I'm curious what people think of this fundraiser and the awesome items we have up for grabs - let me know your thoughts! Which piece is your favorite?

No Sleep Tonight

2009-06-07T21:56:00.000-04:00

Apparently my plan of catching up on sleep tonight isn't going to happen...

Faith is down in her stall right now. I heard some banging coming from her general area, flew out of bed, put boots on and ran downstairs. She appears to be resting comfortably, but there are some signs of distress. Her heavy breathing and scattered shavings tell me that that she may have tried to get up and was struggling to get her feet under herself. Of course, she may just have been rolling around. Fingers crossed...

I do not believe that she is colicking; what I fear is in my gut. I have a feeling that this is another issue with her lack of strength in her hind end. I'm going back down shortly to give her a dose of banamine, hopefully it is just preventative. I'll check her TPR and post the results.

I won't go back to bed until I know she's up. I'll keep everyone updated as the night progresses...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Faith is still down. I had brushed off the shavings and hay that were on her neck and head before I last left her, in order to determine what's going on. Sure enough, she had more stuck to her, proving that she was trying to get up and kept falling over. Ehhh.... my heart is sinking.

TPR looks good. Her pulse and respiration were slightly elevated, but I'm attributing that to the fact she was struggling to get up. She drank about 3-4 gallons of water since dinner, which is average for her. Her CRT is good and she's not dehydrated.

I gave her a 10cc oral dose of Banamine. It usually takes about five to ten minutes for us to see a response from it. Now we play the waiting game...

More to come...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

She's up! We're back on our feet again. I walked away from her stall for about 30 seconds to grab something out of the tack room and heard two loud bangs. I run back to her stall and she's standing up. Shaky, but upright.

At first, she was quite sore on her front legs, especially her right one. She took a few hobbling steps towards her hay rack, which I have never seen her do before. However, the more she moved, the more comfortable she appeared.

Thinking it was a muscle tightness issue, I took her for a short walk down the driveway. She started at a 4/5 lameness to a 1/5 lameness by the time we reached the bottom of the driveway (about 150 feet). When asked to turn, she looked to be about a 2.5/5, and then when she was walking straight again was about 1/5.

At this point, my brain is spent and I don't know what to think. It could be just a lameness - arthritis, ringbone, etc. I'm also thinking a circulation problem, muscle problems, eh the list goes on...

I will keep checking her through the night. No news is good news...

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Back from the Horse Show!

2009-06-07T18:23:00.005-04:00

Faith's boyfriend "Robbie" winning the Beginner's Pleasure Championship title!

We had a fantastic show this weekend! We won a few classes and all of the horses were very well behaved. Dan and I just finished unloading the horses, cleaning out the trailer, and feeding everyone their dinner. It was a long weekend, and even though it's only 6:30pm, I'm ready for bed!

=> Tomorrow is the big day: I will be ready to announce Faith's fundraiser in tomorrow's post! It is pretty cool, if I do say so myself! :-)

=> Faith is doing great! It appears that she has adjusted to her new shoes over the weekend and looks sound. I will get some pictures of her in the morning so you can all see the amazing progress she has made!

=> Linus has settled into the farm really well and has been nothing but a total sweetheart for us. He is trying so hard to be trusting, but it is quite obvious that he was mistreated in the past. I'm hoping more hands-on time with help with his head-shyness and trust issues.

=> The more time I spend with him, the more blemishes I find. He has scars all over his body. His face, neck, chest, barrel, hindquarters, legs, etc are just riddled with scars and fairly-fresh wounds. Thankfully none need medical attention, but they certainly don't look pleasant. Regardless of how they happened, it's heartbreaking to think that he had to endure this. Poor, sweet, old man...

=> He is still having problems with "the organ", and it is looking more and more likely that amputation will be the next step. More on that tomorrow as well.

OK I'm off to a hot shower and bed!

~Julie

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