The Fate of an Unwanted Horse

    It is always sad when a young horse is diagnosed with a  permanent disability. I had never heard of Sweeney Shoulder when my mare was diagnosed with the condition for which there is no cure. "She will never be able to bear the weight of a rider nor even the weight of a foal," the vet explained. But the good news is that as long as she gets herself around the paddock she is otherwise quite healthy. So here I am paying board for a horse I can never even hope to ride.
    This puts you in quite the ethical and moral dilemma if you can only afford one horse. If you have adequate pasture land, keeping an extra horse doesn't cost that much more than keeping your riding horse as long as you don't go crazy and take in every "free" horse offered to you. Which absolutely happens when you own a little bit of land. However, if you are boarding a horse or have a limited paddock with horses on hay year round, it can put you in a position where if you are going to have a riding horse you have to make some very difficult choices.
    I will spell out the choices frankly and without judging them.
    Assuming there is no chance for a cure,
    1) You can keep your permanently injured horse and ride other people's horses,
    2) You can figure out how to increase your income to either afford a second board or buy a pasture to turn this horse out in for what could conceivably be another twenty to thirty years,
    3) You can attempt to give your horse to someone who has a pasture that is willing to take your horse or wants a companion horse for another injured or even their ride-able horses or if you're lucky find a rescue or retirement sanctuary that has room to take your horse in.
    4) You could have your horse humanely euthanized.
    5) You may sell your horse at an auction where their fate is left out of your hands and could conceivably be taken to a slaughter house, which yes is legal in the US again since 2011.
    After much prayer and deliberation, my practical self had come to the mindset that euthanasia was the most humane solution could I not find a home for Belle.  There was no way I would take her to the auction or put her on Craig's list and take a chance that she would end up herded like a cow and taken to a kill lot. The thought of her spending her last days frightened among a herd of terrified horses is more than my heart can bear. My impractical self has been online shopping for pasture land I can not afford.
     If you have come to the decision that you have to put down your young injured horse, please don't go down the guilt trip that I did. People will tell you that your horse deserves to live no matter what and that somehow this predicament your in is your fault so you owe the horse to keep them alive as long as they are not suffering. The truth is that if you can't afford to keep them and you can't sell them because they are not rideable due to a permanent injury, then eventually they will be suffering when you don't have the funds to adequately provide for them. When you've exhausted all other resources, sometimes the most humane thing to do is to make the tough, practical decision and have them put down.

    "In His Hands is the life of every creature... to the Father, Creator of all things, belong wisdom and power, counsel and understanding are His."  Job 12:10-13

     

The Walk of Fame

    I did a crazy, scary thing and ran out into the arena with my yearling, R-C Bey Dazzler, for the very first time in front of the crowd at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in Arizona. I am so not kidding I had never even ran along side a horse like this before. So hey, why not share the first time experience with a crowd of people at the biggest Arabian show in the country?  Ever had a dream that seemed like the forces of nature were totally against you achieving from the very start? This dream I had, I would have to say, did not come to fruition in Scottsdale as I had planned it but is truly an ongoing awakening of the life God has put into my very DNA that includes the love of His gift of horses and the heart of Christ beating inside my chest.
   Since the day I got my first horse in December of 2002, I thought when she is too old to ride I am going to have a beautiful baby out of her ("out of her" is the horse world language for she is the mom). Jazz Tangent is my beloved American Paint horse, my very first horse. Now skip forward in time a decade or so. If you followed the blog at all you probably read that Jazz was injured, is retired, and after trying to breed her in 2013 I had to let that dream go because of her complications with RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction). You can follow this link for more information about RAO, COPD, Equine Asthma, and Heaves. 
   If you have ever been in love, you know it is hard to imagine that you could ever love anyone like you loved your first love. It was hard to imagine that I would ever bond to another horse like the bond I had with Jazz. I bought my second mare sight unseen. I literally wrote the check in some kind of strange "what exactly am I doing?" trance and the man that sold her to me said, "Do you want to go meet your mare?" I supposed that was a good idea so I agreed. I have also blogged about my love at first sight relationship and bonding to her, my new mare, "Our Lady" No Alarm so I will just suffice to say that she was also bred to KA Odysseus in the spring of 2013 and the following Spring on April 9th, 2014 our baby (foal in horse world language), R-C Bey Dazzler was born along with a dream that manifested from thin air to go to Scottsdale and bring home the Scottsdale Signature Stallion Yearling Futurity Championship.

R-C Bey Dazzler April 2014

    Why not? Why not this beautiful filly?
I mean look at her! Isn't she just the sweetest and most beautiful little thing you've ever seen?
    So what could possibly stop us now?
    The first challenge was an injury when her mother, "Lady" No Alarm, a first time mother spooked at something stepping on little Dazzler's leg. Would it heal in time for Scottsdale? Would the judges over look a bump on her leg?
    When we got to Scottsdale there were other obstacles, Baby Dazz was not happy not being able to see  her barn buddy and I thought she was going to injure herself the first night in her stall, rearing and slamming into the stall walls. After doing all we could to calm her down, I taped a sign on her stall door, "In Case of Emergency, Call ... my name and where I could be reached" then went back to my hotel room and  prayed myself to sleep.
   Dazz seemed to be doing better, much more calm and adjusted, when three days before our class she began showing signs of what the vet said was a respiratory infection that was going around the grounds caused by Arizona dust. When it seemed to be getting worse we started her on antibiotics but the day before her class she looked totally miserable. Green grossness pouring from her nostrils, a cough, and the bright light absent from her eyes. I decided if she still felt bad on Friday I would not take her out in the show ring to stand in the Arizona heat (yes it was summer in February in Scottsdale!). The halter classes are long and we could be out there for an hour and half to two hours among a class of about 23 competitors. Yes, we had come all this way for this one moment in the sun but I knew I had to consider Dazz's health first.

My Scottsdale Show Mom,
Baby Dazz and me

   If the strikes against Dazz weren't enough, her human partner, was truly ill-prepared for the challenges before me. Remember we left the extreme cold of winter in Kansas to make this trip. During the crazy days before our trip, we tried to schedule in time for both Dazz and I to learn what we were suppose to do. They were quick lessons in the cold barn. I had never shown in a halter class, actually my entire show career consisted of one class in Western Pleasure on the amazing babysitter mare, PR Thumblelina. I got a third place ribbon (and yes the class was more than three riders!). Most of my show experience was as a Show mom for my daughter, Amanda Guilfoyle,  a Show Aunt for my niece, Jacq Hollandsworth, and a Show sister for my now Scottsdale Show Mom, Carol Poland. I had never seen Arabain Halter classes until I came to Scottsdale in which I sat diligently watching classes all week trying to prepare for Friday's big Dream Class; the elimination class for the Signature Stallion Yearling Futurity. Which Top Ten would go on to compete for Championship on Sunday?
   Friday morning Dazz had a sparkle in her eye and probably not 100% but she was pacing again, which meant she was feeling better. We're going in (brief moment of freaking out extinguished by the bling). No problem I thought. I got this halter standup thing down (at least when Dazz did everything right). It wasn't until I was in the Show ring that I realized I had no idea what to do to correct her when she wasn't doing everything right. Great time to figure this out with all these judges walking around staring at us. One even came up and put a book in front of Dazz's face just as we were getting things figured out. I just kept smiling (I think). I knew one thing when they skipped from #381 to #852 that my number #670 was getting the gate (in horse world language that means you didn't win nothin).

Getting the Gate

  I am  hear to declare that I won more than could be contained in a ribbon and was worth more than the lucrative prize money offered in these classes. I learned so much not only about horsemanship and about my horse, R-C Bey Dazzler, but I learned so much about what God is awakening in my very spirit through horsemanship. I just want to say that  when some of the winners tossed their reins to hired handlers and hopped on their golf carts to be driven back to their big fancy barns, they missed it! We embarked on an amazing journey back to the "po" barn (that is horse world language for the economy stalls and less expensive barn fronts).
   What man meant for a "Walk of shame" God turned into the "Walk of Fame!"  It started when my Stranger Creek Investment Partner, Jerad Cooper, hollered back at me, while I was trying to contain my filly's excitement, "She is trying to take your picture." I turned and looked and a lady and her friends were standing along the rail with a nice camera trying to take a picture of the lovely Baby Dazz, so I stopped and laughed and said, "Of course, take as many as you like!" And I had Dazz walk around and pose. Then I realized a lot of people were walking along admiring our fillies as we began our long walk back to our stalls (which by the way the "Po" barn is a quite a distance from the show arena and much farther than the rich barns which are located alongside the arena. We had to walk past several of their $30,000 or more constructed for this show barn fronts, several other arenas, past the equidome, and almost out to the RV parking lot.)
   Along the way a lady approached me and started asking questions. She wanted to know everything about my journey. I shared with her the fact that I had no clue what I was doing but was just taking a leap of faith, that I was too old to let any doubts or hesitations get in the way, and that I was wearing $39 shoes that I could run in. They were Dr Scholl's black leather top tennis shoes from Famous Footwear, in case you need the tip. You have to run in the deep sand and I passed along the same advice I had been given, "Keep your toes up." But just in case, wear show bling on your ears so if you do fall you can flash the bling and retain your dignity. She laughed and when she said, "You are such a blessing to me." I knew one thing. I was in God's perfect moment for me and Baby Dazz. This 61 year old woman, who had never done a halter class, had a foal due this spring and she had a dream to bring her yearling to Scottsdale. Battling MS, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to run alongside her yearling. I said, "You are going to do great. Just keep your toes up and don't forget the bling!" We both laughed.
   A dream is like the magnetic attraction that God uses to draw us to him, to lead us to that place, that encounter, that perfect time he has prepared us for, like "Our Walk of Fame," where He touches other people's lives through us. A little girl held up her hand about three feet from my yearling. Her father asked, "Can she touch your horse, she's never touched a horse before?" The little girl stood there, frozen, afraid to reach out though her dream to touch a horse was right before her.  Baby Dazzler put her head down and stretched her neck out across the open space and touched her muzzle to the little girl's open hand. Pretty sure that was the only tear, that tear of pure Joy, that fell on the Walk of Fame that day.
 


 

A Gentle Broke Mount

"Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here." Luke 19:30
     I am training up a young mare that has never been ridden. I have spent a few months working with her on the ground and am just now getting brave enough to even think about hopping on her back. She has a foal by her side so it has been a little slower process than I had hoped. When I read this account in Luke, the fact that this colt had never been ridden impressed me. I can imagine Jesus as the perfect horse whisperer. He requests a young colt, still beside his mother, one that has never been ridden.
     "They brought it to Jesus, threw cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road." Luke 19:35-36
     Have you ever watched The Road to the Horse.? The top trainers in the country each take an unbroke, never before ridden young horse and train them the best they can in one day while we watch. The first time those horses get a blanket thrown over their back they go off bucking and trying to get that thing off before it eats them. These are horses that have never been touched. It takes several hours to desensitize them to touch and having blankets thrown on them before even these top professional trainers think about hopping on.
    Donkeys are no different, they buck, they kick, they bite, they need to be slowly and gently desensitized. So visualizing that these men just went up and threw their cloaks on an unbroke, never before ridden colt and Jesus got right up and on it. That is impressive. Jesus mounts up, he goes along as people spread their cloaks on the road. Have you ever tried to get your horses to walk over a tarp or any unnatural object on the ground. Get a little resistance? Maybe even a spook or refusal? Here Jesus just walks his donkey over all these cloaks thrown on the road on this colt's very first ride.
 "Tell the people of Israel, See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Matthew 21:5
     To horses and donkeys, we are predators. It takes a lot of bonding time to get them to trust us and allow us to be the leader. Even more to let us climb on their backs and ride them. I love the fact that even the young donkey that had never been ridden trust our gentle and humble King so much he just let himself have a cloak thrown on his back and let Jesus climb on and ride off without a fit. It testifies, it screams out from the pages of Luke 19: 29-35 and Mark 11:1-7, that if the animals that don't in their nature trust humans do trust Jesus at first touch how much more can we trust him
.     Our King comes to us, gentle and riding on a donkey, even a colt who has never been ridden before!!

Bey Dazzled!

R-C Bey Dazzler

The lovely Bey Dazzler. I never get tired of looking at this filly. 

I am Bey Dazzled!

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil 4:8

Short Training Sessions for Momma and Baby

   Today's lesson plan: Lady is working on groundwork fundamentals as well as learning to leave baby to work with me. So I am trying to have more frequent but shorter training sessions with Lady outside the round pen without baby. Eventually, I will be taking baby out on her own for short lessons. My goal for Lady today is to improve upon "Lungeing for Respect Stage One."
    Our goal for Baby Dazz today was just wearing the halter and getting her legs sprayed. I started with her in the roundpen with momma. She accepts the halter without a blink. So before that I played a little approach and retreat and teaching her to back up off my hand pressure on her nose. That went very well and after I put the halter on I repeated the lesson and taught her take three steps back when I applied pressure on the halter. In addition, I introduced direction. I did get her leg sprayed but it did not go as pretty as I had hoped. We ended the lesson with some desensitizing. I know there is a lot of controversy over desensitizing Arabians before their halter class training because they loose sensitivity and don't move out well.  I confirmed with Lady after her lesson that she can still do some very nice at Liberty after I gain her respect on the halter. Both she and Dazz were moving beautifully together around the round pen to my cues. I have a trainer coming in this month to teach us all how to do Halter classes.
    I took Lady to the arena today while baby stayed in the round pen. She was not very happy about it but I made our lesson short so she would get the idea that we are going to come out and work everyday and then she will go back to her baby. My intention is to make each lesson a little longer each day until we are working in full sessions. Actually Lady was fine until Baby Dazz decided to throw a fit and start screaming at her. We were able to work in a short session of lungeing for respect and for the most part it went well. She was a little hot and tugging at the end of the lead line when Baby Dazz starting yelling for her. Since Beau was a little bit the same way, although without the my baby is crying mania, I reviewed the Clinton Anderson DVD on Lunging for Respect Stage 1 and we now have tools for tomorrow's lesson. We'll work on that and hopefully get a little more slack in the lead rope.
   At the end of Lady's lesson, I let her graze outside the roundpen to give Dazz more time alone and to settle down before I put them back together. That went really well until the chickens showed up. Apparently, roosters really spook Lady and she ran off backwards like a cartoon bullet. I just watched her and thought, "Hmmm... if she doesn't come back I can use the chicken method for weaning," but she came right back even with the chickens hanging out by the roundpen. Her attention quickly turned to attempts to get the treats out of her training bag and didn't bother with trying to get back in the roundpen with Dazz.
  Other than the neighbor shooting his gun off like a maniac, it was a pretty great session. If it doesn't rain, we will try to squeeze in a second short training session tonight.

Proverbs 22:6 

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Training Sessions

     When my first horse came home to the stable, my sister backed her off the trailer and handed me the reins. I stood there, reins in hand, for a few seconds and asked, "What do I do now?"
      My sister replied, "Whatever you want."
      Twelve years later I have learned to never take the reins of the horse until I have planned what to do with them. It's good to have a plan A and a plan B.
     If training is the goal, have a lesson plan. What is the goal of the session? What tack or training tools will you need? Is your lesson area prepared? Is your horse ready?
     It's also good idea to make your lesson plan flexible. I always include more exercises than I intend to cover in case she zooms past them. I also include exercises she is good at in case we have difficulty with a new exercise we can go back to a successful place.
      If you follow the Fundamentals, which I highly recommend, Here are some tips from Clinton Anderson. Training Tips: Approach Training Sessions Smartly 

1. Begin and End each session with Desensitizing 
2. If he is fresh coming out to play, start with roundpenning or lungeing to gain his respect. 
3. Desensitize between sensitizing exercises.

     Today, we had a great session with momma and baby. My plan was to run Lady through more of

the Fundamentals. Conveniently, Clinton Anderson has made lesson planning easy. With Lady, I just work through each exercise in the order that Clinton has laid out. I use review exercises to warm up, teach her a few new ones each day, and repeat successful exercises if things aren't going well. Baby Dazz is getting desensitized to halter pressure and learning to move off my cues. 

     Lady's lessons went well. Refined our Yielding the Forequarters and Lungeing for Respect. Baby Dazz seemed to accept momma working outside her pen much better than previous. She is accepting the halter and moving off pressure. Lady started trying to cut us off and herd baby away from me. I didn't anticipate that because she has in past not been concerned.  

    After our lesson, I made some notes and planned some revisions. Tomorrow I am definitely going to work with Baby Dazz while momma is outside the pen.  It will be nice to have baby all to myself for a change. 

Proverbs 22:6 

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Baby Dazz Blooming Bey Dazzler!

  Our baby Dazz is growing like a weed, She'll be 5 months old September 9th and won't be long and it will be time to wean. She is such a sweetie and when you come up to see her you can't help but be Bey Dazzled! She moves like a charm and is growing into quite the beauty with lean lines, graceful movements, and a personality to match.
   Bey Dazzler loves human attention and enjoys her lessons. Not real happy when mommy leaves for her lessons but is getting used to the idea of having her own grain bucket (one of the perks of growing up) while mommy works with us.
   Lady, momma mare, seems to love the time on her own. The good news is she is not as worried about leaving baby as much as she used to be so we are able to take her out and work with her. She's completing a comprehensive review of the fundamental ground work, Next week we start Lady under saddle while Baby Dazz continues her halter training.