I, like most equestrians, always figured if the horse loses a leg, the owner loses a horse. While that is true 99.999999999999999999999999% of the time, there is a pony who beat the odds.
Molly was a victim of Hurricane Katrina. She was rescued by Kay Harris. That should have been a happy ending but, alas, Kaye also rescued a pit bull who attacked the pony and mauled her off-front leg. The vets at LSU amputated the leg and fixed her up with a prothesus. Now, this precious pony brings hope to children who have also lost a limb. Watch the news story below.
OTHER NEWS:
Neville the Devil (see the post on June 25, 2012) made it on the Olympic Team. I seem to be focusing on horses (and, therefore people,) who overcome the odds. Most of us are struggling right now. Let us look to our animal friends for good examples of rising above and reaching our potential!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Colorado Horses in the path of the wildfires!
My beautiful state is on fire! Between the damage to the trees from the pine beetles and the dry winter and spring, we have fires buring all over our beautiful mountains. Most, but sadly not all were started by lightening. I am including a notification I received from the US Equestrian Federation about a fund they have started to help take care of the hundreds of horses that are now without homes.
From the USEF Communications Department
Lexington, KY - Fires blazing across the Colorado landscape have together burned more than 100,000 acres in the past few weeks. The Waldo Canyon and High Park fires near Colorado Springs and Fort Collins respectively have ravaged the natural beauty of the area, destroyed nearby homes, and left many displaced people wondering what to do next. For horse owners that uncertainty is even greater. Hundreds of horses have already been displaced and, while local Horse Parks, Fairgrounds, and Equestrian Centers have graciously opened up to evacuated horses, the cost of caring for those horses magnifies the stresses of an already trying time. Efforts to help are already underway but outside assistance is badly needed.
With the support of CEO John Long, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) asks that equestrians, equestrian fans, and all people who share a love for horses make a donation to the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund. Cooler weather and calmer winds are helping firefighters in Colorado contain the blazes, but the cost of relocating, feeding, and caring for horses is a burden that local residents and humane societies will carry long after the fires have ceased to burn. With luck, many horses will be returning home soon, but some will have no home left to return to. With your help we can ensure that all affected horses are well cared for and help Colorado's devastated communities re-build.
Monday, June 25, 2012
NEVILLE BARDOS-From Glue Factory to Celestia
I love stories about children who grow up in the worst of circumstances but rise above all the challenges that life throws at them. Some horses have done the same. Take the chestnut, thoroughbred gelding Neville Bardos for example. The 16.1 hand beauty with a wide, off-center, white blaze down his face was born in Scone, Australia. Bred to race, he proved to be a washout on the track and a problem-child to boot. On his way to the glue factory, an Australian rider and trainer by the name of Boyd Martin yelled over the fence, "I'll buy him." So, for $850 Martin had himself a horse. For a while, the rider thought he had made a mistake. Not only was the horse difficult to work with but he had the awful habit of "Wind Sucking" or Cribbing. This is very addictive behavior and is often treated with a "cribbing collar" that prevents them from expanding their windpipe enough to suck in large gulps of air. It turned out that the cribbing collar would later save his live. The horse's bad behavior caused Boyd to name him after a hot-headed gangster from a movie and the nick name: Neville the Devil!
Boyd Martin is a champion Event rider and trainer. In Mists of Darkness-Book Two of the Mist Trilogy ,
now available exclusively on Amazon's Kindles, the evil unicorn, Hasbadana, sends his mist of darkness to the Rolex Three-Day Event in Kentucky to persuade many of the horses competing there to join his army of
rebels. Eventing is the Tri-athelon of Equestrian sports. Here is a video of Neville on the cross country course.
In 2007, Boyd Martin moved to the US and set up an eventing stable in Pennsylvania. . In 2011, Martin's barn caught on fire. Six of the eleven horses were killed. Neville was the last horse to escape, Boyd leading him out of the black, smoke-filled barn by his cribbing collar! Neville miraculously healed from both the burns and the far more serious smoke inhalation. He spent an hour a day in an oxygen tank for two weeks.
Now, this USEF International Horse of the Year is gearing up to represent the US in this summer's Olympics in London. The final eventing team will be announced in July and I will let you know if he makes the team.
Add Mists of Darkness to your collection of wonderful Horse and fantasy books! It is available now exclusively on Amazon's Kindle Store. It will be out in print soon!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Author Marketing Club
Are any of you authors of ebooks out there...not just about horses, of courses! If so, you can get great ideas and helps promoting your book on the Author Marketing Club Website.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
FIRST FEMALE GRADUATE FROM THE SPANISH RIDING SHCOOL...AND FUTURE UNICORN RIDER!
Hannah Zeitlhofer shown here with one of the Spanish Riding School's stallions.
(photo courtesy of the Spanish Riding School.)
Women equestrians have always competed on an even playing field with men at all shows...including the Olympics. And we have done very well, I might add. But, until last month, there was one prestigious organization that had never included a woman rider in its ranks...The infamous Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Four years ago, they finally admitted the first female to train under their rigourous program. She was admitted to become and "eleve" or apprentice rider. She was trained for hours a day on the lounge line then dismounted to clean stalls, tack and horses.
But now, things have changed for Hannah. In April, 2012, she made equestrian history when she and one other rider, Christopher Egger, were advanced to the level of "Assistant Rider" thus qualifying to perform with the Lipizzan stallions. Hannah is the first woman to reach this rank! Way to go, Hannah! All of us women equestrians both admire you and feel just a little bit jealous!
As you know, I love dressage and the Spanish Riding School has taken this art form to the highest level. I wrote a detailed post about the SRS on Feb. 22, 2012. You can read it for more information.
In the first book of my trilogy: Behind the Mist, Nick is trained to become the first unicorn rider. In the second book of the trilogy: Mists of Darkness, Bethany begins her training in an attempt to become the second. It was just released exclusively on Amazon's Kindles for three months before you can find it elsewhere. So, I am nominating Hannah to become a unicorn rider some day!
Congratulations, Hannah!
Information for this post was taken from Equus.
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Mists of Darkness-Book Two of the Mist Trilogy has just been released and is available as a three month exclusive on Amazon's Kindle.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
MISTS OF DARKNESS-Book Two of the Mist Trilogy
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
VALENTINO- 2011 PATH Intl. Therapeutic riding horse of the year!
Some people are born into the worst of circumstances, poverty, abuse or neglect. Yet some of those people manage to rise above it all and, not only survive but contribute a positive light to the world. Some horses do the same.
One such horse is Valentino.
Valentino is a beautiful Tenessee Walking Horse Cross whose first few years of live were terrible. He had been abandoned in a field as a yearling. For over a year, he was all alone and neglected in this pasture. Some kind neighbors fed him and, finally called a horse rescue organization.
Meanwhile, Therapeutic Animal Partners in Spring Hill, TN, needed some new horses for its center to help handicapped riders. Director Terri Knauer watched Valentino in a training session at the state horse fair and immediately felt something special. He was, not only the right size for a therapy horse, and young enough to be trained for their program, but there was just something special about him...perhaps she knew he would be able to empathize with is riders more than others. She adopted Valentino and started training him for EAAT (Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies.)
He became the perfect Therapy horse...the one they could always "go to" with any need. Not only is he quiet and intelligent but he is so very patient! (Don't we wish we all had such virtues-in Behind the Mist, Nick struggles to develop the unicorn virtue of patience.) In her nominating letter to Path, Intl, Terri Knauer mentioned that "He loves toys and games and sometimes breaks a tense moment by pickiing up a toy in his mouth to help a frustrated rider." Another example: "One child came to the center missing the horse she used to ride at another center. On being introduced, Valentino gently blew on her neck then dropped his head so they could look into each other’s eyes, and the two held each other’s gaze for half a minute. That moment bonded these two and gave this young girl the hope that she could find love, trust, confidence and companionship with another horse."
Yes, horses are truly amazing! He really loves working with the handicapped riders. It's as though he is trying to teach them that they, too, can overcome life's challenges and reach the stars.
One such horse is Valentino.
Valentino is a beautiful Tenessee Walking Horse Cross whose first few years of live were terrible. He had been abandoned in a field as a yearling. For over a year, he was all alone and neglected in this pasture. Some kind neighbors fed him and, finally called a horse rescue organization.
Meanwhile, Therapeutic Animal Partners in Spring Hill, TN, needed some new horses for its center to help handicapped riders. Director Terri Knauer watched Valentino in a training session at the state horse fair and immediately felt something special. He was, not only the right size for a therapy horse, and young enough to be trained for their program, but there was just something special about him...perhaps she knew he would be able to empathize with is riders more than others. She adopted Valentino and started training him for EAAT (Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies.)
He became the perfect Therapy horse...the one they could always "go to" with any need. Not only is he quiet and intelligent but he is so very patient! (Don't we wish we all had such virtues-in Behind the Mist, Nick struggles to develop the unicorn virtue of patience.) In her nominating letter to Path, Intl, Terri Knauer mentioned that "He loves toys and games and sometimes breaks a tense moment by pickiing up a toy in his mouth to help a frustrated rider." Another example: "One child came to the center missing the horse she used to ride at another center. On being introduced, Valentino gently blew on her neck then dropped his head so they could look into each other’s eyes, and the two held each other’s gaze for half a minute. That moment bonded these two and gave this young girl the hope that she could find love, trust, confidence and companionship with another horse."
Yes, horses are truly amazing! He really loves working with the handicapped riders. It's as though he is trying to teach them that they, too, can overcome life's challenges and reach the stars.
Valentino is a star!
Tell me about the noble and great horse that you know. Write to me at:
or find me on the Behind the Mist Facebook page.
Don't forget to get Mists of Darkness-Book 2 of the Mist Trilogy on Amazon's Kindle store soon! I will let you know the day it comes out!!!
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