Category Archives: Horse Stories

An Update, A New Hay Net Product, A Cloggin’ Boot, and another Inspirational Video!

Today is a newsy day!

First up…

AN UPDATE ON THE SKINNY FOAL

Well, this is really good news! I wrote about Evan Almighty in an earlier post and the link is here. Anyway, he came into BHFER very skinny, covered in Rain Rot and with no muscle tone. The poor baby had been weaned from his now gone Mother when he was 1 month old and he was left to fend for himself with all the other horses. Sheesh.

The sweet part of the story is that he was bonded to an in foal Arab mare, Reva. When BHFER answered the Craigslist ad for the colt (Yup, someone was trying to sell him…), they decided to purchase the mare as well. The on the spot thinking was that this baby was in such bad shape, they didn’t want to stress him any more by removing him from his only friend. So, the rescuers went there to retrieve a little baby and ended up with a 3 in 1 package (difficult in this economy…).

The next bit of lovely news is that the folks at HEALING TREE donated their Rain Rot cure. And it worked! So, with food, shelter, love and attention, Evan Almighty is doing very well. Here are the before and after pics! The last photo is Evan with his new friend, Jed. Jed’s Mom needed him weaned and Reva is about to foal, so Evan and Jed are now fast friend and a famous coupla hooligans around BHFER.

Check out the BHFER website to hear Jed’s story. He is blind, poor baby…

COMFORTABLE BOOTS?

This would be an incredible new concept! So, I was looking through my new COWBOYS AND INDIANS magazine and I came across this ad for these boots made by Durago but have a “clog” influence. Wha? How could those two meet up? You certainly wouldn’t find them both at Gillys! It kinda reminded me of that old Reeses Peanut Butter Cup commercial… do you remember that one? One day the Peanut Butter guy was walking and looking at his cup while the Chocolate guy was doing the same thing and they bumped into each other – and the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup was born!! Anyway, how could a clog and a boot meet?

So, I went to the website to check it out… This style is called the Dream Series and there are two models. I’m sure they are seeing if this idea works. Anyway, you can get either the Shrug brown type or the Harness Leather black model.

I didn’t order them, but I am very intrigued. I am NEVER comfortable in boots. So, this might be the ticket for me. (Yes, I have clogs and I do wear them… and they are comfortable.) I always need a platform in my shoe or boot if they are high heeled. Hmmmmmm.

A NEW HAY NET

Well, in a post from earlier, I chatted about how some hay nets can be dangerous because horses (athletic ones) can get their feet caught in the holes. Well, this new hay net, called the Nibblenet, has more holes, but they are smaller. So, the idea is to make them take longer to eat. Since horses graze all day, this net would simulate the natural time frame of eating. For me, it would end the foot trap issue! I checked out the net via their website and was hopeful. It looked well made, it has D rings so I can put it in my trailer and it looked wide enough for me to easily stuff a flake into it (or two). So, I bought one. I’ll let you know…

But, I did want to say that these folks give a percentage of the Nibblenet sales to Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue. I haven’t checked it out but the idea is really nice. I like when this happens and it motivated me to pick a particular seller if they donate to horsey causes…

Also on the Nibblenet site, I found these woodworking items. They are called “corbels” and have an entire history which is written on the Barn Art page. I have added a few pics here just because I love it when folks create art!

TREVOR BRAZILE INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO

OK, well, I know not that much about rodeo but I know the name Trevor Brazile. I found this video on a friend’s website called, Fugly Horse. Do you know it? Anyway, she had posted this so I am re-posting it for all of you. You see, I had an inspirational videoposted a few weeks ago and here is the link, but it was Jumping without a bridle. This one is Ropin’ and I love to use different disciplines to say the same idea. In this video, you will see Trevor rope a calf with NO BRIDLE on his horse, Texaco. I love it! How inspirational! Please watch here.

BUCKET FUND

So many of you really liked the idea of a DROP IN THE BUCKET FUND from yesterday’s post that I have decided to make a page devoted to it. In this way, we can add to the bucket fund throughout the month as people read the post, or as they stumble upon the page. Hopefully, this will add a bit to the bucket! The idea behind the bucket fund is to pick one ethical rescue that is in need and help support it, as a group, for one month, with very meager individual donations. The donation (totally optional, and only if you feel you can afford it) is just $5 during these tough times, but I thought $5 might be an amount we could do more easily. Maybe we can forgo the Starbux or the Mr. Pickles run for a cause once a month. Just $5, that is all. Then, we add all the $5 donations at the end of the month and give the ENTIRE AMOUNT to the Rescue as a gift from the HORSE AND MAN GROUP. Y’know, $5 donations add up… It may seem like a little amount, but it isn’t. And, it is greatly appreciated. So, I’m working on the page today and here is a really cute horse holding a feed bowl photo you can click to donate. This month’s rescue is the wonderful UNITED PEGASUS FOUNDATION . They are in a tight spot with 65 horses. You can read about all the good they have done in yesterday’s post.

Click on the photo if you would like to donate to the Drop in the Bucket Fund (and Thank You!)

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

Your purchase with Riding Warehouse through this link helps the Bucket Fund!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!

What does my Shetland Pony have in Common with Secretariat?

Well, nothing really. But, maybe… I’ve been thinking about this…

Have you seen the trailer for the new Disney movie, SECRETARIAT? If not, here is the link. Anyway, I watched the trailer this morning and I was bawling by the end of it. That motivated me to go to Wikipedia for the Cliff Notes and often inaccurate summaries of the history of Secretariat. The movie trailer had indicated hardship and struggle, belief when no one else would and David slaying Goliath kind of epic stuff. Wikipedia didn’t go into any of that but did give me his race history and life/death stuff. I was compelled. The emotion I felt for this horse and the people around him made me swoon. It made me even stronger in my conviction to make a difference in the horse world.

Now, how can I make a difference? Well, I have lots of post-it notes with famous and inspiring quotes stuck around everywhere that tell me I can do it. Unfortunately, they don’t tell me how. So far, I’ve only come up with HORSE AND MAN the TV series which is on hiatus… And, this blog. So, here I sit, feeling the need to elevate the human awareness of the value of the horse but not sure how to go about it. How am I going to do this? I can write about horses every day… which I am doing… but maybe it has something to do with the way I write about the horse that might make a difference. Dunno.

You see, the human perception is different for famous horses. Secretariat was a stellar individual with a trunkload of talent. He was in the right place at the right time and he tipped. It all came together for him. And there have been other famous horses who had the same fortune when effort met with opportunity. Those kinds of stories are easy for the human to oooh and aaaah and feel misty-eyed over. An athlete horse or a show horse or a trick horse … those horses stand before us and we take note. But what about your average horse? How do I elevate the thinking around the horse in general? I mean, not all dogs are Rin Tin Tin, but we humans are coming around to elevating our regard for the dog in general. How about the horse? They aren’t all Secretariats, but they are all something special in and of themselves.

So how will I go about this? I have no idea, yet. But, eventually, hopefully, my efforts will meet an opportunity, too. In the meantime, I’ve been inspired by the Secretariat trailer to talk about the stellar qualities in the everyman horses. They haven’t done anything newsworthy or record breaking. However, they all have talent of one kind or another. I’m not sure if there are any special awards or noteworthy contests for lock picking, door opening, stealth grain stealing, fence rail breaking, trough bathing, extreme rolling, Houdini Fly Mask removal, blanket stomping, pocket searching, accurate cow kicking, bloating, buckin’ horse imitations and many other varied and sordid achievements, but all horses do have special talents. Just like we all have special talents. So, my effort today to elevate the human awareness of the horse is to talk about my everyman Shetland pony, Slick.

What does my Shetland Pony have in common with Secretariat… Well, a few things, actually. Slick is the fastest pony I’ve ever seen, he is loved by a female human and he is for sure the most proud pony I have ever met although I think pride is a pony trait. But probably the most similar characteristic is his ability to steadfastly go after what he wants. However, comparing my average joe pony to Secretariat isn’t really the point. I think I need to compare him to no one. I think I just need to talk about how special he is as an individual. He hasn’t set any world records, but he is a champion in my book… Here’s why:

Slick was born a rank and surly high plains drifter trapped inside the body of an adorable pie-bald Shetland pony. For that, he deserves accolades. The poor boy does his very best to prove to all who will listen that he is the Dirty Harry of his breed, a Big Horse to be reckoned with or left alone on a grassy plain. He’s Clint Eastwood yet he looks like Pee Wee Herman. Imagine the difficulty in that! When Slick sees me approaching his paddock, this pint-sized toughguy snakes his neck and grates his teeth along the pipe gate just to let me know NOT to mess with him today. And all it makes me do is giggle. The indignity! Yet, he survives… He never gives up. He never gives in. He has the temerity of a worker ant and is relentless at getting his point across. “I want OUT now! Now! Now! Now!”

Slick will remove all the tools from the farrier’s pockets without him knowing. And, he can steal a treat or topple a grain barrel lickety split! He is a quick draw with an angelic face. Maybe Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday is a better comparison. No one took Doc Holliday seriously until they saw him draw his gun. That’s my Slick. No one knows how fierce he can be until he swipes your wallet and slinks off silently without anyone knowing.

And for all his bravado, I know his soft spot. He will gently let my tiny step-daughter groom him until his skin is raw. He never bites or gives her attitude, he just gently moves away when he’s done. Just like any gentleman gunslinger with a golden heart and a boyish grin — he captures your heart. That’s my boy. Adorably bad to the bone.