Saturdays are Farm Phoblog Days. Simple, just a HORSE AND MAN ranch photo and your thoughts…
Here are 3 of the residents. Aladdin – a Morgan gelding on your left, Finn – a TWH gelding up front on the right and Beautiful Girl – a TWH mare behind. No, not all of the equines here are chestnut with a star, it just looks that way from this picture. ;)
I think they were hoping the camera was a huge, odd shaped apple, or my hat that day was particularly interesting… dunno.
What do you think?
I felt inspired today by something rather frivolous. A Facebook Frolick. And, because it is frivolous, I decided to start the blog with something serious.
SOMETHING SERIOUS
I read on NEW BEGINNINGS ANIMAL REFUGE’S website that they just took in a poor colt who got his leg caught in a trailer which de-gloved it. Owwww. His name is Cowboy and he is only 19 months old.
The reason this spiked my interest, besides the fact that every sad horse story spikes my interest, is because it has happened to one of my horses as well. That horrible de-gloving drama engulfed my two-week old filly, Ava. I wrote about it in my blog a while back. (It has a good ending.) You can read it here, if you’d like. To summarize, I had very wonderful vets taking care of my baby and her severe injury for 6 months. The affected skin would not heal. Proud Flesh reared its ugly head over and over again. We cast it several times, we used different types of casts, we used packing wraps, surgery… NOTHING helped the skin heal. After 6 months, the vets very gently told me that I should consider putting her down. Oy! In a fit of desperation, I grabbed my medicine locker and slathered Tea Tree cream all over her leg and wrapped it. After two days, I noticed a difference. It was working! The product I used was Healing Tree’s T-Zon cream.
I know it sounds impossible that an over-the-counter salve could do what no vets could do… but it did. My filly Ava (who was about to be put down) is now 10, has had a successful show career and is now a Mom. So, if any of you ever have a need to heal some skin, please go to the Healing Tree website and order the T-Zon. (I have no affiliation)
Also, if you feel moved, please go to the NBAR site and read about Cowboy (link here). You can see the pics of his injury – graphic. He has a very sweet face. Maybe you want to help NBAR and Cowboy in their struggle… or send them a bottle of T-Zon? ;)
OK, now onto Frivolity!
FACEBOOK FRIENDS
Alright, I think maybe I am a little left of center here… I have noticed something that I do which I think is a little odd. 
And I wondered if anyone else does it, too. You wanna know what I do? Well, lean in and I’ll tell you a secret…
I pick my Facebook friends by their photos.
There. I admitted it. Yup. When I am poking around FB, if I see a goofy horse photo or a funny horse photo or a beautiful horse photo, I generally want to “friend” the people who uploaded those particular photos.
Now, the ironic thing here is that they don’t know me and therefore they have to decide by my picture, whether or not they would like to “friend” me back. Because of this, I have thought about putting up a rather silly horse picture as my photo. But, then again, HORSE AND MAN is a business so I cannot really put up a goofy photo… but I want to.
I wonder if more people friend per photo as well?
Since I started noticing this about myself, I have been downloading particularly charming photos from FB. I counted that I have pulled 40+ onto my desktop. So, I thought I would share some of them with you to see if you would friend these people, too.
Do you browse for friends
via the cute animal/humor factor? I guess for me, if a pic makes me smile, I want more… I want to know the person who is brave enough to share their underbelly of humor.
Here are my top 8, s
o far. I’m sure I will continue to find more.
First, the horse with the costume always gets me. This horse is a well known horse. His name is Lukas and has had a book made about him. I love that this owner continually dresses him up. Ha! I would, too, if they’d let me. Anyway, I love this one.
Next we have the obligatory double donkey shot. I love how they are looking right at the camera as if to say, “Yes, we are both here, did you want something?”
This dog kills me.
Next we have the lady who is laying down and her two horses come over to see what’s going on… I love this! My horses would do the same thing! I’m sure that 30 seconds after this was taken, the poor woman was covered in horse smudge slobberdirt.
Who can resist a tiny baby
! Not me. Especially such a proud mini pinto tiny baby!
This skeleton of the horse drawn on 
a horse is a very good idea…
I laughed out loud when I saw the one with the owner putting two fingers up behind her horse’s head! 
I love the horse’s expression, “Oy, she’s doing it again, isn’t she…?”
And, last for today, the horse sitting with his owner. Gotta love it.
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)
I absolutely adore my two rescue Shetlands, Dodger and Slick. They are darling, very sweet, very smart and wonderful little guys. I’ve had them for 15 years and they have never been any trouble. You have to watch that you don’t over feed them. 
You have to make sure your locks work or they will pick them… and you have to make sure you groom them a few times a year to help with their massive amounts of hair. But, all in all, they are e-a-s-y and just adorable. Really, really adorable. (Here is a pic of my two boys.)
So, I guess it comes as no surprise that today I’m writing about a Shetland all-out rescue. This isn’t a Rescue that rescues Shetlands, this is a group of people who are rescuers who came together to rescue a group of Shetlands in need. The project is called the Keebler Elf Herd Rescue. 
You can visit their blogspot here.
Anyway, as the story goes, a few weeks ago, someone noted a herd of neglected Shetlands. The huge clue of neglect was the elf like slipper shape of their hooves (hence the name…). Most of the Shetlands had never been trimmed, ever. 
And, if you are a horse who hasn’t had a foot trim –and you aren’t roaming the Plains — your hooves are going to grow really really long, most likely. And, they did. Their hooves grew so long that one poor 3 year old filly had to be euth’d because this condition created a deformity in her legs. So sad.
But, the good news is that when Animal Control heard about the horses in the field, they got involved and decided to contact Falconridge Equine Rescue who rallied the troops and out they went to gather this unfortunate herd.
Since I house two Shetlands, I cannot imagine the state someone must
be in to not be able to care for them — they are so easy — I was just saddened and shocked.
Shetland ponies have wonderful personalities and practically come right up to you and ask for what they need in a sometimes smallmanpushypony way, but mostly in a very polite little horse way. For me, I just felt awful for this motley crew and wondered how this could have happened. 
When you look at the length of foot here, you know this went on for years… I don’t know, maybe I am very lucky, but my farrier just loves the little ones (He’s 6’8″!) and it takes him no time (and hardly any money) to trim them. And, I know it takes very little feed to feed them. As I’ve said before,
they are very easy to house. I mean, just think about it. Shetlands came from the coal mines of England. They are very hearty. They are very smarty, too. Hearty and Smarty.
Times are tough. We will never know the previous 
circumstances of these poor fuzzies. However, we do know that the tides have turned and we can help!
Anyway, back to the story… So, all the little ones were brought back to Falconridge. All were evaluated. The boys were separated from the girls. I think gelding operations are in the works. One poor girl had to be put down. The rest are being groomed, halter broke when necessary and trained to the human way.
Go to the blog for the ponies and look at the adorable pics! I also love the names… How fun to match a name with a furry face who just wants to finally be recognized! I’ve posted a few shots of the horrendous feet.
I also posted a few shots of the wonderful volunteers who helped do the trimming. When you figure that these ponies had very little handling and probably never had a trim, but they needed a trim desperately, desperate measures (or comical measures) had to be put in place. As honorable as these trim photos are, they made me laugh! They also made me realize how much easier the little guys truly are.
Do you need a Shetland? (I think everyone does who has the room and the ability.) If so, please contact winnie@roadrunner.com. Or, maybe you just want to become a fan of Falconridge who save all kinds of horses all the time. Their website is quite complete. Maybe you want to send some wormer over to the Keebler Herd. After all, one tube can worm 3-4 ponies! Or, perhaps keep them in your thoughts and spread the word… every little bit helps these mighty little beings. I just adore them. And, I’m hoping you catch ponyities as well!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)
Leslie Anne Webb is an Equine Artist local to where I live but her work is International. Luckily, she is friends with people I know so I get to be privy to some of her pieces before they actually stand before the world.
(This first photo is of one of her new originals named, Charlie. From Leslie: Charlie is one of the most amazing horses I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing……a true spirit and healer in his own right….enjoy.”)
In one of these unveiling emails, Leslie sent out her newest works via jpeg for all of us to drool over. I took extra note because she had painted about two causes dear to my heart: PMUs and a particular mare named Angel. So, that is my story for today. I want to introduce you to Leslie, if you don’t already know her work, tell you about her contest and then relay the two small world stories.
Here is Leslie Anne Webb’s website. (That is fun to say outloud, try it!) You can get an idea of her style and then realize that you’ve seen if before, most likely. She’s infused in the art world and continues to create truly original work.
OK, so I get this email with the jpeg of the new original pieces by Leslie. 
When I saw the first image, my heart jumped through my chest! That’s Angel!! Angel is a mare who was rescued off of a feedlot (on her way to slaughter). She is a palomino and had one foal by her side. At that time, there were several pregnant mares at the feedlot and several mares that had just foaled. So sad.
Heartbreakingly, before the rescuers could help three other mares, they were shipped leaving behind 3 new babies at the feedlot. 
Well, those babies were rescued and brought back to where Angel had just arrived. And, what did Angel do?… She let those three other foals nurse off of her as well as her own! Yup. Angel, this is how she got her name, let all four babies be nourished through her milk. The rescue organization that had Angel posted this wonderful story and many folks stepped up to help with the care and feeding of these five horses. Luckily, all four foals survived and have since been adopted out. Everyone is doing just fine!
So, when I saw Leslie’s painting, I just had to tell the wonderful story. I’m thrilled Leslie chose Angel and her brood for this depiction. I think the piece is so special, especially when you know the love that infuses the story. Above are pictures of Angel and her babies.
Oh, I also want to say that Leslie is having a contest. To have your name in the hat, purchase one of her lovely and various prints and then you have the opportunity to win an ORIGINAL! Wahoo! The original could be one of hers or she will paint one of your animals. Nice. Here is her website and Facebook page. The details are here.
OK, now onto the other Leslie small world story. You know how our May Drop in the Bucket Fund is for the United Pegasus Foundation… 
Well, another one of Leslie’s new paintings is of her favorite PMU horse that was originally saved by the UPF! I love that! Leslie says that once she “feels” the animal, the painting comes to life inside of her and then she can paint it easily. Here are her words about her boy, Sam, who is represented in her new piece, Reflection. (Leslie titled the work Reflection because “to BE in quiet reflection, you will begin to KNOW your SELF”.)
“My big boy Sam, a PMU rescued by United Pegasus Foundation, was only 4 months old and never handled when I adopted him. He is one of the most majestic horses I’ve ever met, but even with his regal, calm and reflective manner, he still manages to show me that he has a bit of his “baby Huey” left. At 9 years old, he will still give off a squeal when he’s playing in the field with the other boys.”
So, since we only have one week left in May to fill our bucket for the United Pegasus Foundation, I wanted to pass on this story for inspiration. UPF has done and continues to do wonderful work in saving equine lives (read here). So, please click on the button and donate your $5 Starbucks money!
Also, don’t forget to check out Leslie’s other works on her website. I think being able to enter a contest for an Original is an incredible opportunity. Imagine having a work this fine of your favorite pet! Ah, to have one of my fuzzy faces immortalized would be so lovely… ;)
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
Well, the moose and gorilla are not together, but THAT would be a story, eh? Anyway, I know that a gorilla story and a moose story are not horse stories, but they are animal stories which I hoped would be OK on this rainy Sunday.
SANDBOX, THE HORSE
I was inspired by the Facebook rescue of Sandbox horse that I wrote about this week. (Here is the link, Sandbox’s story is at the bottom of the Stormy the Wonder Horse page.) If you missed it, basically, a very well trained kids mare was taken from a well attended in a good area horse show in Stephensville, TX. Her name is Sandbox and she is a very non distinct looking mare with a heart of gold that the family children adored.
(Here is a pic of her homecoming with the kids.)
So, Sandbox was stolen out of a stall, three barns in and totally in the middle of the shedrow… odd, if you know what I mean. The kids’ father theorized that the thief had seen the kids riding the horse all day so he stole her to make a quick buck on a great kids horse.
Anyway, the Mom, Micah, immediately put up a Facebook page and got on the tomtoms. She asked all of her friends to pass the page forward. Within two days, there were 3500 “likes” on the page. The local news got a hold of the story and several well-wishing equine companies set a reward of $8000. With all of this uproar, the thief knew he had a hot-potato.
Luckily, the mare was found on Wednesday, roaming around some acreage in Stephensville. Mom came and got her, bawling.
So, a job well done by the Internet. You can read the full story here.
PETE THE MOOSE
Anyway, that got me thinking about the Internet’s facility in helping the animals. As I was perusing about, looking for other horse stories on Facebook, I fell upon a Moose story.
As an aside, I pondered the plural of moose. Was it moosen? Meese? Moosi? Luckily, I found this answer, in case you wondered, too: The word “moose” came to us from Algonquian Indians. Consequently its plural, instead of being “mooses” or “meese”, is the same as the singular. That is true of most Indian names whether of a tribe, such as the Winnebago and Potawatomi, or of an object such as papoose. It is also true of many wildlife names not of Indian origin — for example: deer, mink and grouse.
OK, here is the story. In Vermont, just over a year ago, passerbys noticed a baby moose (5 days old) that had been mauled by a dog. The do-gooders brought the baby to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept and they suggested the little moose be left to die. Nuh uh, they said, and brought the moose to a man named David.
David, an older gentleman, nursed the moose back to life and they have a tremendous bond, as you might surmise. As Pete grew, David knew he had to find a home for the giant being. Doug, a Game Reserve owner, ironically, offered his 600 acre ranch for Pete to live. That worked out well since David could still visit Pete often. Pete loves people
(the reason he cannot be released back into the wild) and takes bananas and apples and the occasional Snickers bar from all of his fans. (I think it is funny that he dislikes Milky Ways…) The townsfolk just love him!
Recently, the Vermont Fish and Game Dept reared its head. It seems that several other moose and deer have made their way into the Game Reserve through the fences that are supposed to keep them out. According to the VFGD, this is very bad. Since the animals on the reserve are fed animal chow, so to speak, the wild deer and moose are exposed to a disease that they could get from the feed. (This seems odd to me and I wonder if I have the story correct…). Anyway, the VFGD wanted to euth all the wild deer and moose so they wouldn’t contract and spread “Chronic Wasting Disease” to wild animals outside the game reserve. There are no signs of the disease right now…
Well, the outraged towns people got together and created a FaceBook page for the 14 month old Pete. Right now, there are 4253 followers. That was enough to get a Governor’s reprieve! Yup, the VT Gov said that Pete would be spared as long as the fence was maintained. This is very good news because Pete has a wife who is expecting another little Petey any time now.
If you go to his FB page, they are now asking that people put pressure on the Gov to put Pete’s reprieve in writing! They the Gov to put his money where his mouth sits.
So, again, the power of the Internet helps a fuzzy one. Oh, here is the webpage for Pete which is really quite beautiful and a nice complement to his FB page. I just love stories like this…
QUEEBIE THE GORILLA
So today, on MSNBC, I saw this story. Did you? 
It is about a man from the UK, Damien, whose family has a history of animal preservation and rehabilitation. Damien raised a gorilla named, Queebie (sp?) until the gorilla was 5 years old. He then brought Queebie to Africa for release. (Here is a baby pic of Queebie.)
Five years later, while Damien was releasing a batch of three baby gorillas, he decided to go up and down the river where he thought Queebie lived. Damien called out to Queebie. This seems ridiculous since it had been 5 years and it was a long river… But, the gorilla returned to 
the river bank and looked right at Damien.
Damien was a bit apprehensive as there stood a massive, full grown gorilla. But, as soon as Damien heard the gurgles of gorilla love, he knew he would be OK. Here is the video of their reunion. (so sweet!).
Damien talks of how they were “drunk with love” upon seeing each other. 
They grasped and chatted for a very long time. Queebie brought his wives over to meet Damien — which was actually a brave thing for Damien to endure because any one of them could have gone wild on him out of jealousy. But, it all worked out.
In fact, Damien went back to the river the next morning to swim and Queebie was there. How sweet is that!
When the Daily Show asked Damien if it was hard to leave Queebie, Damien responded that it is just like leaving any friend who lives far away… you hope that you will be in touch… but you know you live in each others hearts.
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)
Horse and Man
