Reader photo of the week: August 31, 2009

A follow-up photo from Susan Roswold: Same training session, more confidence!

NEW! Reader Story Submission Form

Want a really easy way to share your story with us? Click here to go to our new story submission form! It has some prompts to get those storytelling juices flowing.

You can still send stories or video links to editor@nwhorsesource.com.

Have a great weekend!

Horse Rescue Success and Sadness

by Brandon Enyeart, Northwest Horse Source

Photos courtesy Gretchen Salstrom of People Helping Horses

It has been almost two years since the Jake Rider case brought three emaciated, malnourished horses (Coda, Howdy, and Lily) to People Helping Horses (PHH) in Arlington, Washington. Since then, Rider was found guilty on 11 counts of animal cruelty and is being sentenced as this article is being written. In the midst of all the legal issues, two of the three horses were able to recover and find good homes to spend the rest of their lives with.

Howdy, the oldest of the bunch, took some time to rehabilitate. Given that he was a senior horse, he needed extra TLC, along with a special diet. Through it all, Howdy remained a very sweet individual and is now back to being in great shape with a 4-H home in Raymond, WA.

Lily had some obstacles to overcome as her rescuers dealt with her nervous temperament. PHH likes to make sure every horse can be ridden under saddle before they are adopted out, and this took great patience with Lily. Over time, she overcame her problems and has now found a home in Stanwood, WA. Both Lily and Howdy are approaching their one-year adoption anniversaries.

Sadly, Coda’s story didn’t have a happy ending. Because of a pre-existing injury and quality of life issues, PHH had to make the tough decision to have Coda put down. Between the time he showed up at People Helping Horses and his passing, Coda did have a peaceful ending to his life, spending time in a foster home at the Skookum Brewery, along with being in constant caring hands.

The Jake Rider case and its aftermath are just a small portion though of what equine rescue groups have to deal with on a regular basis. With horse abandonment numbers on the rise, PHH has seen their fair share of this type of case. Recently, PHH came across an abandoned pregnant mare with a gunshot wound to her head. The mare, now named Lucky, recovered from the wound with only minor nerve damage to her right eye. In March of this year, Lucky gave birth to a healthy foal named Charm. Charm will stay with PHH and foster homes for at least three years before he is ready for adoption.

People Helping Horses currently takes care of 42 horses, but due to donations being 38% lower than average this year, they are having to say no to approximately 25 horses each week, and this situation is not unique. How can you help? Look into horse rescue facilities in your area to find out more about their individual needs, whether it be donations, volunteers or foster homes. Check with your local barns, farm store

s, and equine professionals to learn more about the facilities near you. Between taking care of the horses that need it and breeding responsibly for the future, we can work to make the lives of all horses better.

Emergency Horse Care

by Karen Pickering

I've written often about learning life's lessons, and that has never been more clear to me than over the past few months, during which I've faced plenty of challenges including a sick horse, a totaled car, and surgery. I think it's appropriate that our coming issue theme is "Boarding and Training," because I've been thinking a lot about boarding lately.

My husband and neighbors aren't horse people, so as I recover from my accident and surgery, finding the best way to care for my horses has presented a bit of a challenge for me. I am sure many of you have faced this, too, whether through health concerns or simply needing to travel. What do we do when we can't care for our own horses? What if we can't afford to board? With the help of family and friends, April and Dawn are getting by, but it's tough on everyone, horses included.

What do you do when you can't keep up with your horses' care? Do you have a quick and easy way of introducing non-horse people to horse care so they can fill in safely and effectively in your absence?

I encourage you all to think about what you would do to care for your horses if you became unable to care for them for a period of time. If you have a plan, share it with us! Either post a comment to this blog entry or email your thoughts to editor@nwhorsesource.com with the subject line "Emergency Horse Care." I'd really like to get a conversation going about the best way to handle this kind of situation. Horse owners and horses alike can benefit from the sharing of knowledge!

Reader Photo of the Week: August 24, 2009

This week's photo comes from Susan Roswold, whose trainer decided she needed to get an independent seat from her hands. "He put me on this horse bridleless. It was a huge thrill."

Northwest Washington Fair Photo Essay!

By Brandon Enyeart

A Look at the Northwest Washington Fair

The first Miss Lynden Rodeo, Bellingham’s Hilary Zender, is seen here signing autographs for fans.

The Kiesner Family is a brand new act this year at the Northwest Washington Fair. Dad, Phillip Kiesner, demonstrates his sharp shooting in this picture.

One of the Kiesner sons (Rider) looks on as his father shoots towards the sky. Ironically, Rider specializes in the roping part of the show, while little brother Roper specializes in the trick riding.

One of the many amazing tricks that Roper Kiesner wowed the audience with.

Phillip Kiesner explodes the second to last balloon in his “6 balloons in 6 shots” demonstration.

Do not try this at home! This is a stunt strictly for professionals!

The Pearson’s Crazy Eight Ponies from Stanwood, WA.

Two of the participants in the Crazy Eight races getting prepared for the grandstand entertainment

The Bony Pony hitch at the Crazy Eight races. The Crazy Eights are always a fan favorite, and this year was no exception.

Right in the mix of one of the Crazy Eight races.

Crazy Eight action!

“Soprano on a Dancing Horse” singer Dorothy Donell, who is fast becoming a star attraction at many fairs and festivals. She sang both the Canadian and American anthems.

Miss Lynden Rodeo carrying the American flag as the American National Anthem was being sung.

Even the horses get into the summer love at the Northwest Washington Fair

Regional News: A Minor Delay

For those of you watching this space for the regional news update, we have something fun for you...it's just going to be a bit delayed.

Brandon Enyeart put together a fantastic collection of photos from the Northwest Washington Fair, going on this week in Lynden, Washington. We're editing the photos for sizing as fast as we can, but it just isn't fast enough! Check back tomorrow, and we'll have you covered!

Thank you for your patience.

Inside NWHS: Update

Hello all,

We may have a bit of a delay in the Wednesday blog postings for the next few weeks. Most of you know that Northwest Horse Source owner/publisher Karen Pickering was in an auto accident a couple of weeks ago. This Monday, she also had some minor surgery (unrelated to the accident), so all of us at NWHS appreciate your patience and support as she gets back on her feet. Email and phone responses may be a little bit slow, but we will get back to you!

If you need something to do in the meantime, remember that we're regularly adding new events to our events calendar, and that they take place all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond, so you might just find something right in your neighborhood!

Happy Trails,

~The NWHS Staff

Reader Photo of the Week: August 17, 2009

Out and about on a Missouri Fox Trotting Horse!

From Gabby Moore of www.moorefoxtrotters.com.

Reader Fridays: Apples! A Video...

Check out our first reader video, submitted by Bridgette Lewis (featuring her brothers...and a horse) on a topic that's sure to be of concern for horses everywhere...

Nobody Leaves Pony in the Corner

by Brandon Enyeart

We all know what hard economic times can do. Going out for spaghetti Bolognese turns into staying in for ramen, your shiny car turns into a dust ball, your caramel macchiato becomes a simple cup of drip, and all the while your wallet seems to be succeeding with its own diet plan. However, we are not the only ones who are suffering from the recent economy. Around the United States there have been numerous cases of horses being abandoned with the excuse that the state of the economy and the lack of jobs have forced horse owners into leaving their horses behind.

On March 12 of this year the state of Oregon passed Senate Bill 398, dubbed “The Equine Justice Bill,” which now makes it a crime to abandon a horse. Oregon already had a similar law in place that made it illegal to abandon some animals, but since horses were considered livestock, they were excluded. Thanks to the humane society urging the bill to be passed, the equine family was added to the existing statute.

It is understandable, in the current times, that it may become difficult or even impossible to provide the proper care required by a horse, but there are many alternatives out there for struggling horse owners. If you do find yourself in this position, consider these options:

• Rescue Groups
• Online Adoption Programs
• Lease Arrangements
• Donating your horse to a good home

If you type any of the first three phrases above into your favorite Internet search engine along with the word "horse" and your state, city, or county, you should be able to find groups near you. Well trained, "bombproof" horses can also make excellent candidates for therapeutic riding programs, so if your horse fits that description, check into those as well.

Whether you are giving your horse to a program, a family or an individual, be sure to check out the new home before agreeing to anything—you want your horse to go into better circumstances, not worse.

Even if it is only a class B misdemeanor in Oregon, this still marks a victory not only for equine rights, but animal rights in general. We can only hope that more states follow Oregon’s lead and pass similar bills. There are more and more stories each day of equine abandonment, and it is with only a responsible mindset—not only from your state, but owners alike—that this sad form of abuse can become obsolete.

Perspective on Life

by Karen Pickering

Recently I’ve had cause to reflect on what’s truly important. On July 30, I was hit by a careless driver who crossed the centerline, totaling my truck. The helpless feeling as this driver was looking down, heading straight for me, was horrible. I pulled off to the side of the road as far as possible, honked my horn, and prayed he would look up and see me. He never looked up. The impact pushed me off the road, separating the rear axle from the truck. The concussion of the accident was incredible. I later found out he was messing with his stereo, so not only was he preoccupied, but he couldn’t hear me honking.

Life can be over in an instant. Living each day to its fullest seems to be more important now than ever. The pressures of the accident—dealing with insurance, bills, doctors, horse care, and making arrangements for treatment—are overwhelming. As the owner of the magazine, my responsibilities don’t stop because I cannot give it my full attention.

I’ve long been amazed by the number of bad drivers on the road. I wonder what it’s going to take to stop the deaths, damages and costs to us, which hurt even more in this economy. I’m just thankful my dog wasn’t with me, nor was I towing my horses. I guess you need find the good in everything, but that's very difficult right now as I’m angry and hurting. I’m just reminded that we let the little things annoy us and consume us while we’re just lucky to be breathing!

Be thankful for something today. I’d love your feedback or to hear if you’ve experienced a life-changing moment, especially one that affected your life with your horses. We’d love to share it with our community.

I hope to be back in the saddle soon! Cheers!

Reader Photo: Monday, August 10, 2009

"Princess in Flight"

Photo submitted by CC Koch

NWHS Reader Story Now Open to Video!

You know we're interested in readers' stories, but did you know that you can now submit video for our Reader Story Fridays? All you have to do is upload your video to a public video sharing site, such as YouTube or Blip.tv, and send us a link (please don't send the full video)! If your video is selected, we'll feature it here on the blog.

Just send an email to editor@nwhorsesource.com with the subject line "Video Submission for Blog" and give us the web address (url) and a brief description of the video. Fun times, tough times, wild times, and quiet times with any of your equine companions are all welcome. We'd love to see some donkeys and mules!

Just for fun, check out this video of Allison Trimble at the Idaho Reined Cow Horse Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2007!

Hey! Oregon Can Race Too

by Brandon Enyeart

When you think of horse racing on the West Coast, a few tracks come to mind: Emerald Downs, Santa Anita, Del Mar, Hastings Park, but somehow we forget about the beautiful state of Oregon, which is sitting in the middle of it all, yelling, “Hey, we race horses too!”

If silks and blinkers are your idea of fun on a lovely Oregon summer day, than look no further than Grants Pass Downs. Though the usual nine-day meet was cut to eight days this year due to thunderstorms, that didn’t stop race fans from coming in numbers that exceeded last year’s attendance by 5%. Averaging 2,336 fans a day, Grants Pass Downs saw a total attendance of 18,685 this year. Not too bad for a city whose population tops out at only 23,003.

This year’s healthy turnout may owe some thanks to Grants Pass Downs' own Tag Wotherspoon. It would be safe to say that Tag loves the sport of kings--just a little. Hearing him talk about the action this year would remind you somewhat of a hummingbird in a florist shop. This was the former jockey agent’s third year as director of communications and marketing at Grants Pass Downs, and even through controversy, such the higher than normal fatality rate Oregon experienced last year, he manages to keep a very positive attitude about the sport he loves so much. In his own words, “These animals are athletes, just as basketball players are. Injuries come with the territory and unfortunately are often harder to treat in horses. I know both I and Grants Pass Downs care a great deal about the horses' and the jockeys' safety; this is evident in the precautions we have taken this year to make horse racing a safer sport.”

Although racing takes the spotlight for negative press regarding safety, equine fatalities marred New Jersey’s “Jersey Fresh” three-day eventing competition in both 2007 and 2008. Perhaps bad press can become a good thing, however, if it leads to improved safety for the horses that participate in all of these sports.

With larger racing venues such as Del Mar and Santa Anita changing to a possibly safer synthetic surface for their tracks, there is hope this will pave the way for smaller, more safety conscious tracks like Grants Pass Downs to follow in their footsteps.

Despite the tragedies and concerns, it is hard not to catch the horse-racing bug once you've seen these magnificent animals on the track. And with a local venue like Grants Pass Downs, there's no excuse not to join the fun.

NWHS Photo Contest Announcement

Want your horse to star in the Northwest Horse Source 2010 calendar? We are accepting entries into the NWHS Calendar Photo Contest. Send your high-resolution equine photos—donkeys, mules, and other equids welcome!—to editor@nwhorsesource.com with the email subject line "Calendar Photo" and we will select 12 photos to use in our 2010 calendar, which will be available for purchase through our website in October 2009. Those whose photos are selected will receive a free copy of the calendar. Images should be sent in jpg format at 300dpi, minimum size 8" by 10". Horse photos with seasonal themes are preferred!

If you'd rather send printed photos, they must be 8" high by 10" wide, good quality prints. Mail to NWHS at PO Box 717, Blaine, WA 98231. Be sure to note that they are for the calendar contest. Send copies only, not originals. Photos will not be returned.

Deadline: September 15, 2009

Want to hear about contests like this first? Sign up for the NWHS newsletter and get horsekeeping tips, news, events, and contest notifications sent directly to your email inbox!

Reader Photo: Monday, August 3, 3009

Trail Ride!

From Chris and Lori