Happy New Year!

All of us at NWHS hope you had a wonderful 2009.

Join us for more information, more horses and more events in 2010!

Happy New Year!

Out With the Old, In With the New

by Karen Pickering

As I sit quietly in my office this morning, I contemplate the events of this past year. It’s been the most difficult year I can remember for a long time, and yet it has contained the best in lessons I’ve learned.

My husband, Mark, has never been involved with the horses, but since my accident this past summer he has stepped in and done all the heavy lifting. He cleans stalls, hauls water, hauls hay—whatever needs to be done—as I’m still recovering. I look forward to the mornings now more than ever, since they have become a family affair. Even though it’s just Mark, me, the dog, two cats and two horses, we all seem to look forward to the start of the day. Through this difficulty I feel far more appreciation for what he does on and around our small farm.

I think we take each other for granted at times, so all that has come to pass this year has been an incredible lesson for me in gratitude. I hope I can bestow the same blessings on him at some point as he has given me.

In this time of lack and this season of giving, we can find joy in what we have instead of in what we wish we had. Here, at the end of this year, I find myself going through all of my "stuff" and trying to dispose of what I don’t use or need. I realize I need to unclutter my life, to free my mind and stop the feeling of always being overwhelmed. If you feel the same way, maybe NWHS can help.

This coming year I will be sharing the story of our farm makeover for chore efficiency, cost effectiveness and environmental sensitivity. Working with experts in the field, the measures we take will be brought to you in a new articles series by Alayne Blickle so you, too, can make the most of your small (or medium...or even large) farm or horse property.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful, prosperous 2010 for everyone. Please enjoy our upcoming issues as we highlight all our Northwest region has to offer. I’ll communicate with you next year!

Reader Photo of the Week: Monday, December 28, 2009

"This was taken while Cat was getting a trim. I let go of the lead to take a look at her hind feet, and Garth grabbed it to hold her for me."

~Marilyn

"I hold Cat for mom"

Reader Story: Letter to the Editor, Senior Horses

We've bumped our reader story to Thursday this week--even blogs get Christmas day off! Happy Holidays to all of you from NWHS.

Am just now reading your December issue. Re: The Senior Horse, I thought it might interest you that I now have the 30-year-old registered Quarter Horse mare in the photo (see Monday's post) and another 31-year-old. Both are under blankets now, as well as my 18-year-old Thoroughbred (pictured below). Some 15 years back I had a running Quarter mare who made 40! It was months prior to senior horse feed coming out. I'm on a 167-acre "ranch" in north central Idaho. I've been into horses all my life. I'm 78 now and still keep 4 horses. At one time my husband and I had 59 horses and mules. We outfitted for big game in the mountains between Idaho and Montana.

I can take on these old horses now and feel I owe it to them. Incidentally, the 30 and 31 year old are still sound and occasionally ridden in summer. Recently we had 0 and 3 to 4 degrees for a prolonged period of time. That's hard on man and beast!

I do hope this may be of interest and that you and yours hae a wonderful Holiday Season.

~Sally Shawley

Happy Holidays from The Northwest Horse Source!

Click here to view the full holiday card

Join us tomorrow for an early Reader Story of the Week, and have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season, however you choose to celebrate!

Reader Photo of the Week: Monday, December 21, 2009

Meet Star, a 30-year-old Quarter Horse Mare (age 29 in the photo) owned by Sally Shawley. For more about Sally's senior horses, check back this Friday for our Reader Story of the Week!

Reader Story of the Week: December 18, 2009

Submitted by an anonymous reader and horse owner of 7 years...

Tribute to Natalie
In 2002 I bought my own horse after riding for 10 years at a riding school. She really is my everything, and what makes it so special is that I have a special condition, I have diastrophic dysplasia which means that I'm 3 ft tall and have a stiff skeleton. It's hard to find a "sport" who fits me but horses are really great, and Natalie (my horse) has really made my life brighter. I can really trust her cause she would never hurt anyone on purpose.

I thought I had to lay her down february 06 because she had a huge laminitis-attack but now after 7 months she's back on track and I ride her agaain with no problems. I just wanted to write something cause I'm proud over her. The day when she's no longer with me I'll lose a huge part of myself.

Riding is for everyone.

The Time For Giving

by Brandon Enyeart

Time does fly by fast, doesn’t it? It seems like just yesterday I was writing about summer shows like The Event in Montana or taking pictures at the Northwest Washington Fair. Now here we are, smack dab in the holidays already. If you are like me, you might already have all your shopping done--or perhaps you are one of the brave ones and are waiting until the 24th to finish up. Either way, there is still time to give to those in need in the horse world. Here is a list of a few charities in the area who could use your help this holiday season, along with their wish lists. Whether it is a little or a lot, everything counts. Happy Holidays!


People Helping Horses, Arlington, WA
People helping horses makes giving easy for you. Just go to their website (www.peoplehelpinghorses.com) and follow their iGive.com and “Make a donation” buttons.

Forward Stride, Beaverton, OR
Forward Stride could use a few of the following items to make life easier, especially during the winter. For a complete list visit www.forwardstride.org.

• Gravel: especially during this time of the year, they can use truckloads of gravel, sand and road cloth.
• Gently used tack and tools: turnout blankets, wheelbarrows and hoses are at the top of the list.
• Fencing: any sort of quality fencing supplies help.
• Cabinetry: gently used or new cabinets help.
  
  

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, Bend, OR
www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org

• Kids-size boots, cowboy hats and lariats
• Individually packed fruit drinks and healthy snacks
• Art supplies such as beads, string and paint
• White T-shirts
• Plastic manure forks
• Vet wrap and other medical supplies
  
  

SAFE: Save a Forgotten Equine, Silverdale, WA
www.safehorses.org

• Hay: timothy and/or orchard
• Equine senior feed
• Rice bran, beat pulp and corn oil
• Supplements
• Paste and feed-through wormers
• Waterproof blankets of all sizes
• Fly masks
• Horse treats

Phoenix Horse Rescue, Idaho Falls, ID
www.phoenixhorserescue.com
Phoenix equine rescue is looking for any tack you no longer use, no matter what the condition.

Montana Horse Sanctuary
www.montanahorsesanctuary.org

• Hoof Jack (used to lessen fatigue on the horse while treating hooves)
• Rubber mats
  

Circle F Horse Rescue Society, Abbotsford, B.C. Canada
www.circlef.ca
Along with monetary donations, Circle F is always in need of:

• Vitamins
• Medical spray
• Ointments
• Wormer
• Fly masks
• Halters
• Leads
  
  

Alaska Equine Rescue, Eagle River, AK
www.alaskaequinerescue.com
Since it is harder to get non-monetary donations to Alaska, Alaska Equine Rescue has set up a donations page on their website.

If we've missed your favorite Northwest equine charity, please add it to the comments below and include the website address so others can find it and help out. Even if you can't afford to donate this year, someone else might be looking for just the right place to give.

Why Horse Magazines Won’t Die

by Karen Pickering

I ran across this article and I just had to share it: http://www.foliomag.com/2009/why-magazines-wont-die.

I agree with the author completely. When I want to relax, I think of a magazine or good book, not grabbing my laptop. I want to curl up in a comfy chair with my dog and comfortably read an article or just browse the pages. Many of us sit in front of a computer all day and don’t feel like turning it on when we get home.

I think of my computer as a tool for work or research. A magazine, on the other hand, is the most relaxing way to enjoy reading about the things I love most.

I believe magazines won’t die because they are still a great way to relax. As I’m finishing up on my holiday gifts, I'm reminded that one of the best gifts you can give someone is one that keeps coming all year. A magazine subscription is something you can look forward to getting in the mail each month, bringing you new stories, new things to buy and a great look at what's happening in our region.

We all need to relax more, so go ahead and get off the computer. Go curl up with a magazine and just browse through. Look at the photos; read anything that catches your eye. And when you've done that, come back and visit us online. Let us know what you think here in the blog comments or send me an email at Karen@nwhorsesource.com.

Have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy our next issue, which will be in stores (in relaxing print-on-paper format!) by January 1st, ready to help you ride into the new year!

Warmly,
Karen

Happy Holidays from the USEF

This week, we'd like to start you off with a special holiday message from the US Equestrian Foundation. Have a happy, safe, and horse-filled holiday season!

~The NWHS Staff

Back to Life: A Senior Horse Essay Contest Honorable Mention

by Cindy Kingsberry

[Note: this essay was originally attributed to Bonnie Orr in our reader newsletter, based on the name on the email containing the submission. Cindy Kingsberry is the author.]

Senior Horse Essay Contest is a great idea, so often its seems people forget the older horses and the years of service they have given. I want to tell you about special moments with a senior horse called "Coffee". Coffee came to us as a Sheriff's Office seizure. He was in very bad shape with a body score of a half! The attending veterinarian said he might not live thru the night. Coffee was so starved and neglected, it was a effort for him to take one step after another. His big beautiful brown eyes were dull and lifeless with no hope. We managed to get him home with extra human help in the trailer. The first three days were critical and required 24 hour hands on care. Coffee ate his grain a hand full at a time every few hours. Because a horse in that condition has already had his body start to shut down, the refeed process is slow and small bits at a time. Worming at that time was out of the question. Thank goodness he was still able to drink water.

After a few days it was wonderful to see him start to respond. He slowly started to move around and looked forward to the loving attention from us. It was wonderful to see those big beautiful brown eyes full of hope and a will to live. Over the next few months Coffee continued to improve and gained 300 lbs. He turned out to be a perfect gentleman and was happy to return the loving hugs we gave. He was quite a character, he would spend his time following everyone around the pasture like a puppy dog.

Everyone that came in contact with Coffee knew he was special. His time with us was filled with special moments and those big beautiful brown eyes were unforgettable, they were now filled with life and happiness. We know his last years were happy and carefree with plenty of food, care, and love. To save him from a death of starvation and neglect is worth more than words can say. We said a loving good by to Coffee at age 34. The special times and moments with him will never by forgotten. He gave more to us than we gave to him.

Helmet Safety: How To Fit a Helmet For Horseback Riding

In lieu of our usual Northwest news this week, we'd like to bring you this important safety video on helmet fitting from the Certified Horsemanship Association. Just click here for a short video on proper helmet fit.

Holiday Wishes

by Karen Pickering

Photo: April & Karen, 2002, by Jack Kintner

As you hustle about getting ready for the holidays, do you ever feel overwhelmed or cheated? What is this season supposed to mean? Certainly not stress. Why then do we feel so pushed to get things done? Have we forgotten the meaning of the holiday?

This is a time of discovery for me. It’s a time to review my life and decide where I want to go from here. It’s time to get out of the rut, make things happen and find that motivation to get moving!

I want to share my vision with you. In November of 2008 I sat down and wrote this:

My Dreams and Goals
My dream is to have a small A-frame or rustic style home on acreage. An indoor arena, my office in the structure with a viewing area. A place to invite friends, family and provide a great environment for my team. A place where people can come to see and experience horses. To have balance, time to travel, spend time riding (working 20 to 30 hours a week in the office, and the rest of the time visiting clients, horse people, ranches, and experiencing different clinics). Time to get away (quiet time for reflecting). I would like to be a good leader and inspire others to be successful. Help others on their journeys to build their own dreams. I’d like to go back to school to learn more about software, graphics, get back to drawing and painting as a creative outlet. I would like to be organized, good at time management and clutter-free. To ultimately have time for others and keep perspective on what’s really important to me: God, family, friends, my work relationships, and my animals. To have unconditional love and acceptance of others.

I want to be the best educational resource for horse people in the Northwest. I would like to grow the NWHS organization to other projects such as directories, other publications and eventually tackle nationwide distribution with a team of people dedicated to educating the equine community. I want to be able to work on the business, not in the business, to create alliances that allow the NWHS to expand and grow into an entity that can be around after I’m gone.

Okay, I’ve bared my soul. So now I would love to know what this holiday means to you. Please comment. I’d love to know what you dream about, both for yourself and for your horses. This is a place to make a commitment to make things happen!

I wish you rich blessings this holiday season, a time of reflection and thanksgiving. Thank you for being a part of my world!

Warmly,
Karen

Reader Photo Monday! December 7, 2009

Here's one more photo of Carole Mercer and Dolly, one of her beloved dancing Morgans (in an appropriately wintery setting). If you missed this Oregon cowgirl's story last Friday, check it out here at Oregon Morgans: Turning Nightmares into Dreams.

The Gentle Bear: Senior Horse Essay Contest Honorable Mention

by Jennifer Teigrob

Some senior horses hold the wisdom and love that young horses haven't had the time to develop. Our family owned a senior horse that truly was one in a million. Bartell's Running Bear had a story that started long before we owned him, but we knew him only in his twilight years. In those years he changed a young girl's life forever.

My sister Stephanie had a nasty little pony that had destroyed her trust and love for horses, and she had vowed to never ride again. Stephanie was small for her age and timid, so my parents knew they would have to find exactly the right horse to help her recover her trust in horses. Finally, they found Bear, a 21 year old half-blind, semi-retired 4-H horse.

In the beginning, Stephanie wanted nothing to do with Bear. However, slowly she agreed to help groom him, then go with my mom as they took him for walks. Finally she agreed to ride, but only for a couple minutes at a time. Bear was always steady, always gentle, and he always built her trust. It didn't hurt that he was a loud leopard Appaloosa that was fun to look at!

Bear took care of Stephanie and would stop if she began to fall off. He put up with her doing tricks like standing on his back and he often sported braids and flowers in his mane and tail. Bear accepted costumes of all kinds for costume classes and just for fun. Stephanie eventually completely overcame her fear of horses thanks to Bear's steadiness and love for her.

Stephanie showed Bear in 4-H and took him to the fair every year until he was 25. She won many blue ribbons and grand championships. Not bad for a girl who swore to never ride again! Stephanie developed her riding skills and moved on to more challenging and complicated horses. She eventually became one of the best equitation riders I have ever seen.

Our entire family loved Bear and even my dad, who does not ride, took Bear on a poker ride and had the time of his life. When I began working with young horses, I would often pony them off of Bear, knowing he would act the gentleman, and teach those youngsters a thing or two.

Bear was one of those once in a lifetime horses. He was a godsend for our family in his senior years, the time in his life when a lot of people would say he was past his prime, or used up. But our family needed his time-earned wisdom and love, and to us, he was perfectly in his prime! We lost Bear when he was 29 after a long, healthy and giving life. We won't ever forget him or the difference he made in our life's. Thank you BearBear!

Oregon Morgans: Turning Nightmares into Dreams

The Life of an Oregon Cowgirl
by Brandon Enyeart, photos courtesy Carole Mercer

Carole Mercer was only four years old when she was bitten by the horse bug. Unlike many people in the horse world, Carole didn’t have a family history of horsemen and horsewomen; in fact, her parents didn’t really even like horses. However, a big brown gelding named Fisher who lived behind her family’s house in Sheridan, Wyoming became the first step in an extraordinary career for Carole. There were winters when her mother could barely see Carole from the kitchen window as the little girl wandered out into blizzard to check up on Fisher and make sure he was all right. Even though Fisher wasn’t her own horse, she bonded with him in a way that most of us are very familiar with.

At the age of 14, Carole's life made a big change when her parents decided to retire to a one-acre lot south of San Francisco, California. Her life was missing something, and she mentally wasted away without the one thing that stimulated her dreams and goals…horses.

Thankfully, she discovered Canada Stables in Woodside, California. Still barely into her teens, she biked up hills to Woodside every day and cleaned stalls in exchange for riding lessons. It was just what she needed to ease the culture shock of moving. Once again Carole had regained the drive and determination she had left in Wyoming.

Carole’s adult life had its ups and downs. Horses came and went once she married, went to college and moved to Los Angeles. She had a daughter named Sarah, and then went through a divorce before moving back to the Bay Area.

The next significant horse to come into her life was a POA named Pepper that she bought for Sarah. Carole rode him everywhere with Sarah perched in front of her, along for the ride. Sarah knew how to ride, but didn’t like to; obviously, the horse gene skipped a generation.

The start of Carole’s love of Morgan horses was a registered mare named Chualar’s Valentine. Carole started to become very serious about driving with Valentine, and it was then that her life changed completely.

Another divorce meant Valentine had to be sold in order to buy a ranch in Eagle Point, Oregon for Carole and Sarah. Carole did most of the farming on the ranch with Morgan horses she purchased, using them for everything from gathering cattle to pulling a hay wagon. The ranch became the first real home of her adult life.

Years passed and Sarah moved away for college. Everyday ranch life continued to keep Carole busy until the day Sarah went jogging alongside the road and was struck by a car and killed.

“I was never able to find myself again, but I learned that you don’t find yourself; you create yourself,” said Carole.

After almost 12 years of reshaping her life Carole, finds herself the proud owner of a dream team: two Morgan mares (Bobbi and Valentine) with whom she performs a dressage musical kur. She rides Bobbi western sidesaddle while driving the other mare, Valentine (named after her first Morgan mare), in tandem using long lines.

At 65 years old, this Northwest horsewoman will be representing the United States at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, September 25 through October 10, 2010. Carole and her mares will perform October 7 through 10 in the Equine Village, which promises to be an entertaining and educational companion to the games. This is an honor that Carole likens to being an athlete at the Olympics.

“Whoever thought that this Oregon cowgirl and her lovely Dancing Morgans would dance off their home range of Eagle Point, Oregon to entertain worldwide spectators at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games?”

For Carole Mercer, her horses aren’t just a dream; they’re the reality that makes every day worth living. It’s no wonder she was selected to represent that tough but compassionate Northwest spirit in one of the biggest equine events of our time.

Find out more about Carole and her Dancing Morgans at www.carts-carriages.com.

Product Review: Soft-Ride Equine Boots

by Karen Pickering

Click the image for a larger view

Last week I got some disappointing news. My mare, April, was diagnosed with navicular disease. This was very hard to take, especially after the long road to healing with her PSSM issue that started in the spring.

The first ride we took this fall went very well. She’s such a willing horse, athletic with a great attitude. After cooling her out, I noticed she was standing with her front feet out in front of her. She was noticeably limping as I led her out to the trailer and unsaddled her.

I gave her some bute to ease the pain and inflammation but still noticed discomfort for a week. I assumed I overdid the ride. When I finally took her to the vet for some x-rays, the news was not good. It clearly showed shadows in the bone, which we were hoping not to find. Dr. DeYoung recommended a product called Soft-Ride to give her some relief on those sore feet.

My farrier pulled her shoes off and I called Debbie Ruetenik at Soft-Ride to see about getting some of her Equine Comfort Boots. She was incredible to work with and sent a set off to me overnight so I could test them out. I used the boots with just the standard gel inserts, and April experienced immediate relief. It was so nice to see her move around after she had spent the past few days lying down most of the time since her feet hurt her so badly.

I would highly recommend this product to support and protect the feet. Many people use these boots when hauling long distances as well as for laminitis or navicular issues. If you want to protect your horse’s feet, you can find out more at http://www.soft-ride.com/