Land of the Free.... to abuse horses?

This case was not a borderline abuse case.  Animal Control had been present and seeking the cooperation of this breeder for 6 MONTHS.  Because of the sheer overwhelming number of horses, she was given every chance to get her shit together.  The situation progressed from informal check-ins, to a 30 day contract with Animal Control that outlines specifications of care to be met.  15 days into that contract, inspections revealed basic provisions had not been acquired in sufficient quantity, specifically adequate amounts of suitable hay and access to clean water.  Water tubs were filled with filth and slime, holding only inches of algae colored water for herds of 30+ horses.  Yet the hose and hydrant were right there.  I personally lifted the handle....  it worked.  How hard is it to cooperate with filling a bucket? 

7 horses were emaciated to the point of being destroyed on scene.  36 more were deemed critical.  And all 133 present were removed in April 2011. 

Does Ms. Parkinson, who allowed her horses to deteriorate to the above condition, deserve to have her hand patted and be given half of her horses back, continuing to be responsible for their lives?  She walked out her door EVERY SINGLE DAY and saw the horses pictured above.  And she did nothing.  She and her supporters justify this picture as excusable "because these horses were old."  No excuse in the world can justify that body condition.  I don't care if they are old, have cancer, debilitating disease, no teeth, or they have been possessed by the devil or whatever other absurd excuse she wants to offer...   you either provide them with proper care, or you euthanize them.  PERIOD. 

Our Noel is old, too.  She's 36+, and she has NO MOLARS.  She looks like this:

That is what an old horse should look like.  Despite having no molars and some liver and kidney damage from her advanced age, we are able to maintain her condition quite easily.  And if we could not, she would be euthanized.  It doesn't matter how much we love her.  It would be our final kindness.

And I don't want to hear the whole "Oh well she's a draft and they stay fat and {{insert multiple lame excuses for your failure to be a decent human being here}}...." because Noel arrived QUITE neglected.  And she's not an easy keeper.  And look how fast some complicated care like AGE APPROPRIATE FOOD brought her around!

I only add this because, as hard as it is to fathom, there is actually a community of horse enthusiasts who SUPPORT Ms. Parkinson, and despite all photographic and video evidence to the contrary believe she did nothing wrong.  In fact, in their minds she is an innocent and wonderful woman who was framed by all the big bad rescues out there who wanted to "steal" her precious horses...   

I can't roll my eyes hard enough.

But I digress. 

10 of Ms. Parkinson's 133 neglected horses arrived into our care for the duration of her trial.  While here they were vetted, had dietary plans individually created, had intestinal parasite infestations treated, had their dental needs addressed, and had their hoof neglect corrected.  They also were gentled, halter broke, learned to tie, stand for the farrier and vet, and learned to blanket and trailer load.  Our cost?  Just over $38,000 in less than 10 months.  You- our donors- paid that bill with your kindness and generosity. 

So imagine our heart-wrenching dismay when Queen Annes County States Attorney Lance Richardson decided to sign a laughably lenient plea deal of 10 misdemeanor neglect charges, complete with the return of 63 horses.  It's an outrage.

So why do jurisdictions seem to do this, again and again?  That's a complex problem, and its the heart of why I wanted to write this thread.  Gentle Giants isn't the only rescue that is dealing with the heart break of investing time, money, energy, and painfully limited resources to help rehab neglected horses only to have them returned to the perpetrator.  And its not just happening in Maryland.  It's a rampant problem.

Our friends at Hope for Horses recently had this horse deemed "fine" with its owners by Animal Control.   How is that FINE under any circumstance??? 

I don't care what the age, breed, health issue, or any other EXCUSE is...  that is not "FINE".

So why does it happen?  Well, follow the money.  As much as no one likes to admit it, the world runs on money, not good intentions. 

Basically, Queen Annes County had to look at how long this trial would last.  Trials like this can drag on for years and years of appeals.  Who pays to feed these horses during this time?  A burden of one or two, or even three horses isn't that much of a long term strain on a rescue, but what about when you are dealing with a herd of 133?   133 neglected horses overwhelmed the entirety of the resources available by the MD horse rescue community so severely that HSUS had to come in and offer support.  But how long could the support go on?  What would Queen Annes County do when rescues started saying "Hey Queen Annes County, we can't bear this financial burden anymore.  We have to give your horses back".  The tax payers of Queen Annes County don't want to pay for caring for Ms. Parkinsons horses.  And she can't pay for them, or they would have never been in this condition to begin with!

So who pays?  The horses pay.

She pays.

 

     He Pays.

 

She Pays.

But I don't see Ms. Parkinson paying.

Which thing in this picture is different?

REMINDER:  THIS IS A BLOG.  BLOGS ARE PLACES FOR RAMBLING THOUGHTS AND DISCUSSIONS.  THESE ARE RAMBLING THOUGHTS THAT MIGHT LEAD TO A DISCUSSION.  

(so don't get all sensitive)

I included this heading because this is a tough topic to talk about without someone feeling like these types of conversations"attack" beginner riders.  No one should ever "attack" a beginner rider, because we all were one at some point, and we should all remember that.  However, in my years of horse rescue and trying to pair good adoptive matches, I've found again and again that beginners are the hardest type of horse person to help out, and it frequently doesn't matter how nicely you try.  And despite owning horses for over 30 years, I'm still not quite sure why that is.

What confuses me the most about some riders is the apparent inability to recognize when one thing does not look like the other things they are seeing.

I'm the first to admit I'm not a very good rider and lord knows I'm not a confident rider.  I've been riding near my whole life and I still place myself as a lower level intermediate rider.  I take lessons every week.  I will need lessons until the day I die, and even then I'm sure I'll still suck.  I am watching and learning from everyone around me, ALWAYS.  Sometimes that watching is because I see someone doing something that for me is hard, but for them looks effortless.  That's something I want to learn, so I study them and ask questions. Sometimes I learn because I see someone do something I don't ever want to do, so I make a note of that, too. I've always done this and I don't think I will ever stop doing this.  I'm not sure I could if I tried.

So, that being said, why does it seem like so many beginners fail to look around and recognize when one thing in the picture is different? 

If your saddle looks like this sitting on your horse:           

But all your friends saddles look like this sitting on their horses...     Don't you wonder why?  Wouldn't you ask once you noticed that more than a couple saddles didn't fit like yours? 

And, if you go riding in a group and everyone else looks like these folks on their horses:

But you look like this... 

or this......

Don't you wonder why?  And wouldn't you want to try to fix it?  The same thing if you take a short canter with your trail buddies, and they are sitting deep and secure in their saddles looking nice and relaxed, while you fly all about your mount slamming up and down and narrowly escaping death with every stride... ---------------------->

Wouldn't you begin to notice that one thing here is not like the other?  And wouldn't, naturally, you want to find out WHY?

This isn't about giving anyone advice.  It's about why some people fail to look around and NOTICE.  If my horse looks like a hairy Yak, and yours gleams like a shiny new penny...  I'm going to ask you WHY, or at least HOW yours looks different than mine.

So, for discussion... is the issue that beginners don't know what they should be noticing, or is it that they simply truly do not recognize the one thing that is different?  And how do we get that to change?

I'm assuming part of this phenomenon is how one person sees this:

When the reality is this:

And, just for fun, some guys think they look like this:

 And we're all wincing because we see this:

Come See Us at the Maryland Horse World Expo!!

• Need a fun and inexpensive place to go on the weekend in this cold, yucky winter weather?
• Have some spare money from the Holidays burning a hole in your pocket you'd like to spend on awesome horsey goodies?
• Want to see some really cool clinics about horses, ranging from breeds to training to stable management to horsecare?

Want to come and meet some of our beautiful drafts?

Then you need to clear your schedule for this weekend!


From January 20th through the 22nd, the 16th Annual Maryland Horse World Expo will be held (indoors!) at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

We will have a booth, flanked by two of our very own gentle giants (who will be rotated throughout the Expo, so you might get to see different ones each day!).  We will be in booths B8 and B9.  Find us on this Interactive Floor Plan!


There will be tons of vendors for absolutely every horse-related thing imaginable! Grooming supplies, training programs, saddles, jewelry, trailers (my fave!!!), custom halters, hoodies, boots, helmets, I could go on FOREVER! (Yes, I am a shopaholic enabler, especially when it comes to horse... ah... "stuff")


There will also be demonstrations, clinics, and educational seminars featuring both locally- and nationally-known trainers, riders, respected horsemen/women, professors, and veterinarians.

The Expo is a HUGE to-do for all horsepeople in the area.  All you have to ask is, "Going to the Expo?" and they immediately know you're talking about THE Expo.

As you can probably tell, I'm soooo EXCITED!!!

We look forward to seeing all of you there!


~Amanda


PS- Amazing FOOD!!!

PPS- Free Parking (sorry, not like Monopoly's "Free Parking", but close enough), and cheap admission fees!

So what do we do now?

The last few days there's been lots of press about the signing of Bill H2112 into law.  The NEW version of this Bill has removed Section 739, the Section that prevented the slaughter of horses in the US since 2007 by removing tax payer funded compensation for USDA Inspectors to inspect horsemeat.   That means that now MILLIONS of our tax dollars will go to once again pay USDA Inspectors to inspect and approve horse meat for exported human consumption.  The door to bring back horse slaughter on US soil has been swung wide open.

I'm working on the assumption that if you read this Blog, you are very likely against the slaughter of horses for their meat.  Like us, you probably see a horse as more of a trusted companion than as livestock chattel.

So what do anti-slaughter supporters do now?

First and most importantly- we need to EDUCATE everyone we can about OUR VIEW.  Many people out there haven't even thought about this issue, and the topic is surrounded with propaganda and intentionally misguiding sound bytes from the pro-slaughter camps. Here's what I wish everyone who was pro-slaughter, or even undecided, would know before they decided to take that stance.

Horse slaughter will NOT HELP decrease the unwanted horse problem, whether the slaughter is in the US, or anywhere else. Slaughter is a demand driven business.  More horses will not be slaughtered just because they can be obtained cheaply or even free.  The proof is in the numbers- the relative same number of horses have been slaughtered since 2007, despite the fact that horses currently now cost about 1/5 of what they did in 2007.   

Horse slaughter is not more "humane" in the US.  While everyone agrees nothing is worse than the horror that is Mexico, the US uses the captive bolt- the same method currently employed in Canada.  The captive bolt was designed for cattle who have short necks and less of a flight instinct.  Horses have long, flexible necks that effectively avoid the 4 inch bolt being rammed into their skull.  Often they are hit multiple times in the face, head, and neck... even eyes. Even Temple Grandin, the famed designer of many modern slaughterhouses has claimed there is no commercially viable method to slaughter horses that she can deem humane. 

Does this look "humane?"

Horses WILL NOT be turned out to run loose and starve if we don't slaughter them!  Excuse me, but OH BULLSHIT!!!!  #1.  Nearly all claims of horses being turned loose have been found false or unfounded.  #2.  No mentally healthy human being would let an animal starve to death.  No one.  Even if they were unable/unwilling to feed it, they could: sell it, auction it, euthanize it, shoot it, give it away, or TURN IT OVER TO ANIMAL CONTROL.  I admit we hear more about animal neglect than ever before.  But we also have a world wide media that can spread news without limit.  Is neglect happening more, or is it reported more?  Having personally been to several starvation seizures, I can assure you that mental illness was the causative factor.... not lack of money. 

It's NOT the only way to get rid of all these unwanted horses.   Everyone agrees there are more horses than homes right now.  But how about some human responsibility here?  Somebody either specifically planned or allowed for every horse on that slaughter truck to be created.  Someone planned a breeding, or turned a stallion out with mares, or kept a colt at it's dams side until it bred her.  Some HUMAN did that.  These aren't wild horses.  We could stop the over breeding by educating horse owners, encouraging gelding, and maybe even requiring breeders to pay to be licensed or have a per-foal fee.

And my favorite:  "But, there's no other choice for someone with an unwanted horse they can't sell!"   Here's some choices I'd be happy to tell that owner about!  How about decency and responsibility?  Those are choices, too.  The choice could be made to train the un-halterbroke 4 year old you created, as well as the 20 year old broodmare who you cranked babies out of but never started.  You could give your horse the skills it needs to make it valuable and have a fair shot in life.  How about kindness?  If it's lame and broke down... euthanize the poor horse.  Or sacrifice?  Do without a few lattes and brown bag it, and maybe you could stretch you funds and keep your horse.  What about gratitude?  You could retire that outgrown or retiring mount and thank it for it's dedicated service to you.  And how about accountability?  Did you do something stupid like jump into horse ownership too fast, buy the wrong horse, not think about the fact that you might go to college in 2 years?  Some of those situations are unfortunate, but it still boils down to YOU being the one who made that choice, and it should be YOU who figures out a responsible way to fix it.  Why not throw hard work in with the choices, too?  You could get that second job, work those extra hours, and maybe even arrange to work off some board.

So now we've covered some of the myths.  But here's what slaughter DOES do:  It rewards a horse who spent it's life trusting and serving humans with a brutal and terrifying death.  It makes them watch other horses being killed and dying before it gets it's turn. It promotes and rewards irresponsible ownership and overbreeding.  It uses our tax dollars to fund foreign owned businesses that profit GREATLY and pay little taxes and offer no benefits to the US.  It creates environmental nightmares wherever it happens to be located.  It destroys property values for the surrounding area.  It creates a handful of measly, dangerous, low paying jobs.

Now here's some GOOD NEWS.
H.R. 2966: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 is in Congress.  Call.  Write.  Be calm, concise, and professional.  Tell your friends.  Tell your co-workers.  Tell people on the street if you must! 

America's horses don't need this, and this is our last chance to protect them! 


~Christine Hajek, President and Founder

Unless you are OK with this being a horse you owned, bred, or once rode; you need to oppose horse slaughter.  Every single one was SOMEONE'S.

Announcing the Maryland Hay Bank!

In times such as these, many horse owners find it increasingly difficult to find the finances required to properly keep a horse.  They may move their horse to self-care field board, where before they had access to full care and a nice comfy stall.  They may stop going to shows, and they may stop giving their horse expensive treats and massages. They eat boiled noodles for every meal, and would starve for a day if it means they can buy a bale of hay for their horse.

But what is a horse owner to do when they cannot actually afford to keep their horse? I mean they cut all hard feed (grain) and are hoping there is enough grass to last through winter (which there never is), and if they are able to buy hay, it may not be good enough for horses and could make them sick.  At this point, options are limited.  It usually comes down to either giving the horse up, or the horse suffers neglect, which can come in various forms as lack of farrier or dental care, no veterinary care, and eventually starvation.

Sadly, many owners wait as long as they can, hoping they're about to hit an upturn, and before they know it the horse is a rack of bones with slipper feet.  At this point, actually before it, the situation has become a crisis.  If the horse does not get the proper care before this point, chances of finding a new home and recovering are slim to none.

Several years ago, there would have been room at rescues to take such cases in before they even got to such a state.  But every rescue is operating at or beyond capacity (very few people can afford to adopt and take on another mouth to feed) and having to turn away horses who are not in dire circumstances, and even those sometimes end up being a situation where the rescue will fund the humane euthanasia of the horse, as opposed to death by starvation or horrific end in a slaughterhouse.

No one is safe from the economic downturn, and just because someone cannot afford to feed their horses now doesn't necessarily make them bad owners.  If they are truly good owners, they will explore all options possible for finding their horses good homes before it comes down to "Rescue my horse or it's going to slaughter on Tuesday."  When owners have a deadline and have bills to pay, it is very hard to resist less-than-humane ways for getting rid of their horses.

To help people have just a little more time to find a good home for their horses, get a job that can cover the cost of horse ownership, or even come up with money to humanely euthanize their animals, Gentle Giants has created the Maryland Hay Bank.

Applicants who are accepted will receive (for FREE) one bale of good hay per horse per day for one month.  The catch? They have to come up with a plan (and act on it before the month is out) to rectify their situation (i.e. find new homes, get another job, or even euthanasia).

The hay, in essence, is not a handout, it is a handUP.  We give them a hand up to get them back on their feet.  They may not have their horses at the end of it, but it keeps the horses safe and off of European dinner plates.

For the Rescue's groundbreaking program, ABC2News interviewed Christine, and wrote a lovely article about it:




Maryland Rescue Offers Free Hay to Save Horses

We have received numerous applications already, and hope to help as many horses as we can.  They don't have to be drafts, either.  They can be ponies, minis, Arabians, Warmbloods, even mules and donkeys, etc.


Everyone always talks about the issue of horse slaughter, and how there isn't much anyone can do about the problem.  THIS is our answer!  We help legitimate people network and buy themselves and their horses some time before EVER considering that option.  No horse deserves to end its days on a cramped, hot trailer and being butchered and ending up on someone's table! 

One can only hope every state will begin such a program, and we are willing to help people outside of Maryland connect to get hay or new homes. 

Maybe, just maybe this is the beginning of the end of American horses being shipped to slaughter.




~Amanda

The Million-Dollar Question

Here's a topic that has been making the rounds in the horse blog community the past week or so:  How much are horseowners allowed to get away with before they are not allowed to have any horses?

This topic can be somewhat controversial, so I'm going to ask it from a rescue's point of view: Are there any issues in someone's situation that would make us not consider them for adoption? Yes, absolutely.  Every time we adopt out a horse, we expect it to be a forever home, so we do all we can to learn about the potential adopters and match them with the perfect horse.  And if we don't have that perfect horse, we are upfront about it and tell them that we don't have anyone at that time who will suit their needs.

Every adopter goes through an intense process of evaluation.  One step involves several visits to the farm to get to know the horse, and if the horse is broke to ride, it is ridden to see how well the rider's abilities complement the horse.

If a horse is deemed appropriate for an adopter and they seem to have a bond over the course of those visits, we will allow them to put a deposit on the horse, which puts them first in line to adopt that horse, pending further evaluation.

On our webpage, you will sometimes see "Adoption Pending" next to a horse's name.  This means that the potential adopters still need to have their references checked and/or have the facility the horse will be kept at inspected for the safety and comfort of the horse.  Most of the time, they will get through the reference stage with flying colors.  When we get to the inspection phase, we are absolutely meticulous in determining if a facility is good enough for our "furry children."  In almost every case there is room for improvement, and as long as the adopters are willing to work with us it usually works out.  It can be something as simple as getting a better trashcan to store feed in or replacing a few boards in their fenceline.

So where in the process do things tend to go wrong for potential adopters? Everywhere!  Fortunately, Christine is very good at filtering the good from the bad over the phone or via e-mail.

Phone/e-mail screening gives us a general idea of who that person is and what they are looking for.  If they are nonspecific in their needs, most of the time they are not ready for a horse.  If they want a companion for their own horse, and then mention their horse is a stallion and the horse they want is a mare, they are not ready for another horse until the stallion becomes a cute gelding.

Adopters meeting the horses is a no-brainer.  These visits not only give the adopter a chance to choose and bond with a horse, but they give us the opportunity to determine what the adopter is like.  For example, some adopters play up their riding abilities, and once they're on the horse, they don't have a clue what to do.  Heck, we've had people put saddles on backwards, girths around necks, completely dismantle bridles, the list goes on and on.  Seriously, you can't make this stuff up!  Fortunately, the horses tend to let us know when someone is "off" and won't work out.  If the horse doesn't like them, there's no way we're going to adopt them out to that home.

References are a crucial part in evaluating someone's readiness to adopt.  We contact friends, family, vets, employers, barn owners/managers, farriers, etc.  If someone's vet hasn't seen their current horses in several years, that may be a sign they have a form of husbandry that doesn't quite meet our standards, as there are vaccinations and routine veterinary procedures that all horses need at least once a year.  We talk to everyone we can as there is almost always someone who is going to spill the beans that not all is good at someone's farm.

For someone to make it to the inspection stage, it means that we are extremely confident in their ability to provide for the horse.  No one has exposed any skeletons in their proverbial closet, they have a good and honest air about them, the horse really likes them, and there are no signs of a fallout on the horizon.  But every once in a while someone's facilities are so deplorable that we wonder how we were fooled for so long.  How did they get through such a rigorous screening process?!?!  THEY DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG with how they keep their current horses, and the people who are around them ALSO see nothing wrong.  I'm talking about tiny paddocks crammed with not just their current horses, but also other livestock, all skinny and in two feet of mud, urine, and feces, no hay or clean water in sight, falling down barbed wire fences, the whole shebang.

We ALWAYS take the opportunity to tell people why we will not adopt horses out to them, and ways they can improve to be considered for adoption in the future.

But here's the thing: Everyone who wants to adopt from us believes they already would be a good home.  From the second they decide they want a horse (and not just from us), they believe they will provide a good home for that horse, no matter what their level (or lack) of experience is.  Some people take critiques of their horsemanship, facilities, whatever to heart and try very hard to make changes, while others see no problem with what they are doing and take great offense to our attempt at education.

So here's the million-dollar question: How do you educate people who believe they already know it all?

Fortunately, we are not obligated to adopt out to just anyone who wants one of our horses.  While we would have a fantastic turnover rate, we would just be putting horses into another situation from which they would need to be rescued again.  That's not fair to the horses in the least.  When we initially rescued the horses, it was with the promise to them that from that moment on, they would have a better life.

Adopters have to agree to a MASSIVE contract before they are allowed to take a horse home.  Obviously (or not so obviously to some), we have a strict no-breeding clause for all mares we adopt out (we do not adopt out intact males, everything is gelded before it leaves the farm- apparently this is not a practice observed by all rescues!). 

Even such an intense evaluation process and placement of a horse cannot weed out every single person who might not be a permanent home.  In fact, everyone starts out as a great owner and gives fantastic updates with tons of photos, but a change in their circumstances may inhibit their ability to properly care for their horses, such as divorce, job loss, medical problems, etc.  Every so often an adopter will just get into a rut and will not contact us for help until the horse is in dire straits.  Fortunately this doesn't happen often, and most of the time we can intervene before the horse is neglected.  In such a rough economy, horses are oftentimes the first luxury to go, and if someone is hesitant to have the horse taken away from them for another day or holds out hope some miracle will come along tomorrow, they may be willing to overlook another visible rib or the hip bones poking out.





So now that you've made it through yet another of my lengthy posts, we could really use your input!  While I'd like to say there are no right or wrong answers, we, as a rescue, have to draw the line somewhere to ensure our horses get into the best homes possible; there are just certain situations we would NEVER subject our horses to.


What conditions do you believe are totally unacceptable for being allowed a horse?

To what lengths would you go to improve your property to be allowed a horse? For example: If you have barbed wire fencing and we said it was unacceptable, would you replace it?  Or would you just go to another rescue that doesn't care?

Is it unreasonable to ask potential adopters to improve themselves (i.e. take lessons on how to handle a draft horse, or take lessons to make them a more competent rider) before being allowed a certain horse?  Should we expect ALL adopters to spend a specified amount of time with us learning how to handle their draft?  Or create a class/program/test they should go through?  Would this deter you from wanting to adopt from us?

And the really big question once again: How would you educate someone who sees nothing wrong with the way they keep their animals, and believes their method is right simply because nothing has gotten seriously injured or died (yet)?
 (Okay, that's a little different than what I asked previously, but that's the ideology that we meet on an increasing basis.)


Whew, some heady stuff.


~Amanda

Howard County Fair: Draft and Mule Show!!!

Whew, what an exhausting couple of weeks!  We're just settling back into our routine after all the prep and showing for the Howard County Draft and Mule Show last weekend at the Howard County Fair.

PREPARATION:

For those unfamiliar with showing horses, here's a quick rundown of all the prep it takes to get a draft horse ready for a show (and we took eight horses!):

The week before the show:
- Learn how to trot in hand and square up for the judges
- First pre-show bath a week before the show (Sunrise and Penny got their very first baths!)
- Hooves trimmed
- Feathers washed several times the week before the show
- Begin clipping hairs on chin, muzzle, ears, guard hairs, and feathers for Percherons and Belgians the week before
- Thin and shorten manes, tails and forelocks (we use horse-sized dematting rakes)
- Another full bath a few days before the show
- Use hand razors to remove the remaining long hairs on the face and clean up blazes a couple of days before the show
- Go over the whole body with grill blocks to de-shed and flatten hairs (to make them shiny)
- Last full bath the day before the show- tons of deep scrubbing!
- Stalled overnight so they don't go out and give themselves a full-body mud mask treatment

Morning of the show:
- Load and trailer to the show
- Wash the inevitable poo off of everyone's feathers and butts (do they make draft-sized full-body Slinkies?)
- Braid tails (draft buns for docked tails, Hunter braid for long tails)
- Mane rolls for geldings
- Forelock braided, and one braid at the beginning of the mane for mares
- Black hoof polish on Belgians and Percherons (no hoof polish on the Clydesdales, thank goodness!)
- Coat polish spray
- Mineral oil on darker muzzles
- Show in Halter (Adult, Youth Showmanship)
- Those who are broke to ride are shown in English and Western Youth and Adult classes (each requires different tack)
- Those who are broke to drive are shown in an appropriate Driving class (which means we had to bring a wagon with us, too!)

Whew!

And not to mention the TONS of help we had getting the horses (and riders/handlers) ready!!!  It was hot, it was humid, and despite the inevitable stress-induced crankiness, our volunteers stuck around to help and were so incredibly amazing!  THANK YOU!!!!!


RESULTS:

We brought eight horses with us: Manhattan (Belgian), Meadow (Belgian), Texas (Belgian), Whiskey (Belgian), Trooper (Percheron), Sunrise (Clydesdale), Penny (Clydesdale), and Patty (Clydesdale).  Considering that collectively we don't have a lot of show experience, and that we were showing against really big breeders who show all the time, we did very well!

Our star of the show turned out to be Sunrise, who against ALL odds survived a horrific injury to be able to show and BEAT a lot of other Clydesdales at the show!  When we pulled Sunrise and the other Clydes from the kill pen earlier this year, she had a four-inch-long nail buried in her hoof, and the bacteria it injected into her hoof gave her a less than 25% chance of survival.

Sunrise won her age group, she won Junior Champion Clydesdale Mare, and she went on to get Reserve Grand Champion Clydesdale!!!!

She will proceed to show at the Maryland State Fair, as well as the Frederick County Fair.  We're also toying with taking her to Keystone, the biggest breed show on the East Coast!

Other results for the day:

Penny (she doesn't have a webpage yet) won her age group in Halter (3 and 4 and under Clydesdale Mare)

Trooper was 3rd in Adult English Under Saddle

Texas was 1st in Youth Showmanship, 3rd in Halter (Belgian Gelding), 1st in Youth Western Under Saddle, 2nd in Youth English Under Saddle, 4th in Adult English Under Saddle, and 6th in Adult Western Under Saddle

Patty got 3rd place Clydesdale Mare, and was 5th in Adult English Under Saddle

Meadow was 6th in Adult English Under Saddle

Manhattan was 5th in Halter (Belgian Gelding), 3rd in Pleasure Driving

Whiskey was 3rd in Youth Showmanship, 4th in Halter (Belgian Gelding), 1st in Youth English Under Saddle, and 2nd in Youth Western Under Saddle

So everyone went home with a ribbon, woohoo!!

And now, some pics!


HALTER:

Sunrise (Reserve Grand Champion Clydesdale):

Penny (1st Place 3 Y.O. Clydesdale Mare):

Patty (3rd Place Clydesdale Mare):

Manhattan (5th Place Belgian Gelding):

Texas (3rd Place Belgian Gelding, 1st Place Youth Showmanship):

Whiskey (4th Place Belgian Gelding, 3rd Place Youth Showmanship):

DRIVING:

Manhattan (3rd Place Pleasure Driving):

UNDER SADDLE:

Meadow (Left, 6th Place Adult English Under Saddle) and Texas (4th Place Adult English Under Saddle, 6th Place Adult Western Under Saddle):

Patty (5th Place Adult English Under Saddle)

Whiskey (Left, 2nd Place Youth Western Under Saddle), Texas (Right, 2nd Place Youth English Under Saddle, 1st Place Youth Western Under Saddle):

Whiskey (1st Place Youth English Under Saddle):

Trooper (3rd Place Adult English Under Saddle):

For more photos, be sure to visit our Facebook Page!

Again, THANK YOU to everyone who helped out!!!


~Amanda