Well, we are rapidly approaching our second anniversary this spring and a lot has happened in these years. We're picking up steam and, baby, we're just getting started!
First of all, I should mention what a generous bunch of people Islanders are. Not only did our Avon Christmas basket draw bring in over $600, but we had donations as well totalling another $700! Thanks to Marlene from Summerside, . This is a wonderful thing because, as we all know, the bills don't stop once you buy the horse, there's always something happening. These Christmas donations will allow us to either send two horses for a month of saddle training, or will keep the whole crew in hoof trims and wormer for the better part of the year, while leaving us with a little emergency fund.
We also had two Islanders step up to sponsor the board for horses that were in desperate need of a home. For those of you who worried, yes, Jake is fine and is being boarded in Clyde Rivert. His sponsor has offered to pay his board until the spring. Duke has half of his board sponsored until the spring, but we are looking for people to help with his board costs, so we don't have to dip into our precious emergency fund. Please consider a small donation to help Duke out, as he is a lovely boy and deserves all the good luck he can get.
Sara Fraser of CBC PEI did a 2 minute story on Sadie's Place. Featuring (drumroll please...) Janie and Admiral! You can see the video here. And doesn't Admiral look good under saddle? These horses are so smart, it really doesn't take long to teach them things.
Chance had his teeth floated again today. Boy, does he love to see the vet coming! (NOT!) I swear, if his eyes got any bigger, they'd pop out of his head. But, he was a good boy and, while his teeth are definitely not the teeth of a teenager, he is eating hay. He has lost a bit of his summer flab, but has generously agreed that we can substitute grain for fresh grass, subject to his approval. He has a LOVELY winter coat this year, thick and soft, with long guard hairs, and the most lovely mahogany colour. So different from the dull yellow brown he wore all last year. I'm glad he updated his wardrobe. (I'll add in a picture of him in his new duds as soon as I remember to charge the camera!)
Lily is coming up on three years and is proving a very good girl. She still has a lot of pep and is a typical youngster, but looks like a very good prospect for a riding career. She was retired because she was too slow, but slow for a racehorse is probably plenty fast for the rest of us. She hasn't had any saddle training yet--possibly the spring. Her foster mom says she has a lovely, high movement in her front legs--dressage potential, perhaps?
Devil is still in the Moncton area and we have had a number of inquiries about him, but so far no one has submitted the necessary paperwork for us to start processing his application. He is working well under saddle and his foster mom loves him dearly.
Duke has moved into a sponsored stall in Brookfield. He is currently being worked with by several very enthusiastic ladies and is being a perfect gentleman, both in the ring and in the barn. He has already had some professional training and is ready for a loving home. Right now, his stall is NOT one of our foster stalls--his stall is being sponsored. We have a promise of half sponsorship for his stall until the spring, but he needs generous people to sponsor the other half of his board, until another adoption goes through and we can move him to a donated stall. Please consider sponsoring his stall--you can donate through Paypal, just click!
Wyatt is growing into a typically gangly teenager, all bum and legs, but we are sure the rest will catch up soon--it always does, doesn't it? He absolutely adores being the center of attention and will take any grooming, scratching, cooing or flirting you are willing to send his way. He leads and crossties and, after a few more visits from the farrier, his foot is getting much better! Oh, and he has had his "brain surgery", having certain important (to males, anyway!) portions of his anatomy removed. He is available for long term foster, as we would like to keep closer tabs on his foot until he has stopped growing.
Yankee is still in Nova Scotia, in the Antigonish area and working hard. He's a lovely guy to work with too. We have a picture coming of him wearing a set of reindeer antlers from Christmas--I'll get it up as soon as it arrives in my mailbox, lol!
Janie is currently in work, as well, but is showing some signs of having some back pain, so we are having that looked at. She is a well behaved mare, but is very smart and that is something that must be kept in mind as, the smarter the horse, the more likely they are to start questioning who REALLY should be the boss and then what do we end up with? Something that looks like a horse, but acts more like a cat. And, cute as she is, she is WAY to big to crawl into my lap and purr. Before we decided to have her back looked into, she was doing walk/trot and was excellent.
Jake is in a sponsored stall in Clyde River, where he is taking a bit of R&R time and learning how to be just a horse again, instead of an athelete. He has been racing all his life and needs some time to adjust, which is typical of horses when their racing career is over. In a couple of months, once he has completely relaxed, he will be reevaluated and sent for training, unless he is adopted before then. His sponsorship is also only until the spring--please help Jake out and sponsor a part of his monthly board.
Title is boarding in Clyde River (with Jake) while he waits for a foster home to open up. We are totally impressed with how quiet he is and he is going to make a stunning and enthusiastic partner for someone. He really is absolutely gorgeous and I am going to be so jealous when he gets adopted, because I want him myself, but I am too busy to look after him the way he deserves--he's way too nice to just be a pasture ornament.
Teela is waiting for a foster place to open as well, She was just too slow for the track and her owner can't afford to keep her if she isn't paying her way. She is a big girl, a lovely solid brown bay with a dishy face--very elegant!
And, last but certainly not least, there is little Golly, the weanling filly who suffered a minor injury which effectively ended her race career, but which is absolutely no bar to a long and happy career as someone's trail riding/pleasure class/driving buddy. She is adorable and has outstanding bloodlines--a high class lady all the way! She, too, is waiting for a foster home to open up.
Admiral was adopted in the fall and is very happy in his new home, as you can see in the CBC video above. Bandit, too, was adopted, and is living the life of Riley as a saddle horse. Both adoptive families are hugely pleased with their decisions to adopt a standardbred.
One sad moment in the year, though...after a lot of discussion with vets and among the board, it was decided that the kindest thing we could do for Apple was to have her put to sleep. Her knees were so arthritic that she was in constant pain, even with medication, to the point where she was losing weight just from dealing with it. So, this fall, after a summer spent on a lush pasture, we took her to the vet college and she was euthanised. Goodbye, Apple, you know we miss you.
The last thing on our plate is our Cookbook fundraiser. Our deadline to get the recipes in is Monday. I know, I should have had this out earlier, but I honestly only thought about putting it on here today. If you have a favourite recipe, one of those sure fire crowd pleasers, and are willing to share it, we would greatly appreciate it! Just email us with the recipe and we will include it in our cookbook, with your name as the person donating the recipe. I'll tell you, the horses are ALL excited about this--who would ever have guessed that Chance could cook? Though the fact that the horses are all donating desserts should tell you something about their food preferences. And that Duke, well, he's some sophisticated, from the look of that recipe...want to find out what they included in our book? Buy a copy when they come up for sale in February--just in time for Valentine's giving, though we will be continuing to offer them through the year!
And, of course, don't forget to hug your horses!
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