Some of my favourite books when I was a kid...

Well, I had lots of them.  Walter Farley, of course.  I always wanted to find an Island Stallion of my own.  Black Beauty, once I got over the sad parts. ANYTHING by Marguerite Henry--I still check my saddle carefully to make sure all the hair is lying down underneath it because of one of her books. But the one I want to talk about today is an old series, by a man named C.W. Anderson.  He wrote a group of stories about a boy named Billy and his pony, Blaze.

(Taken from www.equitainment.com.au/factsheet.asp?ID=48)

Not only were the Billy and Blaze stories rollicking good adventures, but they also taught about proper horse care. I don't remember lots of details, but I do remember one about a forest fire.  Mr. Anderson was not only an excellent writer and illustrator, but was also an accomplished judge in the hunter/jumper circuit, and his expertise showed in the books.

I thought I would throw that out there, in case you are scrounging for a present for your young equestrian which doesn't have the name video in it somewhere.  They are still available at Chapters. I found them here.

Don't forget about our Gift of Kindness, as well. 

Don't know what to get someone?  Give them the gift of a gift and help support a horse in foster. Gifts can be donated to any of our horses still in foster, not just the ones on the poster.

So, you might be wondering what brought all this to mind, besides the whole Christmas frantic running around thing.  Well, we had a young lady donated to Sadie's Place, who unfortunately didn't make it onto the poster.  And, aptly enough, her name is Blaze.

Now, unlike the Blaze in the C.W. Anderson stories, this Blaze is a filly, but other than that, she reminds me a lot of that little guy.  Coming in at 14 hh, she fits neatly into that large pony category, for those who like hunter classes. She's smart and easy to handle, very relaxed and likes people.  How smart is she?  It took her owner 3 days to take her from sitting in pasture to pulling the jogcart.  And she never batted an eye at it the whole time.  How calm is she?  Well, when I saw her, it was the second day of two nasty, windy cold days.  She had been inside, in a stall, for the entire time. And she stood in the crossties like she had all the time in the world.  No fidgets (except for chewing on the crosstie a time or two), no swinging the head, no running back and forth as far as the ties would let her go.  You would have thought she was 24, not rising 4. Whatever I wanted to do, she was happy to do that. 

Hard to see in this picture, but she's still got a lovely pile of muscle on her, despite being off the track since August.  Her owner raised her from a foal--still has her mother, in fact, and would have kept her if he had enough space and time.  But, he has two jobs, a growing family, and no time to give to her.  So, it is with great regret that he has asked Sadie's Place to find a home for her. 

Now, I say she was retired from racing and, it would be logical to assume that she must have been injured.  Well, she was.  She has a small chip on her sesamoid bone, so small it took two x-rays and a lot of looking to see it.  She is still racing sound, but her owner doesn't have the time and wants her to go to a good home, where he is sure whoever adopts her will fall as desperately in love with her as he and his family are. And I think he's right.  She will make someone a snapping good show pony.  She's very focused, watches her people all the time.  When I asked her to move over or lift her feet, it was like an expensive car--instant response.  She still has her long racing toes, but her next trim will fix that. 

Here she is, being jogged by the owner's 3 year old son, with dad acting as the safety harness.

So, now that I've written all this, I'm wondering if I've been hoist with my own petard.  You see, I'm rather vertically challenged and, while I can appreciate big, tall, handsome boys like Yankee, Tilly and Bandit, I have had to admit that I am past my years of hopping up on horses that are taller than me and bouncing if I fall off and hit the ground. A little filly like this, so smart and just my size, is a serious temptation, especially having had the chance to meet her.  So, to be completely up front here, I think you had better move quick on her, because as soon as I come up with a reason for why we need a third horse in the barn that will work on my husband, she'll be gone and all mine! (insert insane giggling here)

Yep, she'd look mighty fine underneath MY Christmas tree...you know, if Santa brought her, my husband couldn't say no...hmmm, what to leave for Santa Christmas Eve?

Did I mention she comes with a blanket? 

Have to go feed the ponies.  Chance has developed a new, perplexing habit--he likes to dump the last of his feed out of his dish and lick it off the floor.  Very strange, but boys are strange anyway.  Penny likes it best when he decides to share and, I have to admit, they do look cute together, with their noses in his feed dish, although it rather defeats the purpose of giving him all that feed.  Must have a talk with him about that...I wonder how he'd feel about a second girlfriend.

Don't forget to hug your horses!

We've met Antonio, now meet Marilyn!

Marilyn Monroe, that is, in horse form!

24 years old, and still sexy!

Apple has been a backyard pet all her life and was very attached to her owner.  Unfortunately, he developed a medical condition which meant that he could no longer look after her. So he called us, knowing we would do what was necessary to find her a loving home for the rest of her life.  And she's still got a lot of life left in her!

Just look at that face!

Because she has spent most of her life just interacting with her owner, she is still not sure of other people.  Being a smart girl, she's waiting for us to prove to her that we love her just as much as her owner did.  Apple has just returned from 30 days professional training and assessment. 

She is still very stressed from all the sudden changes in housing and expectations and misses her old owner.  We are working very slowly to introduce her to other people and convince her that it is ok when people ask her to do things she is not accustomed to.  Poor old girl!  She looks to be a very sweet mare, once she gets over the changes, and we have high hopes for her.

Apple is going to spend a couple of months in foster, just relearning how to be more than a pasture pet and getting over losing her owner of 24 years.  She's going to live with a very nice lady who has a stall and a paddock for her and Apple's entire job will be to be led from stall to paddock in the morning, paddock to stall in the evening, eat carrots and apples (her favourite!) and to just look gorgeous!  Not bad work, if you can get it.  Where can I apply for a job like that?

Apple could really use a sponsor or even some Christmas gifts to put toward her future needs.  Please consider giving a Gift of Kindness to Apple, or one of our other horses, in someone's name this Christmas. The Gift of Kindness is our Christmas Giving campaign.

The cards are currently available at The Tack Store and Agro Coop in Charlottetown.

The inside of the card reads ' A gift of _______ has been donated in your name to Sadie's Place Equine Rescue for __________.

Chance's 2 month anniversary is coming up and Yankee just came back from training with a top-notch report card.  I will be updating him soon!  Devil is gone to a new home, but Bandit, Mr. B (so cute!) and Blaze are coming in to start their little vacation after retiring.  Stay tuned for updates on all these guys! (and gals!)

Have to go hug the ponies, although when I look at the size of the manure pile I have to move today, I don't feel so huggy at all.  Hope the good weather holds!

Thanks to all who voted in the Aviva contest!

Well, we didn't make it through, but we did get a lot of votes considering how late we entered. Thank you everyone! Since you are already registered, you might consider voting for some of the semi finalists. There is at least one from PEI (Camp Triumph) and there is a Therapeutic Riding group on there as well, from Quebec. Both great choices!

Stay tuned for news about an early Christmas present for Sadie's Place, and Chance, from a wonderful group we met on a local forum, Atlantic Rider. You will not believe it!

Rush, rush, rush! We need you to vote!

Sadie's Place just became aware of a fantastic contest. Aviva is an insurance company and they have decided to hold a contest to help support community groups in their efforts to improve their communities. It is a vote based contest, so we really need your help on this. Please pass along this information to anyone you know who might be willing to take the time to cast a vote for us. Imagine what we could do with $250,000! I'm seeing barns, fences, even a small indoor arena for training. And with that would come the ability to provide programs for local school and youth groups, helping troubled and disadvantaged youth.

Please follow this link to the Aviva contest page. You can vote once each day. The voting closes on Sunday, so it's going to take an enormous effort to get us into the semi-finals (when I start begging for votes all over again, lol! I have no shame...)

Please, please, PLEASE take the few minutes necessary and vote for us! Here is the video we posted with the proposal:



We finally have pictures of that little palomino mare. She is now posted on our Ready to Adopt page, although we have yet to set an adoption fee for her. We are meeting Sunday afternoon (anyone can attend!) and will probably set it there.

More Old Friends

Remeber Chance, the skinny old pony with the bad teeth?  Well, Chance has been with Sadie's Place for 5 weeks now, and a whole lot has changed!

Here he is on Halloween, the day he arrived at his new foster home.

He arrived just in time for lunch.  His new roommate, Penny, joined him.  The waitress was very attentive.

Chance is still eating.  Penny, who is somewhat, ummm, fluffy(?), was noticed eyeing his lunch, wondering if she could woo him away from it long enough to grab a mouthful.  Unfortunately for her, once his nose went into the bucket, we didn't see it again until the bucket was empty.

Seasonal dessert--apple au naturel.

Dropping the apple au naturel--his mouth was still a little sore.  Penny is playing the part of a vulture here, waiting to swoop in and scoop up what Chance dropped.  Luckily, the waitress was on the ball that day, and Chance got to finish his lunch uninterrupted.

Finally, a nice quiet graze on the last of the autumn grass.  In these pictures, he hasn't changed much from what he looked like when he arrrived.  The big difference is in his attitude.  He's much more alert (particularly when there is the remotest possibility of food) and much more active as well.

Now, zoom ahead 3 weeks, to November 21.  Chance has gained a bit of weight, his bum is rounder and his ribs and backbone are disappearing just slightly.  The biggest difference here is that he has finally grown a real winter coat.  He is having more success eating hay, but I think we'll have to have the vet out to look at him again, to see if there is anything else that can be done with his mouth.

You can see in this picture that the area between his spine and his hip has filled in a bit.

Still ribby, but look at that full belly (though that might have something to do with he and Penny figuring out how to get into the bin holding the hay stretch pellets.  First morning ever that he didn't come and breath down my neck while I made his breakfast.  I wonder why...)

Side on, not a lot of muscle coming back yet, but we'll probably see more next month.

Stick pony in need of a good grooming.  Any volunteers?

And, here's the girlfriend, out having a last green snack with him, since they have already eaten everything with any pretense to being a green plant in the paddock. They're an odd looking couple, because it's pretty obvious that he's missed a lot of meals, and that she hasn't missed any, even ones that weren't meant for her! But still, they get along pretty well.  Chance stays in the barn, as he doesn't have enough fat on his bones to stay warm in the cold weather, and Penny stands outside or just inside the door and visits.  They encourage each other in naughty pony behaviour, but that's what ponies are all about anyway, right?

Well, need to go clean a stall and make sure my latest attempt at pony proofing the grain bins has been successful.  I'm really hoping this worked, because my next option is an in the wall safe with a 6 inch steel door. (And Penny will have that open 10 minutes after I head into the house.)  Have a great weekend and don't forget to hug your horse!

Old Friends

Back in the spring, we had a lovely little mare, called Dusty Lane Dot, come to Sadie's Place, looking for a new home.  At 14.3, she was a petite mare, with lovely eyes (and ears like a mule, but we don't talk too much about that around her--she gets upset). This is what she looked like when we first met her.

Still in racing form, very slender and wondering just what was going on. Here's another pciture, from a bit later, when she had started to put on a bit more weight.  This is very normal for standardbreds who are racing.  Like any athelete, they have very little body fat, unlike pleasure horses, who tend to carry a bit more flesh.

While a little shy at first, she very quickly warmed up to her new mom and dad, Ian and Jennifer Steeksma.  While Ian was building her run in shed, she became very curious and began to follow him around as he worked.  This eventually developed into a game of hide and seek around the shed. She's really very happy with her new home and very willing to please. 

She went two weeks ago for saddle training and her mom and dad (and the trainer) are very excited about her progress. Her trainer describes her as 'a smart horse' and 'a kind mare'.  She is walking, trotting and loping in the round pen, turning, bending and backing up. The really neat thing about Standarbreds is that they are, for the most part, people pleasers.  It's bred right into them, to make their humans happy. And they will take on any challenge to do it.

Here she is under saddle, very relaxed looking.  It seems so strange to see the freeze brand on her neck, but she's looking very good.

Here's Dottie with her new dad.  Don't they look happy together?  Ian says he will be going trail riding with her in another couple of weeks--he's very excited about it.

It takes so little to give these ex-racehorses a second chance at a productive, happy life--a bit of time and space, 4 weeks of training and a home where they know they are loved.  So little effort, to save a life, and so much to receive in return.

Well, it's bedtime snack time around here, so I'm off to fatten up the Stick Pony and try to hide the grain from the Greedy Grumpy.  Don't forget to hug your horse tonight!

Have you ever wondered...

what Antonio Banderas would look like as a horse? (What do you mean, I'm the only one?  Huh!)  Well, I can answer that question for you right now, because I have the pictures!

See what I mean?  This is Riverlea Bandit, a 12 year old standardbred who is just retiring from the track.  Now, just take a good look at the above picture and the one just below:

Looking at this horse, you can really see the Morgan influence on the Standarbred breed.  He's really got a lovely shaped head and a gorgeous curved neck.  He does have the typical Standardbred conformation between his hips and his withers, which was celebrated for giving the foundation sire Messenger and Hambeltonian 10 their speed and impulsion.  Get this hind end collected under you and you will really be going places!

Now, Bandit's mom and dad love him dearly (pretty obvious in the pictures, I think!) and they really want to find a good home for him.  Bandit is a very strong horse and will test you to see if you are enough man (or woman) to handle him. That being said, he loves to work and, by gum, he's gonna win, too!  No matter what! His mom and dad say he can be jogged by anyone (and they look like they are having lots of fun!)

He will need an experienced handler, who knows how to handle a strong horse, at least for the moment.  We will reassess his personality after he has had a bit more time to relax from the track atmosphere.  With his Type A, win at all costs personality, he should be a good candidate for retraining for saddle.  Now, like any horse who has been on the track for that many years (he only stopped racing at the end of the summer--tough guy), his legs have taken a bit of beating on the track.  We can tell you he is pasture sound and gets along well with other horses in a turn out situation, that he has been visited by one of our members, who stated that he seemed 'sweet', but we cannot guarantee what degree of rideabiity he will have.  If you have the time to train him to saddle, you could have a nice pleasure horse to head out on the trails with, 2 or 3 times a week. Because of his legs, we are listing him as a 'pasture companion', and simply looking for a donation of any amount in exchange.

Well, it's getting late and, since I can't hug Antonio Banderas, I just have to run out and hug the Greedy Grumpy and the Stick Pony (aka Penny and Chance)

Have a great week, don't let the flu bug bite and don't forget to hug your horse!