And, wouldn't you know it, we ALL forgot our cameras! (I'm so ashamed...). But, we raised $326 this weekend and we introduced a new fundraiser--stuffed horses! You can see their pictures on the Can I Help page of our website. Not only that, we now have T-shirts, with the Sadie's Place logo on the front and the website address on the back. Hoping to have pictures to post soon and also hoping to find the time to straighten out the Paypal issue. The stuffed horses are $25 each and include registration in the Sadie's Rescue Registry. They are included with the memberships as part of the package as well. The t-shirts are $22 for youth and $24 for adults, if you are not a member of Sadie's Place. Member prices are $18 and $20 each. Each horse or t-shirt sold will keep a horse in foster care for a week. A family membership keeps a horse in foster care for 3, an individual membership is good for about 2 weeks. So, not only does a horse get a second chance, but you get something for yourself too!
I was out to play with the horses today and Yankee says he's having fun and has learned to trot in a circle on a lunge line, which is pretty weird, but he'll humour us as long as we keep up the wither scratches. They are da bomb! he says. (And where he picked up that phrase, I'll never know!) He's learning to bring his head down from the Standardbred racing placement to a headset that is more suited to pleasure riding. He's a really great guy and really needs some volunteers to come out and love on him--he's used to a lot of people giving him a lot of attention.
And, speaking of attention, there's a new guy in town that we think is going to get a lot of attention. Woodbe a Devil, or Devil, as he is called, is indeed a handsome devil. If you've checked out our adoption page, you'll have seen his picture on there. And, boy, he is all that! Long, long legs, a short back, a long neck and the cutest puppydog lost expression right now, as he tries to figure out what happened.
Devil apparently chipped a sesamoid bone while racing and, while he has healed, he is no longer sound enough to race on the hard tracks. After a successful career, this 7 year old sweetie needs to find a new job to do.
Gorgeous, isn't he? And just a sweetheart to work around, although he's still a little unsure and suspicious of his new surroundings--we don't look the least little bit like a racing barn! I think he would make a lovely low level dressage prospect for someone, with that neck and those legs.He'll remain in quarantine for another week or so, then we can start working with him and see how he goes on. If anyone wants to come out and love on a big black horse, here's your chance!
Devil apparently chipped a sesamoid bone while racing and, while he has healed, he is no longer sound enough to race on the hard tracks. After a successful career, this 7 year old sweetie needs to find a new job to do.Gorgeous, isn't he? And just a sweetheart to work around, although he's still a little unsure and suspicious of his new surroundings--we don't look the least little bit like a racing barn! I think he would make a lovely low level dressage prospect for someone, with that neck and those legs.He'll remain in quarantine for another week or so, then we can start working with him and see how he goes on. If anyone wants to come out and love on a big black horse, here's your chance!Hope everyone had a chance to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Fingers crossed for more! I'm not ready for winter yet! Oh, and before I forget, don't forget to hug your horse!
Notice the book in the picture? That was one of two books we had on display that day. It's called 'Give a Horse a Second Chance'. The book is a tutorial on how to go about choosing and rescuing a horse or pony and what things you should watch out for. Kind of a coincidence, isn't it, that the name of the book is the almost the same as part of our motto? Eerie! You can order the book at Chapters, if you are intersted in it. They also have some other really good books. (Who's up for a post on the best horsey book you ever read?) 
Here is Brandi at the booth, laughing at me and telling me I am not allowed to buy cotton candy.
Here is a blurry picture of the view right across from our booth. We were so close we could watch the jumping classes and still keep an eye on the booth. We took turns manning the booth, so we could watch our friends competing.
When we weren't at the booth, we went for strolls around the grounds. Childfind was there, doing fingerprints and those ID booklets of theirs--great idea! I keep one of my daughter just in case someone else decides she's just as cute as I think she is!
Just around the corner from us was the entrance to all the booths. There was an incredible amount of stuff to do and see. There was even a balloon guy who could make Spiderman out of balloons! Now, you don't see that every day!
This is a picture of the Agricultural section, where all the displays showed different things that were going on in agriculture. One of the really interesting things I saw was someone who is packaging silage in small bags, for people who have horses with the heaves. Unfortunately, I didn't see a price anywhere, but if you have a horse or pony with the heaves, you might want to contact them to ask about the product. They are Island Meadows Forage Company and their email is info@islandmeadows.com.
A rather blurry peek through some other booths at the agricultural section. It was hard to take pictures here--there were so many people!
Just across from the agricultural section, there was a spot for the kids, where you could braid a (fake) horse's tail, 'drive' a racehorse, play computer games, plant beans and...MILK A COW!!!!
In a little foyer off to the side, the 4-H crew had a bit of a petting zoo set up, with lots of information. 4-H is a great group to get involved in and it's not all animals and farming. 
And, of course, the food! Not only was there food everywhere (oh, boy, was it everywhere...), but there were a series of demonstrations by different local chefs, paired with local farmers and you got samples! Yum! For a small island, we really do have a lot of high end, top quality chefs per capita. We probably eat better than Ottawa or Toronto!
And, last but not least, we did draw for that Kid's Dream package, with the stuffed horse and the T-shirt. The winner of the package was 
a canteen, a tent for exhibitors (where we got to watch a great talent show!)
and you are (get this!) chauffered 
Our tent was right across from the grass arena, so we had excellent seats to watch the jumping. 
With a pedigree including The Black Stallion, Black Beauty, Spirit and My Little Pony Lilly Lightly, how can he (or she) be anything but spectacular?! Tickets are only $1 and can be purchased at Storybook Stables right now! Further ticket sales will be announced. Don't miss out on your chance to ride the horse of your dreams...
He raced a couple of times as a two year old, then was injured and was given a year off to heal. He came back as a three year old, raced again a couple of times, then was injured again. Another year's vacation...get the idea he's actually smarter than the rest of us? Hmmm, couple of days work, off for a year. Sounds good to me! It was during his return as a four year old that his breathing problem became apparent--while trotting a fast mile (less than 2 minutes to finish), his palate would flip up and interfere with his breathing. He is still good for any number of other jobs, but this issue willl always have to be kept in mind. He has a good work ethic and, while he goofs around and has fun when off duty, he knows when to get down to work, which sounds like a pretty cool personality to me.
Yank's groom, Amanda, says she would like to keep him herself, but she has no room, so I expect she will be very jealous of whoever gets to take this darling guy home. We have already had some interest in him, but, if you are interested, please fill out the form on our 'Want to Adopt?' page and send it in. There are always adorable horses with personality plus looking for a loving home.
We have, from left to right, Bila, Jordann, Wylie and Bridget, who gave their Saturday morning sleep in to help the horses. Thank you, ladies and gentleman! You can also see on the table the prize for the raffle draw, draw day July 31st at Gingerwood. Starting from the bottom left, we have a burgundy suede-like saddle pad, summer riding gloves, a horse themed diary, a silver brooch shaped like a full cheek snaffle, a pair of socks which say 'Love riding, hate flying' (you know, the kind of flying that happens when you horse suddenly decides that there's a horse eating monster hidden behind that stump you've passed everyday for the past 6 months), the show cooler (beautiful forest green), a pink horse girl hat, horse treats, Show Sheen, and a really nice grooming box to keep your things in. There is a lovely little charm to go on your bridle, as well, though I can't seem to find it in the picture. Just a wonderful package of things and tickets are very reasonable: 1 for $2, 3 for $5. Remember, less than a month left to get your tickets!!
Posts
