HAPPY 100TH POST!

I can't believe I made it to 100! And People actually read! Thats what amazes me - is you all actually read this!

And as promised, I have the update on the horse you all have asked me about. 

Comet. :D

And this is him now!

Can you BELIEVE thats the SAME horse? 

From Megan herself: 

Hi, earlier this year, you wrote a blog about a horse named Comet. I'm the girl who rescued him. I just wanted to update you on how he's doing. He's gained over 100lbs since I got him in March. I'm also starting to break him. I've ridden him a good 5 times, and he's very eager to learn. I have a couple of pictures I'm attaching to show you how much he's changed in the few months he's had with me. '

Then she sent the 'full' story: 

So, I was supposed to go to New Hampshire for a riding internship, but things didn't work out, so I told my dad instead of me leaving, I wanted to get another horse. So I went and looked at dozens of horses, came close to buying a few, but nothing really stuck out. Like you, I'm an avid CL browser. I would literally go through days and days of ads for every place in the state looking for a horse that I could get for my mom. Then one day my friend Laryssa and I found the ad for Comet. I immediately called on him and asked to come out to see him. They told me I wasn't the first caller, but I was the first one to look at him. The guy told me that he was only skinny because he had a high metabolism. Well, that didn't seem logical because he was feeding 6 horses 4 bales of hay a day in the winter. That's not nearly enough. I told the guy to hold him for me and I would call him the next day with my answer. I was kind of leery at first because I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But then I looked at his pictures again and I couldn't say no. I called him the next day and told the guy I'd take him. Two days after the ad was posted, Laryssa and I got my trailer ready and went and picked him up. We took him into my garage as soon as we got him to my house to see the damage. The poor guy was caked in mud and skinnier than any horse I've ever seen. We brushed him as best as we could and cleaned him up. His coat was so dull and coarse from the malnourishment he had. He was quiet and just soaked up all of the attention. His belly must have been very sensitive though because every time we tried to brush the mud off, he tried to kick us. So everyday for over a month, I fed him Safe Choice grain and mixed that with Healthy Coat to help him gain weight. Slowly but surely, he started to gain weight back. We trimmed up his hooves after a few weeks then wormed him. Now he's a healthy 150lbs heavier and he's finally shed out into his beautiful summer coat. We thought he would end up being a boring brown, but instead he turned out to be a flashy black boy.

As for his name, we heard the guy say "Griffen," but we thought that was an ugly name. We decided that he had some very similar features to Laryssa's appaloosa, who is about the same age, and his name is Vixen. So we thought it would be cute to name Comet after a reindeer as well.

Isn't he just GORGEOUS now? He is just LOVING his life now - his eyes are completely different now. 

Let's all give three HUGE cheers to Megan and to Comet, and lets wish them a long and happy partnership together :). 

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Of course I wouldn't forget a normal blog post, and it is Friday so that means our Fugly Stud of the Week. Erin sent this, and while its short, its full of Fugly.

Horse For Sale: 3 Year Old Buckskin Stud - $100 (Casey, IA)

15.2 hands to 15.4 hands approx. Grade. Green halter broke. You pick up. 45 minutes west of Des Moines, near I-80. 

Friendly, first to greet you at fence. Proven stud, buckskin colt on premises. Nice action. 

Nice horse but needs work, do not have time to work with him. Motivated seller. 

$100 OBO 

515------63, leave message if calling before 5PM on weekdays. 

He's 3, and already has a foal on the ground. He's barely trained, and is standing behind barbed wire. *smackheadondeskandrepeattillbruised*.

Ok, this guy needs not just an upgrade, but a rescue and pretty damn quick, because if he doesn't slice himself on that wire, at that price, he'll be sliced up for other reasons.

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HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE! PLEASE CHECK OUT THE LINKS ON THE CARNIVAL OF THE HORSE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. 

Carnival Of The Horse & A Bit Of A Giggle!

I am honored to be able to host July's edition of the Carnival of the Horse. 

For those that don't have a clue what I am talking about, I'll do my best to explain. The following is taken from the "Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch" blog. 

A blog carnival is a monthly collection of writer-submitted blog posts about all things horsey.

Blog carnivals are a great way for bloggers to recognize each other’s efforts, organize blog posts around important topics, and improve the overall level of conversation in the blogosphere. Carnivals come in edited “editions,” like magazines or journals. Blog carnivals are edited (and usually annotated) collections of links that serve as “magazines” within the blogosphere, with readers clicking in from all over the world to enjoy each month’s offerings. Carnival hosts can earn a wider readership by providing high quality collections.

Since blog carnivals include a number of posts on specific topics, they also serve as a place to connect with those who are expert (or at least highly opinionated) and those who are interested in that field.

Basically, its a great way to find new horsey themed blogs, and for bloggers (like me!) to link up with each other. I honestly don't remember how I found it originally, but I can tell you how totally PSYCHED I was to learn that I was picked for July - one of my most favorite favorite months of the year! 

So, without further ado, I present, 

The Carnival of the Horse, July 2010

this to

Welcome to the July 1, 2010 edition of carnival of the horses.

Elise Fagerås presents

          href="http://taktur.blogspot.com/2010/06/make-horse-feel-like-sucsess.html"

>Make the horse feel like a sucsess

> posted at

          href="http://taktur.blogspot.com/"

>Kraften fra Hestene - The Power of Horses

>.

enlightenedhorsemanship presents

          href="http://www.enlightenedhorsemanship.net/2010/06/crazy-name-common-sense-journey-of-the-homing-pigeon/"

>Crazy Name = Common Sense: Journey of the Homing Pigeon

> posted at

          href="http://www.enlightenedhorsemanship.net"

>enlightened horsemanship through touch

>.

theliteraryhorse presents

          href="http://theliteraryhorse.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/the-mother-of-all-road-trips/"

>The Mother of All Road Trips

> posted at

          href="http://theliteraryhorse.wordpress.com"

>The Literary Horse

>, saying, "The Mother of All Road Trips, Pregnancy, and the Mafia, all in one day!  Grab some fries and come visit."

Kerry Kelly presents

          href="http://blogs.chron.com/hoofbeats/archives/2010/06/post_1.html"

>How Horses Think

> posted at

          href="http://blogs.chron.com/hoofbeats/"

>Hoofbeats

>.

That concludes this edition.  Submit your blog article to the next edition of

carnival of the horses

using our

title="Submit an entry to “carnival of the horses”"

href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_3973.html"

>carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

title="Blog Carnival index for “carnival of the horses”"

href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_3973.html">

blog carnival index page.

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I have to add this one in today. I know I've been a bit off kilter this week and last with the posting, but you all were just awesome and kept sending me ads anyways. Sarah sent me this with the comment "I think somebody is very confused..." and I just HAD to look. 

And giggled. Looked at the ad again. Looked at the picture AGAIN. Giggled even harder. Decided that for the Carnival post I just had to throw it out there because it kinda fit with a carnival attitude. 

I think this time I'll let the ad speak all for itself. 

NOTE TO THE IDIOT OWNER THAT POSTED THE AD: The horse is BLUE NOT RED YOU FREAKING MORON!!!

! Last I checked anyways, BLUE and RED were nearly color wheel opposites...

Ok, one more time. 

This is BLUE. 

This is RED. 

See the difference? Now lets compare to the horse in the picture. Which color does that horse match up to? If you guessed BLUE, you get a cookie!!!!! YEA!!!!!

As utterly stupid as this is, It still made me giggle. The horse isn't even that pretty. Why they want $8000 for that 3 year old gelding is wayyyyy beyond me, but at this point the whole red/blue debacle is so entirely dumb I can't help but sit here with a stupid smile on my face, and laugh at the moron that actually typed that out, KNOWING they didn't take the 2 stinking seconds to double check what it was they just wrote. 

How dumb is that ad, really! (Thanks Sarah!)

And to Celeste and Sue - yes, both of you ladies sent me links to yesterdays ad. I believe one of you sent the individual ad links to the horses first, then the other sent me the one I featured yesterday. 

Get this ladies - I opened up the 5 or so links to the individual ads, and left them open in my browser window for nearly 6 days. I rarely, if ever, shut my laptop off, and on top of that, since I have the 20 inch flat screen monitor hooked up to it, I just shut the monitor off without even touching the laptop.

So, as I was typing up yesterdays post, I had anywhere from 10-20 tabs open in my Chrome browser. Did I ever one time think to double check what I was typing might already be open? Heck NO! I got Celeste's email first, opened up the ads, left them open for later screenshotting (is that even a word?), and a few days later got Sue's email with the same horses. Did I connect the dots here? Nope, of course not. 

Silly me :P. Who is the moron now, right? I WOULD do something like that. Between the heat, the new kitten, and my kids, my brain is just turned to jelly this week, I swear! We are at the start of our summer monsoon (big massive loud thunderous thunderstorms that flood areas fast and can cause lots of damage really fast) season here in Arizona, and the heat is just beyond oppressive. We need rain, and soon!

So, credit for yesterdays ad goes to BOTH Sue and Celeste, and kudos to both of you ladies for your sharp eyes on those horses. On a slightly serious note, they really do need some upgrading and soon, so if anyone is in the area, and can take on a great summer project horse, those paint horses would be perfect!

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And one more quicky note, tomorrow makes my 100th post!

YEA!

I know you all have been bugging and bugging me for an update on one story that made a huge impact with all of you. I have that update, and have been dying to share it. The update will be posted tomorrow for the 100th post. 

I can't wait!

A Carnival For July; "They Won't Last Long".... How True!

So, some while back while cruising through different blogs, I came across a very, very unique blog called Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch (metta horsemanship). This blog I think is unlike any other blog out there but I'll let you head on over there and let her explain what the whole deal is. The link will go to the page describing the Carnival, btw.


She also created something called the Carnival of the Horses - a gathering of different blog entries from various blogs all horse related thats posted every month by a different host. I am going to be hosting July's Carnival - I should receive the info today sometime and I will put it up at midnight my time. So If you get a few extra minutes today, head over there and see what she's all about - you'll be there for quite a while reading, I assure you! 

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Lets get back on track with the ads, shall we? (Well, as long as this half pound stinker stops walking all over my keyboard while I'M trying to type! I guess the clicking of the keys is too much for one ratty little kitten to resist! Oh, its amazing what a few feedings of wet cat food have done to this starving little ragamuffin...)               

The ad features 3 paint horses up for sale. They are all in very poor shape, but the way the add is written they could be ALL be your next world champion. Uh huh. 

1 Paint Mare, 2 Paint Stallions - $1 (NW Colorado) 

I'm selling these horses for a friend on mine 

First Photo: Striker is 9-10 years old. Sired by reigning champions, this special guy produces nothing but painted babies even on solid mares. Owner thinks he is possibly homozygous for the tobiano gene, though he has not been tested for it. He is very calm for a stallion, and a very pretty color that looks like cherry glazed chocolate. Could make a nice competing stallion with the right training. He has been ridden a few times a few years ago, so he sells green and untrained. He is a good solid 14.3h, and could build some massive muscle with some nice green grass to chomp on instead of just hay. $800 

Seriously folks, there's hay, but if the horses are still looking that rough, there's something else going on here. He might have been sired by "

reigning champions", but he himself will not be that unless a freaking miracle happens. Why they are breeding him I will NEVER understand, because he's a crappy stallion. And its not just because of his weight. Geld him, and turn him into a great pleasure horse, do gymkhana's on him, mounted shooting, roping, heck whatever. Just stop breeding him, and for heaven's sake, a power pack from Panacur would do wonders here!

Second Photo: Silver Lady is a 4-5 year old grey mare. She is out of a APHA Paint stallion and an Arabian mare. She has the height and build of her sire, but is a bit on the skinny side after this winter and could use some nice green grass. She can be registered with PtHA, and I am looking into the possiblity of more from her pedigree. She has lived in the pasture most of her life and thus is a bit wild. She is starting to be halter broke, and learning to lead. She will soon start saddle training in the next month. Get her and finish her your way before training raises her price. Could make a nice trail or endurance horse. $600 

This I think is one of the saddest mare's I've ever seen. Literally. The expression on her face - this is I believe one of the worst pictures I've seen on craigslist yet. If she could talk, I really think she'd be saying "just kill me now". With some TLC, this mare could be absolutely jaw dropping gorgeous. Look at her mane! 

I think that the person writing up this ad probably got these horses dumped on them. Three half wild, mature horses that will barely lead, much less anything else is a pretty huge problem. I applaud the halter training (thats the long leads you see). Its a trick with mustangs to get them to teach themselves to give to pressure... they step on the lead and can't lift their head, the only way out of it is to back off and take a step backwards, thus releasing the pressure. Its actually a very humane way to halter break an older horse, once you can get the halter on them, that is. Its also an easier way to catch them if need be out in the pasture. 

What I DON'T agree with is the saddle training in just a month. This mare will need much much more time than just 3 weeks before a saddle goes on her back. Thats rushing the job, and it will cause more harm than good in the long run when you have a horse that was half wild, a saddle thrown on its back, and so many holes in the training you can stick a car in it.

What "MY WAY" Would be is to keep working with her daily, get her weight up, and when she doesn't have her hips sticking out like that - THEN consider putting a saddle on her back. But my way would take several MONTHS to do that, not weeks. 

This mare is still way too skinny for a saddle anyways. She needs at least another 100 pounds before I personally would feel comfortable putting a saddle on her without running a high risk of saddle sores.

The ad suggests you can register her with the Pinto Registry - well right now the Pinto registry is accepting just about any horse you want to throw at them! 

Third Photo: Buster is roughly 5 years old, and 14.2h's. Sire is about right about 14.3h's, and dam was 14.2h's. Sire is a sorrel paint (paint listed above) and dam was a black paint. He is being sold as untrained, and he has never been saddled, though he is being halter broke. He is stout and could make an incredible show horse, but could use some nice green grass to really build up those muscles. He's grandsire is a World Champion Reining Show Stallion. Buster is still a stallion, but can be gelded before pick up. He could be homozygous for the tobiano gene but isn't guarenteed. His sire produces nothing but paints even on solid mares. I will provide more information on pedigree and registering him, once he's paperwork is located by owner. His sire is registered with APHA, so Buster can be registered with PtHA right now. $600 

And again we have to ask, why is this horse a stallion? Because whomever owned them threw them in to a pasture and pretty much let them live out there unattended, thats why - for a very, very long time. This is the son of the FIRST stallion above - and they figure Jr here is about 5 years old.

I could go track down how much it would cost to register a 5 year old stallion with Paint - though I'm sure its several thousand dollars. It might be easier just to let his registration go at this point, or get him registered Pinto.

This whole ad is just one big screwed up CF, really. 3 Underweight, untrained, mature horses that barely know what a halter is? Yet this is what is everywhere. 

The ad ends with the phrase "They Won't Last Long" - I have to ask what would have happened to them all had they stayed with the owner for another year - I seriously doubt they would have lasted that long. 

They would make awesome project horses, I can promise that. The prices are actually decent at least - enough above meat prices to discourage those buyers, but not so high that its ridiculous. 

I have the reply link if anyone in the area is interested, just mention it in the comments and I'll send it to you. 

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The next week will continue to be a bit unusual in terms of posts. Not a normal week by any means. The Carnival will be tomorrow, then Friday will mark the 100th post. I have the update you have all be asking about - so make sure you come back and read the next two days for sure, you won't want to miss it!

KohKoh who has been 'helping' type this entire time, has made creating this post about 3 times longer than normal with all the backspacing, is now totally passed out on the top of her crate. It is totally and completely adorable. Yes, I crate train my cats, makes life so much easier when it comes to moving them. She has taken to domesticated life with a zest and energy that quite frankly, is wearing ME out. Or maybe its those 1 am and 4 am checks to make sure she uses the litter box if needed, and is fed if hungry......I forgot to mention she's only about 5 weeks old, and not nearly quite big enough to go roaming about the house at night by herself yet. Yes, I am a very nervous kitty mommy, and I would much rather her be safe in her extra large comfy crate on the floor next to the bed than worry about what peice of furniture she's gotten stuck behind!

Anyways, life is a bit more entertaining now, thats for sure!