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Horse Mania Newsletter #17
March 2nd 2000
Subscriber Count: 610
************************************************************
The NEXT deadline for ALL article writers and things submitted to the
newsletter is March 12th. Please let me know if you cannot meet this deadline for some
reason.
************************************************************
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to issue seventeen. It’s a bit shorter than usual, there are some
regular columns missing from this issue because some people couldn’t make
it but hopefully most of them will return for next time. This is supposed
to be the 2nd February issue but there wasn’t enough days so it’s spilled
into March, meaning there will be three newsletters this month! Can
everybody please try to send in their next articles as soon as possible
and definitely before the deadline so I don’t have to chase people up.
Thank you!
I’ve finally changed the opinion poll on the website. This time you can
vote for your favorite horse movie. You can still vote for the old polls
on the “Horse Polls” page but the newest poll will always be displayed on
the Main Page. (http://horsemania.cjb.net) There isn’t much website news
because I haven’t had the time to do anything but I’d like to say Thank
You to everyone who has been leaving those nice messages in the guestbook!
If anyone is interested in regularly writing for Horse Mania there are
two positions open which are listed in the “wanted” column this issue. Of
course you are also welcome to use your own idea to start a column.
That’s about it for now. As usual any criticism, comments or suggestions
are welcome.
See you next issue,
Susan
(thehorse@hotpop.com)
http://horsemania.cjb.net
'\__~ '\__~ '\__~
\ \ / \ / / cantering
In this Issue:
-Wanted
-Tell Us About Yours
-Raising an Orphan or Rejected Foal (part one)
-Horse Story (part 8)
-Horse Jargon
-Famous Horses Throughout History
-Websites
-Horse Polls
-Pen Pals
-Newsletter Information
*WANTED
-------
Here a few short descriptions of columns I would like people to write on a
regular basis. You need to be able to have a column ready every two weeks
and meet the deadlines. After you read the descriptions, if you are
interested in doing any of these please read the application instructions
below. Any person of any age can apply to write these columns, at least
some background horse knowledge preferred.
*Positions Open*
Breeds In Focus- You’d do a profile of one or two horse breeds for each
issue. Include their origin, height, colour, use, temprement, history, and
any other interesting facts or info you find on them. You need to have
some good resources on hand, and you need to do exotic breeds as well as
the more well known ones, and cover a range of pony, light horse, and
heavy horse breeds. I’ll give you a list of the breeds I’ve already done
in previous issues.
Riding- This column can be about all aspects of riding, styles,
disciplines, techniques, Western, English, pleasure riding etc. It’s
pretty open and you can write about what you like, as long as it’s
connected to riding. I would prefer someone with many years of riding
experience and knowledge to write this column, who also has access to some
good books and information. You also need to have a nice writing style.
*How To Apply*
Before you do, please read the general writing guidelines at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/guide.html
If you still decide you’re up to it, send me your name, age (optional),
why you want to write the column, what ideas you have for the column, and
how you’ll write it. I’m going to be picky, and the person who comes
across as the most keen and interested and reliable will get the position!
I need someone who knows they will have enough free time to write it, is
reliable and can meet the deadline every time, and who will ENJOY writing
it. So show me how keen you are! It is highly unlikely if you send me one
sentence saying “I really want to do it.” that you will get it, I want
someone who’s really going to do a good job of it and put in lots of
effort. :o) Remember that you need to able to write it every other week.
*Remember that you can always submit anything horse-related you want,
poems, jokes, stories about your horse, experiences you’ve had or once off
articles about something horsy that interests you. And I am always open to
your own column ideas.
*TELL US ABOUT YOURS
--------------------
This a section where you can tell us about your own horse, or the horse
you ride.Send it in to thehorse@hotpop.com and I’ll put it in. It can any
length you like.
Register:This Bud's For You
Barn Name: Buddy Boy
Breed:Thoroughbred
Sex:Gelding
Age:20
Color:Chestnut with three white socks and a star and a snip
Height:16.1
Buddy is my first horse. I leased him for two years and then i bought him
for cheap. He ground ties, eats anything and acts like a big dog. He likes
beer. I use him for jumping, hunters. He goes western. He can cattle pen,
when he decides cows are not so bad. He loves kids and dogs. He never
grows
a winter coat. His is soo cool Thanks for letting me brag about my baby!
-Nicole
If you have a horse, remember to submit their picture to the
HORSE MANIA PHOTO GALLERY
Do you have a photo of your horse on the computer? Horse Mania is starting
up a photo gallery of reader’s horses. If you have a pic, send it to me as
an attachment or URL to thehorse@hotpop.com
Include your name, your horse’s name, your horses breed and any other
information you would like. It will then be displayed on the Horse Mania
website in the photo gallery so that everyone can admire your horse!
*RAISING AN ORPHAN OR REJECTED FOAL (part one) by Loretta Zink
----------------------------
This is a true story which appears on the Lobo Appaloosa
Horses website. Loretta has kindly given me permission to reprint it in
Horse Mania. You can visit her excellent site, Lobo Appaloosa Horses at
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/7933/ (Winner of a GOLD Horse
Mania Excellent Webpage Award) Photos to accompany the story can also be
found on her website. I’ve divided it into two parts, so it will be
continued next issue.
"Last Story's Story"
When we bred Smoke to Storyman in 1998, little did we imagine what we were
setting
ourselves up for. We eagerly anticipated the foal. It became even more
important to us
when Storyman had to be put down in September of 1998, and we realized we
would
have the "Last Story" baby.
On April 11, her due date, Smoke foaled unassisted. We thank our lucky
stars that it
was on the weekend when we were home. Within a few hours, it was obvious
that the
little filly was not getting enough milk to satisfy her, so we started
with Oxytocin
injections to try to stimulate the milk let-down.
This really put us on the spot, with both of us working full time jobs.
Trying to figure
out how we could feed the filly during the day had us terribly worried.
Then our friends
and neighbors came to the rescue. Dennis and Brenda Hughes live nearby and
always
come to see the new babies. I had left a message shortly after Story was
born, and that
evening, they came down to see her. We were pretty forlorn by then,
thinking we'd have
no choice but to put the little filly down. Dennis came to the rescue by
volunteering to
care for her during the day, since he works the evening shift. Thank God
for caring
people like them!
Week 1 - Between ourselves and Dennis, we managed to keep the filly trying
to nurse
until Friday. By then, even with the Oxytocin, Smoke was drying up, and
Story was
obviously starving. So Mare's Match foal milk replacer was located and the
decision was
made to put her on a bottle.
This didn't work very well either. She would take only about a pint at a
time, which,
of course, wasn't enough. Often she would strangle over it because it was
nearly
impossible to keep her head lowered while she nursed. After nursing, she
would chew
and grit her teeth which made me suspect she didn't like the taste of the
milk replacer.
Also, she was straining to have a bowel movement so we decided an enema
was in order.
Since we've raised registered Alpine Dairy Goats for years, I've had
occasions when I've
had to raise kids on milk replacer. I had found it was very difficult to
raise them
successfully without scours until I discovered a milk replacer made by
Manna Pro called
UniMilk. It was very palatable to them, with a sweet smell and I never had
problems
with the kids scouring when raised on it, so we decided to at least try
it. The interesting
thing about UniMilk is that it has different mixing instructions for
different species of
babies. Foals are one of the listed species. We decided to try to get her
to drink from a
bucket on Sunday and it was soon obvious that she found the UniMilk quite
tasty.
Within a couple of feedings, she had the bucket figured out and was eating
readily. We
were so relieved and by evening, we had continued to offer cooler replacer
to get her
used to the idea of drinking cool replacer, so that we would be able to
give a bucket of
replacer at night and let her drink when she wanted. She accepted this
much easier than
we'd expected. I was so relieved. A week of going on 2 1/2 - 3 hours of
sleep per night
was started to take it's toll. Then when Sunday night rolled around, it
was obvious that
Sherry was in labor, so I spent the night running back and forth to the
barn; no sleep at
all that night. Every time I walked by her stall, Story nickered and was
pretty put out
that "Mommy" wasn't spending all her barn time with her. Of course, I'd
checked on her
several times through the night since I was there anyway, and had
encouraged her to eat
more. We were still not satisfied with the amount she was eating. Sherry
finally foaled
at 4:15 and I gave up all thoughts of going to bed since I get up at 5:00.
Week 2 - I went back down to the barn at 5:30 with another bucket of
replacer for Story
and was surprised to see she was not interested in eating and was pretty
listless. I also
discovered she had a runny nose that didn't look good. I became alarmed
and took her
temperature - 102.4 degrees. Not terribly high, but I felt that I'd better
call the vet. He
was already out on an emergency run but said he'd be here around 8:30. So
I called my
boss and said I'd be late.
Mike got here and checked her lungs and said they were fine, but she had
an upper
respiratory infection. He asked me if I was sure she had gotten enough
colostrum. I said
yes, because we had used Oxytocin to make Smoke let her milk down. He said
he would
like to run a test on her blood for antibodies, because she shouldn't have
gotten the
infection. I agreed and was stunned when he finished the test and it was
"0" for
antibodies. He explained that occasionally a mare has bad colostrum and
this was
obviously the case with Smoke. He said we had three options, I could take
her to OSU
for a plasma transfusion, which is very expensive and, in his opinion, not
a good choice
for a sick foal, or we could give her horse antibodies IV, or we could do
nothing and
take our chances. He said that most foals without antibodies will die at
between 1 - 3
weeks of age. I really didn't feel there was much of a decision to be
made and opted for
the IV.
Mike said it would take about a half hour to do the IV since it had to be
dripped in
slowly to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. I asked how much of a
risk there was.
He said not high, but there was the possibility. We got everything set up
in her stall
and he said I'd need to hold her head. He wanted to numb her and make a
little incision
for putting the IV needle in. He felt that would be much easier on her
than trying to
stick it in. She was very good about it and laid still for that. He put
the IV in and went
about adjusting the drip. Almost immediately, her breathing became labored
and I asked
him if he thought she was having problems. He said he didn't think so,
she'd only had 3
drops (out of a 250cc bottle). He thought it was because she was laid down
and I was
having to hold her there. I eased up on the pressure of my arm across her
ribcage but her
breathing didn't improve; in fact it got worse. I started getting alarmed
and then he
jumped up and ran for his truck to get Ephinephrin. She didn't respond to
the first shot,
and was about to suffocate by this time. He was checking her heart and
finally had to
give her a second shot. He brought in a respirator, which nearly scared me
to death. I
knew then he thought we were going to lose her. We worked on her for a
long time
before he started to calm down. That is one thing I will give Mike credit
for, he CARES
about these animals and he admitted he was afraid for her. He said he
would be scared to
death to give her plasma. He explained that there are so many more types
of blood in
horses than the few we have in humans and obviously the antibodies came
from a horse
with an incompatible blood type. He said that we were really only left
with one option
and that was to put her on antibiotics and try to keep her from catching a
bug until she
gets old enough to start building her own immune system, at about a month
old.
We put her on Penicillin, 3 cc twice daily, plus Genticin, 3 cc daily for
three days. She
will stay on the Penicillin until she has her own immune system, unless
she has
problems and we have to switch to something else.
By the next day she was doing better than she ever had and has continued
to improve all
week. She is now drinking about 2 1/2 gallons of milk per day and nibbling
alfalfa and
grain. She is living with our old Alpine doe, Peri, and they have become
great buddies.
We know we're not out of the woods yet, and tomorrow, she could be
terribly sick. But
we are doing our best to stay aware of any changes in her. We monitor her
temperature
about 4 times daily, give her the shots, and give her lots of love. Since
she doesn't
have a horse mother to teach her, we felt Peri was a good choice. At least
this way she
has a companion when we can't be there with her. She is the most lovable
little girl,
which is, of course, to be expected since she sees humans as her mother.
We are trying
to teach her respect as we go along, so she won't end up being a nasty
natured horse
with no respect of humans.
Week 3 - This week is very important to us. If Story makes it thru this
week, her
chances are better and better. Well, she made it! Her appetite has
increased dramatically
and she consumed 180 lbs. of liquid Unimilk this week. We went off the
penicillin and
the following day, she scoured. I gave her one more shot and saw that she
dried up
almost immediately, so decided to try stopping the shots again. We are
still monitoring
her temperature carefully, and she has stayed close to the 101 mark all
week. She is
nibbling at grain and eating hay very well.
Week 4 - What a change a few hours can make. Sunday morning, Story was
feeling
fine and then by noon, she was terribly sick - with pneumonia. A frantic
phone call to
Mike later, I was even more afraid. He took the news badly, and said this
was really
bad and I had to keep in mind that she wouldn't respond to treatment like
a foal with
an immune system. We put her on Naxcel, plus 3 days of Gentocin. We also
gave her
Banamine to try to get her temperature down. It had jumped rapidly to
103.2. She was
having serious trouble breathing and at times would stand with her mouth
gaped open
trying to get air. The first dose of Banamine lowered her temperature to
around 101.8
for about 24 hours but then it jumped right back up. Mike said to give her
a second
shot, but that time, her fever jumped right back up within about 5 hours.
She was
very listless and had to be encouraged to get her to eat at all. Her
consumption had
dropped to about half of the amount she had been eating. She spent a lot
of time down
and I would sit with her every chance I got and hold her head in my lap. I
got very
disheartened by mid-week and started fearing that we weren't going to pull
her thru
this time. I asked Mike about more Banamine but he said it was too risky.
Finally, I
took matters in my own hands and gave her some Bute. That did help reduce
her fever,
but brought on another problem - scours. All thru this, I saw no signs
that she was
making any progress with the pneumonia. I had to start giving her
Pedialite to keep
her from dehydrating and within a short while, she was over the scours. By
Friday, I
was feeling very frustrated because the Naxcel just wasn't doing the job
and her
temperature had stayed between 102 and 103.2 all week. I talked to our
friends, Tom
and Betty Springer. Betty is a firm believer in TMZ and suggested that I
try it. So I
put 5 800mg tablets in the trusty coffee grinder and mixed a little water
and made a
paste. When Story saw me coming with that syringe, she just knew I was
coming with
another shot and was totally confused when I put it in her mouth. Within
about 1/2
hour, she started having deep, racking coughs. She coughed so hard that it
really
scared me at first, but it was soon apparent that these were productive
coughs, the
first she'd had since the pneumonia hit. By Saturday morning, her
temperature had
dropped to 101.9. By noon, it had dropped even more, and by Sunday night
was down
to 101.3. The change in her overall attitude was remarkable and she was
screaming for
food!
Week 5 - I made a boo-boo. I
didn't stop and consider that she'd
been drinking so much less and
when she was feeling better and
wanting her milk, I jumped her
back up to the normal amount.
Big mistake and the scours were
back. But this mistake was easy
enough to correct. I reduced the
amount of powder when I mixed
her milk. Directions say to mix 1
of the provided cups with a quart
of water. Well, she was cleaning
up a gallon almost immediately,
so increased the amount to 6
quarts per feeding, but reduced
the mix to 4 cups in 6 quarts of
water.
Her lungs were still not normal but she made improvements all week, and by
week's
end, she was back to being herself and "bouncing off the walls". Thank
goodness old
Peri is so good natured and fond of Story. She's got to have a lot of
patience to put up
with Story's antics!
Week 6 - This week has been pretty uneventful, if you consider a healthy,
normal
acting foal that demands more and more to eat, and is having to have some
lessons
in manners, uneventful. With the warm weather, and her fuzzy baby coat,
she is
really itchy. I guess she thinks she needs to let us know she needs
scratched,
because she starts trying to groom us as soon as we walk in. We've made
progress,
though, and now she's finally realized that she had to "groom the air". I
guess she
thought we'd enjoy it too, since Peri obviously does. But we're taking
this whole
process of raising her very seriously and feel that most mares discipline
their foals,
so we have taken that role seriously as well. She had quite a time playing
in the
round pen a few nights ago, ran and squealed and bucked for over an hour.
She is
now being fed 5 times daily, 6 quarts per feeding, for a total of 7 1/2
gallons per
day, and is fatter than the dam-raised foals!
Week 7 - This week started off fairly well, but it became so hot that
Story was
positively miserable in her thick baby fuzz. By mid-week, she was staying
wet.
We'd really hesitated about putting a fan on her because she was so prone
to
catching "bugs" easily but finally decided there was no choice. At first
she was
afraid of it but within a day, she'd learned that it gave her some relief.
She literally
stood for hours in front of that fan. We were having very high humidity
along with
the heat and it was staying very muggy even at night. When Saturday
arrived, I
decided to try to clip her. I expected she would panic over the big, noisy
Sunbeam
clippers, but to my surprise, she loved being clipped! That vibration must
have
really felt good. She was backing all around me trying to get me to stay
clipping on
her fanny.
Week 8 - Sunday. Story is 2 months old today. She is so much more
comfortable
since I clipped her. I took her out to the round pen for some exercise and
to get
some more pictures taken. As usual, she had lots of kisses for me. She ran
and
bucked and had the time of her life. She was so funny. She'd make laps
around the
pen and whinny every time she ran past me. We let her play for a couple of
hours,
until she got hot and needed to go back to the fan. I turned her out of
the pen and
let her have the run of the yard for a while and without warning, she
started
strangling. Within seconds, she had what appeared to be thick, partially
digested
milk running out of her nose and was strangling so hard, we thought she
was dying
before our eyes. Part of it went down in her lungs and was so thick, she
couldn't
seem to get it coughed out.She got so winded that she finally got down and
ended up
flat on her side. We were really scared by then and I started rapping on
her ribcage,
trying to help her break it loose. It was touch and go for a while, but
she finally
was able to get her breath. She had a terrible rattle when she breathed. I
was afraid
of her getting pneumonia since she got it down in her lungs so I started
her back on
penicillin in hopes of nipping it in the bud. Over the next few days, her
breathing
was really bad, but by the latter part of the week, I could tell she was
improving
fast.
Week 9 - She's back to her normal, ornery self. She is finally eating
grain pretty
well and is drinking 8 gallons of Unimilk per day. She eats most of two
flakes of
hay every day now. The temperatures finally dropped to a more comfortable
level and
she's doing so much better.
Week 10 - It seems like we have a pattern here. We get a good week and
then a bad
one. She started running a temperature Friday and had to put her on Bute
to reduce
the fever. We are trying to avoid using any antibiotics unless it becomes
absolutely
necessary. I'd like to see her start fighting some of these germs herself,
so am
trying to just keep the temperature under control and give her a chance to
knock the
bug on her own.
To be continued next issue....
*UNTITLED by Kelsey
--------------
I'm your basic 13-year-old that loves horses. Well, that is your basic
13-year-old that loves horses, but doesn't have one. I've been asking for
a
horse around seven years now, going on eight. Seems like a long time,
huh?
Well, that time is almost up. But before I go on to that, let me tell you
a
little bit more about myself.
As I said, I am 13-years-old. I lived in Minnesota, then moved down
to
Arizona, then moved back up to Minnesota. All in less then two years,
freaky, huh? Talk about hard, too. That's basically were "my love for
horses" began to grow, and grow, and grow. You get the point. Once I
moved
up here, I thought my world was going to crash, until things started
happening. I found out, that I'm not the only one that feels caged in
because parents, like mine, aren't to into horses. So that sort of "cuts
back" my horse activities. In fact, I found that a lot of people my age
are
going through this.
So during my time in Minnesota so far, I've gotten use to being able to
see horses, just not doing anything with them. So i would use all of my
energy either A)Looking at horse books. B)Looking at horse sites.
C)Talking
to my friends about horses. D)Trying my hardest to actually talk my
parents
into a horse. Or E) All of the above. I guess a lot of people are feeling
this way, too. Which I'm glad, because hey! At least I know that I'm not
the
only one, and I'm glad that i can let others that they aren't either.
This is where the next part comes in. I've tried cutting deals with my
dad before (he things I'll be a good debater), but none like this. I've
come
VERY close many times in my life time of actually getting a horse. But
none
like right now. I've made a "deal" with my dad (notice the quotes are
deal,
since it isn't "final :) that I'll keep my grades above a B (notice that
there is no minus there, it had better B!!!), and if they drop, I can
watch
the horse gallop off into the sunset WITHOUT me riding. Also that I'll
help
out around the house; and if i don't, well, I'd still get a horse (I
really
hope) and I'll just have to spend a few hours less with it. And finally,
be
an angel. o:) Well, ok, may need a LITTLE help on the not getting into any
way, shape, or form of ANY trouble... But, my time has come. And it's
about
99.99999999999% sure that I'll be leasing a horse (with me helping pay the
costs).. but notice that 99.999999999% doesn't actually add up to 100%.
Because that one little 0.1% has to agree. Ok, so it's a teeny-tiny bit
MORE
then 0.1%... because hey, it's my mom. And you know mom's!!
But as a lot of you big horsepeople that have been in the sport for
many, many, many years, know that i said LEASING. Yes. That's
L-E-A-S-I-N-G.
Because i have a plan, that my dad doesn't know about yet. Almost all of
you
know that leasing is a heck of a lot more money then actually buying your
own horse. BUT, I have a plan. And if i all of a sudden become a genius,
it
should work. I have a plan that once my parents actually believe in me,
that
I'm much more responsible then they think i am and that i CAN take care of
a
horse, that they'll actually buy one. Have to get back to you on that one
though. :)
I'm not writing this to "brag" or even to just see it in writing.
Because
hey, this isn't for me. This is for all the other people that are going
through the same situation. So that they know that they aren't the only
ones
going through this; I read something like this a few months ago when i was
just ready to give up. And I'm hoping that this will do the same for many
other people to make sure that they keep on trying! Good luck to all of
you,
and "Hi, howdy, and hello" to the horses!!!
*HORSE STORY (part 8) by SARAH MCKINNEY
------------
This is quite long, with 11 chapters that has been spread out over several
issues of Horse Mania. This is the eighth and FINAL part! It started in
Horse Mania issue #10. If you have just joined Horse Mania recently and
missed parts you can read the previous chapters in the back issues of
Horse Mania starting from #10, located at the archives
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/archives.html
THE ONLY ONE FOR HER by SARAH MCKINNEY
CHAPTER 11
Throughout the past week, Melanie snuck riding Honor almost every day.
She had managed to keep it a secret from her parents, but she knew she
couldn’t do it much longer.
The previous day, Melanie had taken Honor out into the indoor ring for
the first time. The filly had been frightened at first, but she soon
settled and they had had a very good session. Melanie had even taken the
filly over some cavelletties. She had rounded up the session with minutes
to spare, but had forgotten one small detail about riding in the indoor
ring. Nobody used it. It was okay to use the outdoor ring because all of
the horses that her mother had, she rode in there. But she hadn’t thought
of the hoof prints in the ring stand. She had almost gotten caught by her
mother.
Her mother, however, with riding Honor every day as Melanie did, was
having no luck whatsoever at anything. She couldn’t even get her to trot
in their last session. But afterward when Melanie had ridden her, Honor
had been perfect and had given her all to please Melanie.
“I think it’s time,” Cassidy whispered later that day as she came up
to Honor’s stall.
“Time for what?”
“You have to tell Mom and Dad. They’re going to find out sometime, and
you’ll get less punishment if you tell them without them finding out on
their own,” Cassidy told Melanie matter-of-factly. Melanie shook her head.
“Mel!” Cassidy exclaimed as she entered the stall. When she did, Honor
turned her attention away from Melanie and focused it on Cassidy. She
turned her rump toward her and cocked her foot, giving a warning to
Cassidy that if she didn’t back off she was going to kick. Cassidy jumped
behind Melanie. “You’ve got to tell them.”
“I will when the time’s right,” Melanie promised her, although she
didn’t quite know when that would be. She wanted to put it off as long as
possible, just because she knew she was going to get in deep trouble.
But as Cassidy walked away, Melanie thought about what her sister had
said. Of course, she knew her twin was right, but Melanie didn’t think she
could work up enough courage to tell them. What would they say?
Melanie stayed with Honor almost the whole night after her parents
agreed to let her sleep out in the barn. She only went away from the stall
so she could take a call from Jennifer, who wanted to know how it was
going with Honor. Melanie told her she couldn’t tell her then, but next
time Jennifer came rode over or Melanie rode over to her farm on her bike,
she would spill the whole story.
“What should I do, Honor?” Melanie whispered to her horse.
Her horse. It would be nice to say. But until she told her parents it
wouldn’t be a reality. Maybe not even then. Melanie had had horrible
dreams of her parents taking Honor away from her because she disobeyed
them about not riding.
“No! I just can’t! It s not the right time,” Melanie thought as she
draped her arms around Honor’s silky, jet-black neck. Honor’s white blaze
shown like a single star in the sky in the dim light of the barn.
Whisperwood Farm’s reputation was spreading quickly throughout Kentucky
for bred-to-win horses and friendly neighbors. The four jockeys that they
had hired after numerous interviews were doing great. Samantha had
assigned a stronger, rougher rider to try Honor the first day he came. As
always, Honor didn’t try her best for anyone but Melanie. And Melanie
couldn’t watch it. She hated to see people roughhouse their horses. After
the rider did, Samantha spoke with a no-nonsense tone to him, warning to
not handle any of their horses like that any more.
And he had to start with Honor, Melanie though, shaking her head in
disbelief as she led a sweaty, tired Honor to her stall to get untacked.
Melanie had promised the filly she would never let that happen to her
again.
“Melanie! Dinner!” Cassidy called down the aisle, startling Melanie
out of her thoughts.
“Kay, Cass! Be right there!” Melanie called to her sister as she gave
Honor one last pat. “I’ll be in to say good-night, girl. Promise.”
Melanie closed the sliding door and made her way to the house.
Melanie ran up the stairs quickly to wash her face and hands and change
into some clean clothes. When she came back down, her family was already
seated at the table and waiting for her.
“Hey all,” Melanie greeted her family, sitting down in her regular
chair. Cassidy’s usual cheery smile had disappeared as she gave Melanie a
sympathetic look. “What’s everyone so down about? C’mon, let’s dig in.
I’m starved!”
“Wait, Mel. Before you do,” Samantha started, your father and I have
an announcement to make before we eat. Melanie looked from her mother to
her father, her gaze darting between them. “Shoot.”
“It’s about Honor,” Kevin said. Melanie just about choked when her
father mentioned her beloved horse.
“Yes,” Samantha agreed. “The filly is lovely, but she just won’t
cooperate. She’s as stubborn as a mule, and I hate to see such a beauty
go, but she’s just too young to be a broodmare.”
Melanie was speechless. All she could do was look at her parents with
wide eyes, what they had just said still sinking in. “Sell Honor? But
Mom, it’s only been a week!”
“You’re right,” Kevin replied to his daughter. “But your mother and I
know horses. This one just doesn’t have potential as a jumper. We’re going
to sell her. Maybe her new owners can retrain her in something that she
enjoys and she’s good at.”
Melanie glanced at her sister with a questioning look. She knew it was
time for plan B to go into action.
“Ah, Mom?” Melanie said. “Cass has something to show you. But we have
to change. C’mon, Cassidy!”
“But girls, what about dinner?”
“Later, Mom!” Melanie called behind her shoulder.
Melanie pulled her sister by the arm into her bedroom. She looked into
her sister’s matching eyes. “Ready?” she asked. Cassidy nodded as she
heaved a sigh.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
The two girls put their plan into action. It was a devious plan that
would take great skill; they were going to switch places.
Melanie was dressed in Cassidy’s riding habit from the bow she tied her
hair back with, to the boots and socks that she wore. Before the girls
ventured downstairs, they gave each other reassuring hugs.
“Good luck,” Cassidy whispered to Melanie. Melanie nodded as she held
her chin up high and pranced down the stairs.
The two girls parents were still at the table, discussing Honor Bright.
Melanie sauntered down the steps and stopped in front of them.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Okay, Cass,” Samantha said, obviously buying the deal. “Let’s see
it.”
Cassidy had already gone to the barn to tack up Honor. When they got
down there, she had her all tacked up and waiting.
“Honor?” Samantha asked. “But, Cass, she’ll never let you . . .”
“Just watch, Mom,” Melanie hissed. She took Honor’s reins and led her
to the outdoor ring.
Melanie grabbed a handful of Honor’s black mane as she mounted. She
lifted herself up into the saddle and quickly adjusted the reins.
Honor pranced under her, but listened to every command Melanie dished
out.
“Trot,” Melanie commanded. Honor broke into an easy, flowing trot that
Melanie posted to. After they circled three times at a trot, she asked for
a canter.
Honor broke smoothly into a canter. And she was on the correct lead,
too! Melanie beamed. She was so proud of Honor, but she didn’t let it
show. As Honor cantered around the ring, Melanie took her over some
fences. Honor, pricking her delicate Irish Thoroughbred ears, flew over
the jump with ease. As Melanie passed her parents who had a surprised,
disbelieving look on their faces, she smiled. It was so great to be in the
spotlight with the horse she loved
“Well done, Cassidy!” Melanie’s parents screeched as she rode over to
the fence and patted Honor for a job well done. “Maybe we’ll make you her
full-time rider. If that’s okay with you, Melanie.” Samantha turned and
told Cassidy, smiling.
“Actually,” Cassidy said, walking up to her parents, “I’m not
Melanie. I’m Cassidy. That’s Melanie.” She pointed to her sister who was
still aboard Honor Bright.
“Melanie Anne Nelson, I thought we told you . . .” Kevin started.
Samantha laid a hand on his shoulder to quiet him.
“I understand now, Mel,” she told her daughter. “I’m so sorry I
didn’t realize it before. It’s time you got the horse you really wanted,”
she said, then quickly added, “ and needed.”
Melanie beamed down at her mother and father as she bent down to hug
Honor around her damp neck. The filly snorted and craned her head around
to smell Melanie. She wiggled her upper lip in pleasure. Melanie giggled
and dismounted, leading Honor over to the fence with her.
“So I can have Honor?” she asked excitedly, her hazel eyes lighting
up. Samantha and Kevin looked at each other and smiled.
“Yes,” they said in unison. “You deserve her.”
Melanie on Honor and her sister riding beside her on Twilight, rode up
into the field to meet Jennifer for their lesson. The girl was waiting
aboard Snapple when the arrived at the trail from her house, taking her
over a few logs while she waited.
“You ready?” Melanie called to her friend as they rode up.
“As ever,” she announced as the friends rode beside each other. Now
that Melanie knew the trail to Cool Meadow Farm, the group got there in no
time.
Already in the ring and waiting were Blake and Michelle on their horses.
They were warming up in the ring when Melanie, Cassidy and Jennifer
arrived.
“Hey!” Blake called from the opposite side of the ring as he trotted
Prince over to Melanie. When he saw Cassidy he looked like he had been
kicked in the face. “Uh, whose Melanie?”
Melanie giggled at Blake as she introduced her sister. “Blake Greene,
this is my twin sister, Cassidy Nelson and her horse, Sterling Twilight.
This,” she said, motioning to her own mount with a swoop of her hand,
“is my new horse, Honor Bright.”
“Well hello to all three of the newcomers in this class,” Denise said
in a cheery voice, cutting into the conversation. “But let’s get warmed
up and get to work, okay?” Melanie, Cassidy and Blake laughed as they
signaled their horses into a trot around the ring. Michelle was leading
with her horse in the front, then Jennifer, Blake, Melanie, and then
Cassidy in the back. Honor’s ears flicked back and forth as Melanie talked
to her.
After a vigorous warm-up, Denise set a course of a couple of two feet
high cross rails. They looked small to Melanie, but with her new,
inexperienced horse, she was going to have to start all over again in the
novice level with her and work her way up. But with Melanie s experience
and Honor’s strength, power, and trust in Melanie, she knew they could
handle anything.
“Who would like to go first?” Denise asked, searching for hands in the
crowd. Melanie’s shot up before anyone else’s.
“Okay, Mel. If you think Honor can handle it,” she said. Melanie smiled.
“She can. I believe in her.”
Denise nodded as Melanie turned Honor toward the first fence on the
course. Honor pricked her black ears as Melanie urged her on. Jumping the
first fence with ease and confidence, Melanie turned Honor to the next
fence. Honor jumped the same way. Melanie beamed. Her horse jumped with
such confidence, speed, and trust in her; the three things that mattered
the most.
As they came to the last fence with a clean round, Melanie looked on. It
was higher than all of the rest of them. She braced herself for a refusal
and a sharp turn to either side of the fence, but Honor cantered toward it
without fear or doubt. They jumped it, together. No, they weren’t just
jumping, they were flying!
The End
*If you have written a horse story, why not send it in to Susan at
thehorse@hotpop.com and I’ll publish it in Horse Mania! Length doesn’t
matter.
*HORSE JARGON by Bethany
------------------
Hi everyone! I would like some suggestions from you on what topics you
would like to see covered in the "Horse Jargon," and any ideas on how it
can improved. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! Bethany
+++++++++++++++++ Faults in Conformation +++++++++++++++++
Back at the Knee: confirmational fault in which forelegs are curved back
below the knee (Also "calf-knee" or "buck-knee").
Same Hole: Forelegs placed too close together because of an unduly narrow
chest.
Brushing: action of the hoof or shoe striking the opposite fetlock.
Usually due to confirmational fault.
Dishing: action of the foreleg when the toe is thrown outward in a
circular movement.
Heavy Top: heavy body carried on disproportionately light legs.
Light of Bone: Insufficient bone below the knee to support weight of
horse and rider without strain--and therefore a serious fault.
Pigeon Toes: confirmational fault in which hooves are turned inward. (Also
known as "pin-toes").
Short of a Rib: confirmational fault arising from slack loins (condition
in which loins are weak--the last rib is short, with noticeable space
between it and the hip). Occurs in overly long-backed horses.
Sickle hocks: confirmational fault in which, seen from the side, the hocks
are angled too much at the joint, resulting in weak hindlegs.
Split Up Behind: confirmational fault caused by weakness of gaskins
("second thigh," extending from above the hock toward the stifle). Seen
from behind, the thighs divide too high, just beneath the dock.
Undershot: deformity in which the lower jaw projects beyond the upper.
*FAMOUS HORSES THROUGHOUT HISTORY by Abigail
--------------------------------------------------
Welcome back to Famous Horses Throughout History! Any questions,
comments, or suggestions please send to: cwfay@uswest.net
Today's famous horse is Babieca. He was a pure white Andalusian charger
belonging to Rodriego Diaz, commonly known as El Cid. El Cid acquired
Babieca as a present from his grandfather, a priest known as Peyre
Pringos, or "Fat Pete." The young Cid had his choice of all the finest
colts in the stable, but chose the homely, immature gray animal. Upon
seeing his grandson choose this horse, Peyre exclaimed, "Babieca!",
meaning "stupid." The name stuck, and the young colt blossomed into an
ideal war-horse, holding steady under fire and terrifying the Muslim
Moors and Arabs that were the enemies of El Cid. The astonishing part was
that Babieca was probably no taller than 15hh, or 60in, yet he carried
his master wearing full armor and the weight of his own. Despite his
size, this agile Andalusian was full of "brio escondido", the hidden metal
that gives a horse fire and courage.
This was a lasting partnership, man and horse, and they were an
undefeatable pair for almost 30 years. When El Cid died in 1099, he gave
his last orders to a few of his men. He told them to dress him in full
armor, bind his sword to his hand, and send his body out on Babieca to
lead the charge. He did this because he knew that if his soldiers knew he
was dead, they would loose courage and forfeit the battle. At exactly
midnight, the lifeless Cid led his men into battle at Valencia. His
ghostly face inside his helmet scared the enemies immensely, for they had
thought he was dead. The soldiers, all clothed in white, defeated the
Moors on that fateful day. The Spanish pursued them without mercy, and
Babieca carried his dead master all the way. El Cid was buried at San
Pedro de Cardona, but his remains were later moved to Burgos Cathedral.
Babieca was never ridden again. He outlived his master by two years, and
died at the age of 40.
*WEBSITES
---------
If you have a horse website or know of a good one, please send in the URL
to thehorse@hotpop.com for it to be listed here.
Cobblestone Stables
http://expage.com/page/horsieusa
Cape Justice
http://www.geocities.com/capejustice_2000/
*HORSE POLLS
------------
I have some Horse Polls on the website for you to vote for your opinion!
The newest poll is always featured on the main page, at
http://horsemania.cjb.net
Past polls are displayed at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/polls.html
Current Questions:
*new poll* What is your favorite horse movie?
Which of these is your favorite Horse Breed?
What style of horseriding do you prefer?
Current Results:
*new poll* What is your favorite horse movie?
Total Number of Votes: 70
The Horse Whisperer- 12 (17%)
Black Beauty- 6 (9%)
The Black Stallion- 11 (16%)
The Silver Brumby- 6 (9%)
I love any movie with a horse in it!- 35 (50%)
Which of these is your favorite Horse Breed?
Total Number of Votes: 135
Thoroughbred- 22 (16%)
Arabian- 27 (20%)
Quarter Horse- 34 (25%)
Other Horse Breed-49 (36%)
Other Pony Breed- 3 (2%)
What style of horseriding do you prefer?
Total Number of Votes: 108
English- 51 (47%)
Western- 16 (15%)
Bareback- 15 (14%)
Both English & Western- 26 (24%)
I don't ride- 0 (0%)
*PENPALS
--------
Here is the Pen Pal section for adults and children. The penpal section is
online at the Horse Mania Website, with the newest ads being posted in an
issue of Horse Mania as well. If you would like to place an ad, please
visit https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/penpals.html For the complete
list of pen pal ads, go to
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/penlist.html
Most recent ads:
Name = Amanda
Email = eventrider_72@hotmail.com
Age = 14
Gender = Female
Location = Illinois, USA
Hobbies = Horseback riding
Likes = Horses (of course), the internet, hanging out with friends
Dislikes = Snobs, smoking, snakes
Comments = I love almost all breeds, mostly the Oldenburg, and I like
Thoroughbreds too. I'm looking for a
guy or girl penpal ages anywhere from 12 - 16. E-mail me sometime!
Name = Ali
Email = horsephreak@home.com
Age = 9
Gender = Mare (Female)
Location = Texas
Hobbies = Horseback riding, caring for horses, horses!
Likes = HORSES EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HORSES! Computer, PONIES AND
EVERYTHING TO
DO WITH PONIES, dogs... Dislikes = Slaughter Houses, People who are mean
and snotty, horse hating
people Comments = Horses rock! I don't care what age my pen pal is,
because I'm 9 and I know what it feels
like to be rejected just by your age. I love horses and they're pretty
much the best thing in the world! E-Mail
me!
Name = Meg Edwards
Email = savarylauren@hotmail.com
Age = 13
Gender = female
Location = halifax
Hobbies = horseback riding,soccer
Likes = pizza,reading,Freddie Prinze Jr.
Dislikes = spice girls,peanut butter
Name = Maren Schliesman
Email = Schliesman@earthlink.com
Age = 12
Gender = girl
Location = Lakeville MN
Hobbies = Horseback riding,sports
Likes = horses
Dislikes = My 3 sisters and 1 brother
Comments = I am getting a horse in the spring!
Name = kristy
Email = steery_kristy@hotmail.com
Age = 14
Gender = female
Location = canada
Hobbies = horseback riding, barells, poles and roping
Likes = Quarter horses, tv, good friends, rodeos, parties, fords
Dislikes = Mondays, bus rides, falling,
Comments = HI I have 13 horses and my fave is my QH Foxy Executive. If I
sound cool drop me a line! :)
Name = Sara
Email = horsegurl14@yahoo.com
Age = 14
Gender = female
Location = Virginia Beach
Hobbies = horseback riding,hanging out,playing softball
Likes = horses,music,some sports
Dislikes = school(classes),peas,my siblings
Comments = I really would like a pen-pal. I'm always replying(unless I'm
grouded) and check my e-mail
daily if possible. I'm pretty interesting too.
Name = Fang Fang Ren
Email = cong@mindspring.com
Age = 14 (15 in March)
Gender = Female
Location = Atlanta, Ga
Hobbies = figure skating
Likes = horses, horses, more horses, figure skating
Dislikes = mean people and snobs
Comments = I realllly love horses of all kinds, but can not find any
riding stables in the area.I would love a
friend ( doesn't matter if you are a boy or girl)that can teach me all
about riding and how to take care horses
Name = Lauren
Email = Jumper_86@horsemail.com
Age = 13
Gender = Female
Location = USA
Hobbies = Riding and training
Likes = Horses
Dislikes = snakes,spiders, etc.
Comments = I would like to hear from some other experienced english riders
:)
Name = Caitlin
Email = nkhredible@hotmail.com
Age = 14
Gender = Female
Location = Vancouver Island, BC
Hobbies = Horseback riding, writing, computers, reading
Likes = Horses, reading, writing, Backstreet Boys, Blink-182, Computers
Dislikes = Ditz's, Fake people, homework
Comments = I'm looking for a horse crazy pen pal, guy or girl, 12-16 years
of age. I warn any potential
writers - I will respond, but I don't have much Computer time, so expect
emails maybe once a day.
Name = Rachel
Email = Cow72grl@juno.com
Age = 11
Gender = female
Location = California, USA
Hobbies = horseback Riding, sports
Likes = HORSES!! freinds
Dislikes = Horse slaughter
Comments = Hi, I take lessons once a week and <3 them. I ride Western, but
has done Einglish too. I have 2
AOL Instant Messager screen names, and here they are : Cow72grl, and
Rae4Horses. Chat with me, or give
me an e-mail. boy or girl- it doesn't matter.
*NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
-----------------------------
Horse Mania is a free email newsletter that is sent out twice a month
(every other week). More information is located at the Horse Mania
website, at http://horsemania.cjb.net as well as some other horse related
things.
QUESTIONS:
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End of Horse Mania Newsletter #17
--------------------------------
