No tall tale

Deforest enews



Waiting patiently in the barn before the historic event Tuesday morning, big “Jake” was standing quietly covered in a green blanket, calm and collected despite the palpable buzz around him, like a veteran prizefighter before a heavyweight title bout.

And make no doubt about it, big Jake is a heavyweight.



Valicia Denson’s Smokey Hollow Farm in Dekorra was the site for the much-anticipated match-up between Jake, a nine-year-old Belgian… Continue

I don't know who the author is, but the story is lovely.





The young couple had made their usual hurried, pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of horses. The farm had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine which topped the hill behind the farm, and through the years had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside.



The old folks no longer showed their… Continue

Definitions of common equestrian terms.



Auction

A popular, social gathering where you can change a horse from a financial liability into a liquid asset.

Azoturia (Monday Morning Disease)

a condition brought on by showing horses all weekend. Symptoms include the feeling of dread at having to get out of bed on Mondays and go to work.

Barn Sour

An affliction common to horse people in northern climates during the winter months. Trudging… Continue

As posted on Mare Stare...





How to soak a donkeys foot



1. get bucket or low tub, fill with warm water, add epson salts until fully diluted. get donkey, place in cross ties, pick up foot, slide bucket into place. place foot in tub.



2. retrieve tub from corner of barn, get towel to dry off your face.



3. refill tub with water and salts. shorten cross ties. pick up donkeys foot and place in tub.



4. retrieve tube from other stall, retrieve… Continue

This is a very nice report from the Purina Animal Hall of Fame Awards.



National Post article May 13, 2009



How three dogs and a 21-pound cat saved their owners’ lives



Last week, Jarod worked his tush on the red carpet. Down he strutted, hairier than Joaquin Phoenix. His tongue, as purple as an eggplant, suggested he’d been hitting the red wine all afternoon.



If this were a Hollywood shindig, that might have been the case, but Jarod is a chow… Continue

Living with O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome by Scooter Grubb



Just recently, after years of research, I have finally been able to give a name to what my wife and I have been living with for years. It's an affliction, for sure, which when undiagnosed and misunderstood can devastate and literally tear a family apart.



Very little is known about O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome. But it is my hope this article will generate interest from researchers involved in the equine and…

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No other image around the world symbolises the United States like the wild horse, and Americans should respect that God-given heritage, Madeleine Pickens told a House subcommittee this week.



"These are magnificent creatures, a true American icon, and they should be treasured and preserved," said Pickens, who is working to create a million-acre sanctuary capable of taking all 30,000 horses currently held in captivity by the Bureau of Land Management.



Pickens,…

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KPRC

Published: February 25, 2009



A 2-year-old colt’s answer to the call of nature has gotten his owner in trouble with Texas authorities.



“Whatever you want to do on him, you can,“ said Ben McCleary, who has been training Rascal to one day go on trail rides.



McCleary said part of that training means riding him near roads.



“So they won’t spook,“ said McCleary. “And, of course, you don’t want to get thrown 10 feet.“



While McCleary…

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I always find it interesting when studies go to great lengths to prove what horse people already know!!



A new study into how horses recognise members of the same herd suggests that it's not just humans who use complex memory processes to identify each other.



University of Sussex mammal communication researchers studied the reaction of horses to the sight of one member of the same herd while they heard the recorded call of either the same horse, or a different…

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October 23, 2008
US Olympic dressage stalwart Rober Dover says he is retiring from riding and teaching, and from the running of Romance Farm in Florida. He will dedicate his time to writing and working for the non-profit organisations the Equestrian Aid Foundation and Well Wish International. The five-time Olympian is to be inducted into the US Dressage Federation's Hall of Fame in December.