Today is Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008. Our website
http://www.doublehphorses.org/ is getting rather full. Well, my Journal page is anyway. So I am attemtping to move some of that over to this blogspot.
Here's a bunch of text I just transferred. I'll get it fixed up and pix added (maybe) little by little.
DoubleHP is a horse rescue in South Dakota. But we have stories about other animals too.
November 2, 2007, Friday, 8:08 p.m.
I just got back in the house. I was running an undercover mission. Last night Heidi came out to ride Jewel. I had commented to her that I had a strange feeling there may be a possum lurking about, because the cat food was going fast. And then I went and sat in the "office" in the barn. It used to be an office, back when I had a real job and actually got paid to do something. Did you ever hear of Resumes by Darci Kaye? That was me. For 10 years. It was really good money. But then I got all of these animals and didn't have time to make money any more. How odd. Anyway, I was sitting in the office (which now is the cat room) and I heard Heidi say to Jewel, "that was a really big rat!" But really it was a baby possum. And not one, but 3 of them. Heidi thought they were the cutest things in the world. She took some pictures and promises to email one to me so I can post it here. They ARE cuter than the adults, but I still don't want them in the horse barn. Greg was out of town and he wouldn't want to kill the babies anyway. So Heidi and I devised a live trap. We took an empty MVP Joint Supplement bucket and put some cat food in it and kind of laid it on its side but elevated the open end. Sure enough, possum baby number one crawled in. So Heidi put the lid on, and I transported him about a mile and a half away, on a dead end road, and dumped him and his cat food out by a corn field with trees and bushes and big logs in the ditch. The other 2 disappeared. No signs of them this morning, and the cat food was still in our trap. We had re-set it of course. Tonight when I went out to check on everyone (the horses), I came up on baby possums numbers 2 and 3. There they were just sitting out in the middle of the stall aisle eating my cats' food, just like a couple of cats! They ran back behind a stall where they had been the night before. I took away the other cat food dishes and just left the food in the bucket, our live trap. It took about 15 minutes for possum number 2 to crawl inside. So off he went down to the dead end road too. Maybe tomorrow night I will get the third one. I have not seen Mama Possum, nor do I want to. Our live trap system would not work for her.
NOVEMBER 3, 2007, SATURDAY, 9:37 P.M.
My farmer neighbors who are out working in their fields at night are going to think I am running drugs! Out on that dead-end road by my house. Around supper time I was out doing horse chores and I heard this loud crunching coming from the baby possum area in the barn. Sure enough, baby possum number 3 was in the bucket, eating our bait (cat food). Lid on, and down the road he went. Back home, to the new hay shed, what's that noise back in that corner? Oh no, baby possum number 4 has appeared! I pretended he was with the other crew, even though he was in a different building, and just reloaded our live trap/bucket and went on with feeding the horses. Before I went back in the house, I paused at the service door to the barn, which is really close to the baby possum area. And there was that loud crunching again. Could it be? Yes, baby possum number 4 in the bucket. Lid on, down the dead-end road for that kid too! Now this is where it gets a little disappointing, a little like no end in sight. Right when I got back from transporting BP #4, I opened up the service door to the barn. It was dark but the scuffling noises behind the stall were unmistakable. And then, in front of me, another one, around the corner eating cat food out of the cat food dish. So, there is one more for sure and very likely 2. For a total of 6. How many babies to possums have? If Heidi had to do this she would not think they were so cute. Especially #4, who hissed at me and made threatening gestures with his cute little hands. Oh, that's right. Not cute! Of course I reloaded the bucket and am ready for another night of possum hunting tomorrow.
This afternoon I met one of our adopters over at Chasin Tail Ranch by Hartford. The trainer there is Jake Jass. Our adopter had to return the horse she adopted from us 2 or 3 years ago. The horse is Red October. She is one of the original DoubleHP horses. She, Spirit, and Butterscotch were all found locked in a building with no lights, no food, no water. Their mamas were starving out in the trees. Anyway, they all survived. We had Red started by Joe Sieverding. She was a very nice and willing little filly, and it didn't take long to get her adopted. But now her adopter has to find new homes for 4 or 5 horses. I don't know the details, she just said that "sometimes life takes turns that you don't expect." Anyway, she honored her adoption agreement with us and returned Red October. She hasn't ridden Red for quite a long time, 9 months or longer. So we just thought if we put her with a trainer and have her re-evaluated for safety and riding level type things, we can probably find her another excellent home soon. Trainer Joe doesn't have an opening for quite a while, and I had met Jake at a show last summer. So we'll give this a try. Red is a good girl and very beautiful. She is a full quarter horse without papers. Her adopter has her current on everything. In fact, she just had her hooves trimmed this morning! She was a really good adopter and I feel so sad for her. She took really good care of Red, and we must continue to do that now.
This taken from Darci's Journal on the
http://www.doublehphorses.org/ website, Nov. 2, 2007 entry.
Are you wondering how the Saint Nick trial went? Well, the defendant was found guilty of cruelty to animals of course. Holly and I attended both days. Heidi was there for part of the first day. It was my first trial experience. I found the whole process entirely interesting. I started out taking notes on every little thing, like how the defendant's attorney cleared his throat really loud into the microphone 25 times in the first 15 minutes. I got tired of counting. And I'm afraid I got tired of taking notes. So I'll just have to write it down how I remember it. The jury selection itself must be quite a strategic element for the attorneys. One person was excused because he works with the defendant. Another was excused because he said that his family loves animals so much that he thinks crimes against them are almost worse than crimes against humans and he didn't see how he could possibly presume this person innocent. He just simply could not do it. Others who didn't make the final cut included a horse owner who is a friend of two of the witnesses for the State, and another who said she could try to be fair but she wasn't sure she could be. On the first day the State's witnesses testified. On the second day, it was the defendant's lawyer's turn. The defendant's wife & daughter testified. He did not. The only other witnesses they had were 2 people who said they had seen the defendant's horse trailer being used. I kept thinking, "couldn't they find a Vet or Farrier or Trainer or even just a neighbor, anyone, to say that they took really good care of their horses?" Guess they couldn't find anyone like that. Anyway, he was found Guilty. Sentencing will come later. There are some other issues that will enter into it I think. I will write more about this later. I will tell you the story the way the defendant's family told it. You probably won't believe it. I'm still not sure that I do. It doesn't matter. However it happened, the horse was severely neglected and was, indeed, abandoned, on Christmas Eve 2006. And euthanized the Day After Christmas.
Remember, Saint Nick came to us as a messenger. To remind us to always try to do what's good and what's right. His job here was difficult and painful. But he made a huge difference while he was here. And now his job is done, and now he can rest.
I am very grateful to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department and State's Attorney's Office for taking this matter so seriously and for following it through. Thanks to Kim in the State's Attorney Office. She actually served as our Witness Assistant. Saint Nick had a Witness Assistant! And thanks to Dave Palmer, an attorney in Sioux Falls. Though I don't see him very often, he has been a friend for a long time. And when I asked him what to do, how to find a voice for Saint Nick, he is the one who suggested the Witness Assistant route. And thanks to the family who found Saint Nick and called us for help on Christmas Eve. And to Dr. Tornberg who spent so much of his time on this, making reports, making trips to the Courthouse, and testifying. You know he was thinking about all of the other horses he should be helping. But he took this seriously too. It WAS serious. It was an extreme case of neglect, and it needed to be dealt with. We needed to make sure that Saint Nick's suffering and death meant something. Something like, "If you don't have time and money to keep your horses properly trained and cared for, you shouldn't have horses. And you certainly should not be allowing them to reproduce." This family who testified wanted us to feel sorry for them that they couldn't afford to buy a nice new horse trailer. Well, I guess not everyone should own horses. Not everyone should buy a new boat, not everyone should build a mansion, and not everyone should own horses. You know what bothered them the most? That whoever took their horse also took the rope they left around its neck. They said the rope was worth $50 and they were very upset that it was gone. They never once asked who paid the Vet bill or how much it was. They never once acted sad about what had happened to Saint Nick. They said that they hoped someone would come along and get him what he needed. As Dave Nelson put it, "You mean you thought it was your horse but someone else's problem?"
NOVEMBER 4, 2007
I want to tell you about the Saint Nick court case. I keep looking at his face. And I can't explain it to you but, even though I only knew him for a very little while, he was always looking at me like he was expecting me to really do something!
Saint Nick: A Christmas Story.
A Halloween Story. A sad story.
A story without an ending.
I met Saint Nick on Christmas Eve 2006. He died the Day After That Christmas. The following Halloween, nearly a year later (just a few days ago), the person responsible for his suffering was found guilty of Cruelty to Animals. Sentencing will come later.
Believe in Saint Nick
He was a messenger to remind us to always try to do what's good and what's right.
On Halloween Day, 2007, the defendant's wife took the stand. And so did his daughter. He never did. The only other witnesses they had were two people who said they had seen them using their horse trailer in December 2006. I thought that if they could find just one Vet, Farrier, Trainer, neighbor, anyone, to say that these people took good care of their horses, maybe there was hope for the horses that remained under the ownership of this family. But I guess they couldn't find anyone like that. No one to say that this family takes good care of their horses. Only two people who said they saw them using their trailer. That's all. And wait 'til you hear about the trailer!
Here is how the story sounded in the courtroom, according to the defendant's family:
The weekend of December 16 was the wife's birthday, so daughter had offered to drive to the Moody County farm to do chores. On December 23, a week later, wife and defendant went to do chores.
This family lives on an acreage in Minnehaha County but has another property in Moody County, perhaps 40 miles away. They have horses at both places. The wife testified that someone in their family goes to the Moody County property every single day to check on horses and other things and do chores. Though she could not say when she had been there before December 23. And daughter did not say when she was there after December 16. There was no mention of anyone going there to do chores in between December 16 and 23.
The only reason this is significant (other than the fact that possibly no one went to feed hay that week in December) is that daughter said that on the 16th she saw Elvis "sitting" is what she said. But then he got up and she didn't think a thing of it. She never mentioned it to her parents. That's all. She said she did not touch him that day. She said she threw hay out but did not watch him eat. It didn't sound like they used round bales. Elvis is our Saint Nick.
This is what happened on Dec. 23-24, according to the wife:
Wife & defendant went to the Moody County property. They had some farming type stuff to do, and then they checked on the horses. They noticed that Elvis was lying down and that when he got up, he looked sick. They decided to take him and another horse, Peanut, back to the Minnehaha County property so they could see what Elvis needed and so one of their children could train Peanut. She said, we made up our minds, even though it was getting late in the day, that we would go on this rescue mission to help Elvis. (you can imagine I nearly threw up on that one).
They own an old horse trailer. They wanted the jury to feel sorry for them that they could not afford to buy a new horse trailer. This was all they had, and it would have to do! Elvis and Peanut were loaded into the trailer, along with several portable metal corral panels. (This was information that had never been mentioned before the trial, and it really was helpful in the case for mistreatment & cruelty. Who would do that? Load two horses, one very sick, in a small trailer, right along with these metal structures?) The wife also said that the trailer was very rusty and was missing a wheel but it had worked before so they figured it would work on this day too. She said that as she was pulling the trailer out of the field, she hit a big rut and it caused the boards on the bottom of the trailer to buckle and pop out. (The Detective said there was no floor in the trailer; they had merely laid a few boards down.) Did they expect the horses to know to stand on the boards and not where there were no boards? The wife said that when the boards buckled and popped up, Elvis's legs fell through the floor of the trailer. She said they stopped and got things put back together and continued on. Even though they saw some blood on the trailer, they continued on.
They got to within 5 miles or so from the Minnehaha County property (home), and a tire blew or another wheel fell off or something. Anyway, they decided at this point that they could not haul the horses in that trailer any longer. They didn't decide that when Elvis's legs fell through, only now did they decide this. They estimated the time to be around 10 or 11 p.m. A snowmobiler came along and asked if they needed help, and they said no. This is one of the witnesses they called. Throughout this trial, I thought it was so strange that they were making a big deal of proving that they had used this trailer. I thought their use of this decrepit trailer to haul horses just added to the State's case for cruelty, neglect, mistreatment. The snowmobile witness was never questioned by either attorney whether he saw any horses. I thought that was odd too. But then, I probably DO watch too many lawyer type shows on TV. And they always say you shouldn't ask a witness a question if you don't know what his answer will be. So I figured maybe that's why he wasn't questioned further.
The wife said they unloaded the horses. She said they began to lead Peanut home. They had a car, a Buick LeSabre, and one of them held a rope out the window of the car to lead the horse home, approximately 5 miles. The mother said they shined headlights on Elvis's legs to check for injuries from when his legs fell through the floor, but she didn't see anything like the photos the State entered into evidence. She also said that while they led Peanut home, they just left Elvis standing out there not tied to anything. (This was her second big piece of information that previously had not been known). The State's Attorney asked her if they considered the possibility of a car or truck coming along and hitting Elvis, and what if someone in the vehicle got hurt or killed from running into Elvis. She assured him that it was not a very busy road and they didn't think there would be much traffic on it that time of night.
Once they got Peanut home, they went back for Elvis. I don't know if both of them or just the defendant went back. But they started to lead Elvis the same way they had led Peanut, except that Elvis could not make it. Elvis went down after a mile or two. They put a rope around his neck. (I never figured out why they didn't have any halters for these horses.) and tied the rope to a fence in the ditch. The whole story is quite confusing, and I have no idea of how many trips they made back and forth from the horse trailer to their farm. But at some point they did go back and drag the trailer home. And at one point the defendant went back to Elvis. The Detective said he told her he got a gun and was going to shoot Elvis, but that when he got back Elvis was standing. So, instead, he gave him some hay, water, and oats. I always wondered if he took all of these things back in his LeSabre, or if this involved two different trips too. The visual of hauling around a gun to kill a horse, some hay, a bucket of water, and some oats, all in a car, is just pretty abstract I guess.
They finally got tired and went home to take a nap for 2-3 hours and then would go right back and get Elvis, because they were very worried about him.
The times were important in this story. The wife said it was 10 or 11 p.m. when they broke down. That is consistent with a witness for the State who saw their LeSabre in that vicinity around 10:30 p.m. (now he knows they were leading a horse, but it was late and dark and they were leading out of the passenger side and he was facing the driver's side). So he didn't know what was going on that night, he said. Only that he saw this slow-moving car and it looked like they were leading something out the window. The horse was found the next morning around 11 a.m. So, any way you look at it, the State's Attorney pointed out, this "sick" horse spent about 12 hours, the whole night, alone, emaciated, cold, wet, injured, caked in blood and mud and burrs, in the road ditch, on a cold South Dakota December night. On the Eve of Christmas Eve.
The wife claims that they went back to get Elvis about 9:30 on the morning of Christmas Eve, but Elvis was gone. But the person who actually rescued Elvis said he got him out of the ditch and into his trailer later than that, around 10:30 or 11 a.m. The wife also said that they went to bed around 4 or 5 a.m. But if they just took a nap for 2 or 3 hours, they should have been back for Elvis long before 9:30 a.m.
Like I said, it is a confusing, really hard to follow and even harder to believe story.
I still wonder sometimes if they just went and got Elvis from their Minnehaha County property and walked him up the road a few miles and tied him to the fence. And I'm sure that's what all the attention over the use of the horse trailer is. To prove that it could actually be used. And that it happened the way they said it did.
Other things that came up during the trial, over and over and over again: The defendant's family was quite upset about losing their $50 "lasso." They said that, while they were hopeful that someone had come along to help Elvis, they really wish that person wouldn't have taken their $50 rope too. They never once asked how much the Vet bill was or who paid it.
They described Elvis as a wild Mustang stallion, adopted from the BLM. Wild, young, lean, and fast-running. He burned up a lot of energy and that's why he was so "lean."
That is the story the defendant's family told in court.
We have talked to the BLM. They can't tell us much right now (maybe later) because of confidentiality, etc., but what they did tell us has us believing that Elvis was NOT adopted from the BLM. The guy at the BLM told me that they do not adopt out stallions except in really special situations. I sure hope they don't think this family is special. And anyway, Elvis was NOT wild. Once you fence a horse in like that, take him out of natural habitat and limit him from finding food, water and shelter, he is NOT wild. He's just a penned up horse that is not being provided for.
NOVEMBER 6, 2007
Today is my sister's birthday, and it's the big one for her. I haven't even called her. She will understand. She is the one who was visiting me when we rescued Saint Nick last year. She is a licensed wildlife rehabber out in the Hills. And she will understand. She is what we call an "animal person."
Happy Birthday, Mick.
Today I said goodbye to a very good friend of mine. Ruby Jean. Our Labrador Retriever.
A few weeks ago Ruby started to lose weight and become hyper. We thought it was because pheasant season was here, and she was ready. But that's not what it was. She started having really bad diarrhea and so we took her in. We treated her for some type of serious something going on in her tummy. Took her off of her regular food and put her on a bland diet. Cream of Wheat, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, that type of thing. She would eat something once and then hate it. We also went through rice, noodles, and boiled hamburger. The boiled hamburger lasted a couple of times, but then she hated that too. Can you imagine a Lab hating hamburger? Then there was nothing she would eat, except stuff that would be very bad for her tummy. So off she went to Iowa State University. She was there for about a week. We missed her so. IVs, scopes, radiography, this and that, and what they finally decided was terrible -- inflammatory bowel disease and something else about losing protein, and the word anorexia is in there too. Nothing you could really cure, but sometimes you can turn it around and at least manage it. So, lots of pills, steroids, special food. The food was mixtures of venison, duck & potato, whitefish, stuff she hadn't had before. Both canned food and dry food. We didn't get to see her eat much of this. At ISU, they said she would devour a whole can of something and then not want any more of it. By the time she got home she already hated most of it. I was able to get her to eat a little. Sometimes I would put a ball of the canned food in her mouth, and she would swallow it. But she never would eat it on her own out of her dish. And most of the time she would throw up what she did swallow. She was dropping about a pound a day. It's hard to give up on these guys though. She still wanted to come outside with me and do chores, still able to muster up the energy to trot and even prance a bit. But this afternoon was different. She came outside with me but just wanted to lie down and watch. She was sooo skinny. I did the dehydration tests and, indeed, she was dehydrated. And she really hadn't eaten a thing for 2 days and really hardly anything in the last 2 weeks. In to the Vet we went. Greg, my husband, met us there. We could not watch her starve to death any longer. And so, she was euthanized. I have witnessed this a few times now. Another Lab, 2 horses, and a kitty cat. My experiences have all been perfectly calm and peaceful. And all the right decisions. I am writing about this because it was such a fast, odd condition for Ruby Jean. And perhaps you might notice some of these same symptoms sometime and it might help you decide what to do. And also to let you know, if you've never made the decision to euthanize, that there is nothing wrong with that decision. Greg and I asked each other several questions. "Is she getting better or worse?" "How long has it been since she has eaten?" "How can we make her feel better?" The only way to make her feel better was to let her go.
So, no, her strange behavior was not because pheasant season was coming. In fact, I know what Greg is thinking. That he should have made sure she got in one last hunt. She was the best. But she was just too sick. She has joined her relative, Sam. I am sure they are hunting away together again. They are from the Big River Dego (or Dago, can't remember) bloodline. She leaves behind her little sister, Scarlet, and her rescued friend, Pumba (one of Greg's rescues).
It was really quite a day. It was almost 5 when we left the Vet clinic. We were in separate vehicles. Going north on Cliff Avenue, north of the Renner Corner, right at those big curves. And I see a car swerving and spinning, headed right for me. I remember feeling this huge relief when I realized the car had spun out of my path. But then immediately I thought, "how can she NOT hit someone?" I saw the driver as she spun by me, it was a young gal. And then I screamed, "no!!!!!!" I remembered that Greg was right behind me. And I thought, "oh no, I am going to lose my husband today too!" Around the curve, looking in my rear view mirror, I could see him go down into the ditch but then because of the curves I could not see very well. I pulled off on a driveway, got out, and started running back. Then I could see his car, way up on the ditch incline but upright. And I thought I could see the door opening. By the time I got there he was already on the cell phone talking to 911 I spose, quite calmly. The young driver was there too. He asked her what she was doing. She said, "I was driving way too fast around that curve and I lost control!" I cannot believe she didn't hit anyone. Greg hit a mile marker post as he headed for the ditch. We don't know what the damages are to the car. We haven't even really thought about it much. I thought I had been pretty strong at the Vet's clinic. Helping Greg through it, helping him realize it was the only thing to do. Telling the Vet when we were ready, etc. But I just lost it now. Greg said, "What's the matter, I'm alright." I sobbed, "it just wasn't a very good day." He agreed. Not a very good day.
But the day was not done. There were still baby possums in the horse barn! I will make this short because I am writing this the next morning. And I want to get on with things. Monday night baby possum #5 was "released to the wild." My sister Mickie will appreciate that term. Last night #6 went. When I dumped him out of the bucket, there was one of his little previously released buddies there waiting for him! When I got back to the barn from releasing #6, #7 was in the other bucket. I had started a double bucket possum catching system when I realized there were more than 3 of them. Please tell me #7 is a lucky number.
DARCI'S JOURNAL ENTRY FOR
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 WEDNESDAY
Yesterday Dr. Jensen from Dakota Large Animal Clinic came out. Most of the horses here are on Strongid Daily Dewormer and are enrolled in the Pfizer Preventicare Program. If one of my horses or a DoubleHP horse we have on this program needs colic surgery, the company (Pfizer) picks up most of the bill. There are a few rules: We have to have the horses Vet checked twice a year, etc. I do that anyway I guess. Today's journal entry is educational and has to do with horse health. In simple language, because I don't know all of the scientific terms anyway.
We checked teeth on the horses. Of 14 here, 4 of them had their teeth floated. They range in age of 5 to 23. And some of these same horses have their teeth floated nearly every year. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY HAVE BAD TEETH! In fact, Dr. Jensen commented on what beautiful teeth my 23 and 25 year olds both have. We have owned these horses for almost 20 years. We have had their teeth checked once or twice a year every year. The theory is, if you get your horse's teeth floated when there is a problem just starting, your chances of having to deal with a huge dental problem down the line are decreased amazingly. I don't know about you, but if I am given the choice, I would like it very much if my horses can continue to eat normally for as long as they live. I do not look forward to having toothless horses or horses with such bad teeth that they cannot chew their regular food. The thought of making wet, mashed food for them is not desireable to me. I would do it if I had to, but I would rather prevent it. And that's what dental checks and early floating is all about -- preventive maintenance. Teeth floating is not just an old horse thing. Most young horses really do need it sometime during their yearling to 3 year old year. And some of them need it several times during that period. Our little DoubleHP Prince, for example, has had his teeth floated 4 or 5 times already. He is only 5 years old! His mouth was about a year behind in development. But he seems to be all caught up now, and he did not need his teeth floated this time. Horses of all ages need their teeth checked. Not just the old guys. If you wait until they are old, you will probably be dealing with some major problems that could have been prevented had you done dental checks once or twice a year throughout the horse's life.
Some of our rescued horses have made dramatic recoveries once they have their teeth floated. Legend, for example. He was not that old. maybe 9 or 12 or so. He couldn't have chewed his food even if he had any! His teeth were so bad, so uneven, such sharp points, his mouth was full of ulcers/sores because of his hooks and sharp points, etc., and it was just too painful for him to chew. The person who owned him before said he was a very old horse and that's why he was skinny. But we know that old age by itself is NOT a reason for a horse to be skinny. Legend's problem was his teeth. Well, and the fact that he was not fed too well if at all.
If you have a skinny horse, or if one all of a sudden or gradually eats less, if you see him kind of standing off looking mopey while the others have their heads buried in the hay, you should have his teeth checked. That might not be the problem, but chances are, if your horse has not had his teeth checked in a year or more, that might be it! And that is an easy fix. Anyway, if you have a horse that is dropping weight you should have a Vet take a look anyway. At least rule some things out. Another note on horse dental work. Not all Vets are equal in this area. Not all equipment is equal in this area. Many vets still use the old manual grinding down with a file type tool. I prefer the more modern equipment. The air-powered type equipment. It is so much easier on everyone -- the horse, the Vet, and the horse owner! I used to have to leave the barn when it came time for "tooth filing." But now, with the modern equipment, it doesn't bother me at all to watch. And it is just a joy to watch the horses chew without it hurting or being uncomfortable, once they have had their teeth floated.
I know the concept of dental work for horses is still new to many horse owners. Some simply don't want to believe that it is so important. "don't need another dang thing to pay for, the horse aint worth it." I still hear that a lot. But times they are a changin' folks! We don't use horses for farmin' the fields anymore. They are not like tractors any more. They are used for ranching, yes, but not for field work. Dr. Jensen on Tuesday commented that, because of all of the new things, including dental care, we know about a horse's health, 20 is not so old anymore. 30 and 40 is old. But not 20. In a way that's a little scary for me. I have several horses here who could easily outlive me. And that is why, as long as I am physically able, I promise to keep my horses current on health needs and age-appropriate training needs, so that, if I ever have to or want to, I will be able to find my horses an excellent new home, and that will be an easy thing for me to do.
We also gave all of the horses here a flu-rhino shot. They get these shots each spring and fall. And my show horses or any of them that travel around a bit, go Trail Riding out in the Hills, etc., or just come into contact with other horses and facilities may get these shots 3 or 4 times a year. We also dewormed everyone for bots (those little yellowish eggs you pick off of your horses' legs, shoulders, flank). Even though they are on daily dewormer pellets, the Vets recommend using an ivermectin product (I think we used Equimax) this time of the year, after a hard freeze, to make sure we get the bots taken care of. And we will do this again in the spring. In the spring of course they get several other vaccinations too. And they will all get their teeth checked again.
In addition, your geldings need to have their sheaths cleaned every once in a while. Vets usually like to do this when they do their teeth, because they will already be tranqued. My 25 year old with the really good teeth did not need his teeth floated. But it had been a year and a half since his sheath had been cleaned. And when he was younger, he did have some pre-cancer stuff on his penis, and we used to have him checked/cleaned twice a year. But in the past few years the Vet has said that we don't need to do it that often anymore, just make sure we check it a little more often than the others. This time, just after a year and a half, he did have some pretty good sized "beans" that needed to be removed. And the 23 year old had beans too. Our Thoroughbred, who is also approaching 20, has his teeth floated nearly every fall. He is always kind of border line but he is also one who will drop weight very quickly if anything ever goes wrong. So, rather than risking that this winter, we had his teeth floated again. So, we had his sheath cleaned again too. His was not too dirty and did not have any of those beans. If any of this is foreign language to you, do not be embarrassed. Some horse owners have never heard of this sheath cleaning business. But it really needs to be done. If you need more info. on any of this, please give me a call or email me. I will most likely refer you to some Vet. information or even have you call a Vet. But if you just don't know what a term here means, don't be embarrassed to ask. You would not believe the "dumb" questions I have asked my Vets. They never make me feel dumb though. And I am always so relieved that I asked. Here is the one I always think about:
One winter I noticed what I was sure were bloody urine spots out in the snow. I mean a lot of them. Some were pinkish, some salmon, some red, some more deep orange. It was very scary. We had just switched feed or started the horses on biotin for healthy hooves or something new, and I was sure Greg had bought something wrong, something for cows or sheep or something that horses should not have. I called the feed store and the Vet, read the labels, everything seemed fine as far as the product. What the Vet told me I was seeing (his word choices of course were much better than what I'm going to give you hear) was some chemical reaction thing. Something about the urine in the snow and the bright sun. Like I said, don't ask me about scientific terms. I just tell it like I see it. And boy was I glad when the Vet told me what these red spots in the snow were, because I knew it's where the horses had been going to the bathroom. And if all of them were peeing blood I knew I was in big big trouble. Not long after that, I discovered that on those same days, where the rabbits went to the bathroom, it would turn blue! A really pretty color blue!
This week I also talked to the Vet Clinic about the green grass this year. If you have a horse that has been off of pasture for even a couple of days, you will want to wean that horse back onto pasture slowly, just like we do in the spring. The grass is still green this year and full of whatever it is that can cause them to colic or founder if they are not introduced to it gradually.
And we talked about Jasmine and Hero. I had previously discussed "weaning methods" with Dr. Jensen. And I did a lot of reading. I have never weaned a foal before. Since I am home much of the time, and since my husband Greg was willing to build yet another horse pen, we decided to try it the gradual way. The pros say that is less stressful for the horses. First I started putting Prince, a pretty passive/timid gelding, out in the pasture with Jasmine and Hero to make sure he would serve the purpose of being Hero's buddy when Hero couldn't nurse from mama anymore. Once I felt okay with that, we moved them up to the barn/pen area. This next step is the part that not everyone recommends, but I tried it anyway. I separated Hero and Jasmine for an hour one day. Then 2 hours. Then 4. Not everyone thinks that is a good idea though and I can kind of see why it might not be. Kind of like taking the candy away and then giving it back. But it worked for us. No screaming baby. After a few days, of course, I never put them back together. And now they have been separated for 4 full days and nights. Still, no screaming baby. They are in adjacent pens though. And Prince goes in with Hero sometimes, and sometimes not. I took Jasmine to a more distant pen one day, and left Prince in with Hero. Still, no screaming baby. We do have a long-term foster home lined up for Jasmine. And I'm hoping that when we decide to take her there, the separation will not cause much stress for mama or baby. Or me, or Jasmine's new people. I know not everyone has the time or facilities to do it this way. But if you do, and if you've never tried weaning the gradual way, I highly recommend it. Of course, this could be beginner's luck. And we'll see what happens when mama is actually taken away in the trailer. But at least Hero will not still be nursing when that day comes. At least we'll have that part out of the way.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007, WEDNESDAY, 10 p.m.
Today I was talking on the phone to Rosey Quinn of Second Chance Rescue Center near Hartford, SD. We discussed a group of horses not far from her Rescue Center. Right there across from Wild Water West. Quite a big herd. I had not seen them before but get about a call a week on them. Everyone always says lots of horses, lots of youngsters, no hay, starting to look bad. I just tell them to call the Sheriff or Rosey. I don't need to go driving around looking at these poor things. I can't do anything about it anyway. Well, nothing that anyone can't do. But today I saw them. Just happened to drive that way, and I didn't even think about it until I went by them and then I realized that is the herd the people have been calling me about and yes they do look sad. Rosey said the Animal Industry Board has been out there a couple of times and nothing seems to have changed. I suggested she call the Sheriff's Dept. and see what they suggest. Then, on my way home I drove back the same way and what do you know: hay delivered! I called Rosey and told her right away. She thinks they might have been tipped off or maybe all of the complaints have ignited some action. Still, this does not solve the problem. These people need to STOP BREEDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teresa from Iowa called. She is the person who donated Mulie to us a few years ago and has always been so appreciative of the work we did to find Mulie an excellent new home. We have stayed in touch from time to time. And today, she brought gifts! Saddles, blankets, bridles, and more! Some of it needs to be cleaned up quite a bit. I'll get some of the dirt off of the 2 saddles and see what they are and then tell you all about them. We are to use them to raise funds for our rescued horses!
Here is an update on my weaning experiment. I decided to try it the "gradual" way. Jasmine and Hero were in separate but adjacent pens. Prince was in with Hero sometimes, just enough so I would know for sure that they would get along okay together. After about a month, Jasmine went to her new home and Hero hardly made a peep! He and Prince are great friends. And Jasmine seems happy in her new home too. It was probably beginner's luck (I had never done the weaning thing before), but I dreaded hearing the baby screaming for mama thing. And it just did not happen! No loss of appetite, no running the fence, no stress, no screaming baby!
Here is my newest horses-in-trouble story. on Monday I got a call from a guy. We'll just call him Guy. He had 5 horses 2 months ago. 3 have died. He thinks there is something toxic in the round bales he was feeding. So he is now feeding different hay. He has broken his hand and, as a carpenter, he can't work now. He would like to keep his horses but has decided maybe someone else needs to take care of them. The 3 that died were ages 2, 4, and 13. He has not had any of their teeth checked, he did not have anyone like an Extension Agent check his feed, he did not have any blood work done. I have also talked to the Vet who has seen this situation and who euthanized the horses when they were down and could not get up. She recommended bloodwork, feed check, other things. She also recommended he find them a new home. So he called me. I explained that DoubleHP cannot take any more horses at this time. But I told him I would make some calls and see what I could come up with. I was trying to find the name of the group that went and picked up the 5 horses from Hurley a couple of weeks ago. One of my calls was to Rosey Quinn and 2nd Chance Rescue Center near Hartford. She didn't know the name of the group I was looking for, but she had been contacted about this Guy person & his dead horses. I gave her the name & number of the Vet on the scene and told her we were NOT going to pick up the horses. Today I called Guy with some possible help. I gave him the name and number of a person who had called me when I had the ad. in the paper about a home for Kitty & Patches. The person was not far from Guy. He was looking for horses that could be ridden at some point. He has a barn and 2 horses already. I told Guy I didnt' know this person but it would be worth a phone call to see if he could help with his remaining 2 horses. I also gave Guy the name and number of the people from Hurley who recently found a group around Sioux City to help them rehome their horses. Guy told me that he didn't have time to do a background check on any of these people to see if they would be a good home for his horses. (I didn't say what I was thinking: good grief! 3 of your 5 young horses are dead! could you possibly take a chance on a new owner?") Guy told me that Authorities had been there and given him a really hard time and he didn't see why they were putting it all on him. That he's done everything he possibly could do for these horses. That he lives in an area where it takes 3 days for a Vet to get to him. (he told me in his initial call that he does have a horse trailer, though he added he would have difficulty getting them loaded). This is when I asked him if he had at least had their teeth checked and he said "no." So I told him he has not done everything he could possibly do. He also told me he has not put an ad. in the paper, though he says one of the horses has been ridden in parades and stuff and the other is green broke. I'm thinking someone would probably take them and give them a chance, if he advertised them.
Bottom line: I am sad for the horses, the ones that died and really for the 2 remaining. But I know that the Authorities are handling this, and I believe the 2 remaining horses will get help.
Was there something toxic in the hay???? Why did the horses die? I'm sure it will all get figured out in the Investigation process.
Could someone please go out and raise $50,000 in donations so we can build our DoubleHP shelter so we can go out and pick up these horses like this and just get them some help!!!!!! And let Law Enforcement deal with legal aspects of the thing.
Sorry I had to end my entry on a sad note. But you know these things happen every single Holiday Season. The difference this year is that Darci is not going to be able to do any rescues. Let me know if you can take over for awhile. Thanks.
Sentencing was Dec. 21, 2007 in the Saint Nick case. In summary, the guy got 5 days in jail (gets out for work release), $200 fine. To pay $800 restitution (includes $500 to DoubleHP, if his attorney does not argue about it). That's it! The State did recommend that Donald Madetzke not be allowed to own or have horses on any properties he owns, leases, or has anything to with for 3, 5, 10, however many years the judge thought it should be. The judge did not go along with this though. I was astonished to learn that he still owns 20 horses! Anyway, I wasn't surprised the Judge did not go along with that. But I was very surprised no one ever mentioned anything about maybe stopping the reproduction of these unwanted horses. But nothing was said. So, I guess, carry on, let your unwanted horses produce more unwanted horses. Makes sense, doesn't it!
Jan. 1, 2008
This new year 2008 has started off as busy as the last one left off. Today I got a call from a woman who needs to find new homes for 4 horses. They sound like nice horses. She apparantly has many problems: her husband died a little while ago, she moved here from warm Texas, relatives are supposed to be helping her with chores but they are not. (it seems they have to carry water to the heated tank). And many health problems, I can't even remember all of them she mentioned. DoubleHP is NOT currently taking any horses into foster care. It is just too difficult to find foster homes that will make the long-term commitment right now. But I did give this woman many, many ideas. I told her to put an ad in the paper, not ask for too much $, and have a list of questions ready to ask the potential new homes when they call (similar to our care requirements, the things that are most important to her). I also gave her names and numbers and web addresses for people and breed organizations that might be able to help her. These included trainers, show people, breeders, families looking for certain types of horses, SDSU, Rosey at 2nd Chance, etc. I also contacted a woman who emailed me a few days ago. She wants to get started as a DoubleHP Volunteer. She happens to live pretty near the location where these 4 horses are, so she is going to call the owner and offer her help.
January 8, 2008
I wrote a week or so ago about a lady who wanted to find homes for her 4 horses. Last night I called the volunteer who accepted the assignment of checking this out. She said she left a message for the horse owner but did not get a call back. So I decided I better check it out. I got a hold of the horse owner first try! She said she found a home for the one gelding who was the most "high-spirited" of the bunch. She sounded awfully relieved about that. And she is going to keep the other 3. She said she is having construction done there right now to make sure water is easy to run out to the 100-gallon heated tank. And once that is set, she can give the horses access to the barn. I reminded her that the day she called me was that really really really cold day (was it Jan 1 or one of those days right in there?) And that if she doesn't really have this all figured out, just pretend that it is that cold again and imagine going out to do chores when you are sick and used to living in Texas. She said no, that she really is getting this taken care of. She had not contacted any of the 10 or so people/organizations I had recommended. I told her to please just don't wait until it is frigid and stormy again to call for help. If she needs help, we need to do this now while it's nice out. She assured me all is fine.
What a whirlwind week this has been. Monday was to be my day to get things printed and organized for our display table at the Festival of Giving on Thursday. But all day long I received emails about a SD Senate Bill that was to go before committee on Tuesday. If passed, the Bill would allow for up to $1 million of SD State Govt. money to be loaned for the establishment of a horse slaughter plant in our state! I received emails from some of our local friends, and also from national animal welfare organizations. I imagine some of you got these emails too. Asking us to contact our Senators, call, write, email. Do something. Please!
And it was going to committee in the morning. So, I got on the state govt. website and there they were. Each and every Senator. Pictures, home address, email, everything. So I composed a letter and sent it to each and every Senator individually, one at a time, so that I would get confirmation for each one that it had been sent to the correct address. I almost sent it to the House of Reps too. But it was after midnight and so far it was only a Senate issue. So I called it a night. The next morning I learned that the bill died in Committee. I know it wasn't my letter that did it. But it does feel great to know that many South Dakotans feel the same way I do about this. Thank you all for any help you provided on this issue. Here is what my letter said. If any of you wrote letters, send me a copy and I'll post them here too!
Here's my letter to the SD Senators. (I wrote it kind of fast but Greg thought it was pretty good so he even let me add his name to it!)
Dear Senator so and so:
I am going to email this to as many SD Legislators as I can. This correspondence has to do with the ridiculous bill that would involve SD Govt.'s financial participation in establishing a horse slaughter plant in our state.
It doesn't even matter if we are pro horse slaughter or against horse slaughter. We should all be against our State Govt. investing or loaning any money for this purpose.
I do not believe any other state has a horse slaughter plant in operation right now. This alone should tell us something!
If the people who are fighting for this Bill tell you that horse neglect will increase if horse slaughter is banned once and for all in the US, do not believe them. I have been involved in a 501c3 horse rescue & adoption organization near Sioux Falls SD for the past 6 years. We have seen neglect as bad as it can get. The horses we rescue from starvation or other forms of neglect have nothing to do with horse slaughter plants closing. The people who owned the horses we rescue wouldn't know how to get them in a horse trailer if they owned a horse trailer. And even then they wouldn't have the ambition to do so.
Yes, there is a problem with unwanted horses in our nation. But the cause has nothing to do with the slaughter plants closing. The cause has always been irresponsible breeding. Horses that nobody wants being allowed to reproduce horses just like them -- horses that nobody wants.
The people fighting for this Bill will also tell you that "oh, it's just horrible, now all of our horses that "need" to be slaughtered have to be transported on to Mexico, where the methods are just awful and inhumane." People have been transporting horses to Mexico for slaughter for I don't know how many years! That has not changed. That is nothing new! And just because SD builds a horse slaughter plant does not change the way horses will be slaughtered in Mexico. And horses will STILL be transported from the US to Mexico for slaughter, whether SD builds a plant or not!
The thing is, even if we don't argue whether horse slaughter should be legal or not, our State Govt. should not be spending any time or money even thinking about building a horse slaughter plant. If someone thinks this is a wise business to start, and if that person can be proud of his work as a horse slaughterer, and if it is legal, well then, so be it. Let THAT PERSON figure out how he's going to build his slaughterhouse, how he is going to make it profitable, and how he is going to feel proud of his work.
If people want to raise horses for slaughter, that is their business. But it should NOT be the SD Govt.'s Business!
Ever since I have been involved in horse rescue & adoption in SD, every year, legislation to ban all horse slaughter in the US comes very close to passing. So close, in fact, that the only 3 horse slaughterhouses still in operation have now closed down! These last 3 to close down were not even owned by U.S. companies! They were owned by foreign companies. And the horse meat was shipped overseas for consumption by foreigners. You see! Horse Slaughter is NOT an American Industry! We were just letting foreigners do their dirty work in our country.
The Horse Slaughter industry in America is NOT a wise place to risk your money (our money) right now. It is as controversial as abortion. Always has been, always will be. If it is legal and if someone thinks he can make it work, then let THAT individual do it -- with his own personal money! Let him risk his own money on a business venture that does not work in any other state and that may be illegal this year or next!
I suspect this SB170 is partially fueled by the people who raise bucking horses for rodeo performances. While parents and horse professionals all over the US are trying to teach their children and students how to gain trust & respect from their horses so they do NOT buck, the people who raise and train horses for the specific purpose of bucking are just kind of living in the dark ages, trying to hold on to something that most of us learned long ago was not the right way to train a horse. If people want to get on a bucking horse, then let it be their expense when the horse doesn't buck hard enough any more but doesn't know how to do anything else. Good grief, there are hundreds of other jobs available that would pay much better. They don't HAVE to raise unwanted horses!
I'm just saying, there is probably a tiny handful of people in our state who see a need for horse slaughter. I feel sorry for these people. I feel sorry for them that they haven't discovered the "magic of horses." These same people will tell you that they know and love horses. but they don't. If they did, they would be raising horses that were worth a lot more than what the slaughter buyers will pay for them per pound.
I encourage you not only to voice your opinion and vote against this Bill, but also to go one step farther and introduce a bill of your own that has to do with the horse industry. That would be to help fund a horse rescue & adoption facility for our 501c3 organization called Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP). We have made a lot of progress around here with our mission of education to horse owners. The key word here is PROGRESS. Moving forward, not going back in time. Finding a way better than the caveman's way.
And if that idea doesn't seem appealing, then how about a bill that would change our state sport from rodeo to horseback riding. Wouldn't horseback riding better represent our state? Who decided that rodeo should be our state sport anyway?
On a final point, not everything that smells like profit is good business. And just because something was done in the past does not mean it should be done now. Thank goodness we Americans are open to change and progress that come from the heart & mind, not just the checkbook. Sometimes the old way is not the right way anymore. Sometimes we learn that the old way is inhumane. We forgive ourselves, make the changes, move forward, and become better people, a better State, and a better Nation for it.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me or my husband.
Or you may reply to this email.
Our website is www.doublehphorses.org
Thank you for your time you spent reading this.
Sincerely, Darci Hortness (cell 605 359-0961)
and Greg Schjodt (cell 605 351-3351)
or our home 605 543-5514
So anyway, on Monday, I did not get a thing done as far as preparing for the event on Thursday. But I still had time. I still had Tuesday.
On Tuesday, however, I had sick horses. I actually had one on Monday but I didn't know that for sure until Tuesday. Butterscotch's temp. was 106! Spirit was 104. Everyone else seemed okay. Off to the clinic they went. Greg got home from the clinic after midnight. No preparation for the Thursday event on this day either.
On Wednesday, we had another patient. But we had already been communicating with the Vet Clinic so we began treatment on Star at home. We do not know what we have for sure. Probably some strain of flu, a viral thing. Best treatment is to break the fever so they feel better so they will start eating again. Isolation. And hope it doesn't get to your whole herd, though they have all been exposed since they all drink from the same waterer.
Yes, I do vax for flu-rhino. At least twice a year. And the horses that go to shows, out to the Hills, etc., get it 3 or 4 times a year! The thing is, there are so many strains of this type of thing and it has incredible ability to mutate. okay. I am not even going to try to pretend I can talk like a Vet. It's just that you gotta keep vaccinating, because if you don't, they will probably get even sicker. And some of them who won't get sick this time probably would have had they not been vaccinated. Anyway, Wed. was another unexpected day. But I was out of time. So a little after 2 a.m., I was pretty sure I had everything together for our table top display at the Mall. The only thing that had me bothered was that I couldn't find the computer file for the new brochure I had thrown together. And I still haven't found it!
Thursday, the Festival of Giving. We had good help! My mom, Maurine, along with Heidi, Carrie, Holly, and Cindy. It was an interesting event. Extremely well organized for sure! And I think well attended. A good avenue for awareness. But not too good for selling items. The main purpose of it is to sign up volunteers. Which is difficult for us. Cleaning out horse yards when it's below zero is not too appealing to most people (except to a weird few of us). It's not on the same page as showing people to their seats at the Pavilion, for example.
So, tonight is Friday, Feb. 1, 2008. Spirit & Butterscotch came home from the clinic. They both have great appetites and normal temps. Star, my third patient, has a normal temp now but is not eating the greatest. Greg was busy moving panels around, etc., so we can at least keep them from going nose to nose with the non-sick ones. With 15 horses here, the logistics get a bit challenging at times.
I got 2 calls today re: horses in need of homes. One is an Arab, maybe 14 years old. It is at a boarding facility but has been signed over to the stable owner. It's a long story as they all are, but the person who called me boards her horse there. She wants to try to work out a deal with the stable owner so she can work with the horse and see if it knows anything about riding, loading, etc., and hopefully adopt it out to a good home rather than sending it to a sale barn. She was wondering how DoubleHP could help. I told her we could definitely list the horse on our website for her. I also gave her the website for The Arabian Horse Society of South Dakota.
The other call was from a lady who said she has been boarding her horse at a place that has been sold, so now she needs to find a new place for it. It was her husband's horse, and he died a few years ago. The horse is about 25 and has not been ridden for about 11 years and really not touched (why do people do that!) except to pull out a few cockleburs here and there. She said that where the horse is now, she only pays $20 a month because she provides the hay and goes and feeds it. Other than that, no one spends any time with the horse. I didn't ask her about hoof trims, vax, etc. I must be tired. Anyway, I gave her the name and number for a boarding facility near where she lives. Though she is going to be totally shocked when she hears what the boarding fees really are. Anytime you read any of these stories and are interested in any of these horses, please let me know.
With DoubleHP, we need to concentrate on the emergencies. The starvation, severe neglect type situations. We cannot run out and pick up every horse that the owner doesn't want any more.
this year, DoubleHP will be Promoting the Promise:
"I promise to keep my horse current on age-appropriate trianing, nutrition, dental, health, and hoof care, so that if I ever need to or want to find my horse an excellent, new home, that will be an easy thing for me to do." That is the key to a gradual, humane, effective decrease in our unwanted-horse population.
okay, it is nearly midnight again. Goodnight.
Feb. 7, 2008
Greg & I just got home a little while ago from a rescue (outside of Minnehaha County). I started getting phone calls late this afterooon about it. Thank goodness there were only 2 horses involved. Sadly, I must report that one of them is already dead. The survivor (so far) is a paint-type mare. This is a legal case, and DoubleHP is serving as the helping foster home. Though we will be helping with documentation etc. for the legal file. And we will pay the Vet & farrier and other bills and hope for reimbursement at some point down the trail. The SD Animal Industry Board called us to ask if we could help take care of the horse. And we said sure. After I said sure I got on the phone and the first foster home possibility that I called said she had an opening! The Sheriff and Humane Society from that County are also involved. So it's a great team effort so far! Greg & I picked up the horse at the Humane Society (NOT Sioux Falls), where the people we met were oh so nice and helpful, and we will be corresponding with them more in the next couple of days. We got the horse delivered safely to her foster spot. She has a double size stall full of straw, grass hay and water. We will have the Vet out I hope Friday or Saturday. And a farrier is scheduled to be at this barn next week.
We are accepting donations. Most helpful of course would be in the form of financial donations for feed, vet, and farrier needs. But we could also accept bags of stall bedding or nice clean straw would work for that too. We were informed that the mare had been exposed to a stallion but the owner didn't think it "took." Well let's hope not. She's not in any condition to be trying to take care of a baby too. We'll have the Vet check it out in the next couple of days though. And we'll keep you updated as we know more on the situation. The people at the Humane Society were calling her Lily. Since we already have a DoubleHP Lily, we'll call this new one Lily Paint for now. If you can help, please call Darci at (605) 359-0961.
Feb. 8, 2008
One of our Vets saw Lily Paint today. We had her preg. checked; she is not pregnant. But when Dr. Michelle pulled her arm out, there were worms worms everywhere! It is not surprising, but usually we just start them on a deworming program and really never see the little killers. Lily Paint is loaded with them! The Vet was hesistant to put her on any strong dewormer, so Greg & I went and visited Lily Paint again tonight and took some Strongid daily dewormer pellets along and got her started on that. In about a month, if she survives, if she has done a good job of gaining weight and regaining strength & health, then we can "hit her with something stronger."
March 21, 2008
In memory of Jasmine.
Jasmine's baby Hero surely must be destined for greatness. There is some reason why he was born healthy and why Jasmine was able to hold herself together until after he was weaned, to give him a good chance in life.
We rescued Jasmine's herd from starvation in May 2007, less than a month before Hero was born. Jasmine was starving; and she had an old hip injury, broken hip, on the left side.
But she not only delivered a healthy Hero to us, she also was a great mama to him. She had lots of milk for him, always. A couple of months after he was weaned, though, she began to limp on her "good" side, her right side. Her hip would drop down every time she went to take a step on that leg. The Vet determined the problem was in the hip area. It was not an abscess or tendon or anything that we could hope for a recovery. With both hips damaged, it was becoming difficult for her to get around and enjoy eating. Her quality of life was slipping away. She must have either fallen, or nearly fallen but caught herself in a bad way, or perhaps her good side had to work so hard that it just gradually became her bad side.
The night before she went to the Vet clinic, Jasmine spent the night at my house. She got to see her baby Hero and her baby Minerva once more, as they are both foster horses here. I didn't realize how special her "sleep over" would be, until I came home from the clinic with an empty trailer. I was so hoping it would be a tendon thing that just needed a little time. I was sure it would be. Ila, her foster mom, was prepared to learn all about wrapping, etc. We just couldn't imagine anything else this serious happening to Jasmine. But it did.
I did a little reading about the flower "Jasmine." Some cultures use it as a healing agent for the reproductive system. And it is used for various other types of healing & therapy.
We will miss our Jasmine so much. She was a very good girl. Never asked for anything except a fly mask and a face rub every once in a while. Always a very good girl, even when she didn't feel good.
We will love her babies dearly and make sure they go to excellent homes when they are adopted. Thank you, Jasmine, for showing us the true meaning of strength & love. Thank you for your beautiful babies. We will take care of them for you.
April 11, 2008
Today I made a call to our friend Kim in the Minnehaha County State's Attorney's Office. I was curious about the restitution in the Saint Nick case. For those of you just tuning in, Saint Nick died of starvation and untreated leg injuries, at Christmas time in 2006. A year later, again at Christmas time, Minnehaha County resident Don Madetzke was found guilty of cruelty to animals. His sentence included some jail time and restitution ($500 to DoubleHP). I was curious about the restitution money. Kim gave me the number for Court Services. They told me that Madetzke has until June 30 to pay. And then, he may ask for an extension. What? He owns 20 horses, 2 farms, and I don't know what else. Can he not come up with $500? How in the world is he caring for 20 horses? If he felt any remorse at all for what he did, or if he loves horses at all (which he claims to do, deeply), he would have no problem reimbursing our small volunteer group for the money we spent on Saint Nick. Which Madetzke should have done anyway! Long, long before he left him in a road ditch to die, on a cold December night, Christmas Eve Eve, to be exact.
Then, I figured, I was on a roll. So I picked up the phone again and called the Brookings County State's Attorney's Office (RE: our rescued Lily). Mr. Clyde Calhoon, State's Attorney, answered the phone. At 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon! He was very nice to talk to. He told me there is a prelim. hearing scheduled for April 21 at 1:30 p.m. but that of course things might change before that time. He said sure, I can call from time to time to check the status of the case; and sure I can put little updates like this on the website. We don't know much about this case, except that Lily's friend was already dead by the time Authorities arrived on the scene. I will update as I can.
Today, April 14, 2008, Prince and Hero comforted each other during their trip to Dakota Large Animal Clinic, Harrisburg. It was time for Hero to become a gelding. And it was time to X-ray Prince's hock.
Prince, the beautiful Paint, has had just a terrible time growing up. He is 6 years old and has already had his teeth floated 5 or 6 times. He has had a hard time filling out and holding weight until this past year. (DLAC has a new toy, a walk-on scale. Prince weighed 1,114 pounds today). He looks really good. He is perfect weight and just looks great.
However, this winter I noticed him limping every once in a while. And when he would lie down on kind of hard ground, it was quite difficult for him to get back up. Because he didn't want to put full weight on his right back leg to push himself up. Recently his hock has gotten pretty "boggy." Obvious fluid on it. Just feels kind of squishy. Dr. Michelle Jensen was hoping for a little chip or little OCD lesion or something like that. But it is much more serious than that. He has arthritis in 3 of the 4 joints there. There is a chip, but that is the least of the our worries. There are also signs of "fracture." I need to remind you here that I am about the most un-scientific person in the world. And Dr. Jensen explains this much better. But it is possible that when Princie was a little guy he had some injury. When foals are born not fully mature, this can happen even as they are trying to get up to nurse, etc. Prince came to us when he was already about a year and a half old. He was skin and bones and came from the original breeder, Floyd Brothers over in Minnesota. So we know this is how Princie had lived his miserable little life until he came to live with us. Trying to get a meal surrounded by many other, bigger horses. It just doesn't work. If you are going to have big guys and little guys together, you have to have enough feeding stations for them all to get their fair share. Still, to this day, Prince would starve to death before he entered a feeding station where he might not be wanted. He also had a hernia when we got him. (I talked to this Floyd Brothers on the phone a few times, a few years ago, when we welcomed Princie into our home. This Floyd Brothers person bragged to me that he used to own 200 horses. But now, he said, he only had about 100. It sort of reminded me of the Puppy Mill thing, except that the puppies would sell for much more money than these colts would.)
Princie always did have big hocks and I always did worry that he might not stay sound. I have had him on joint pellets (gluco XL MSM Plus) for years. Perhaps that is why he has been able to do as much as he has. He has turned into an excellent trail rider and was even starting to learn the Reining maneuvers. I took him to a few shows last year and just kind of loped through some patterns. He was a very calm show horse and was sound at that time. This winter was hard on his leg though. I didn't ride him except for just a couple of times, very lightly, in the riding barn, just to keep him saddled up a bit. Like I said, his soreness has been one of those very frustrating off and on things. But now we know. And it is not good. It is some pretty serious arthritis going on in that hock. He's like an old man already at the age of 6. Dr. Jensen injected the joint and we hope it will make that joint less painful. If it works, he can have that treatment every 6 months or so. She said I could ride him lightly. But I probably won't. I have enough riders around here. I don't need to ride the sore guys. She also said his quality of life is still very good. He plays really hard and really is in very good health. Except for that dang hock. Anyway, after his injection today, he has to be on stall rest for 2 days and then can go back out with the herd doing horsey things.
I gave him lots and lots of bedding in his stall tonight.
His little buddy, Hero, is right next door to him. So far Hero is doing great after his procedure. He ate his supper just like normal. Tomorrow I am to turn him back out for exercise if everything seems normal. I am warned there will be some swelling, perhaps softball size.
When we got to the clinic today, I told Prince that he was the lucky one compared to what was going to happen to Hero. But now we know, Hero is the lucky one. Prince, age 6, is starting a new life, as a retired old man with arthritis. Hero is starting his life now as a healthy young gelding and we hope we have helped to give him a good start in life. His mama Jasmine gave him everything she had. With a broken hip and a body condition score of 1-2, she somehow gave us this healthy little Hero Horse. And she always had lots of milk for him. She held herself together until he was weaned. And then, after a couple of months, her other hip gave out on her and her quality of life became poor. She was in a great deal of pain, and we had her euthanized. Dr. Jensen had asked for permission to examine that joint. What she learned was what she suspected. There was a complete tear, and the ball & socket were no longer working together. We do not know if Jasmine fell on the ice, or if it was just a gradual thing. The "good" hip having to work so hard to make up for the "broken" hip. And then maybe it just became too much. Maybe it was her master plan. To ignore the pain until her last baby, Hero, was weaned and ready for the world on his own. I do know that horses do a lot more thinking and planning than we give them credit for. They open gates, they pull the pins out of portable panels, they lift their water buckets out of the bucket holders and throw them, loudly, on the ground, when they are empty, etc. They think, they plan, they are living, feeling beings.
People always ask me if it just doesn't drive me crazy after I put so much time into them, and then they turn out lame. Well, yes, it bothers me if they turn out lame. But it doesn't bother me that I put so much time into them. That is why I rescue them. I love them. I love spending time with them. And if they are lame, I don't quit spending time with them. I still want them to be good horses. I still want them to be good for the farrier and I love brushing them and I really don't even mind cleaning up after them. Some people euthanize these riding & show prospects as soon as they go lame. And I spose that is not the worst thing in the world. But if we can afford to feed and care for them, and if we want to spend our time doing that, then that's what we should do and we shouldn't let anyone make us feel stupid for keeping these "hay burners" on the place. It's a whole different deal when you rescue a horse. When you rescue a horse, you assume there may be trouble ahead. When you rescue a horse, you promise that, if no one else ever wants that horse, you will keep him and care for him and do what's best for him. If you cannot make that promise, then you should not rescue the horse in the first place.
Anyway, when I left the barn tonight, both Hero & Prince were comfortable, side by side.
And their new girlfriend Lily across the aisle from them, still eating nonstop!
May 3, 2008
Looking at the "big picture" of "horse rescue"
I got a disturbing phone call yesterday, and also an email. the phone call was from a woman who filled out our adoption application last summer. We even had a site inspection scheduled. But at the last minute she said she couldn't meet me there (at her friend's house or sister's house, where she was going to keep the horses). I called the property owner, and she wasn't going to be home either but her husband "might be." It really didn't sound too well planned out to me, so I didn't go. It was going to take several hours out of my day. Anyway, I don't remember the whole order of events, but she later told me that they "rescued" a mare and foal. But they still might want a couple of riding horses. But after the site inspection fell apart, I didn't really pursue this too much. Anyway, today the woman called me. She said she was wondering if we could help her re-home these horses now. That they don't have enough pasture. What I wanted to say was, "well, buy some more hay then like the rest of us do," or, "oh, you had enough pasture last year and all through the winter but not now?" But I didn't. She said the mare is a little "flighty" but is a really good riding horse. I asked if she has ever ridden her. She said "no." I asked if she has ever seen anyone ride her. She said "no, but I talked to a gentleman who has ridden her." I suggested that she put an ad. in the Argus Leader and also post on any of the online "horse finder" type websites such as keloland.com classifieds. I explained that DoubleHP has plenty of horses to find homes for already, and that horses aren't too desireable right now unless they are near-perfect or at least ready-to-ride. But what was going through my mind was, "why do these people "rescue" these horses in the first place. If it is really a rescue type situation, perhaps they should have called the Sheriff instead, if they didn't have a more long-term plan in mind. And what also went through my mind was, "boy am I glad they didn't adopt any of our horses!" I guess, I know things change and unexpected things come up, and sometimes people decide they really don't have time or a good set-up for horses. But why don't they advertise them? Or why don't they take this mare and have a trainer give her a little refresher course so they could market her as a trail-ready horse? Why don't they do what we do? You can advertise and still find a good home. Just do some screening over the phone, or even do your own little application or have the new owners sign an agreement that says whatever you feel is important and realistic. Obviously, these people did not acquire these horses with "making money" in mind. So if ensuring these horses a good home is still their intent, then that's what they need to do. That's what the deal is when you "rescue" them. You don't make money on them. You spend money to make them more "adoptable" or more "desireable." And I've said it before and I know I'll say it again, do not "rescue" a horse if you are not in it for the long-term situation. Or if you're not willing to spend a little time or money on training/riding. Forget it! Training is key to re-homing. And of course, there really is no such thing as a free horse. Just because it doesn't cost anything to acquire the horse, does not mean it is free.
then, I got this email from someone who is moving out-of-state in a couple of weeks. And could we help her re-home her horse who is about to foal. It's part mustang, part QH, not broke to ride. I gave my standard suggestions. (see above). I also suggested she take the horse with her and board the horse. She said there wasn't any place nearby to do that. (I'm thinking with a bit of "try," you could find a place if you really wanted to keep your horse. I mean, people who live in big cities have horses too!) She said she already tried Argus advertising and keloland.com, and everyone who called wanted a riding horse. But I suggested that if she tried it again and stressed the fact that she is making an emergency move and that the mare is about to foal, maybe some nice person will come along. Then she told me that she read about the neglected horses on our website and this horse of hers came from one of these people. The man gave her the horse. I asked her if it was Madetzke (the Saint Nick case). But I haven't heard back from her again to confirm that. I'm thinking that is probably the case though. She said her horse's name is Elvis. That is the name Madetzke used for our Saint Nick! Anyway, this woman told me when she got this mare she was malnourished and had to have penicillin shots for something and apparantly she didn't know the mare was in foal when she accepted her. She probably hasn't had her very long so, once again, a free or rescued untrained horse being shuffled around. I remember a woman from another horse rescue place telling me, years ago, "these poor horses, sometimes they just go from the boiling pot to the frying pan."
how true. I guess, we have learned a lot over the years. If it looks like neglect, call the Sheriff or Animal Industry Board. If you don't intend to ensure the horse has a good life for the rest of its life, do not "rescue" it in the first place. You may find that you are not set up for the horse or you are not able to handle the horse or pay for its needs any better than the current owner is! These rescued horses are hard to find good homes for, and many of them end up staying in our foster program for years or forever. But we accept that possibility even before we go pick up the horse. If we don't have a long-term plan for the horse, we don't go and pick it up. If we think neglect is happening, we call Law Enforcement to check on the situation.
I guess you could break down "horse rescue" into 3 categories.
#1 is an entire "me" thing. Oh boy, a free or cheap horse! I don't even have to pay anything for it, or it only cost me $25.00. I was kind of thinking about getting a horse, so I think I'll take this free or cheap one! Beware: your chances of this turning out to be the horse of your dreams are way below 50 percent!
#2 is for that particular horse. And this is not a bad thing, it is full of good hearted good intentions. But just think about it before you decide to do it, is this really what you want to do? Do you want to help this one horse, or do you want to instead do something that might help a lot more horses in the future? Perhaps you visited a bad breeder who has a hundred or so horses crammed in little pens standing in mud to their knees with moldy hay sitting around and no pasture anywhere to be seen. And he tries to sell you this one with really bad hooves or that is skin & bones and tells you that it had a little virus a few months ago but is "on the mend" now and will be beautiful in a month or two. And you just feel so bad for this horse, even though you don't believe the breeder/seller, that you give him the money and take the horse home. Good for you for helping that horse. I hope that if it turns out to be lame or 30 years old with no teeth or something like that, I hope you will still love it forever because you will have a very difficult time finding it another good home. And, do you think you made the overall situation at the breeder's place better or worse? Well, better for the breeder; worse for his horses. You got rid of one of his problems for him plus paid him to do it! You encouraged him to keep on a breeding, you didn't really do anything to help the "big picture" or the horses that remain there. Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't help that one horse. Just make sure you don't get haunted by the "big picture" later on.
#3 is with the big picture in mind. This is what DoubleHP tries to do. It took us more than 5 years to learn that this is the way it has to be. There is a lot of "tough love" involved here, because we do not run out and pick up every horse that needs us. If the horse already has a home, an owner, we encourage that person to be responsible. If at any time we think there is neglect going on, we have someone check it out. But if it's just a case where the owner does not want the horse anymore, we explain why we can't come and get the horse, try to make the owner see that it is his responsibility, and make sure he advertises the horse and knows that he can use our adoption application and care requirements for ideas in writing up his own screening questions, contract, etc. Seriously, if we can do it so can any horse owner! We are just people! People trying to find new homes for horses. If people haven't taken the time to advertise their horses and think about what they want in the horse's new home, you have to wonder about their level of ambition. I mean, how lazy can a person be if he can't even make some posters and hang them up, or post on the free listings that are available online. Or find someone to do that for him if he's not familiar with the internet. I realize that money is an issue. But that's the thing! Horse ownership is expensive! I would love to see the day when horses generally sell for more than, not less than $1,000. Even that isn't much, really. If you are taking good care of your horse and buying tack and investing in any kind of training/continuing education or showing or going on organized trail rides, you will be spending way more than $1,000 per year related to that horse. Free and cheap horses are directly related to neglect. People think that horses are cheap to have around. And the horses suffer when the people discover that horses are not cheap. Horses are expensive, even the cheap ones! Even the free ones! Often, especially the free ones, because they usually have something wrong with them. Anyway, in dealing with the big picture of horse rescue, we try to make a difference related to neglect, cruelty, inhumane treatment. We concentrate on the real, true, severe, emergency starvation/neglect type cases. Usually the call comes from Law Enforcement. We try to establish right away that we are volunteers for law enforcement but not for the people who are involved in the neglect/starvation. And so, yes, if we have space available, we will come and get these horses and help them, pay for things ourselves and hope for restitution/reimbursement down the trail at some point; because we want to help the horses but also because we want to make it easier for law enforcement to deal with the situation. To follow through with it. That we do want there to be an investigation and that if neglect is evident, we want there to be charges or at least make the people involved be held accountable, responsible. We don't want it to be so easy for people to get away with this around here any more. It is not okay to starve your horses. In fact, it is against the law. And if you break this law, you will be arrested and convicted and punished. That is what we hope. That it won't be so easy for people to neglect their horses, their animals, and get away with it. And that statements made by irresponsible breeders like "hay is so expensive this year," "it just got out of control and I have too many to feed," "I ran out of time and didn't get them trained," "I've had some health problems," or any of the other regulars that we hear over and over again, that these statements will not have anything to do with the investigation into neglect. Does someone force these people to keep buying and breeding, year after year, hoping for a better year next year even though they haven't made any money on their horses for the last 10 years? or 5 years?
Making a difference, small but clear, one horse, one rescue, one human heart & mind at a time.
That's what we see when we look at the big picture of horse rescue.
ABOVE : Jim Leder
And this (BELOW) is the logo for a wonderful restaurant in Sioux Falls, SD. Minerva's Restaurant and Paul & Karen VanBockern of Sioux Falls have been DoubleHP sponsors for several years now. We always wanted to name one of our rescued horses Minerva. And this was the perfect choice.
