I just received this information from the Cloud Foundation -
Cloud Foundation WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! KEEP CALLING We've just been told that BLM Director Bob Abbey is meeting with other officials regarding this round up due to the number of calls and e-mails they are receiving. KEEP IT UP- KEEP CALLING, FAXING AND E-MAILING.
These are our wild horses living on our public lands!
HALT THE PRYORS ROUND UP and all others across the west.
BLM Director Bob Abbey Call: 202-208-3801 Fax: 202-208-5242 Robert_Abbey@blm.gov
Please visit Angels for Cloud for more information and sign the petition! Time is running out!
Jane’s blog The Literary Horse is now doing a series titled Creative Dismounts. If you haven’t already submitted your most memorable creative dismount I would urge you to head on over and check it out. I’m sure you will find some of the entries amusing to say the least. It’s all in good fun and it’s also a good feeling that you’re not the only one who’s done some foolish things when it comes to riding!
Below is my submission to the Literary Horse creative dismount series about my most memorable dismount:
This may not be the most entertaining one you may receive but even though I’ve had some interesting dismounts, the following one is probably the one where I hoped no one was actually watching - because if I had been watching I would have been doubled over in laughter.
The day before I was to take Erik, my 17.2 hand Dutch Warmblood, to one of our first shows, a schooling lesson was in order to fine-tune him and me. The outside arena was visibly under slushy mud conditions with puddles galore from previous rainstorms. Are you starting to get the picture yet?
We were cantering to the wishing well jump (wishing wells on either side with a gate in the center). Perfect stride…perfect distance…in two point ready to take the jump…horse puts in an extra half step…whoops, that didn’t work!
I went over his head…over the jump…he followed…missed me…whew….thank god I’ve still got the reins in my hand…wonder how that happened. NO! Erik…stop! You’re done. Good boy…stoooooppp!
So yes, in fact I found myself dragged through the mud on my stomach…mud encrusted way down inside my full-length chaps, my unmentionables, an let’s just say I had mud in places that had never seen a mud pack previously, and leave it at that.
I looked like a marsh monster reemerging from the swamp.
At least as I slithered through the mud, head held high, I wasn’t the recipient of a muck and mire facial. Finally, the brilliant idea of ‘gee why don’t you let go of the reins, moron’, ricocheted around inside my brain like a pinball machine until it hit TILT, and I let go of my iron grip on the reins. There I was in all my glory: mud from neck to toe, but I had managed to hold my head up the whole time I was towed along behind my horse.
So proud of myself for that one. It was the least I could do to save face, literally.
Not a comfy ride home as I recall, either. Kind of squishy.
Until next time
Quote for Today
To ride is to take occasional trips into the dirt...
I have recently purchased a pair of riding pants from the Equissentials company. These are the coolest riding breeches I have ever owned. Far be it for me to give a glowing review, but here it comes.
The reason I went for these high priced pants is that it was my birthday and my husband was at a loss as to what to get me, so my daughter suggested these breeches. Thank you daughter. Now I will get to the good part about why I am so pleased with them.
1.They are made to order to your measurements. That’s right, you take your measurements and send them along so, when you get them back, they fit perfectly; this feature may come in handy for some of us with less than perfect figures.
2.There are quite a few different styles and materials to choose from and a variety of colors for both material and leather. No matter what discipline you ride, there’s a style for you.
3.I received them within 3 or 4 days after placing my order.
4.They called me to make sure exactly how I wanted them fitted etc… (probably because I sent a note along about something I wanted fitted differently.)
5.When I got them, the elastic on the bottom was pulling a tiny bit and wrinkling the fabric by the ankles. (Yes, I do realize I’m a pain in the …) So I sent them back and they fixed them the same day and sent them out to me right away.
6.If you lose weight, they will alter them for you.
7.When the pants wear out, return them and they will remove the leather and reapply it to new material for a fee, providing you’ve followed their care instructions and the leather is still in good shape.
So with all this going for them, I thought it was a pretty good deal. They are expensive, but I look at it this way: I don’t have to wear half chaps, full chaps or tall boots; they’re very comfortable; they look nice; the company gives excellent service and stands by their product; and, I like the convenience of just slipping them on with my paddock boots and being ready to ride. I can’t wait to order more pairs, when the budget permits!
(Now, wouldn’t it be nice if, for this glowing review, they sent me a brand new pair in the mail as a surprise? Sure it would, but I’m not holding my breath!)
Here’s the link if you want to check out the site:
Adults - When you can no longer bend down to touch your toes whilst trotting, it is then you begin to realize you are not quite as youthful as you think!
Yesterday I saw this on Suzanne’s’ blogGolden Days. She has graciously given me permission to reprint her post, and anyone else who wants to repost this is also welcome to do so. Please read this and take action if you feel compelled to do so. I did and I feel we all have to start voicing our outrage about these inhumane practices. I’d like to say 'before they get out of hand' but they are already out of hand and the people back in Washington need to know what’s going on with one of their agencies. With everything going on in the country right now I’m sure this ‘little annoying problem’ is on the back burner and it needs to be brought to the forefront and acted on quickly. Someone has to start caring about this situation and the only way to get your representatives to do that is to make it known that your vote is important to them and if they want your vote they had better start caring about what you care about too.
I’ve checked out Cloud’s blog and apparently he has already been rounded up with some of his herd by the BLM and put into a holding pen.
Here’s a photo gallery of Cloud and his herd mates:Photo Gallery
PRESS RELEASE Bureau of Land Management on Rampage to Destroy Famous Wild Horse Herd For Immediate Release August 10, 2009
Cloud and the wild horses of Montana’s PryorMountains are world famous but fame it appears is not going to protect the herd from a drastic government round up planned to begin September 1st in their spectacular wilderness home.
There are currently only 190 wild horses (one year and older) living in the PryorMountains. The BLM plans to remove 70 of them, plus foals. According to the foremost equine geneticist, Dr. Gus Cothran, 150-200 adult horses are needed in the herd to ensure their genetic diversity, which is vital to their long term survival.
These 70 horses would be placed in jeopardy. Any horses over 10 years of age can be bought directly by killer buyers and transported over the Northern border to Canadian slaughterhouses or south into Mexico. Younger horses not adopted would be put into government holding with 33,000 others that the BLM has removed from the wild and has proposed killing because they can no longer afford to feed them.
BLM cites poor range condition as the reason to remove the horses but abundant snow and rain for the past two and a half years has produced wonderful range conditions according to all who have visited Cloud and his herd. The Agency is not listening to anyone. They want this herd gutted. Nearly all the mares returned to the range would be given an experimental two-year infertility drug, PZP-22.
This helicopter round up is just one among many that the BLM is trying to complete, perhaps before the Obama Administration can catch up with what is going on.
The PryorMountain wild horses are descendants of the Lewis and Clark horses who were stolen by the Crow Indians in the early 1800’s. They can be traced further back to the horses brought over with the Spanish Conquistadors in 1500 making them one of the most Spanish of all wild horse herds in North America.
Amazingly fast, incredibly strong, tirelessly proud, fantastically gentle, he is a huge dark beast that touches the hearts of all who meet him.
He has known joy and violence. Felt the warmth of children and the cruelty of abuse. He has nearly died saving lives and merely been killed by a drunken act. He has known the finery of grand estates and the filth of stinking slums. He has survived fire and flood, starvation and torment.
And nothing could break his spirit-or his great love.
