I actually addressed the matter that has you so riled up, on this blog:
http://suvalley.blogspot.com/2007/09/discarded.html
Just the past few weeks I have seen some horses for free, to horses with little or no training for thousands. These are the same horses that would bring a pittance at any auction in the L48, btw. There are a very few some what reasonably priced weaners and yearlings-and I even know (not for a fact, mind you) of at least one family is dealing with being your own backyard breeder by simply harvesting the foals for the freezer.
In case you've missed it, I have taken in an oldster too. This guy is horribly crippled up from arthritis from two blown knees, and was given to us by someone who "didn't want to deal with him". Besides, he had been over to visit a number of times-usually when we weren't home ;) I found a wonderful horse person who agreed to pasture him for the summer, and he has the companionship of three mares and runs on 100s of acres. I can't imagine a better last summer for him, considering he spent the last five or so years pretty much by himself in a small pasture. The summer turn out and exercise has helped him tremendously. He is getting around much much better than earlier in the year, and he has slimmed down and toned up and is generally content to be part of the small herd. I am still determined to put him down as I cannot see subjecting him to yet another hard winter here. That horse is just one of a string of older horses I have rehabbed, and then either found a great last home or had to be put down. I don't like hauling horses to the musher, but of course I am a practical person and realize this end is *much* better than starving to death in someone's back yard.
Since we have no retirement facility, and no auctions, and no sanctuaries-there just isn't any place for them to GO, when the owner has had enough. Of course, I thought of a practical solution, but I can't see being able to make it happen.
Your thoughts?
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Addressing emails re: Tangled tale
Today, I am addressing some emails I got about my previous post here, the one titled "A tangled tale"
I received several that were along the lines of "you're a terrible person!" and "he's a nice guy" and "that's not a nice thing to do!"
Ok let me answer this way:
To those of you who think I went way overboard with the posting, I ask you to consider what is better here-that the whole thing gets swept under the rug? Or that an unsuspecting horse owner is made aware of it?
If the "nice guy" gets a pass on this behavior....what else might he do, or not do, to others? It is somehow okay that horses were without shelter, or water, or feed, or were mismanaged, or lost a LOT of body weight, just because he's a nice guy? It's all okay because he has the feed store? Has a 4-H club? Whats your criteria for a boarding operator anyway, one wonders.
If you think I am a terrible person for bringing this from the rumor mill to the harsh light of public scrutiny, I don't know what to tell you-you are missing the point here entirely. And that point is this:
Know who you are placing your horse with. Check references, ask questions, and do not essentially abandon your horses with a stranger-no matter how nice and charismatic the operator, or what line of BS you were fed about the place.
Look at what happened to Wingnut as an example-just one, out of many. She survived, but another horse on the property did not. All the money that was "saved" by cheap board just proves you get what you pay for. Especially when it comes to quality horse care up here. If the boarding fee sounds like a really good deal-it's worth investigating why. If you are satisfied with the answers, so be it.
And if you are at ease with no shelter, marginal care and supervision...then you get what you deserve. But your horses DO NOT deserve it-it is still your responsibility as owner to watch out for them.
If these were your children, would you leave them there in his care? I would hope not!
I received several that were along the lines of "you're a terrible person!" and "he's a nice guy" and "that's not a nice thing to do!"
Ok let me answer this way:
To those of you who think I went way overboard with the posting, I ask you to consider what is better here-that the whole thing gets swept under the rug? Or that an unsuspecting horse owner is made aware of it?
If the "nice guy" gets a pass on this behavior....what else might he do, or not do, to others? It is somehow okay that horses were without shelter, or water, or feed, or were mismanaged, or lost a LOT of body weight, just because he's a nice guy? It's all okay because he has the feed store? Has a 4-H club? Whats your criteria for a boarding operator anyway, one wonders.
If you think I am a terrible person for bringing this from the rumor mill to the harsh light of public scrutiny, I don't know what to tell you-you are missing the point here entirely. And that point is this:
Know who you are placing your horse with. Check references, ask questions, and do not essentially abandon your horses with a stranger-no matter how nice and charismatic the operator, or what line of BS you were fed about the place.
Look at what happened to Wingnut as an example-just one, out of many. She survived, but another horse on the property did not. All the money that was "saved" by cheap board just proves you get what you pay for. Especially when it comes to quality horse care up here. If the boarding fee sounds like a really good deal-it's worth investigating why. If you are satisfied with the answers, so be it.
And if you are at ease with no shelter, marginal care and supervision...then you get what you deserve. But your horses DO NOT deserve it-it is still your responsibility as owner to watch out for them.
If these were your children, would you leave them there in his care? I would hope not!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A tangled tale
We here in Alaska have our share of stories and storytellers-from the great Robert Service to Dana Stabenow, Peabody Prize winning reporters and on down to erstwhile bloggers such as myself. Blogs are wonderful tools. They can educate, alarm, reveal, and titillate. They can inflame passions, prompt reformations and yet, yet, most readers have no idea that a blog is nothing more than the authors opnion. It may be backed up by graphs, citations, charts and quotes, but whatever "idea' put forth into cyber space is just that: the opinions and conclusions of one person. As such, they are afforded some specific rights under law. Something to keep in mind when reading this entry.
Yes, it's horse related-and if the cast of characters and tale itself does not concern or amuse you-feel free to click on out to some other page.
Okay, that's the preface-now to the rather twisted tale of enterprise, ego and expectations.
There appeared on the horse scene a couple years ago, a man who seemed to be unknown-at least, unknown to those of us on the west side of the Valley. He made a bit of a splash with ads for boarding, and honestly the place looked just lovely. Lots of pasture, nice fencing-that sylvan fields impression. He joined a local horse group online, and seemed friendly and outgoing and genuinely interested in helping kids and horses out.
Now comes onto the scene, the plight of a local feed store. The hard working young couple that started it, were going to close down if someone didn't step in and operate it. An enterprising woman saw the opportunity and soon enough, she and her husband were up and running with new energy. Not being sure of the exact timeline, I can only say that some months passed and I noticed the above mentioned boarding stable operator hanging out at the feed store pretty regularly. More time passed and I noticed the husband was no longer there, and the woman and the stable owner were what can only be called an item. He tells several people he is a member of a particular Valley family, and thus the reason he has those wonderful, grassy acres to put horses on.
More time passed, and onto the local group the man posts about wanting free horses. And he posts to Craigslist for the same. He is asked questions about his motivation for doing so-but explains that he is just looking to put kids and horses together, to have fun, for 4-H, etc. It's been relayed to me that he acquired at least 7 horses in this manner-in addition to the horses he was boarding for others. Several months go by and there are reports of loose horses very near the stable-but he is very quick to deny they originated from there.
Later on (earlier this year) I get a phone call out of the blue from a young man needing boarding. I am happy to oblige and we make arrangements for the following weekend. During the week, he arrives to check on his two, and discovers them in very poor condition. For the fourth time, there is no water, no shelter available and no hay present. The winds are howling like they can only do in Palmer, and the horses are weak and very dehydrated. The young man calls me in a panic-can I take them today? (And of course I agree, it only takes a few minutes to shuffle horses around) Once loaded and on the road, he calls again, nearly in tears. His horses have marks all over them, they are extremely dehydrated, and the mare is having trouble staying on her feet. I suggest water first, then, stop at AC and sign out a complaint. Photos are taken of the wounds and marks, and the MSBACR officer condition scores the horses. Later I get a phone call from my husband when they arrive....giving me a heads up they are "very hungry". I tell him which hay to put out, and have several other conversations with the owner...........and I learn some very peculiar things.
When I arrive home, it's too cold to be taking blankets off of stressed out, weak horses. I run my hands under the blankets and my heart just drops. A condition score 2.5, and about a 3. We quickly confer with vet over the phone and I get them started on a recovery program right away. The next day it is made clear that the responding AC officer is indeed, "good buddies" with the stable owner as no action is taken-not even a warning. The owner is beyond upset, and even more nervous about leaving his horses with someone he does not know (that would be me, of course) I assure him his horses will be fine, and not to worry about his stuff either. I tell him that boarding is a meeting of expectations-he expects that I will take care of them, and I expect to get paid for it ;) Pretty simple, really.
Over the succeeding weeks, the horses recover, even as they show signs of abuse-scars, marks, head shyness, fear, defensiveness. But they were young, and rebounded fairly quickly with balanced nutrition and their other needs attended to in a timely fashion. The owner of the horses and the stable owner have it out over the phone, leaving it that the matter is dropped.
And there it would stay, if it were not for little bits and peices of rumors that continued to crop up from time to time. Missing tack, a horse trailer used without permission, horses ridden without approval, until one day......I get yet another contact, asking about boarding. Of course, I relate what I can offer, and learn that the boarding stable had shut down. I didn't think much of it at the time, other than the passing thought that a lot of horses got shuffled around.
The summer progressed, and the horses in my care just bloomed. Glossy, excellent weight, their personalities emerged from the frightened, spooky state they arrived in. I took extra pains to get the one horse past a new fear of hand implements-would actually bolt and then cower at the motion of a manure rake in hand, poor thing. Eventually the owner found new stabling arrangements more convenient to work and home, and they moved on. The owner was more than pleased with their condition, but called me less than a week later with a very serious question.........
......and the question raised so many other issues, that I began doing a little bit of digging.
It's amazing what you find when you start turning over rocks, really it is.
I began to get a better picture of the ego exhibited when further discussions take place regarding the boarding operation with those who either boarded there, or who knew someone who did. One of the stranger things was a "fee" charged to a new boarder, euphemistically called "herd introduction fee". Of the nearly 50 horses on the property, I am not sure how many people were forced to pay this extra fee for the priviledge of arrival there-but at a $150 per head....well, let's just say it was likely lucrative. For $500 a month for two horses, you got pasture and hay. If you wanted your horses to get any grain (or they needed it) it was a flat $80 per month, per horse. And COB was all that you could get. Most people expect some sort of shelter and water would be provided, but in actuality, the majority of the horses had only trees, and water was not available 24/7, Instead, it was "just being filled" or, "tank is frozen, it needs thawing first" or some such. Always an excuse, and horses were moved from paddocks and rotated through pastures fairly regularly. Several people arrived to find saddle marks on their horses-always explained away....light hearted, "it was kids" type of explanations.
In May, word came that the horses had been moved. All of them. Or, the story was, the place was "closing down" and you "must come get your horse right away". Whichever the real truth is, I don't know, but a bunch got moved to another location-without the knowledge of some owners and definitely without prior approval. A number of people are still owed refunds on boarding money paid in good faith. Others are just happy their skinny horses got moved to a place where food and water are not a worry. Quite a bit of tack is still missing too, some of which are specialty items not commonly found in local tack rooms.
Turning over yet more rocks, I learn that the boarding operator was not actually a relative of the local Valley family.
And, he had managed to procure goods and/or services under the alias of that last name.
And, he'd never had a business license either.
And neither does the feed store-under either name. The same one they advertise for sale too.
This is the same guy who trolls for customers on Craigslist, touting "quantity purchases" of grains in "bulk". This is the same guy that has a rather interesting history with the local court system. This is the same guy who scammed at least 7 free horses for his 4-H club, of which there are four members. This is the same guy who threatens anyone who asks questions, or who just flat refuses to answer. This is the same guy who brags he's "good buddies" with a well known MSBACR officer-and he can do as he likes with horses in his care. This is the same guy that never told any of his boarders that he was actually kicked off the original property. This is the same guy that joined the local horse group, then left it when people asked any questions of him.
Keep in mind that the boarding operation was going full swing as the feed store is in business also. Surely, he had access to more hay? Surely, he had the means to get more stock tanks, or hoses, or tank heaters? Surely, he did not need to use anyone elses' tack? Surely, he had the knowledge to manage so many horses?
But like many things within the horse world, trust is a fragile element. Just as you can break a horses' trust with an ill timed, unnecessary reprimand, so too, a person can cause their own "house of cards" to collapse easily enough-all it takes is threats.
In closing, please bear in mind that while on the surface this may appear to be a personal spat, the truth is, this effects ALL of us in the horse communuity here. Here you have a guy who should have had all the right resources to provide quality care for the horses in his stable. He has the feed store connection, he had the land, he started a 4-H club-all perfectly wonderful things in their own right. What he seemingly did not have was the expertise, the licensing, and the common sense to know he was going to eventually be caught out in falsehoods.
When asked simply for information, he came out with threats and/or denials. Since I was not privy to the conversations, I cannot relate what those might have been-but it serves as a warning to the rest of us: Know who you do business with, and ask for references. Do not rely upon a casual friends' recommendation, or the charisma of the person. Visit your horses frequently when boarded out. Don't be afraid to ask questions-and if you aren't happy with the answers-move your horses! They depend solely on your judgement, remember?
Yes, it's horse related-and if the cast of characters and tale itself does not concern or amuse you-feel free to click on out to some other page.
Okay, that's the preface-now to the rather twisted tale of enterprise, ego and expectations.
There appeared on the horse scene a couple years ago, a man who seemed to be unknown-at least, unknown to those of us on the west side of the Valley. He made a bit of a splash with ads for boarding, and honestly the place looked just lovely. Lots of pasture, nice fencing-that sylvan fields impression. He joined a local horse group online, and seemed friendly and outgoing and genuinely interested in helping kids and horses out.
Now comes onto the scene, the plight of a local feed store. The hard working young couple that started it, were going to close down if someone didn't step in and operate it. An enterprising woman saw the opportunity and soon enough, she and her husband were up and running with new energy. Not being sure of the exact timeline, I can only say that some months passed and I noticed the above mentioned boarding stable operator hanging out at the feed store pretty regularly. More time passed and I noticed the husband was no longer there, and the woman and the stable owner were what can only be called an item. He tells several people he is a member of a particular Valley family, and thus the reason he has those wonderful, grassy acres to put horses on.
More time passed, and onto the local group the man posts about wanting free horses. And he posts to Craigslist for the same. He is asked questions about his motivation for doing so-but explains that he is just looking to put kids and horses together, to have fun, for 4-H, etc. It's been relayed to me that he acquired at least 7 horses in this manner-in addition to the horses he was boarding for others. Several months go by and there are reports of loose horses very near the stable-but he is very quick to deny they originated from there.
Later on (earlier this year) I get a phone call out of the blue from a young man needing boarding. I am happy to oblige and we make arrangements for the following weekend. During the week, he arrives to check on his two, and discovers them in very poor condition. For the fourth time, there is no water, no shelter available and no hay present. The winds are howling like they can only do in Palmer, and the horses are weak and very dehydrated. The young man calls me in a panic-can I take them today? (And of course I agree, it only takes a few minutes to shuffle horses around) Once loaded and on the road, he calls again, nearly in tears. His horses have marks all over them, they are extremely dehydrated, and the mare is having trouble staying on her feet. I suggest water first, then, stop at AC and sign out a complaint. Photos are taken of the wounds and marks, and the MSBACR officer condition scores the horses. Later I get a phone call from my husband when they arrive....giving me a heads up they are "very hungry". I tell him which hay to put out, and have several other conversations with the owner...........and I learn some very peculiar things.
When I arrive home, it's too cold to be taking blankets off of stressed out, weak horses. I run my hands under the blankets and my heart just drops. A condition score 2.5, and about a 3. We quickly confer with vet over the phone and I get them started on a recovery program right away. The next day it is made clear that the responding AC officer is indeed, "good buddies" with the stable owner as no action is taken-not even a warning. The owner is beyond upset, and even more nervous about leaving his horses with someone he does not know (that would be me, of course) I assure him his horses will be fine, and not to worry about his stuff either. I tell him that boarding is a meeting of expectations-he expects that I will take care of them, and I expect to get paid for it ;) Pretty simple, really.
Over the succeeding weeks, the horses recover, even as they show signs of abuse-scars, marks, head shyness, fear, defensiveness. But they were young, and rebounded fairly quickly with balanced nutrition and their other needs attended to in a timely fashion. The owner of the horses and the stable owner have it out over the phone, leaving it that the matter is dropped.
And there it would stay, if it were not for little bits and peices of rumors that continued to crop up from time to time. Missing tack, a horse trailer used without permission, horses ridden without approval, until one day......I get yet another contact, asking about boarding. Of course, I relate what I can offer, and learn that the boarding stable had shut down. I didn't think much of it at the time, other than the passing thought that a lot of horses got shuffled around.
The summer progressed, and the horses in my care just bloomed. Glossy, excellent weight, their personalities emerged from the frightened, spooky state they arrived in. I took extra pains to get the one horse past a new fear of hand implements-would actually bolt and then cower at the motion of a manure rake in hand, poor thing. Eventually the owner found new stabling arrangements more convenient to work and home, and they moved on. The owner was more than pleased with their condition, but called me less than a week later with a very serious question.........
......and the question raised so many other issues, that I began doing a little bit of digging.
It's amazing what you find when you start turning over rocks, really it is.
I began to get a better picture of the ego exhibited when further discussions take place regarding the boarding operation with those who either boarded there, or who knew someone who did. One of the stranger things was a "fee" charged to a new boarder, euphemistically called "herd introduction fee". Of the nearly 50 horses on the property, I am not sure how many people were forced to pay this extra fee for the priviledge of arrival there-but at a $150 per head....well, let's just say it was likely lucrative. For $500 a month for two horses, you got pasture and hay. If you wanted your horses to get any grain (or they needed it) it was a flat $80 per month, per horse. And COB was all that you could get. Most people expect some sort of shelter and water would be provided, but in actuality, the majority of the horses had only trees, and water was not available 24/7, Instead, it was "just being filled" or, "tank is frozen, it needs thawing first" or some such. Always an excuse, and horses were moved from paddocks and rotated through pastures fairly regularly. Several people arrived to find saddle marks on their horses-always explained away....light hearted, "it was kids" type of explanations.
In May, word came that the horses had been moved. All of them. Or, the story was, the place was "closing down" and you "must come get your horse right away". Whichever the real truth is, I don't know, but a bunch got moved to another location-without the knowledge of some owners and definitely without prior approval. A number of people are still owed refunds on boarding money paid in good faith. Others are just happy their skinny horses got moved to a place where food and water are not a worry. Quite a bit of tack is still missing too, some of which are specialty items not commonly found in local tack rooms.
Turning over yet more rocks, I learn that the boarding operator was not actually a relative of the local Valley family.
And, he had managed to procure goods and/or services under the alias of that last name.
And, he'd never had a business license either.
And neither does the feed store-under either name. The same one they advertise for sale too.
This is the same guy who trolls for customers on Craigslist, touting "quantity purchases" of grains in "bulk". This is the same guy that has a rather interesting history with the local court system. This is the same guy who scammed at least 7 free horses for his 4-H club, of which there are four members. This is the same guy who threatens anyone who asks questions, or who just flat refuses to answer. This is the same guy who brags he's "good buddies" with a well known MSBACR officer-and he can do as he likes with horses in his care. This is the same guy that never told any of his boarders that he was actually kicked off the original property. This is the same guy that joined the local horse group, then left it when people asked any questions of him.
Keep in mind that the boarding operation was going full swing as the feed store is in business also. Surely, he had access to more hay? Surely, he had the means to get more stock tanks, or hoses, or tank heaters? Surely, he did not need to use anyone elses' tack? Surely, he had the knowledge to manage so many horses?
But like many things within the horse world, trust is a fragile element. Just as you can break a horses' trust with an ill timed, unnecessary reprimand, so too, a person can cause their own "house of cards" to collapse easily enough-all it takes is threats.
In closing, please bear in mind that while on the surface this may appear to be a personal spat, the truth is, this effects ALL of us in the horse communuity here. Here you have a guy who should have had all the right resources to provide quality care for the horses in his stable. He has the feed store connection, he had the land, he started a 4-H club-all perfectly wonderful things in their own right. What he seemingly did not have was the expertise, the licensing, and the common sense to know he was going to eventually be caught out in falsehoods.
When asked simply for information, he came out with threats and/or denials. Since I was not privy to the conversations, I cannot relate what those might have been-but it serves as a warning to the rest of us: Know who you do business with, and ask for references. Do not rely upon a casual friends' recommendation, or the charisma of the person. Visit your horses frequently when boarded out. Don't be afraid to ask questions-and if you aren't happy with the answers-move your horses! They depend solely on your judgement, remember?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A little of this, a little of that.....
Well, despite my gloomy expectations, I have managed to get two vans of hay ordered. One is on the ground being unloaded this week, the other set to ship the 13th I think it is, arrival the end of the month. I have begun taking deposits on a third van and we'll see just how many we need after that. Most people are having doubts about buying hay for their horses or goats at these prices...all I can tell them is, me too! It's hard, but it's better than nothing and the quality surpasses the feed stores easily. Several folks buy from me because our local feed store either cannot or will not order in orchard grass for them.
The situation with Wingnut is in the air again....the wonderful, capable person who wishes to lease her, may end up on furlough from her employer. So the whole deal is on hold this month for sure. Poor Wingnut. As much as I may like her antics and her character, I cannot afford to have her taking up a stall that is income producing all winter long. If the deal does not work out, I will be asking the owners to find another place for her to board....a somewhat risky proposition given what happened to her over last winter-gads! The owner has been out to see her once in three months, something of a record if that tells you anything. Feed, worming and hoof care is out of my own pocket. And of course I'm the one you will find grooming when I can't stand to see the dreadlocks in her mane, and scrubbing off the manure stains on her sides too. Too bad this sweet natured horse can't seem to find the right person to care about her.
No word whatsoever on my little Jethro. It's as if he has vanished into thin air. I can only conclude that someone either snatched him, or decided to keep him (if he showed up at their home) because a) he's very very cute and small, b) he's great with kids, dogs and house cats, and c) he's housebroken. I console myself with this thought, even though I visit the local AC office three times a week, and repeatedly check petfinder, Craigslist, and etc many times a day. My son still asks if I have found Jethro every night-and it's painful to see his face crumple every night when I must tell him no, no sign of him :( I had a real hard morning this past weekend when I had no Jethro jumping and spinning at my side, biting for gloves as I headed to the barn for chores. Jethro, wherever you are, I hope you are safe, warm, and fed, and that no one has risen a hand to strike you in anger or fear.
Something really, seriously stinky is brewing within our little horse community and when it blows, it's going to be pretty bad. Of course, at this point I cannot relate much, but when I can, it will get top billing here for sure. It will definitely make the local groups, and who knows, maybe even the local paper as well.
Other than that, the garden is limping along slowly. We've been eating lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini for a while now, and I still have tons of (green!) tomatoes in the greenhouse. If we could just stitch together about a week of sun, things would really set like the beans and peas. I even have some very tiny, baby pumpkins which surprised me-they like the heat! The average high temperature for last month was only 61 degrees, just dismal for a lot of production that is not inside a heated greenhouse. I have read some newbie gardeners here who think this is all just great (ha!) but honestly, folks that have been doing this for a while know the yeilds are way down and at least three weeks behind normal. This is true even for the berries, wild and cultivated. I have rock hard green raspberries on my new canes....most years, I would already have several pickings by now.
And so it goes, two horses move out, two more move in and they are settling in nicely. Most horses take to my place fairly quietly and seem at ease quickly. This last two, there was hardly a whinny let out by anyone-just acceptance which I thought was pretty wonderful. My own horse was more concerned about the trailer, than what was in it, haha Not quite sure what he thought should back off that trailer but as soon as it left, not a peep out of him, silly boy.
School starts in less than two weeks, and everyone is remarking-where did summer go? Heck, as far as I can tell, it never showed up!
The situation with Wingnut is in the air again....the wonderful, capable person who wishes to lease her, may end up on furlough from her employer. So the whole deal is on hold this month for sure. Poor Wingnut. As much as I may like her antics and her character, I cannot afford to have her taking up a stall that is income producing all winter long. If the deal does not work out, I will be asking the owners to find another place for her to board....a somewhat risky proposition given what happened to her over last winter-gads! The owner has been out to see her once in three months, something of a record if that tells you anything. Feed, worming and hoof care is out of my own pocket. And of course I'm the one you will find grooming when I can't stand to see the dreadlocks in her mane, and scrubbing off the manure stains on her sides too. Too bad this sweet natured horse can't seem to find the right person to care about her.
No word whatsoever on my little Jethro. It's as if he has vanished into thin air. I can only conclude that someone either snatched him, or decided to keep him (if he showed up at their home) because a) he's very very cute and small, b) he's great with kids, dogs and house cats, and c) he's housebroken. I console myself with this thought, even though I visit the local AC office three times a week, and repeatedly check petfinder, Craigslist, and etc many times a day. My son still asks if I have found Jethro every night-and it's painful to see his face crumple every night when I must tell him no, no sign of him :( I had a real hard morning this past weekend when I had no Jethro jumping and spinning at my side, biting for gloves as I headed to the barn for chores. Jethro, wherever you are, I hope you are safe, warm, and fed, and that no one has risen a hand to strike you in anger or fear.
Something really, seriously stinky is brewing within our little horse community and when it blows, it's going to be pretty bad. Of course, at this point I cannot relate much, but when I can, it will get top billing here for sure. It will definitely make the local groups, and who knows, maybe even the local paper as well.
Other than that, the garden is limping along slowly. We've been eating lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini for a while now, and I still have tons of (green!) tomatoes in the greenhouse. If we could just stitch together about a week of sun, things would really set like the beans and peas. I even have some very tiny, baby pumpkins which surprised me-they like the heat! The average high temperature for last month was only 61 degrees, just dismal for a lot of production that is not inside a heated greenhouse. I have read some newbie gardeners here who think this is all just great (ha!) but honestly, folks that have been doing this for a while know the yeilds are way down and at least three weeks behind normal. This is true even for the berries, wild and cultivated. I have rock hard green raspberries on my new canes....most years, I would already have several pickings by now.
And so it goes, two horses move out, two more move in and they are settling in nicely. Most horses take to my place fairly quietly and seem at ease quickly. This last two, there was hardly a whinny let out by anyone-just acceptance which I thought was pretty wonderful. My own horse was more concerned about the trailer, than what was in it, haha Not quite sure what he thought should back off that trailer but as soon as it left, not a peep out of him, silly boy.
School starts in less than two weeks, and everyone is remarking-where did summer go? Heck, as far as I can tell, it never showed up!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Pandora's Box
Over the past few days the topic of farrier care has arisen on a local board I frequent. I haven't been posting much there due to a falling out with the board moderator (another convoluted, stupid story typical of the horse community up here) but I do check it a few times a week.
Much to my surprise, an old member posted asking for suggestions in dealing with a laminitis/founder horse. A number of things were brought up, but the most amazing thing was the member actually naming names! Yehaw, someone with guts! I like to think I have guts, but honestly when it comes to the horse community it's much easier to keep your mouth shut, than to be vilified for having an opinion. (Thus, readers, the impetus for the blog here in the first place ;))
When the member posted that a local farrier refused to treat her horse due to "taking too much time".....well, let's just say that I might have been surprised if I hadn't experienced the results of that farriers' care for myself.
Over the past couple of decades, I have used just about every certified farrier that works here in the Valley. Several of them, within the first couple of weeks after they arrived here as a matter of fact. Some have since retired or moved away, but it's been a long road of no shows, canceled appointments, shoddy care, rough handling, gossip mongering, unreturned calls, and whatnot. As a general rule, I'd say most of them are very poor business people, have no clue how to maintain client relations, and give little thought to the responsible owner. My horses have always been decent to work on, I am always on time, and I have bent over backwards to accomodate their own schedules-many times taking off from work early to be there ahead of schedule.
My own road with that farrier went fairly well for a number of years, actually. Cordial and polite, we knew we had contracted heels to deal with. However, standing with the lead rope in hand, you generally cannot see what is done, and how. A few years back my horse injured his shoulder from a bad dismount. Shortly afterward he was trimmed when I was unable to be there, a first, although someone else held him. Imagine my astonishment to see a pretty badly botched four point trim! Every foot was a different angle too, no balance anywhere. I could not imagine why that was done, but was unable to speak to the farrier directly. I learned the next day that the farrier had a whole bunch of personal stuff going on, and she left the state for a short while directly afterwards. Since my horse was lame due his shoulder anyhow, I let it go. I regret that decision to this day. I just didn't call for an appointment, and tried a few other farriers over the next year. None did a very good job, and some were pretty prickly to deal with and it was obvious that personality clashes would get in the way of farrier care.
So, with no options left, I called the woman back, and so went forward for several years. Over this period, the farrier became increasingly popular, began doing therapeutic shoeing at vet clinics, and started an organization for Christian families. Appointments began to get further and further apart, and my horse suffered because of it. At the end, we had one final appointment I was unable to make due to work-and she went ahead and trimmed him without my being there. (Hey this can be a good thing, or a bad thing, but in this case it was a BAD thing)
The following weekend when I had light to see what had been done, I was appalled. Another, absolutely rotten four point trim. My horse was swollen on all four cannons and he was LAME. I knew other things were wrong, but wasn't sure just what-just that everything was not right. Angles looked funky, heels were wrong, he was still contracted, etc. The photo above shows only the obvious.....it was only when you picked up the foot and saw what was underneath that a person could see the whole story of shoddy care:
Is there anything that isn't WRONG with that foot?
Ayep, professional, certified farrier care indeed. Honestly, I did not know what to do. For weeks, I was paralyzed, knowing that if I did the wrong thing, my horse would probably get worse-he was already lame, could barely move around. He would need specialty shoes, he would need a vet, he would need LOTS of care, if he could be saved. I couldn't understand how my horse got to be in such a condition, when I had "the best" farrier we had! I scoured the local magazine, asked other people who they used, spoke to a couple who were very new at the craft...and there I was, stuck.
Rescue came out of the blue via an email from a friend I had not spoken to in a while. I discovered that this friend had begun to trim horses barefoot, and she sent me a ton of links to read, so I could learn what a good foot, and a good trim should look like. I mean, I could tell some obvious things (big flares that chip, a very underrun heel, etc) but honestly I knew nothing of a good foot. In desperation I asked her to come see my horse.
That Sunday was a turning point in my horsekeeping and knowledge. When I brought him out, she was very quiet, just looked at him. Asked how long it had been since last trim (7 weeks to the day), and then picked up his left front. After a thorough cleaning, she set it down carefully, stood up, and looked at me with tears in her eyes. Nearly bawling myself, we worked out a plan to save my horse.
Its been a long road, but I never had any doubts as to her competence and commitment to help my horse. I emailed her every day with every observation of his condition, every small detail...it was an amazing thing to watch the improvements come, a little at a time as the two week trim schedule progressed, and eventually moved to the four week schedule we have today. During this period, I set out to educate myself about the hoof, how it functions and what its health means to the horse. I attended the Pete Ramey clinic and learned a lot more, and read his book. I read articles and case histories about other recovery projects fairly regularly and now, finally, after all these years, I feel I am a somewhat educated horse owner. I have a horse who lands properly....heel first, who has a great toe callous, excellent depth and a working frog. He is sound, playful and athletic, and by paying attention to the stabling and diet too, I intend to keep him this way for many years to come. I don't hear anyone saying "He's just a halter horse and you won't be riding him, right?" (Quote direct from previous certified farrier)
There are few certified farriers here (or vets for that matter) that won't think outside the box of their symposiums, clinics, and certification processes. Not every horse can be turned around like mine can, but its possible for many who are suffering through extensive hoof modeling with shoes, pads, fillers and wedges today. It just takes a true commitment on the part of the owner, your hoof care professional, and sometimes your vet. You must have courage to see it through, and the wisdom to know when you need to do something else. For myself, if I had not seen the amazing improvement I did, I would have spent umpteen thousands on clinical care immediately.
So, you have read all this, and noticed I left out names. SO here you go: The certified farrier I had been using whose results can be seen here was Deb Avritt. The trimmer who has corrected this is Gisela Swift. I would be more than happy to share photos of the recovery process with anyone, just email to suvalley@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Of cowards and courage
Today a bit of a rant.
Last Friday, there erupted on the local Craigslist (of all places!) a nasty series of posts regarding haying, farmers, quality of the hay, etc. Someone obviously is really unhappy with the prices farmers charge here, and one of the participants took pains to take a swipe at me personally.
Let me just call it out now-whoever posted to me, is a coward!
Not enough backbone to sign their name, and not even brave enough to chose to accept return emails via the Craigslist remailer. Having done hay up here, I am sure my anger was echoed by the many hard working folks attempting agriculture here in Alaska. I was furious at the exchange of misinformation and the general concensus that they are all out to rip people off.
Myself included of course-I mean, who else brings in van loads of hay to the Valley, and uses a forklift to offload? No one. Which is how it was easy to deduce the post was aimed directly at me personally. Since I seldom post the landed price online anywhere (because I typically don't know exactly what it will be until just a few days before it arrives anyway) except a local Yahoo group, I know it originated from someone who is either on the group-or has a buddy forwarding stuff to them.
They claim that my cost is under $400 a ton for hay.
Here's my response-it includes the offending post:
Reply to: sale-769517842@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-07-25, 9:26AM AKDT
$3000 / 22 = $136
+ $235 if you believe that you can get it a for a lot less even one person admits she pays $150 for her stuff but charges over $500 when it gets here
$136 + $235 = $371
$136 + $150 = $286
if it costs another couple hundred dollars to get it from the port spread that over 22 tons and it adds maybe $10 a ton
that means the hay costs around $300-$385 to get it here but those same people selling it for $500 a ton and more are claiming they are all doing us a favor and selling it at cost
funny that their costs is so different depending on who's asking! ever wonder why the price is never mentioned in public?
________________________
Since this is an OBVIOUS slam at me personally.....here you go, a FEW FACTS for your enlightenment.
The cost to ship a van from L48 is MORE than $3000. Why don't you take that number, and add in the fuel surcharge? Its over 30%. Add in another $1000, approximately, with another surcharge increase coming in October of about $14, $15 a ton. Growers COST is over $200 a ton. Of course the grower shouldn't make a profit for his labor and investment, right? Because after all, everyone is out to rip off the horse hay buying public, right? Gimme me a break!
Then, must be moved from farm (trucking!!) to the press. Pressing COST is $50 a TON. Weighing and wrapping, or just wrapping, is another $10 to $15 a TON. From there, must get to port (more trucking!! Know what it costs to roll a semi these days?) Do you think the hay magically loads itself into the containers or what? More expense! Then there is destination charge-what you get to pay for bringing the van to your location. What's it cost YOU to drive to Anchorage and back with a semi? What do you think the overhead is for a professional commercial truck driver per hour?
Gee, I add it up to about $450 a ton, before all the trucking! And, I don't know the exact cost of the hay to the grower....but it IS more than $200 a ton. My most recent invoice is for $13,939.20. I have it on my home computor. I'll be happy to email you the scan if you need proof.
I spend $70 a load mailing back the ropes on the bundles. My phone bill goes up another $45 each vanload. I spend about $50 a month for ads-whether I have a van or not each month. I have to reimburse my boss for equipment time and fuel. I also give up two weekends for each van, usually 8 hours per day. I spend many hours putting these loads together, speaking with people, showing the hay that I have on hand, trying to get them what they need.
Since you are convinced I am ripping people off, please feel free to step into the void and DO IT YOURSELF. Contract for some Anderson hay from WA state, see what it costs to get it here-and hope you get GOOD hay, not junk since you are new at it!
Blogger back in:
A follow up post detailed the use of the forklift and loading it into pickups. And in my attempted response to them, I didn't even include the extra $150 to $250 it costs me to hire some help should the van be impossible to offload using equipment. If it has to be done by hand, you can bet the majority of the customers here aren't going to work at it! Nope, they would rather sit in their truck and watch someone else load it for them-and some even expect it.
I guess my point here is that I don't have to do this. I do it because I prefer to feed the finest quality hay I can get to the horses in my care. I do it because other people do recognize it, rely upon it, because some horses don't fare well on other forages, because some are deadly allergic to local, etc. We need this source here-and you can bet what I charge is cheaper BY WEIGHT than what you can find at the feed stores-and higher quality too!
But I sure don't need to be accused of lying.
I have been called all number of things over the years-it doesn't bother me since a lot of it is probably true :) Opinionated, forceful, too aggressive, independent, know-it-all, etc. But no one has EVER called me a liar before-and for good reason. It doesn't happen.
So, all you lookie-lou's here.....pass it along to your buddies and the folks that are having you snoop on their behalf-I will be happy to discuss the hay cost, more than willing to fax the invoice on the vans. I am more than happy to explain that the 30 to 40 hours I devote to each van is NOT tacked onto the price. And when you are unable to purchase local hay due to the poor supply, and feed store is out (and that happens too) I will not ever turn anyone away. I care about horses too much for that-and I don't let ego and jealousy dictate my feed choices.
Last Friday, there erupted on the local Craigslist (of all places!) a nasty series of posts regarding haying, farmers, quality of the hay, etc. Someone obviously is really unhappy with the prices farmers charge here, and one of the participants took pains to take a swipe at me personally.
Let me just call it out now-whoever posted to me, is a coward!
Not enough backbone to sign their name, and not even brave enough to chose to accept return emails via the Craigslist remailer. Having done hay up here, I am sure my anger was echoed by the many hard working folks attempting agriculture here in Alaska. I was furious at the exchange of misinformation and the general concensus that they are all out to rip people off.
Myself included of course-I mean, who else brings in van loads of hay to the Valley, and uses a forklift to offload? No one. Which is how it was easy to deduce the post was aimed directly at me personally. Since I seldom post the landed price online anywhere (because I typically don't know exactly what it will be until just a few days before it arrives anyway) except a local Yahoo group, I know it originated from someone who is either on the group-or has a buddy forwarding stuff to them.
They claim that my cost is under $400 a ton for hay.
Here's my response-it includes the offending post:
Reply to: sale-769517842@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-07-25, 9:26AM AKDT
$3000 / 22 = $136
+ $235 if you believe that you can get it a for a lot less even one person admits she pays $150 for her stuff but charges over $500 when it gets here
$136 + $235 = $371
$136 + $150 = $286
if it costs another couple hundred dollars to get it from the port spread that over 22 tons and it adds maybe $10 a ton
that means the hay costs around $300-$385 to get it here but those same people selling it for $500 a ton and more are claiming they are all doing us a favor and selling it at cost
funny that their costs is so different depending on who's asking! ever wonder why the price is never mentioned in public?
________________________
Since this is an OBVIOUS slam at me personally.....here you go, a FEW FACTS for your enlightenment.
The cost to ship a van from L48 is MORE than $3000. Why don't you take that number, and add in the fuel surcharge? Its over 30%. Add in another $1000, approximately, with another surcharge increase coming in October of about $14, $15 a ton. Growers COST is over $200 a ton. Of course the grower shouldn't make a profit for his labor and investment, right? Because after all, everyone is out to rip off the horse hay buying public, right? Gimme me a break!
Then, must be moved from farm (trucking!!) to the press. Pressing COST is $50 a TON. Weighing and wrapping, or just wrapping, is another $10 to $15 a TON. From there, must get to port (more trucking!! Know what it costs to roll a semi these days?) Do you think the hay magically loads itself into the containers or what? More expense! Then there is destination charge-what you get to pay for bringing the van to your location. What's it cost YOU to drive to Anchorage and back with a semi? What do you think the overhead is for a professional commercial truck driver per hour?
Gee, I add it up to about $450 a ton, before all the trucking! And, I don't know the exact cost of the hay to the grower....but it IS more than $200 a ton. My most recent invoice is for $13,939.20. I have it on my home computor. I'll be happy to email you the scan if you need proof.
I spend $70 a load mailing back the ropes on the bundles. My phone bill goes up another $45 each vanload. I spend about $50 a month for ads-whether I have a van or not each month. I have to reimburse my boss for equipment time and fuel. I also give up two weekends for each van, usually 8 hours per day. I spend many hours putting these loads together, speaking with people, showing the hay that I have on hand, trying to get them what they need.
Since you are convinced I am ripping people off, please feel free to step into the void and DO IT YOURSELF. Contract for some Anderson hay from WA state, see what it costs to get it here-and hope you get GOOD hay, not junk since you are new at it!
Blogger back in:
A follow up post detailed the use of the forklift and loading it into pickups. And in my attempted response to them, I didn't even include the extra $150 to $250 it costs me to hire some help should the van be impossible to offload using equipment. If it has to be done by hand, you can bet the majority of the customers here aren't going to work at it! Nope, they would rather sit in their truck and watch someone else load it for them-and some even expect it.
I guess my point here is that I don't have to do this. I do it because I prefer to feed the finest quality hay I can get to the horses in my care. I do it because other people do recognize it, rely upon it, because some horses don't fare well on other forages, because some are deadly allergic to local, etc. We need this source here-and you can bet what I charge is cheaper BY WEIGHT than what you can find at the feed stores-and higher quality too!
But I sure don't need to be accused of lying.
I have been called all number of things over the years-it doesn't bother me since a lot of it is probably true :) Opinionated, forceful, too aggressive, independent, know-it-all, etc. But no one has EVER called me a liar before-and for good reason. It doesn't happen.
So, all you lookie-lou's here.....pass it along to your buddies and the folks that are having you snoop on their behalf-I will be happy to discuss the hay cost, more than willing to fax the invoice on the vans. I am more than happy to explain that the 30 to 40 hours I devote to each van is NOT tacked onto the price. And when you are unable to purchase local hay due to the poor supply, and feed store is out (and that happens too) I will not ever turn anyone away. I care about horses too much for that-and I don't let ego and jealousy dictate my feed choices.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The search goes on
Here it is Thursday morning already. I still am lost without my buddy Jethro.
Still looking, of course.
Not for lack of trying though. Here's what I have done so far:
About 75 or a 100 color flyers put up around the area: Stop signs, power poles, mailbox stands. Post offices, espresso stands, convenience stores. Local restaurants, feed stores, veterinary clinics and PetZoo. Flyers at both local animal control agencies, and listed on the Anchorage one as well. Ads up on Craigslist in both pets and lost/found, local Valley paper-and getting one into Anchorage Daily News somehow today.
Between myself and my wonderful husband, we have put about 25 or 30 miles on the four wheeler, searching all the nearby trails-and way more than that on my car as my son and I drove the subdivision roads-stopping to talk to anyone who would give us a minute and take a flyer. I have been mostly concentrating on the immediate area, since I have two reports of Jethro being in the company of another dog-medium sized, dark (black??) and "fluffy, maybe long haired"
The first report is rather fuzzy-just someone who said she saw "a small black and white dog playing with another fluffy long haired black dog at the end of my driveway" sometime in the "afternoon" on Friday the 18th. Jethro took off about 5pm so that is a possible since the location is only two blocks away. No concrete time, the lady does not wear a watch.
The second report is much better-positively identified (YAY!!) on Sunday morning between 9:30 and 10 am, in a backyard which abuts a recently cleared powerline. I missed him by TWO HOURS on Sunday *sniff* He was in the company of another dog-again, black and fluffy, medium sized-not a giant of a dog like a Newfy. On that Sunday we dashed home and hopped on the four wheeler, spending at least five hours working the area with no results.
The third "sighting" is a response I got from my CL ad. The woman says she saw a tri colored sheltie on Monday.....but the location is totally way far away-up Lucille at Crestwood. This area is just northeast of downtown Wasilla proper, and is easily 10 miles away from home. Now, since my area had a bunch of garage sales on the weekend, it's possible he was picked up and taken somewhere else.
I hope so. In the adjoining subdivisions nearby, there really aren't any loose dogs. Unlike my own neighborhood with larger parcels and folks letting the dogs roam (for the most part) on their own lands. But I have spoken to ALL immediate neighbors and everyone knows everyone elses' dogs and where they belong.
I am hoping my efforts pay off. It was really difficult to go to MSBACR yesterday, and walk through the kennels-and not find him there. Even though I know they are good about checking the lost dog book-I was hopeful. Sigh.
The only concrete thing I did was try to correct them about a dog they have identifed as a Apfenpinscher (OK I know that is wrong, sorry!!) mix which is really a Border Terrier-I should know, I bred them years ago. But they are convinced they have the dog's breed correct and won't listen to me. I feel so badly for the folks looking for a Border Terrier mix!
As the rain continues, I see fresh snow on the mountains now that the clouds have lifted a bit. 46 degrees at my house this morning and I hope my little Jethro is safe and sound inside someone's home :(
Still looking, of course.
Not for lack of trying though. Here's what I have done so far:
About 75 or a 100 color flyers put up around the area: Stop signs, power poles, mailbox stands. Post offices, espresso stands, convenience stores. Local restaurants, feed stores, veterinary clinics and PetZoo. Flyers at both local animal control agencies, and listed on the Anchorage one as well. Ads up on Craigslist in both pets and lost/found, local Valley paper-and getting one into Anchorage Daily News somehow today.
Between myself and my wonderful husband, we have put about 25 or 30 miles on the four wheeler, searching all the nearby trails-and way more than that on my car as my son and I drove the subdivision roads-stopping to talk to anyone who would give us a minute and take a flyer. I have been mostly concentrating on the immediate area, since I have two reports of Jethro being in the company of another dog-medium sized, dark (black??) and "fluffy, maybe long haired"
The first report is rather fuzzy-just someone who said she saw "a small black and white dog playing with another fluffy long haired black dog at the end of my driveway" sometime in the "afternoon" on Friday the 18th. Jethro took off about 5pm so that is a possible since the location is only two blocks away. No concrete time, the lady does not wear a watch.
The second report is much better-positively identified (YAY!!) on Sunday morning between 9:30 and 10 am, in a backyard which abuts a recently cleared powerline. I missed him by TWO HOURS on Sunday *sniff* He was in the company of another dog-again, black and fluffy, medium sized-not a giant of a dog like a Newfy. On that Sunday we dashed home and hopped on the four wheeler, spending at least five hours working the area with no results.
The third "sighting" is a response I got from my CL ad. The woman says she saw a tri colored sheltie on Monday.....but the location is totally way far away-up Lucille at Crestwood. This area is just northeast of downtown Wasilla proper, and is easily 10 miles away from home. Now, since my area had a bunch of garage sales on the weekend, it's possible he was picked up and taken somewhere else.
I hope so. In the adjoining subdivisions nearby, there really aren't any loose dogs. Unlike my own neighborhood with larger parcels and folks letting the dogs roam (for the most part) on their own lands. But I have spoken to ALL immediate neighbors and everyone knows everyone elses' dogs and where they belong.
I am hoping my efforts pay off. It was really difficult to go to MSBACR yesterday, and walk through the kennels-and not find him there. Even though I know they are good about checking the lost dog book-I was hopeful. Sigh.
The only concrete thing I did was try to correct them about a dog they have identifed as a Apfenpinscher (OK I know that is wrong, sorry!!) mix which is really a Border Terrier-I should know, I bred them years ago. But they are convinced they have the dog's breed correct and won't listen to me. I feel so badly for the folks looking for a Border Terrier mix!
As the rain continues, I see fresh snow on the mountains now that the clouds have lifted a bit. 46 degrees at my house this morning and I hope my little Jethro is safe and sound inside someone's home :(
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