I have been invited to audition for a casting call for a reality TV show about kids who are making a difference in the world! Now I need your help to show producers we have an audience of people who want to see kids making a positive difference and support our efforts to save horses and burros.
I think that this couldn’t have come at a more crucial time because of what is happening to the burros! We have an opportunity right now to reach in the hearts and homes of America and to expose the sinister plans of the organizations charged with protecting our wild horses and burros.
Every click of support (whether watching, sharing, or donating) not only encourages our youth but also shows producers that America wants to see kids with horses and the differences they make for each other.
Here’s how you can help us help the burros (and horses).
– Sign (the petition is to TV producers showing your support for kids and horses and taking a stand against sending burros to Guatemala)
– Give (no amount is to small or too great)
Its thanks to you that we are still going strong and making noise for horses! Its thanks to you that myself and my friends have a brighter future! Its thanks to you that the voiceless equines have a chance to be heard.
Sincerely,
Robin Warren
Thank you to everyone that is helping us continue our mission.
The Youths’ Equine Alliance has posted a photo series of their time at the Wild Horse Faire in Virginia City. Below is an excerpt, but check on the full entry on their website here!
In 2007, when Meredith Hodges decided to film a television documentary about therapeutic riding, she headed to Loveland, Colorado-based therapeutic riding center, Hearts and Horses. There, she met five-year-old Sarah Foley and her mother, Diane. Sarah was born with generalized body weakness, making it difficult for her to perform tasks that required any sort of physical stamina or strength. Luckily, Diane is a physical therapist, and began looking for creative ways to help strengthen her daughter’s body. A pony ride at a friend’s birthday party immediately captured Sarah’s attention, and she began hippotherapy when she was two years old. By the time we interviewed her, Sarah had moved from hippotherapy, where the horse was being used as a modality to assist with her low tone, to therapeutic riding, where she was developing riding skills, controlling the horse independently of her volunteers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGykqxYOIQ
Today, Sarah is twelve years old. We caught up with her and Diane to talk about how their lives have changed since that original interview. Even now, Diane notes that riding plays an important part in Sarah’s life. “She is still riding once a week,” said Diane. “She’s kept it up pretty much the entire time.” After a period of vast improvement, in which she was showing no signs of disability or physical deficits, Sarah ended up developing arthritis. Diane termed it “A little bump in the road, so she got more active in horseback riding, and has now overcome that also.”
When we speak on the phone, Sarah sounds like any bright, happy and enthusiastic preteen. “I’m feeling really good,” she says. “I love horseback riding, and I swim a lot, and I like playing with my dog.” She dreams of becoming either a teacher or an actress on Broadway some day. Sarah still does her riding at Hearts and Horses, and is now paired with a speckled gray horse named Boomer, that she describes as a very big challenge—but one that’s very close to her heart. “If Boomer went up for sale at Hearts and Horses, ever, I would buy him just like that,” she says. In general, Sarah describes horseback riding as an empowering experience: “I feel like we have a connection kind of. I can do anything when I’m on a horse. “
Sarah eventually moved from needing the assistance of two sidewalkers and a leader to only a leader. With the increased strength and confidence, Sarah’s instructor began to incorporate preliminary vaulting moves to strengthen her core and sense of independence. She was thankful for the assistance of the side walkers though, as it showed her she was capable of amazing things even in her first days of riding. “It made me feel more confident in myself, that I could ride on my own,” she recalled. “As [I used] the side walkers less and less and less, I started to get more confident … and finally I’m to the point where I am right now.” Equine therapy is more than just physical rehabilitation, as it also focuses on training people to be better riders and gain confidence, regardless of their starting capabilities. “I’m a really good rider now because of horse therapy and what they did for me,” says Sarah, also pointing to the inspiration of her parents: “My parents had a big part in it, making me not quit horseback riding and keep going with it—not that I would want to quit, but they would not have let me quit, that’s for sure.”
At the age of twelve, Sarah has accomplished a great deal in her life already, but describes it with an air of humility, simply saying, “It’s been a long road.” As advice for other people in her position, she stresses the benefits of positive thinking and optimism. “I think that anything can be overcome,” she says. “Maybe not always physically, but overcome mentally,” adding that physical transformations are sometimes possible too, like her success with arthritis. “I think people can do anything if they really, really want to,“ she says, and it’s clear that Sarah’s unflinching belief in that statement, along with her equine therapy, will help her accomplish anything she truly desires.
We are loading up the car as you read this, heading out for the “Wild Horse Faire” festivities. I get to be on a parade float! There’s a pancake breakfast, a parade, and at the end of the day there is a benefit concert too – I do hope you will come say hi and celebrate the horses with us tomorrow.
But my heart is very heavy today. I am overwhelmed by all the sadness the horses are facing. Sometimes, I feel like its hard to have a good time, knowing how much they suffer.
We have been marching in the advocacy ranks for years now and we have seen many promises come and go…but never have we seen so many horses in such great distress.
30 mustangs stolen in Colorado 75 mustangs dead in Kansas 800 mustangs scheduled to be removed in Wyoming 3000 corralled mustangs and burros without shelter Nevada
Its alarming! This article by Steven Tendo of The Garden City Telegram is a must read – the photos, and the comments validate our concerns.
They keep bringing more and more horses in but they had half as many adoption events this year as last year! How can the BLM expect to find homes for horses if they don’t have adoption events? They spend a lot of money on promotional marketing items about the adoptions. Pens, posters, and magnets are meaningless without the events to back them up.
So, you can understand another reason why I am kind of blue today, after working so hard on raising awareness about adopting the wonderful mustangs and burros this year I feel like I had a bad lab partner and got an “F.”
Urgent donations will be used on our trip as we travel our great state. With your help, I’ve already traveled 3,500 miles in 2014 for horses and I’d travel a million more if it means saving them. How many stops we are able to make on this tour depends on help from our supporters like you.
The winner will be announced August 25th. We have a very important urgent messages to deliver to the BLM Advisory Board on that day.
I don’t know if I will be able to attend in person, but here is my open letter to the BLM and I have something more to say than what is written below but we will all have to wait until that day to find out what!
It’s something that no one else has covered but that you have made possible for me to uncover through researching things we care about. You make it possible for us to direct our attention in areas that are very important for kids.
This year we have introduced youth to domestic and wild horses and burros, attended a roundup, attended both BLM advisory board meetings, sponsored petition campaigns, raised awareness though public platforms and media outreach , inspired adoptions, and more all thanks to our friends and supporters like you. Thanks for making this possible and a special thanks to our monthly partners. Donations will be used for our urgent travel needs and to continue our mission.
Years ago, I believed that all I needed to have an equine was a halter, bridle and saddle, a water bucket and a patch of grass with a fence around it. I didn’t even think about shelter until much later when I finally decided that a garage would do. I now know that there is a lot of responsibility in taking care of equines and that it is an ongoing learning experience. Like most of us, I was a little lazy and wanted shortcut ways to deal with my equines so I could get right to the pleasure of riding. After many heart wrenching experience, I discovered that I did not have to be overwhelmed with management and training responsibilities, just more organized and practical. Finding simple, logical and appropriate answers to management and training questions became my mission.
Mules and donkeys, contrary to popular belief, are sensitive to colic and founder when left on pasture. They can develop fat rolls and patches all over their bodies when allowed to graze freely. This eventually will become a very expensive and potentially devastating condition if left unattended. Muzzles have been developed to keep equines from grazing too voraciously and hopefully, this can prevent the incidence of colic and founder, but I can’t help but think that there will be a certain amount of frustration involved when using such short cut devices that can manifest itself in other areas of interaction with your equine. The animal will take to the muzzle because there is a reward of grazing to follow, but to be prevented from fully enjoying their grazing has to be frustrating at times.
Beyond the incidence of possible frustration is the simple threat of them getting the muzzle caught on something with no one around to help them if they do get caught on anything. One of my strictest safety rules is to never leave a halter on an unsupervised animal for the same reason. I have seen too many animals maimed, paralyzed and even killed by leaving anything around their neck and head.
The muzzle encircles the delicate muzzle of the equine where the skin is very thin and sensitive. The lips can become scabby and sores can develop on the tongue.
A muzzle can chafe and burn these sensitive areas with prolonged use and create a very sore mouth. Again, if they do get sore, using a bit can become painful and cause resistance in training.
It is easier to employ simple management practices to keep your equine healthy and happy. Your equine should be kept in a smaller area for evening feedings, overnight and for morning feedings. This has several benefits: 1) Each animal can be checked every day for any injuries or anomalies, 2) He will not have to fight for his food, he can sleep uninterrupted and be more calm and fresh each day, 3) You will then be able to turn him out at specific times for grazing during the day and he will willingly come back from the pasture each night. This way you can monitor his grazing intake so he will not be able to overgraze and colic, or founder, 4) the smaller area affords you a confined space for beginning training so there is no need to chase him, or be interrupted by other animals.
If you feed only grass hay in the mornings and feed his oats mix in the evenings with grass hay, you can monitor his pasture time easily. In the spring when the grass is growing and very rich, you can begin to turn him out an hour before feeding time and he will happily come back in to get his evening oats. Then add an additional hour each week to slowly accustom his digestive tract to the new grass until you have worked him up to a maximum grazing time of five hours. This will generally produce a healthy, happy animal of any age that can maintain his ideal weight and body condition.
When you feed only grass hay in the mornings, he will look forward to his lessons with you and be waiting at the gate, knowing there are oats rewards to be earned. What your animal is eating can have a direct impact on his response to training. Many feeds can cause hypertension in Longears (and horses, too!) and an inability to focus for any length of time. Mules and donkeys require a lot less feed than horses because they are half donkey and donkeys are desert animals. Too much feed or the wrong kind of feed and you run the risk of colic, or founder.
We feed an oats mix to our average sized mules of 1-2 cups of crimped oats, 1 oz. of Sho Glo vitamins (by Manna Pro) and 1 oz. Mazola corn oil (for hooves, coat and digestive tract regularity). The oats must be broken open in some way (crimped, steamed, rolled, etc.) as equines cannot digest whole oats. We feed this once a day in the evenings, grass hay twice a day and we monitor weight gain with the hay and pasture intake. Miniatures get one fourth as much of the oats mix and grass hay, and draft animals will need twice as much. Do not alter or modify this with other products in any way for the best results.
Also, make sure they have access to a trace mineral salt block for their salt and mineral needs. We worm our equines with Ivermectin in January, March, May, July and September and then break the cycle with Strongid in November. We vaccinate in the spring and fall. Consult your veterinarian for the types of vaccines you will need for your area. You should never feed Longears (donkeys, or mules) any pre-mixed sweet feeds, or products high in alfalfa. This is actually a very easy and inexpensive way to manage the feeding and grazing of your equines without the worry of muzzles. It’s just a matter of getting into this healthy routine.
“What do you suppose we’re doing today down here in the dressage arena…hmmmm?!”
“Whatever it is, Spuds, I get to go first!!”
“Hey, Spuds, this is really easy and lots of fun!”
“Look Spuds, I finally learned the rein back!”
“And…I did it perfectly!”
“Your turn now, Spuds!”
“Like you said, Augie, this is a breeze!”
“Can we trot yet?”
“Now we get to do the hourglass pattern together, Spuds! Whoohoo! What fun!”
“Don’t forget to stay in sync, Augie! One…two…three…four!”
“And Whoa! Good job, Augie! Good job, Spuds!”
“And…back!”
“It’s okay Augie! Just take it one small step at a time. She’ll wait for us!”
“Not a bad lesson, Spuds!”
“Augie, don’t you know that we’re the BEST?!”
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
The following is an excerpt from a post by The Donkey Sanctuary.
Luminiţa (which means ‘little light’) has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. When she was brought to the Don Orione orphanage she had signs of being institutionalized, including being extremely withdrawn, banging her head and pulling her hair out. She was unable to walk but has since had an operation and access to a physiotherapy programme, including donkey riding therapy three times a week through our Romanian project, to combat her leg stiffness and increase her leg and core strength.
Her physiotherapist Carmelia is thrilled with her progress, Luminiţa can now walk with support and is gaining the strength to stand and climb. Her character has also grown and she has become a happy, inquisitive little girl who clearly loves her time with the four donkeys, Boss, Claudio, Ioan and Sile. She also benefits from learning about caring for the donkeys, grooming them and understanding how important it is for them to be happy.
Carmelia added “It can be difficult for these children to learn to empathise and relate with others but each moment with the donkeys is a simple and rewarding interaction. The donkey’s needs and movements aren’t complicated like those of humans. Movements or affection can be taken at face value and the children learn that they are safe to form positive relationships that are rewarding for the children and the donkeys.
“In addition, the donkey riding therapy provides enormous physical benefits for Luminiţa as she builds her balance and stretches during her sessions. Her legs can be very stiff but riding therapy helps to loosen her muscles and make her more comfortable.”
For more information, check out The Donkey Sanctuary’s original post here, or learn more about Therapeutic Riding from our page.
