HAWK'S ACRES

THE LAND OF OZ

2012-02-13T09:09:00.001-06:00

Good grief! Didn't realize it's been 5 months since I last wrote in this blog. Lots of things have taken place since the last entry.

Gary was on some heavy chemo and it was making him so very sick. I was afraid it was going to kill him before the cancer did. But, it put the cancer in remission. He chose to stop taking the chemo after the PET scan showed no uptake. We both know the cancer is still there and will rear it's ugly head at some point in the future. We will enjoy whatever amount of time we have left together.

We decided to downsize and bought 22 acres in SE Kansas. This place is just 3 hours from family in Mo and just minutes from Rainbow Meadows Equine rescue. We have become good friends with Karen and David. The four of us have a lot in common and enjoy each other's company.

The place in OK is sold already. Thank the good Lord. We now have a much smaller house for me to take care of. The 3 dogs are here as well as Miss Kitty and Pepper the silly goat. I placed one of the horses we had in Ok and we brought the 2 blind girls as well as our original 4 horses. Of course all my donkeys are here too. We had a huge barn built, it's not finished on the inside but we will do that this Spring. The house needs some finish work also but we are old hands at remodeling, lol.

All in all, we are very happy here.......well, we could have done without the snow we got last night. But, the pond can use the water.

September News

2011-09-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

On August 30th, we lost Lil Bit to colic. She was around 26 and I think had some internal issues besides colic. She was buried out at the cemetery. Then, a few days ago, we lost our Texas cat, Little Man. What a year this has been.

Losing a beloved horse is hard but there is always another one needing a home.

This is Ladybug. She is a blind 21 year old QH. She and Pokey have become friends now.

Gary's cancer has come back again. He has fought this stuff for 18 years now. After a little bit of surgery, he will be on chemo again for a while. We have decided to sell our little piece of Oklahoma and move to Kansas. To a smaller house and less acreage. And, closer to good friends and family. We have a buyer and are working to get the sale done. Hawk's Acres will be moving to Kansas soon. The local vet told me we could not move as they didn't want us too. I will miss them greatly, they have become friends. Will also miss my good gal friend in OKC. But, maybe she and my Texas friends can come up for a visit to the Land of Oz.

Life throws punches and we have to roll with them and place the future in God's hands. I let Him lead me in the way He wants us to go. Now, if He would just give me patience. LOL Hugs.

TOGETHER FOREVER NOW

2011-08-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

Our 3 old horses are now together forever at the Rainbow Bridge. We laid Sandy to rest this evening. She almost made it to 30. The middle picture is her. She was a daughter of Mr San Peppy. Born in 1982. She would wrinkle her nose when she ate, never saw a horse do that before. She learned that we could be trusted and that we loved her very much. She also learned to give nose kisses for cookies. Boy, did she love her cookies. She went with a mouthfull. She passed easy and quickly. We lost Tessa in March, Ace in May and now Sandy this 1st day of August. I miss those old horses so much. Each one of them had a different personality. Each one was loved.

Goodbye my dear Sandy. Wait with Tessa and Ace for us.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th to all. Hope everyone stays safe this weekend. I love the above picture. Mustangs are definitely made in the good ole USA. I deeply hope we always have mustangs running wild and free. I admit I snatched the picture off of FB but I don't think they will care. Our mustangs should always be protected.

Now for this. Somehow, Hawk tore up his L back leg. We don't know how and didn't see anything that could have done this in the pasture. We found the blood pool in an open area of the north pasture. He spent 4 days in the hospital with a stack wrap on his leg. Came home on oral antibiotics and now we are using something recommended by the local vet. It's a spray called Vetericyn. I've heard good things about it from several people. The above picture was taken on 6-22.

This picture taken on 6-30. Wound is doing well with just spraying twice a day with the Vetericyn. I am keeping a picture documentation of his progress for the company. They want to know how he is doing. They also are sending us a free bottle of the stuff. Which is very nice of them. Our price for a 16 oz bottle was $34. But, it seems to be working very well. Has no antibiotics in it but there isn't any infection or proud flesh (yet). I was so worried about the flies getting into the wound and slowing healing but that hasn't happened so far. Hawk is really good about letting us doctor his boo boo. We kept him in the back yard for a few days along with Sonny for company but now he is out in the south pasture with the rest of them. With the temps around 105, he isn't going to be romping and playing. Neither are we!

So that's it from Hawk's Acres today. Please pray we get some rain. Our grass is dry already and not growing at all. There seems to be a bubble around Logan Co Oklahoma.... God bless and keep you safe.

Hugs
Maggie

Life...

2011-06-05T08:28:00.002-05:00

I subscribe to the blog "The Daily Oats". I get it by email and today's entry really had an impact on me.

The river ride

Daily Oats: livin' for the whiinny | June 5, 2011 at 12:35 pm | Tags: Ranch life | Categories: inspirational | URL: http://wp.me/pJsnB-kZ

I am convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends on how we ride our horse down the trail rather than the trail that we are riding on, and so is life.

It is not the end of the ride that we look forward to, but the ride itself, no matter what trail that may be.

Most of the time, it is not the long rides the a beautiful country road we remember the most, but It is rides across the greatest terrain, the steepest hills, the wider rivers that brings us to the greatest adventures that we will talk about years to come.

It is learning to ride those steepest trails, those rising mountains and the flash floods and rising waters of the rivers, that we arrive at our greatest potential.

So, my wish for you today, is no-matter what is going on in your life, is to also remember to grab a little leather, hang on with every thing that is in you, and ride-BABY ride. As long as you live to tell everyone that you made it across the river, the ride will always be worth the trip. Just look for the lesson because you will have gained experience, knowledge and you will have expanded your soul.

Let it all go and just be the WHINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNY!!

Daily Oats: Livin' for the whinny

Whinny's Roberta

Roberta Edstrom
CEO
Knot-A-Tail

Visit Roberta on Facebook

Remember to find all you authentic Western gear, stop by Knot-a-Tail.com

Roberta, this one was great. Wish I had written it.

No matter what life throws at you, ride, baby ride. This is a great thing to live by. Living with a wonderful man who has been fighting cancer for 18 years and whipping it every time it rears it's ugly head is a prime example. Losing beloved horses is another. Down the road of life, it won't be the easy times we remember but the tough ones. The ones that almost got us down. We will smile and think, I made it through that. I firmly believe in the saying "God doesn't give us anything we can't handle with His help.

Remember....RIDE, BABY RIDE!!!!!!

Hugs to all from warm, sunny Oklahoma where life is good.

Wallis is at it again....

2011-06-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/9198/comment-page-1#comment-2971

Read this idiot woman's last diatribe on horse slaughter. LIES LIES LIES. If this woman has 2 brain cells to rub together, she must have left them in her other hat.

Does she really think farmers/ranchers are this stupid to believe her misconceptions about euthanasia of equines?????

Does she not know of the harm to the environment that was caused by horse slaughter plants? Does she not know that horse blood is hard to break down because of the antibiotics they are given during their lives. She evidently has not done any research on the subject. She just makes up her facts as she goes along.

Slaughter house Sue, hire a researcher and find out the real truth!!!!!!

GRRRRRR

ONCE AGAIN WE SAY GOODBYE

2011-05-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

This is Ace. He was 29 years old and felt like a 2 year old until midmorning. I saw him rolling, getting up, trotting around and rolling again. By the time I got outside, he had come up to the barn. I was home alone when this happened. I got him in the barn and while I was preparing the Banamine, he went down in the alleyway. He tried to roll again then got up and went into his stall. The gate always stands open except when he is eating. He went down again in the stall (10x10). At that time, hubby came home and I yelled at him to come to the barn. Got the Banamine in Ace and thought his barrel looked bloated so we decided to head to the clinic.

The news was not good. Physical exam, ultrasound, blood work and belly tap showed a lipoma strangulating his small bowel. Due to the urgency of the situation, Ace was euth'ed at the clinic.

Goodbye Ace, you were loved

Circle of Life

2011-05-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

A little over a month ago, we lost Tessa. We still miss her greatly. The empty stall that won't be filled, putting the feed pan away and her boots. Saying goodbye is very hard on the heart. But, new life can help heal.

We knew Belle was going to have a little one and we were looking forward to see new life once again. Hopefully, this new life will be the last born here. Tessa whole name was Contessa Lucia. Fancy for a horse that we didn't have papers on, right? I had decided that if the new one was a girl, her name would be Lucy in honor of Tessa. Well here she is just minutes old. We were able to watch her being born. Belle needed no help thank goodness. After the little one was completely out, we walked over and sat down about 4 feet from Belle. Belle must have been extremely tired as she didn't get up right away. That made me worry just a little. Lucy was up and walking before Belle finally got up.

So, we got to see Lucy's first steps. She walked over to us and checked us out. You see, I started talking to her before she was born. I would pet Belle's tummy and say Hi Lucy. So I think she knew our voices. We left them to get accquainted and came into the house. About 30 minutes later, we went out again to check on them. Belle was up and Lucy was nursing. Cruiser had found them and was standing guard. Belle wouldn't let him close to the baby of course. She still won't today. She did allow Gary and I to pet and fuss over Lucy this morning.

Lucy is exploring her little world today and playing a bit. Amazing how fast they start to do this.

Lucy's first video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yyk2AERSns

Excuse the baby talk, I can't help it, lol.

Have a great weekend.

He is risen!

2011-04-24T10:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter/Passover everyone. I love this day of the year. Christ has risen!!!! Death cannot keep us, we will live again.

We had a thunderstorm last night. We have received 2 inches of wonderful rain. We actually have mud. Haven't seen mud for a long time. We were beginning to worry that we would need to start buying hay soon. The grass was still short and it was beginning to get crunchy. I am thankful for the blessing of that rain.

Tessa has been gone almost a month now. I still miss her. The farrier was here Friday and he was sad that she had to go but not surprised. I picture her young again and running in a huge, green pasture with lots of trees and flowing water.

Sandy and Ace are doing ok together. She bosses him around like I do Gary. I just don't kick out at Gary, lol. She wants Ace within sight and will whinny for him if she can't see him. He was so good for the farrier Friday. I couldn't believe it. He was always good about his feet but the grinder was new and he was afraid of it. Friday, he calmly stood still and his feet were done in a flash. He has great feet. He enjoys loping a lot too. For almost 30 years old, he is doing very well.

Belle hasn't given birth yet. She is bagged up a little but has a ways to go. She looks like she could explode any day now. Bless her heart.

Enjoy all the holiday celebrations you might be attending today. God bless.

SPRING OR SUMMER????

2011-04-08T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wanted to show you all my Poppys. No, I'm not growing drugs, just like them because they come back every year and re-seed themselves. Less planting for me. lol.

I read TB Friends everyday. Somedays, it brings tears and others joy. He talked a lot about young girls and horses. Men probably wonder what the connection is between females and horses. I think it's the love that God gave us. We want to nurture and heal things. We aren't ashamed to cry when a horse dies. We get angry as hell when one is mistreated. And, we will fight like a mamma bear to help one. It's just deep, deep love. That's a good thing.

http://www.tbfriends.com/

Spending the day working on hubby's computer. How he can get it so screwed up is beyond me. I guess he thinks these free virus protection programs are a good thing. Not so. Personally, I use McAfee. It has never failed me. I'm downloading and installing it on his computer and am going to try and clean out the bugs that reside there. Wish me luck.

It seems Summer has made her appearance here in Oklahoma. High winds, high temps and very low humidity. We have had lots of wild fires with homes/barns lost. When there is a bad one, someone always calls the TV stations offering a free pasture for folks horses that are in the path of the fire. This is true horse country. We do have kill buyers but horse tripping is illegal. I wish it was in all states and it was enfored.

Sandy and Ace are playing nice with each other. I'm glad.

Stay cool and safe.

Hugs

GOODBYE TESSA

2011-03-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

We laid Tessa to rest this afternoon. She took part of our hearts with her. She had always been lame on the L front from previous founder. She was neglected then taken to the Centenial Auction in Colorado. The kill buyer, Charlie Carter was out bid on her and she came to live with us here in Oklahoma 3 years ago. We had her x-rayed last Friday and her coffin bone was sinking badly, almost through the sole. They suggested euthanaisa. We knew this time would come but had hoped for more time with her. It wasn't to be. This last weekend was so hard knowing she only X amout of time left. Last night I put my face into her neck and just sobbed. I though I had it under control today, until I saw the vet's truck coming down our road. We had gotten Tessa, Sandy and Ace in the barn and gave them all some Thrive. Tessa getting a double helping. We brushed her up and combed out her mane and tail. She had such a silky mane and tail. I cut a piece of her tail from underneath and then we walked her out to the grave which was dug yesterday. The vet today said that this was how all of them should go. This from a man who was proslaughter 3 years ago when we first met. Now, he's not so sure. Tessa went down easily. It did take a few minutes for her great heart to stop. Sandy was right there and wasn't happy at all. She galloped around and pawed the ground, then stood between Gary and I as Tessa took her last breath. I hope she and Ace will now become close. We put a baggie with letters from both of us and some treats in the grave with Tessa. God speed Tessa, we will always miss you. See you on the other side..............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFySdseMeRc

SPRING

2011-03-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Spring is finally here. I always dread the months of January and February. They seem so long, cold and dark. Then March comes and new life starts to emerge. First to turn green are the weeds of course. Right now, the back yard is still pretty much brown but there is a patch of green and purple. Weeds yes, but at last some color to the landscape. Gary actually put in a small garden this year. He planted tomatoes, corn, peppers, carrots, cantaloupe and watermelen. Now IF this all grows to the fullest potential, it will be lots more than we can eat. But, we love sharing, lol. The horses and donks will always help us with the carrots, lol. We might even add a few hens for eggs. I would love a couple of ducks but don't know if they could survive here for long.

All the horses are starting to shed their winter coats. We turned the fab five up north. They are in heaven. It took all of them a few days to switch over the DLST. Us too. I just can't seem to get up until the sun does lately.

The new kitty turned out to be a boy. Whew. Now to be able to catch him for his shots and possible neutering. But, Spike seems to be a travelin man. Some days I see him, some days I don't.

Belle's belly is getting very big. She is not due until the first week in May. Hope she gets along ok with the birth. She loves having her huge belly rubbed. Cruiser has decided that getting hugs and kisses is a good thing, especially when there is a treat attached. Little Roger thinks he can sit in mom's lap when she sits on an overturned bucket. I had to convince him that just will not work.

Well, there seems to be a small storm blowing in, we just got a tiny shower and something blew over on the front deck. Better go check it out.

All is well at Hawk's Acres.

Happy Spring to all.

Update

2011-02-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

Can't believe it's been over a month since I posted here. Time slips by so fast anymore. We all survived the blizzard. Our lowest temp was -15 without the windchill. The snow was pretty and I'm glad we got it. Then a few days ago we had wonderful rain, a good soaking rain. Now that we really needed. Yesterday, the temp was almost 80. Today however, it's 45. So ready for Spring to truly be here.

This morning, there was a new little being at Hawk's Acres. Her picture is on top. She "talks" a lot but so far, has kept her distance. I just wonder if she followed LIttle Man home last night. He isn't over joyed at her presence but is tolerating her. It's like he doesn't know what to do with her, lol. Of course, Miss Kitty's nose is out-of-joint again. But, she will get over that in time. Haven't decided on a name for the new wee one yet.

The second picture is of Ace, the neglected horse from Ks. He is a good boy most of the time. We have been able to cut him back on the amount of Thrive he eats. He still gets a good amount of chopped hay though and will until the grass is really green. I'm thinking about getting a small wood chipper to chop my own hay next winter. It would be less costly and we wouldn't have to lug those bags of already chopped hay home. They are kinda pricey. We will see what happens with that idea.

All the other critters are doing well. Dogs getting fat due to not being outside much.

Well, that's it for now. Hugs from Hawk's Acres.

Water...

2011-01-18T04:43:00.000-06:00

Water. Every living thing needs it. Daily.

In Nevada, there is a new committe of "wild horse experts". They are to oversee the feral horses in the state. All are "welfare ranchers". These men get to graze their cattle on federal lands for a very small fee per cow/calf pair. One man is a former mustanger, the others are wildlife hunters.....bobcats, coyotes etc. The chairman, Mr. Stremler is a mountain lion bounty hunter. He gets $1800 per cat. WTH!!! These are "experts"? I think not. They feel wild horses have no legal right to the water in the state. They want to remove the wild horses and burros for "illegally" drinking Nevada's water. Another bogus group just trying to kill off the wild horses so they can make more money. Round up all the wild horses and just give them to the scum killbuyers to send to Canada or Mexico for slaughter.

They also want "2-horse ranches". Now, this is plainly just stupid. If I own land, no one is going to tell me how many horses/burros I can have. As long as I feed them well and make sure they have enough water. They also want only 1000 wild horses in the whole state.

Give me a break. I guess some people never have enough of anything and always want more. No matter what they have to do to get it.

The big wigs in Washington are lucky I'm not the richest woman in the country. I would be digging up all the "dirt" I could on all of them and I would use it to stop horse slaughter and the round ups of all the wild ones. Blackmail you say? Sure is.

And, don't forget the young state senator in Nebraska who wants to build a slaughter house there for horses. He's a buddy of Slaughterhouse Sue. The whole slaughterhouse gang is making me sick.

I hope I'm dead long before the last wild horse.

FIRST SNOW

2011-01-10T10:33:00.000-06:00

Well, we got our first snowfall last night. Not a big deal as you can see. But, it was enought that hubby decided to burn brush piles. So, he drives down to the front of our property in his truck. He can sit in the truck and watch the fire. He stays warm and keeps a close eye on the fire. Now, anything that is different immediately gets attention from Sonny and Hawk as you can see.

Now, the donkeys were too excited about the fire. They were more insterested in the hay. We also kept Tessa, Sandy and Ace in the barn last night. Today, they are out in the pens munching on nice hay.

Ace is on the west side of the barn. We have doors on that side to shut when the north winds blow and they were closed last night. It was really nice in there with the doors shut. I don't like to keep them in the barn unless the weather is going to be bad. Fire scares we so very much. Charlie Daniels' barn burned yesterday. I have read that 11 horses and a bull were lost. This is heartbreaking. Thinking of animals dieing in a fire. Tonight, the temps are forcasted to be very cold with wind chills below zero. So, once again the doors will be shut and the 3 old ones will be inside. I think they enjoy being spoiled, lol.

RIP Munition.

2010-12-18T14:35:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Munition was an OTTB. That stands for off-track TB, a race horse that wasn't very good at running races. His trainer cared about him and worked at finding him a good home. The trainer placed Munition with a woman whom he thought was a good match, even made her ride him at the trainer's for a month before taking him. A few days after getting the horse, she learns she can't afford him and either gave/sold the horse to a kill buyer. Whether she knew this man was scum remains to be proven. Anyway, 22 days after this took place, she asked for help finding the horse. Many people tried to find Munition, including the former trainer who was understandably upset at what happened. A $2000 reward was offered. Guess where Munition is now......floating around in some sewer, or what is left of him. Yep, he was slaughtered. Now, there are EU regulations on what meds slaughter horses can have in their system and Munition had those that were not allowed. Someone lied on Munition's paperwork. So who ate poison horsemeat???? I hope they die a horrible death like Munition probably did. As for the witch who sold/gave him away, I hope he haunts her the rest of her life. I hope she never, ever has a good night's sleep again.

Rest In Peace Munition

The Little Donkey Who Can't/Won't Bray

2010-12-02T15:03:00.000-06:00

This is my sweet, little donkey boy. He is adopted and I love him to pieces. He likes being held and loved on. He can raise his little brown nose for kisses. He is 1 1/2 years old. He squeaks, snorts, says hee hee heeeee, haaaaa haaaaa haaaaaa and the other evening he giggled! He makes all kinds of sounds but never really brays. I never know what is going to come out of that cute, little body. He likes to take my sleeve in his mouth and tug on my arm for attention. He also likes to drag things around. We never know where the feed pan is going to end up. We need to nail it down but I don't think that would help. He would figure out a way to drag it off. We find chunks of trees that he has brought up to the house. He will carry off the buckets if he gets a chance. He just never brays. But he sure is loved.

View from the porch

2010-11-19T09:40:00.000-06:00

Wow, didn't realize that it has been a whole month since I've posted anything. Time is flying by that's for sure. Gary had some biopsies done and they were negative, yippee!

Ace continues to do well. He's almost at 1000 lbs now. We are now officially feeding hay. Three bales at a time so far. Gary put up some hay racks in the barn for when Tessa, Sandy and Ace have to have access to it. Using 10 ft panels to make 10 x 10 pens instead of building stalls was a good thing to do here. The other horses have a big run in but for some reason, don't like to share with the 3 older ones so they get the barn. Of course Pokey and Lil Bit have their own pasture with a run in so they have shelter too. Makes a lot more work for us when we have to clean the barn before feeding but that's ok, work is good for the soul. These cooler mornings really get the horses to running and playing. Especially Star. She is the youngest at 4 and really can put on a show. Of course, I never have the camera ready.

We did get to ride a couple of times this Fall. First time in 3 years. Boy it was so much fun. Hawk and Sonny did so well, one would never have believed it had been 3 years since they had a saddle on their backs.

We are ready for the really cold stuff from Mother Nature. All the hay is here and the heaters are in the water tanks. The horses are growing their furry coats.

This is going to be a hard winter for horses though. Many don't have adequate food or shelter. It breaks my heart that I can't help/save every one of them. Please be watchful and if you see a horse in need, please, please try to help it.

Remember to be thankful for all your blessings.

Good and Bad news

2010-10-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

This is Ace. A survivor of the Winding Roads fiasco. First pic is in July, seond is a week ago. He's doing well thank you.

Next, I want you to read the following at Horse and Man. Don't just sit there, do something. This POS should not get away with this with nothing but a slap on the wrist.

http://horseandman.com/

Finally, not to leave a bad taste in your mouth after the last link, go here. There are men with a heart of gold.....

http://www.necn.com/10/15/10/Kan-man-determined-to-raise-funds-for-bl/landing_health.html?&blockID=3&apID=f61bca34663242a0872edc15ecb3eea3

The BLM reportedly shot a mare that was blind in one eye while Levi survived being almost totally blind. Shows how stupid the BLM is now doesn't it.

Have a great weekend everyone and remember.....love your horses, they know if you do or not. They have feelings too.

Smart Little Donkeys

2010-10-04T08:54:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we had planned to leave early to go up to Rainbow Meadows to pick up some more Thrive for the older horses that live here. Well, you know the saying....the best laid plans..... We have divided the 6 donkeys into 2 herds which works better and keeps all of them from fighting. We have the bigger ones in the north pasture and the smaller ones in the south pasture. Cruiser, Belle and BJ are in the north pasture. At feeding time yesterday morning, these 3 were AWOL. This is very strange as they are always at the barn when it's time to eat. Gary took off on foot with a bucket that had a small amount of grain in it. I got the rest of the equines fed and out of the barn, water tanks filled etc. All done. Where is Gary with the 3 donkeys???????? I'm getting a little worried so I take off on foot up north. I meet Gary (without the donks or feed bucket) at the shop. He's getting the truck???? The donks were on the wrong side of the fence. Crap!!!! So much for leaving early. We take fencing materials in the truck with us and head north. We meet Cruiser about half way. He was heading to the house. When we get to the fence, there is Belle on our side of the fence, running back and forth. Little BJ was still on the wrong side! We had to cut the fence and let BJ come through. OK, fix the hole we made and start looking for the one that they got out of. Finally found it and the 3 top strands of barbed wire were broken. Now, before anyone screams over the words barbed wire, remember we live in Oklahoma. Perimeter fence is barbed wire. There are cows on the other side and that's the only thing that will keep cows out. We figured that several deer got spooked and just ran through the fence, yes they will do that. The north fence is very old and we will have to replace it soon. My point to all this is...I think Cruiser was coming to the house for help. What makes me think this???? Gary left the feed bucket by the fence where we let BJ through. The feed wasn't touched. Getting BJ back in safely was more important to Cruiser than eating. Now, if my tame donkeys are so attached to each other, how do the wild burros and donkeys feel when the BLM rounds them up and only lets one go free. What in the hell is up with that!!!! ONE??? The BLM is just plain stupid and money hungry in my book. The equines they have control over don't mean a damn thing to them. Anyway, all donks are back where they belong and are safe. No harm done except to the fence and that can be fixed pretty darn easy. BJ is the grey and white donkey in the photo above.

American Horsemeat

2010-09-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

Check out the new link to the right. NO, I'm not supporting horse slaughter, just the opposite! But the new link is good reading. Tells just what the horse-eaters are consuming. Pay attention Slaughterhouse Sue..... Companys who intentionally make people sick with their food end up paying through the nose big time!!!

9-11-2001

2010-09-11T13:33:00.006-05:00

http://our.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/sirius.html

Sirius. Port Authority bomb dog, lost on 9-11-2001. RIP all souls lost that day. For a very long time, I had a picture of Osama Bin Ladin on the fridge with crosshairs on it. Everyday, I would walk by it and "shoot" him. One day, he will answer to God for his deeds.

Help is Needed

2010-09-03T12:11:00.002-05:00

Desperate help is needed to place 45 horses in Kansas. No fees, well maybe Coggins, I'm not sure. These horses were seized from Winding Roads Rescue. Several horses were put down due to their condition after the seizure by Kansas State vets. Coffee County Kansas did the seizure. After 30 days, some are still just a 1 on Henneke scale. There is less than 20 days remaining to place these horses or they will be sent to auction. I can see the killbuyers drooling now. There is a mare and 4 month old foal. Longhopes took the donkeys, God bless'em. A mini rescue took the minis, again, God bless'em. Contact Karen Everhart at horsecalls@gmail.com if you can help. There is a placement form to fill out and a site visit and vet/farrier references will be checked. Please if anyone can help, do so. I hate the idea of any of these innocent souls going to auction after a rescue failed them. I cannot believe someone I once considered a friend would do something like this. May she rot in hell for it. She will answer to her Maker one day. How she can sleep at night is beyond me. Starving the horses in her care after posting on Facebook about going out to eat. Despicable!!! I don't even know if the ones pictured are still alive!

ALIENS

2010-08-06T09:23:00.000-05:00

Sue Wallis, rep WY. Sue Cattor, helicopter contractor. Mrs Cattor wants to round up the mustangs and stampede them into pens. Sue Wallis wants to eat them.

OMG, where are the aliens when you need them.

GOODBYE SWEETHEART

2010-08-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

The above photo is of Sweetheart the day we picked her up at a rescue. She was saved from going to slaughter by an online group and we adopted her on January 31st, 2009. Today, August 5, 2010, we laid her to rest. I feel she had a stroke yesterday and it progressed further during the night and this morning. The vet came out about 9:30 and she crossed over easily and peacefully. I talked to her before he got here and told her how much she was loved. I finally sat on her back. I had always planned on a short, bareback ride as she had such a smooth gait (she was TWH) but never did it. She will be buried here on the ranch with a bale of hay, a letter telling her how much she was loved and her picture. Goodbye Sweetheart. You were one in a million. I love you. See you on the other side.

WILD HORSES

2010-07-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

OK BLM, JUST WHERE ARE THESE HORSES!!!!!

Contacts:
John Holland
540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

How do you make 2000 horses disappear? Let BLM manage them.

CHICAGO, (EWA) - As controversy swirls over the aggressive removal of horses from the range by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a more fundamental question has arisen over what is happening to the horses it already has in holding. Over the past several years, equine advocates have been scrutinizing the BLM's horse population counts. Once again, the numbers don't add up to their claims.

The BLM doesn't make it easy to track horses being removed from the range or residing in short and long term holding. The taxpayers who pay for the removals and the subsequent care are not allowed to view the horses under the well worn excuse that they are being held on "private property". Consequently, there are no checks and balances to verify information being reported.

It also raises a salient question. With 262 million mostly vacant acres under its control, why on earth is a federal agency such as the BLM wasting taxpayer's money to lease private property?

Increasingly, the BLM is using the "private property" wild card whenever they don't want the public to see what they are doing - whether it's the actual removals or subsequent holding. A recent article by George Knapp, They execute horses, don't they?, spoke to this devious maneuver.

Somewhere on "private property" there are 2,282 horses missing from the BLM's wild horse holding facilities or the numbers the BLM is reporting are not accurate.

As of July 9, 2010, BLM has removed 5,334 horses from public lands and yet, an increase of only 625 horses is reflected on their most recent population facility chart for fiscal-year (FY) 2010.

A first grade child could do the math by taking the number of horses reported on holding facility charts, adding the number of horses rounded-up and subtracting the number reported as adopted and sold and quickly discover the totals are not accurate.

-33,166 horses in holding (starting point for FY 2010 from October 2009 BLM report)

-5,334 horses removed through July 9 (prior to the Tuscarora round-up)

-2,427 adopted, sold & deaths during removals (Although the BLM reported only 2 deaths, we have added a total 170 deaths to compensate for the deaths known to have occurred during the Calico removals)

The BLM numbers don't even reflect the 300 - 500 adopted horses BLM claims are returned by adopters each year, or the number of foals born in captivity. According to the 2008 GAO BLM report, 303 foals were born in long term holding during FY 2007. In either case, adding those numbers to the counts only increases the number of missing horses.

After allowing for the deaths, the BLM should still have 36,073 horses in holding facilities but they are reporting only 33,791 on the June 2010 holding facility chart. "Where are the 2,282 horses that are missing from BLM's accounting of the horses in holding facilities?" asked EWA vice president, Valerie James-Patton.

The GAO report states that BLM is not required to report the number of deaths in long term holding facilities, but if 2,282 horses have died there in just a nine month period, there's a much larger problem taking place in BLM's wild horse facilities than just what paper work reveals, certainly much more than what BLM is willing to tell.

"How can we have any confidence in BLM's estimates of the wild horse population when they can't even count the number of horses in their pens?" asked EWA's president, John Holland.

##

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 115 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Hot, hot, hot

2010-07-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

Looking at this picture makes me feel good. I love the mountains. So majestic. And cool looking, temperature wise. I can't see any mountains here but I know they are out there to the west.

The horses and donks are handling the heat very well. Graze in the cool of the mornings and at night. Afternoons are spent in the run-in by the water tank. Of course, then I get to clean the run-ins. But I have purchased a little dump trailer for my big lawn mower so cleaning up the poop is easier. I haul the poop out to a bare spot in the pasture and spread it out there. Far from the barn and house. The sun dries it out and soon there will be stuff growing there. I also use the trailer for hauling around my weed-eater and nippers. I like our gate area to be neat and tidy. I move water tanks around with it too. One of the best purchases I have made. Have a nice weekend everyone, stay cool and don't forget to fill the water tank, animals and humans.

OLD HORSES

2010-07-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

http://horseandman.com/the-drop-in-the-bucket-fund/

Worthly cause. Please help. This rescue takes in old horses and gives them sanctuary. You don't have to donate much, a couple of bucks. Makes you feel good. I love our older horses. They're so calm and expressive. They maybe past their prime but they need love and care too.

Things progressing towards Gary starting his cancer treatments very soon. Sure to be a trying time for us but we will get through it.

Bye Bye little tractor

2010-07-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Gary sold his little MF tractor. We hardly ever used it and it was just taking up room. When the buyer came to get it, he was in a semi pulling a large, flat-bed trailer. Now getting in here with a semi is no small feat! As he came up the drive, BJ (donkey on the left of the group of 3) who is a year old, planted herself in the drive facing the truck. The driver had to come to a complete stop and toot his air horn at her. She jumped about 6 inches straight up! LOL. She likes to chase cars down the drive too. Wonder what she would do if she ever caught one....lol. Have a great weekend.

Slaughter Sue continues to spew BS

2010-07-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

OMG she's at it again, not that she ever stopped......

http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/horse-eaters-continue-to-spread-rumors-and-lies/

Maybe the earth will open up and just swallow this broad. But then the earth would be poisoned even more than it is already.

http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12769788

Hot Summer Days

2010-06-30T14:06:00.000-05:00

Last day of June. Temps not too bad. Heard from radiologist today. The PET scan showed the cancer has not spread and is curable. Such good news! Chemo is for sure. Radiation or surgery still up for discussion.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

Hidden Killer

2010-06-27T08:55:00.001-05:00

This is a close up of a killer!!

This is esophageal cancer. This is in my husband's esophagus. He had removal of the voice box 17 years ago for a cancer on one of his vocal cords. He has been fighting this stuff since. He has had laser surgery with skin grafts and last January, had major surgery to replace the top portion of his esophagus with a skin flap from his arm, then a skin graft to arm to cover the area where the skin flap was taken. Took forever for him to completely heal. We thought we were home free! Yea, no more cancer. WRONG!! A bout of mild chest pain put him in the hospital for tests. An EGD was done and this was found. Now, more major, major surgery is an option but that would involve taking a portion of the small bowel and putting it in his chest. Big time surgery! OR, he can do the radiation/chemo route. This was what he choose. Should start all this week after next. This is scary people. This could kill him! The cancer can eat through the esophagus to the major vessels behind it. Namely the vena cava and aorta. He would then bleed to death. The Dr said this was a very messy death. Ewww. Don't want to even think about that. To say I'm scared would be an understatement. Prayers would be appreciated by anyone. Whatever supreme being you believe in, ask for hubby to be spared. I'm not ready to give him up.

Rainy Monday

2010-06-14T10:14:00.000-05:00

Here it is June the 14th and the temperature is in the 60's. Wow. I love it. We have had quite a bit of rain this morning. Some areas of Oklahoma are flooding. Speaking of flooding, much sympathy to those who lost loved ones in Arkansas. One never knows when one's time is up so live each day as if it were your last.

These are pictures I took of Rose a couple of days ago. She was a little ways away from the rest of the herd. Just peacefully grazing alone. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Sweetheart is doing well. Back up to full rations and seems to feel good. Cruiser is coming along in learning to trust. Talking to a donkey is so much fun. They really listen and you can see their eyes watching you. Trying to understand what is being said.

Things are pretty quiet here and that's the way I like it. Well, except for the thunder this morning. I love listening to a storm.

If anyone reading this can help with this fund raiser, it would be so appreciated.

http://horseandman.com/the-drop-in-the-bucket-fund/

The funds will be sent to a wonderful lady who is raising orphaned foals from the Calico herd that the @#$^&%**@#$$# BLM rounded up. A couple of foals died before anything was done by the BLM to save these helpless little ones. Last count there were 5 babies that were being raised by this lady. It's only $5 per donation. Not much but a little adds up to a lot if several people help. Oh, and read Horse and Man daily. It's a fun blog.

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week everyone.

End of May

2010-05-26T07:59:00.001-05:00

This is Sweetheart. She is recovering from enteritis. Which is inflammation of the small bowel. A lot of horses do not make it with this. She was lucky.....so far. After 8 days in an equine hospital, she is home. She had loads of antibiotics and other medications. We were continuing her treatment at home for another 5 days.Until the morning, she just flat said to us she was tired of being penned up, tired of being a pincushion, and having things shoved down her throat. If you listen with your heart and not your ears, you can tell what a horse wants. And she wanted to be a normal horse again. So we gave in to her desires and turned her loose. She seems to be doing pretty well. She is out to pasture with Tessa and Sandy. She is 20+ years old, we are not sure of her exact age. She is a throw-a-way horse. Saved off the feedlot. So, we are making her last days with us as happy as possible. Her name truly fits her. So easy to work with.

Now, this is Cruiser. One morning a few weeks ago, we didn't see the donks at breakfast time. He was the reason. He had gotten into the pasture because Belle was in season. New baby next year????? Maybe, hope not. He is now a gelding and is trying to fit in with the rest of the donkey herd. However, Dunkey is not too happy with that. But things will work out and he will settle down and be one of the herd. It just takes time. They sure do make a lot of noise when they get started braying. Wakes you right up, lol.

Have a wonderful, safe Memorial Day weekend and don't forget why we have that holiday. God Bless America. And, Freedom Is Not Free!

First Memories

2010-05-08T06:54:00.001-05:00

What are the first childhood memories you can remember? Mine are playing in a sandbox when I was about 6 or so. Living on a 60 acre farm with my family. Dad, mom, me and little sister. We were dirt poor but happy. Dad worked hard to earn a living for us on that small farm. We had cows, pigs and chickens. Hated the chickens. Wasn't too crazy about the pigs. But loved the cows. But I wasn't playing with little plastic cows in that sandbox. Nope. I was playing with little plastic horses. The kind one could get at the dime-store for a few cents. My earliest memories are of wanting a horse so bad I could almost taste it. But knowing we couldn't afford one. Fast forward several years to when I was living in SW Missouri. Raising a family. Hubby and I went to a few local horse sales. I was in my twenties but had absolutely no idea that a lot of those beautiful horses at the sale would die in a slaughter house. We lived on a small place in the country, it wasn't ours but I had a couple of horses to ride. Then came divorce, having to sell my precious horses. Fast forward several more years. Another marriage and our own land in the country. Able to retire from my job and be at home. Loved watching the Kentucky Derby. Who was this horse, Barbaro? Wow could he run! Saw the Preakness! While searching the Internet for news of him and praying somehow he could be saved, found an Internet forum. Followed along with Barbaro's story. This inspired me to buy a couple of horses and the rest is history. Now here we are in Oklahoma on 42 acres. We don't have to depend on the land to earn a living for us and we can give a life-time home to rescued horses and donkeys. I was happy when the slaughter houses in the US were closed. But too many of our horses are still going across the borders and dying horrible deaths. I keep trying along with many others to pass the laws to stop this. The good people in Canada are trying too. Someday, we will win. All I know is the horses in the above picture are safe with us. Never will they ride in the horrible truck to their deaths.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE SUE

2010-05-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

This woman (and that is an insult to the rest of us females!) is getting on my nerves! She is a state rep for Wyoming. She is insistent on having a horse slaughter house in her state. Wants to feed the meat to prisoners and children. WTF! I really think that she has gone around the bend or maybe she is on some of that left-over LSD from the 60's. She states that there are as many horse meat meals served as McDonald's hamburgers! Now lets get real here. She is an idiot. She say Dr. Temple Grandin is going to design a nice, humane way to kill horses. I don't like Ms Grandin much either. Why is it one can never see her name without the word autism???? I think she uses her disability to make money. I think it is a slam to all mothers who have autistic children. Autism is a terrible thing. But Ms Grandin brandies it about like it's the most wonderful thing in the world. I have read that Ms Grandin says animals talk to her by putting picture words in her head. Okay...... Like I believe that. But, I digress, back to ole Sue. Missouri and Tennessee threw out their bills on horse slaughter for this session. Are we getting scared Sue???? Think someone might believe that the damage to nature from horse slaughter plants or the cancer-causing drugs horses get might have finally sunk in to people. Finally! someone is getting the truth out. The USDA will not pay for inspectors at the plants. Sue thinks the states should pay them. Now most states are in trouble with their budgets. Sure, let's fire teachers, policemen and firefighters so we can pay for inspectors at the plants. Stupid, stupid. Maybe Sue is slipping into middle-age and is having a crisis.

Just for fun, Google slaughterhouse sue and see what comes up!

All my horses have had Bute at some point so they are not eligible for slaughter. So there, take that Sue!

Spa day for Rose

2010-04-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

Well looks like Rose has rolled in the red mud again. She loves to do this, especially in the Spring. When we brought her here two years ago, she was a flea-bitten grey. If the light was just right, one could see her blaze but most of the time, it didn't show up. She gets brushed and curried and when it rains during warm weather, she loves to stand out in it so the mud washes off. Except, her mane and tail have taken on a flame red color. Guess I could shampoo them and get the red out but I really kind of like her look. Besides, isn't a mud pack good for the skin????? She is the sweetest old girl. She can walk up behind you so quietly. Then all of a sudden, you have a horse chin resting lightly on your shoulder. She is another one saved from slaughter three years ago. She is our grand dame for sure. Love ya Rosie!

Freedom of Speech????

2010-04-12T20:54:00.002-05:00

An undercover series of videos taken in a couple of the Canadian horse slaughter plants was released by the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition. These videos were available on YouTube. Not now. Seems they have been pulled. Wonder who put pressue on YouTube to do this????? Could it be someone from Missouri. The state that wants so bad to bring slaughter to the beautiful countryside in the southern part. Horse blood flowing down those rivers that are so nice for a canoe trip?????

The videos were graphic but showed the horror of horse slaughter. In one, horses were shot with a .22 caliber rifle. There is a humane way to do this but this method was not being used. The horses were wounded many times before being released out of the kill box to be hung by one leg and their throat's slit. One horse was definitely not dead as she kicked the poop out of the throat-sliter. IMO, it's too bad she didn't kick his head off. There was an inspector wandering in and out of the kill room but said nothing about the treatment of the horses. So much for humane euthanaisa.

Now what has happened to our freedoms here in the good ole U.S.A.? Seems as though our rights are being violated by this removal. I watched them and was so very mad, I wanted to take the man out back and teach him a lesson.

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html

Warning, they are very graphic but one needs to watch to learn what our horses are going through.

Angry as hell in Oklahoma.

Vet Trip

2010-03-31T07:45:00.001-05:00

We took Tessa to the vet yesterday for x-rays of her front fetlocks/hooves. She had been limping on the right front last week with her boots on. She is chronically lame on the left and this was a new development. I was very worried about arthritis and her being in constant pain. The x-rays were negative for arthritis thank goodness. We do have the copies here at home and I emailed them to our farrier. He now has a new plan on trimming her feet that may make a difference in her left foot. She stopped limping on the right after a few days of Bute. You know Bute, one of the banned meds from the EU slaughter rules that take effect in July. No horse who has EVER had Bute is to be slaughtered for human consumption. Of course that is a joke. Who is going to enforce these rules at the border? No one probably. Bute is known to cause cancer in humans.

Anyway, back to Tessa. I was afraid she had come to the end of her road but since there is no arthritis, this is not the case. Thank goodness!!! Tessa has quite the Tessa-tude thank you. She was ready to go home after the x-rays were taken. In fact, she tried to get out the door to the x-ray room, lol. She is a strong willed girl but does not give us a fight. She just lets us know her opinion on things. She was so glad to get back home where she is pampered. Her buddy Sandy was glad to have her back home too.

The winds are blowing strongly from the south and it's warming up. Storms on the way this weekend though. Toronado season is upon us. Yippee!

Mother Nature's Joke

2010-03-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

Well, Mother Nature played a really bad joke on us this last Saturday. On Friday, it was 70 degrees and sunny. A really wonderful day. I bought shrubs at Lowe's for the front yard. Then things changed! All day Saturday it snowed and blowed. The high was in the low 30's. So much for planting shrubs!! We ended up with about 6 inches or so. Of course, the drifts were more than 12 inches deep. Sunday was a good day, sunny but windy. Since the ground had warmed up before the blizzard, the snow melted pretty fast. Today (Monday), it is supposed to hit 60 degrees with 70 tomorrow. Good-bye snow. Maybe I will get those shrubs in the ground this week. Gary returns to the dr on Wednesday to get the final stitches out of his neck. Hopefully, this time things will hold and he can soon be rid of the feeding tube. I hope for his sake that happens soon as he has lost about 25 pounds over this ordeal. He is doing well otherwise. All the horses are doing well too. Tessa and Sandy spent some time in the east pen with access to the barn alleyway since they are the ones who seem to get left out of the run in. They are both out today and moving around well. Tessa has her boots on as she just cannot walk without pain barefoot. Those boots have been a real life-saver for her, literally. The farrier has tried everything he knows and those boots were the last resort. I'm so glad they are working for her. I would hate to say good-bye just yet. Happy Spring everyone.

2010-02-18T09:14:00.001-06:00

Isn't she the cutest little thing you've ever seen. This is Haley's baby. Born at Beauty's Haven Rescue in Florida.

Pictures by Beauty's Haven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbe7YR1St3k

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!

2010-02-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

Well, here comes the 3rd snowfall of this winter. This time, it's big, fluffy flakes. Although I would have perfered sunshine and warm temps, this is pretty. It is supposed to quit this evening. Hmmmm, wonder how many inches we will have before then. Farrier coming this morning to finish doing the equines. Saturday we did 8 horses and 2 donkeys. Today, it's just one horse and 3 donkeys. I will be glad when the sun comes out and dries up the mud. I know mud is part of winter and if you have mud, the temps are mild. So guess it's a trade-off. Although I am very tired of slogging through the mud, it's better than having to put on the heavy, insulated clothes. Soon Spring will be here and things will start to get green. I'm so looking forward to that. All the equines are going well, Tessa still lame on the left front but when the mud dries, we will put her booties back on and that will help I hope.

Gary doing very well. Continuing to heal. He is trying to do some things that he used to and has found out he is a bit weak. No surprise there!! But he too will get better. Thanks for all the prayers. Much love from Hawk's Acres.

2010-01-30T14:59:00.000-06:00

www.windingroadequinerescue.blogspot.com/

Here is the correct link to the blog that tells about horses in need.

Thanks

Update

2010-01-30T14:49:00.000-06:00

Gary out of ICU and doing well. I haven't been down to see him because of a big ice/snow storm we had Thursday. Makes my job harder but am muddling through.

Now for some not so good news.

3 camp horses waiting on a Ks KB lot for the long, cold trip to death.

Any help is appreciated. $650 needed to bail all 3. They have until Tuesday, February 2. Not long to live is it. They don't know it but they soon will unless help arrives soon.

Check out
Winding Road Equine Rescue blog spot. See link on the left.

2010-01-20T10:03:00.000-06:00

Well, guess it's time I updated this silly blog. The 28th of December, Gary had a dilatation of the esophagus with biopies. The cancer has come back in the esophagus. The plans are to do a resection of the esophagus and replace the section removed with a portion of his lower, inside forearm. They will take skin, veins and small arteries from his arm and rebuild the esophagus. This will be a very long surgery 6-8 hours at least and involve micro-surgery to attach the veins/arteries/skin to the esophagus. They will then stretch the remaining vessels in his arm and reattach them. A skin graft from his thigh will be placed over the wound in the arm. He will be in the hospital for 8-14 days. This all will happen next Monday (25th). Lots of prayers are going up for Gary to get well soon.

He has been working hard to get things done around here. The yard fence is done now. We have extra small bales of hay and will stock up on feed for the horses/donks/goats/cats/dogs this week.

As the time of surgery draws near, our dread and anxiety is increasing. I'm not looking forward to the long sit in the hospital waiting for word from the doctors. He is not looking forward to the long healing time. By the time he is well enough to be outside, it will almost be Spring. At least the deck is done now and he may be able to sit out there and look at the horses and donkeys. He loves them so.

I'll try to keep this updated a little better once the surgery is over.

WILL THE STUPIDITY EVER END AT THE BLM?

2010-01-08T16:59:00.000-06:00

http://www.idablog.org/featured/update-on-orphaned-foal/

I so mad I could spit!!! The round ups need to stop and stop NOW!!!!

2009-12-26T08:42:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived the blizzard of 2009. We actually got very little snow compared to south of us. It was must worse there. The gov. closed all the roads in the state for a couple of days. The north wind was gusting up to 63 mph. It was bitterly cold. We do have drifts that are quite deep, lol. Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all

2009-12-24T06:23:00.000-06:00

Here it is Christmas Eve 2009! Winter storm watch issued for us. From the maps, it looks like it could be bad. Gary put new bales out yesterday and we have plenty of gas for the generator. Now the generator is not big enough to run the house but it will run the water pump. This is good. At least the horses will not run out of water and we can use the potty! That's a good thing, lol. The wind is howling out of the north and it is 35 degrees. Brrrrrrr. Blizzard on the plains. No new picture today. If we get snow, I will be sure and take pictures of it. Have never really seen a blizzard so that will be a new thing. Glad we spent time building run-ins and the donkey house. At least all the critters can get inside out of the wind. All the horses have been eating hay like crazy. I think they knew something was up. Putting on an extra layer of fat for the storm. I'm glad we are not traveling today, we could get stranded somewhere!! Everyone be careful and have a wonderful Christmas season. Remember, this is Jesus's birthday, not just a holiday. God Bless us every one.

How things looked in 2008

2009-12-15T13:11:00.000-06:00

This time of year, we tend to look back and try to find things we have accomplished. The bottom 2 pictures were taken the day after we closed on the ranch, March 13, 2008. The top 2, I took this morning. The barn was divided in half by a full floor-to-ceiling wall. The west half of the barn was knee deep in human trash. Not in bags mind you, just thrown in there. The shop was the same way. We went through dozens of industrial trash bags cleaning it up, using a scoop shovel but mostly just picking it up piece by piece. Don't think I have ever been so glad to get a job done. It was nasty. But now, we look at our little piece of red dirt and smile. We have done a lot in the last year. Built 3 run-ins, round pen, deck, and lots of fence. The only fence left to do is the one around the house to make a real yard. Weather permitting, we will work some more on that this week. We have accquired 5 more rescue horses and the 5 rescue donkeys. Another cat and another dog. I think that is a lot for a little over a year and we can be proud of ourselves.

2009-12-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

This is Star peeking through the rails on the new deck. It's finished, now we are waiting for the fencing wire to come in. As well as the gates. It's been too cold to work on building the fence for the yard anyway. Yesterday morning it was 15 degrees here, brrr. Nothing like warming your cold face on a fuzzy, warm horse's neck. The farrier came yesterday and we trimmed the 3 adult donkeys. They stood still while their hooves were trimmed with the grinder, wow. Huge improvement over last time. Donkeys are so very smart. They learn very quickly. The baby BJ also got hers touched up. She on the other hand, has yet to learn this process is not painful, lol. The new cat, Little Man has taken up residence in Pokey and Sweetheart's hay bale. He likes being outside and "talks" to us while we are in Pokey and Sweetheart's run-in during feeding. Pokey and Sweetheart got their feet done last week. Pokey stood very nicely too. Blind horses just take a little time and effort to get them to do things without being scared. Pokey knows our voices and trusts us completely. All is well at Hawk's Acres.

2009-11-30T07:06:00.000-06:00

You gotta check out this youtube video. Hubby's stepson makes this cedar stuff. It's beautiful!

Gasconade Cedar Co

Maggie

2009-11-22T17:31:00.000-06:00

Update on Dolly. 14 days and 69 pounds later......

Amazing!

2009-11-20T08:37:00.000-06:00

www.horsebackmagazine.com Am I reading this story correctly??? The HSUS provides the contraceptive medication to the BLM? WTH? The BLM has admitted in the past that it plans to eradicate the wild horses.

Our country is going to hell in a hand basket.

Mark my words, one day we will be a 3rd world country. Our people are without jobs, some are hungry.

Right in Oklahoma City, a doctor stabbed his 9 year old son to death. Dear God help us.........

All the while Wal Mart continues to add more and more junk from China. I am getting pissed off for sure. China owns the United States and I think it stinks! The very computer I'm using is probably made in that country. WHY? The US is going down the drain and China is getting richer.

I had hoped I would be dead before the end of our world but I fear that is not to be. I really don't want to see it happen.

I'm going to buy more ammo. I think we will need it.

2009-11-18T09:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it's past the middle of November. We had some nice rain over the weekend. New guttering did it's job, yea! This morning, we kept BJ and Roger separate after they had eaten. It's weaning time. BJ is 7 months old and Roger is probably a little older. They are eating well on their own and drinking nicely so they don't need their mommas any longer for food. We will see how it goes and hopefully they will stay where we put them which is on the west side of the barn. Tessa and Sandy are in with them for company. The heaters are in the water tanks and the winter hay is on hand so we are set for the long, cold, winter to come. Seems like winter takes longer to leave then summer does. Gary is in the process of adding our new deck to the front of the house. It will have a roof on it for shade and shelter from the rain/snow/ice. I'm looking forward to sitting out there and enjoying our little bit of red earth. And giving thanks for my dream coming true. Oh yes, Dolly continues to "Thrive". That feed is the best thing ever. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Dolly 11-11-09

2009-11-12T06:46:00.000-06:00

Well, hello Dolly! Feeling well enough to trot away and be hard to catch. How wonderful is that? Just shows what dedication and good care can do for a horse. From having to be lifted to her feet by a tractor because she didn't have enough strength to get up on her own to being able to trot. There really are angels on this earth. Go Dolly Go!

DOLLY TODAY

2009-11-05T20:40:00.000-06:00

This is Dolly today. She has started on her new feed "Thrive". Made from all natural stuff to help her absorb the goodies she needs to get healthy again. Ear are up and eyes are bright. She is so thin, one can see her hip bones on either side of her head. She is trying! Hang in there Dolly, you are loved by many.

2009-11-03T02:58:00.000-06:00

Why? Why? Why? Are people mean, creul, stupid? This is Dolly. Starving in a field in MO, owners wouldn't sell her until she went down and was dying. Thank God for 2 caring people who bought her, rented a trailer and hauled her to Rainbow Meadows Rescue in Sedan, Ks. She is named Dolly. She's trying her best to live. It's going to cost hundreds of dollars to get her healthy again. After the bill of sale was signed, I would have beaten the hell out of those people. Poor horse doesn't even have the strength yet to get herself up. She has to be lifted with a tractor, very carefully. I have met Karen and husband David at Rainbow Meadows and they are very knowledgeble about horses. I'm helping as much as I can by donating to them for Dolly's care. It's going to be a long haul for Dolly, Karen and David too. God bless'em.

rainbowmeadows.com is their website. Please visit and donate a few dollars if you can. They are a 501 c3 so your donation is tax deductable.

Praying for you Dolly. Hang in there girl.

2009-10-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Meet the newest resident of Hawk's Acres. His name is Little Man. He is a Texas cat. He was taken in by a FOB in Texas and she was kind enough to get his shots and have him neutered before bring him to us. He was a fraidy cat at first but has come around and is having a good time being an Oklahoma barn kitty. Miss Kitty has yet to make frinds with him but I'm sure in time it will happen. He is so very sweet and loves to be held. He will talk all day in his Texas drawl. His favorite words are meow-haha. I'm serious, that's what it sounds like. Fall is definitely here. We have had lots of rain and now some sunshine for the past couple of days with the temps in the lower 70's during the day and 40's at night. The horses and donkeys are starting to grow their winter coats in readiness for what is coming soon. Brrrrrr.

2009-10-10T07:28:00.000-05:00

http://grannyfannie.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/hello-world/#comment-2

Check out the above link. This granny is right on target.

If we don't act quickly, our wild horses will be gone forever. I hate zoos, even horse zoos. Wild animals should be left in their natural habitat. Mankind is destroying everything beautiful.

Photo credit given to the Cloud Foundation.

2009-09-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

The donk house is done. Gary did a fine job. It's so nice for them to have their own space to eat without another animal being able to steal their food. They were a little apprehensive at first when we shut the gates but this morning they were fine with it. They will like it even more when the north winds blow snow/sleet and they can be in their own little barn and stay dry and warm. Dunkey is the least happy as he can't steal food from the mommas and babies

but he will get over it. We used 3 sheets of translucent panels on the west so it isn't completely dark in there. Have a great weekend all and as Joe says "Be sure and hug your horses" or any critter that lives with you.

2009-09-23T18:55:00.000-05:00

I took several pictures today and I liked all of them so I made a collage with a little help from Picasa. Remember you can click on the picture to enlarge. It was a beautiful day with baby blue sky and puffy clouds. The donkeys were willing to have their pictures taken. The temps were in the upper 70's. Couldn't have asked for a better day. Farrier was here and trimmed hooves and even Buddy got his done. He always protests so loudly. One would think he was being murdered! Worked with Spice in the round pen, I think we made progress. What a wonderful day God gave me.

2009-09-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

As you can see, it's another cool and cloudy day. After feeding, I walked down into the gulch followed by Gary who was followed by Belle, then everyone else. Gary checked fences and I walked back up to stand on a little out-cropping to watch the rest still down in the gulch. Spice followed me up and stood beside me. She left the other horses to be with me, seems she can connect with me but I have trouble connecting with her. I want to work with her as she is supposedly broke to ride and looks like she has a great trot. I'm fighting my own fears of getting back on a horse and Hawk will be the first one I do it with. Spice is bossy with the other horses and donks. Maybe that has something to do with it. She has never offered to hurt me and I'm not afraid of her. But, for some reason, I'm not feeling close with her. Spice is the dark appy in the first photo. The big goof Sonny is the other one. Maybe I need to spend more time with her in the round pen, just her and me. To be continued................

2009-09-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

This is Tessa taking her first few steps in her Old Mac's. They help her left front lameness a lot. She is now a happy horse. She was licking and chewing like mad. She really doesn't want them off at night but we have to give her feet some air-time. Rain here the last 2 nights. Lower temps too and that is nice. Hope is slowly gaining weight. She is such a love. Roger keeps us laughing daily. I'm so glad we got the donkeys. They each have a different personality and I love each one greatly. Blogger is doing something different today. The picture is at the bottom, hmmmmmm. Oh well, change is good sometimes.

On a more serious note, the round up of the Pryor mustangs has halted. Please visit The Cloud Foundation website and donate if you can.

http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/

Update

2009-09-01T08:11:00.001-05:00

The internet. What can I say....before we had it, we didn't know anything about it. Now when the Hughes.net terminal goes down, we feel lost and out of touch. Out of the last 12 days, we have had service for 2. Grrrr But we are up and surfing now so hopefully it will stay that way. Last Thursday, Roger (new baby jack) was gelded. In the course of 4 days, he went from a sweet, loving little boy to a hellion with an attitude and temper. Boy am I glad that is over, LOL. He is doing well now. Still healing but time will take care of that. My sweet baby boy is back. He was trying to help Jim (internet guy) yesterday with fixing the terminal. Taking tools out of the tool belt, Jim got quite a kick out of it. The weather has been wonderful here the last few days. Cool with northeast breezes. I got a lot of painting done on fences and have a bit more to do. The cool weather is a reminder of things to come in a few weeks. We have gotten half of our winter hay in. The rest will come soon. We are going to build on to the barn to make room for the donks to eat inside this winter. Am anxious to get started on the construction. Gary and I love working together on these projects. Such a good feeling to see it done and know the equines will have shelter in the cold. Jake is doing well. He barks at the thunder. Maybe he is trying to scare the thunder monster away from his family, LOL. Click on the pictures to enlarge. Momma Hope needs to put on more weight but these things take time. She is so very sweet. I'm so glad we have her and Roger. I'm glad we have all of them. They make our lives complete.

2009-08-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Dunkey plays with anything!!

2009-08-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

Hope and Roger are feeling more at home today. They are free to roam and graze with Belle and BJ. One can see just how thin Hope is in the 2nd picture. She has gained some weight since being saved. I will never understand how someone can starve an animal then just sell it to a broker with no thought to where it will end up. Roger and BJ are having lessons every morning and evening. This morning, Roger stood with the lead rope just hanging from the halter and let me clean his feet. This is a huge improvement in just a few days. He also led pretty darn good this morning. They both are starting to "talk" to us when they see us. Donkeys like hugs and scratches very much. I love watching those ears go upright when you speak to them. Each one has a different personality just like people. Have a great weekend everyone.

HOPE

2009-08-06T08:07:00.000-05:00

We made a 3rd trip to Waverly, Ks yesterday. To Winding Road Equine Rescue. Kristin does a great job at her rescue. We brought home a miniture donkey momma and her baby. These two were rescued off the broker lot by the Fans of Barbaro. They came from a preacher. Not my kind of precher because Hope is so very thin and both their hooves were in horrible shape. How can a man of God treat animals that way???? We put them in the round pen and Hope immediately went to eating the grass. There is no shelter in the round pen, last night around 10 pm, the thunder/lightning started to the northwest. We both went out and moved Hope and her baby, Roger Rabbit to the pen on the west side of the barn with access to the alleyway so they could get out of the rain. There were forcasts of hail the size of golfballs, yikes! As soon as we got back into bed, all was quiet! But, this morning we have had 0.4 inches of rain. Beautiful rain that makes the grass grow. Hope is so sweet, loves to be brushed. Roger hasn't had a lot of handling so he is a bit nervous yet but he is coming around. Welcome home Hope and RR.

http://www.windingroadequinerescue.org/

NEW (ER) WHEELS

2009-07-29T10:05:00.000-05:00

The "Ram 2500"

It's not new but it's very nice and clean. Everything works. And, it pulls the big Yuba trailer great! It also has a pop-up ball for a 5th wheel. It's 4 wheel drive which will be great this winter since we live in BFE. LOL. Hawk's abscess has drained and he is back to normal. We have had almost 2 inches of much needed rain in the last 24 hours. We have mud!!! Temps are in the lower 70's, it's cloudy and, of course, humid. But, we aren't complaining. Maybe the grass will grow a bit and we won't have to put out the big bales for a while. Life is good!

2009-07-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Baby BJ loves her grandpa! She is growing by leaps and bounds. She is nibbling a little bit of moist feed morning and night. Momma Belle is still the main source of food though. Temps have cooled off a bit here, thank you God! We also got 1.6 inches of rain last Thursday afternoon. Nice, but we are still more than 5 inches behind for the year. We have already put out hay for the horses. Hawk had to go to the vet Friday. He was very lame on the left front. The x-rays were negative for fracture but did show an abscess tract. So we are soaking his foot in red vinegar and water and wrapping it. He is a lot better this a.m. He is good about everything except taking the Bute. That stuff must taste horrible. Such a sweetie. Hope everyone has had a good weekend.

NEW LIFE

2009-06-15T08:31:00.001-05:00

Look closely! There are 3 new babies! They hatched late yesterday morning. Mom didn't appreciate me getting this close to take their picture, lol. We shut the cat up last night so she wouldn't get them but this morning they are gone. I looked them up on the internet and found out that the babies stay in the egg 2 weeks longer than the other birds who are born naked. Thus, they are able to run around very soon after hatching. So, I am encouraged and sincerely hope these 3 are zooming around in the grass with their parents somewhere. I didn't see the parents either this morning. I am continually amazed at Mother Nature and how if left alone, takes care of her young. Good luck little birds!

SNOWFLAKES

2009-06-08T06:15:00.001-05:00

Snowflakes in June. I love snowflake appys. They change so much from year to year. Hawk (foreground) is my love. I bought him when in MO. He is 10. Spice is to the left. Hawk must be a little thin-skinned. He can't stand horseflies. He runs to the house in hopes one of us is outside and will do a smack-down on the horsefly. Hawk is a great, great, grandson of Secratariet. That's right the KD winner. I have his registration papers. Amazing isn't it, lol. He can run like the wind. He has the best ground manners and is well-behaved. Spice is a good girl too. She loves attention. The last few days have been really hot here. Early this morning, we got a little rain and that is good. The grass was beginning to get crispy from the heat and wind. This morning, its cool and nice. Well, time to get moving. Have a great week everyone.

2009-05-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

Not sure what is going on here. I've seen Belle do the same thing with the baby. I think it maybe discipline but not sure. BJ sure stands still when it happens. I think I would too, lol. He is not biting down hard, just holding her. BJ is doing well with her hoofie lessons. She lets me clean them now and is doing ok on leading. I think learning to lead is going to be the hardest for her. Update on the killdeer's nest, there were 4 eggs but now back to 3. Have no idea what happened to the 4th egg. Poor mom was on the nest yesterday in the hot sun with little to no breeze. No breeze,,,,,really strange for Oklahoma. Have a great weekend!

AQHA

2009-05-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

I'm glad I did not transfer registration papers on our 3 QH mares when we got them. Two were saved from an auction, the KB was outbid. To see why read here-

http://hawkeview.blogspot.com/2009/05/guilt-by-american-quarter-horse.html

I would never, never join the AQHA because of their pro-slaughter stand.

These mares are 19, 25, and 27 years old. I should send them to slaughter to make room for younger ones????? I think NOT!

2009-05-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

I found the Killdeer's nest yesterday. Puzzeling why they would lay their eggs in the open like this. I placed the rock next to the eggs to mark the spot so we won't drive over them. I think the birds are kinda pretty. God's creatures are amazing!

I've OD'ed on Cuteness

2009-05-13T12:37:00.001-05:00

I can't help it. I'm in love. This little baby has stolen my heart. When I sit down on the ground, she comes up and gives me "nose kisses". Her coat is so long and so soft. I love watching her run and play. It's been over 30 years since I've had a foal to play with and this one will definitely be the last. When we adopted Belle and Dunkey, we knew there was a chance Belle was bred and in the last few months, it became obvious there would be a little one. We call her our "late in life baby". LOL She has started her lessons about having her feet handled. Farrier will be happy!!!! She tries to make noise but her snorts are like a sneeze and her other noise is like EEEwumph. So funny. Right now it is sunny, hot and very windy. She almost got blown over into my lap, I had to catch her! She only weighs about 20-25 lbs. I just want to hug her to pieces but she doesn't like to stand still for too long. Belle is a great mom and takes good care of BJ. She has learned to trust us with the baby. When she thinks BJ has had enough spoiling, she will make her move away and we know to let BJ have some "mom time". Ah, life is good.

2009-05-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Belle gave me almost the best present ever. BJ was born yesterday afternoon around one. She is the cutest little thing. She is doing well. Eating and pooping ok so far. They spent the night in the barn and this morning we let them out in the pen on the west side of the barn. Then it started to rain. They had access to the barn but Belle chose to stay outside. We are dolting grandparents and went out and put them back in the barn. Then it really started to rain hard and we even had some hail. Belle is not happy in the barn but BJ is too little to get soaked. BJ is running, trying to buck and snort! Dunkey is in awe as is Sonny. Sonny stood at the gate and nickered at the baby. Sorry Sonny, you cannot have the baby for a while yet.

2009-05-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

Had company yesterday. We walked up to the pasture and visited with the gang. Yesterday started out hot and humid, wind went to the north and it became cool and windy then turned off warm again. Today, it's cool and cloudy. With a few sprinkles. Ahhhh! Belle stayed in the barn again last night. She was not happy! Tossed her water tub, got the shavings wet. Threw her feed tub around. All this and no baby! Maybe tonight....... She and Dunkey are back out with Tessa and Sandy in the south pasture so we can keep a closer eye on them. Dunkey is so very attached to Belle. I think he will be the "odd man out" when the baby comes. At least for a while.

Have great weekend.

2009-05-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

http://www.habitatforhorses.org/index.html

Latest word on the mustangs is that the mares are going to WY and the gledings and stallions to TX. All donations to Habitat for Horses is much appreciated. See link above. Mark donations for "Nebraska 200". Jerry Finch is a hero as are Jim Weber, HSUS and many volunteers on the ground. This was no small task and it will be ongoing for a while yet. Every dollar counts and no donation is too small.
PS: No baby donkey yet....................sigh.

2009-04-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

Early morning visitors...... So pretty.

Responsibility

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Responsibility: Knowing when to say no. By now, everyone in the horse world probably knows about the asshat (may I Fugly?) who starved almost 100 horses and burros to death in Nebraska. Jason Meduna. There are 200+ horses and burros who now are getting the food and vet care they need. Most are up for adoption. I was seriously considering a couple of the burros. Filled out the adoption form and it hit me. We have 11 equines for goodness sake and when Belle has her baby, we will have 12. What if Sandy and Tessa (above) get sick and need more care. They are getting up in years. How could I tell them "No, I can't take care of you now". I spent a pretty much sleepless night, tossing and turning, pondering this problem. When I got up this morning at 4 a.m. I had made a decision. I am not adopting 2 burros. As much as I would love to, I can't take a chance on short changing the ones I already have. I let the gal know at Front Range Rescue and she said "Thank you for thinking it through". I will continue to help these horses and burros by donating to Habitat for Horses and marking my donation "Nebraska 200". That's the most I can do and still be "responsibile". Oh yeah, I would like to teach Mr and Mrs Jason Meduna to be responsibile!!!

2009-04-20T11:29:00.001-05:00

Pepper and Buddy were playing Saturday. She was trying to pick a fight with him. She doesn't realize he is much bigger...............

Saturday was a great day for snoozing at the water hole, lol. Ah, wake up Hawk-man. I want to take your picture.......................oh well.

2009-04-10T10:01:00.000-05:00

No, it's not the Easter rabbit,,,it's the Easter Goat! LOL This morning she was jumping around like a rabbit though. She is still a tiny little thing but is doing much better than a couple of months ago when I thought for sure she would die. Been a busy week. The two old girls decided to give me a hard time by becoming lame. Sandy either got kicked by someone else or had a bad flare of her arthritis. Would not bend her R front leg. Had the local vet out and he left a tube of Bute. A couple of days on it with confinement and she is fine. Tessa somehow split her back hoof and cut the sole. So we are soaking/wrapping. This morning she is moving much better. We took her to the equine clinic for x-rays which were negative for fracture, whew! Yesterday was a bad day for Oklahoma. Fires in the central part and tornados in the SE part. Now the winds have shifted back to the NW and it's cool again. How can I get my one tomato plant planted if the weather doesn't stay warm??????????? Guess it will continue to sit on my window sill for a few days. Happy Easter everyone.

2009-04-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

The 4-legged persons were feeling a little frisky yesterday. First picture is Rose, Sonny, Spice and of course the boss hoss, Hawk. Excuse the poop, we need to drag the area around the barn. Next is Miss Kitty. She has been using her claws to stay grounded lately. Seems Oklahoma has turned into a wind tunnel. Ugh! I don't mind a little wind but this is crazy!!! Last but not least is Tessa from Colorado. She is shedding off so pretty. Has the sweetest expression and loves those alfalfa cubes!! We have had her almost a year now. She is coming 25 and isn't sound for riding but we don't care. She loves life and being able to get around where she wants to go. I was going to clean the barn today but hubby declared the laundry needed to be done (why? I'm not out of clothes) so here I sit waiting for the machines to do their job. Maybe I'll get to the barn tomorrow.................and he can help! LOL Have a great weekend everyone.

Friends

2009-04-03T07:16:00.000-05:00

We had some visitors a couple of weeks ago. It was great to visit with friends. There were 3 cameras going and between all of us, there are some great shots. The first is of Hawk. The second is of Belle, our rescued donkey. She has a look that says, who is this person and why does he have his hands on my ears??? I think Belle has a secret that is soon to be revealed. Stay tuned......................

2009-03-29T06:53:00.000-05:00

We were lucky and missed the heavy snow that hit parts of Oklahoma this weekend. We only got about an inch and most of it was gone by evening. Tessa and Sandy were let out of the barn and they were so happy to be back with the main herd. First picture is of Hawk and Sonny who were playing yesterday afternoon. The second picture is of Jake, the mud ball. Jake likes to be outside while we are feeding and this was the result! He had to get in the tub before he could do anything else, lol. He is so good in the tub. Just sits in the water and lets us wash him off. Warmer today, maybe some of the mud will go away. We got lots of rain Friday and Friday night. Much needed and appreciated. We also had lots of tiny hail. The SE part of the state had tornado watches and the NW part of the state had blizzards. Mother nature is sure persnickidy sometimes. Well, the dogs are waiting for their breakfast so better get moving.

2009-03-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

Check out this

http://americanherds.blogspot.com/

2009-03-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

We went to see the Lipizzaner Stallions the other night at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, OK. This is the second time I've seen these beautiful stallions. The dressage part is always great but the "airs above ground" demonstration is just amazing. Not every stallion is capable of doing the maneuvers. The trainers watch the colts in the pastures and the ones that can do them, do them naturally on their own. These are the ones that are trained for the show. General Patton and the US Army saved these wonderful horses during WW II. There were 8 horses and riders, 7 of the riders were female. Did my heart good to see that. If you haven't seen them and they are near your area, it's worth the trip. Have a great weekend everyone.

2009-03-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

I was probably wrong about Sweetheart being a TWH. I got some action shots of her yesterday and she was pacing! Hmmmm. May have to saddle her up and see what that feels like. A long time ago, I had a friend who had a mare that paced. She said it was a smooth ride. Back and forth at the trot instead of up and down. That might be nice. I did find some white hair on her.......in her mane. Maybe she is turning grey due to old age.

Left behind

2009-03-18T17:45:00.001-05:00

Last night as Gary and I were watching the space station fly across the northern sky, I heard Pepper the goat calling out. I spoke to her through the screen and as usual, she "talked" to me. I knew the horses and donkeys had went to the north pasture and figured Buddy did too. Poor little Pepper got left behind somehow and she was lost. I went outside and she followed me to the barn where I put her up for the night. She was quite content to be in her barn. She's there tonight too. She is so small, I worry the coyotes will get her. We have lots of rabbits but they might not pass up an easy meal. The other picture is of Miss Kitty. She also adopted us back in MO. She is our barn cat. A great mouser. She has been spayed but not declawed. She sits on this shelf while we fix the feed buckets for the horses. She likes to help! LOL She and Pepper don't get along very well. She is the smallest adoptee here and Pepper likes to chase her. Kitty always gets away.

2009-03-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

The picture on the top is of Tessa and Sanday. Soon they will have birthdays. Tessa will be 25 and Sandy 27. Happy Birthday girls. Our other grey horse, Rose turns 19, Sweetheart 20. We are all getting old here at Hawks Acres, lol. The guy in the bottom photo is the one who builds, constructs and repairs everything around here. He loves the equines as much as I do and I love him for it! Cloudy today, hopefully some rain on the way, we need it. The grass is getting greener. Trees are blooming as well as flowers. And, now this week it is to turn cooler again, arrrhhh. Come on Spring!

2009-03-07T06:43:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when you sit on a small bank to take pictures. Pepper the goat wants to "talk", so does Spice. Hard to get pictures when they are in your lap! LOL. Yesterday, Gary showed me how to put out a big bale. He worries that he will lose his battle with cancer and leave me alone with the animals to take care of. I drove the big tractor up to the pasture with the big bale on the stinger and a hay ring attached to the bucket on the front of the tractor. Granted, I was moving very, very slowly. I got the bale placed, turned the tractor around and placed the ring on it. Done! Guess I could do it in an emergency if I had to. He said I did a great job. Figuring out all the levers and do-dads was the hard part but I did it. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. HA! I seriously hope, with God's grace that I never have to do it alone. That Gary will be around for a long time to come. Have a great weekend everyone.

March is here!

2009-03-05T05:34:00.000-06:00

Well, March has come roaring in like a lion here in Oklahoma. Of course here, every month is like March as far as wind goes, lol. Today's temp should get in the mid 80's. Then we are looking at maybe some storms in a day or two. Great! Someone remind me why we moved to the middle of tornado alley????? Seriously, we are happy here, the critters seem happy here. I always smile when it's time to feed the horses and they come into the barn one at a time smacking their lips in anticipation of their food. We don't have to feed the younger ones much but they act like it's a full course meal. Now the older ones get a full ration of course. The mature ladies need more as their teeth aren't as good as when they were younger. We have three in their late teens, two in their twenties so they need a little special care. Have ordered the fly predators to help with those pesky flies. They will be arriving soon, they do their job very well. Jake the new dog goes to the vet this afternoon to get his blood test for heart worm before we start him on the monthly preventative. He just makes us laugh every day. He is so full of fun! Have a great weekend everyone.

Contradictions...

2009-02-27T06:44:00.000-06:00

From Texas Horse Talk today..

http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/02/24/news/state/26-marine.txt

And right below it, this...

http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/40317022.html

First we use them to honor a fallen Marine, then let's just slaughter them all.. This makes me so angry. It's all about the money to be made by the foreigners. Not about what's best for the horses. The proslaughter people say there are 100,000 unwanted horses. There were around 140,000 horses salughtered last year in Canada and Mexico. Have we run out of unwanted horses yet????? Guess not, they are still shipping across the borders to the plants. The slaughter of our horses is all about the money to be made. It's not the old, thin, and sick that are sent to slaughter. We all know that. I'm tired of the lies from the AQHA, APHA, the appy association, Cattlemen's association and the Farm Bureau. For God's sake, tell the freaken truth, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!!!! A horse has the mentality of a 4 year old child. Picture a double decker full of 4 year olds heading to a slaughter plant, going without water, food or rest for over 18 hours. How does that picture sit with you? GRRRRRRRRRrrrr

Noisy visitor

2009-02-26T12:43:00.000-06:00

Heard this guy after the vet left this morning. Now we live between 2 air bases, Tinker in OKC and Vance in Enid so there are planes flying over all the time. Most of the time, I don't even notice them but this one was buzzing overhead really low. It was a crop duster. He was spraying north of the house. Maybe the wheat field up there????? I found that I have tulips coming up!!! Yea. Well, the last of our horses got their shots this morning. All did well. Star tried to be a hellion but she got her shots anyway. The dogs also got their rabies shots. I've got to take the cat in because she will need all 3 shots and the vet didn't have the other 2 for her. I have to pay the bill for the equines anyway, ouch! The vet made several comments on how good our horses behaved and what good shape they were in. We must be doing something right, lol. Have a great weekend everyone.

Feels so good!

2009-02-25T13:14:00.000-06:00

Nothing like a good roll to make a gal feel good. This is Sweetheart, our latest adoptee. She is around 19 and I would say she is a TWH from watching her move. She is black. I've not found a white hair anywhere. She has the best personality, so quiet and gentle. Picks up her feet well for the farrier. I'll never understand how they can be just thrown away like garbage. But then, I can't understand how dogs and cats are just thrown away either. Someday, we all have to answer to our Maker and what will some say in their defense. "They were just animals..." Some humans are more animals than animals are.

2009-02-21T06:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was such a nice day, temp at 70 degrees. Today, it's back to cold and north winds. If we get through this up and down stuff without a case of colic, I will be so thankful. The equines are busy looking for a sprig of green. There is some green beginning to show but not much yet, but it's early. The new run in is done. Not really pretty as we recycled some old tin on it but a nice coat of white pain will help it look like the rest of the place. Pictured from top to bottom is Hawk, Dunkey and a bit of Pepper the goat. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

2009-02-19T06:51:00.000-06:00

Is spring here?? Do these little guys sleep during winter?? I'll have to do some checking on the net. I saw 2 of them rooting around in a field yesterday. Personally, I think they are cute, strange but cute. We saw one here last Spring. Scooter was amazed, he had the funniest look on his face. His forehead was wrinkled and he looked at me as if to say, "let me out, I want to see what that is!!" Of course I didn't, the dogs must stay inside the backyard fence. I don't believe in letting my dogs run loose. I know, it's the country but still I want my dogs to stay home where they are safe. I have seen another loose dog twice now. It has a red collar on, I'm hoping it belongs to a neighbor and is not a "dumpee" like Jake was. At least this one looks to be in good shape......for now. It's cold again, 22 degrees but should be sunny with calm winds so we will work on getting the tin up on the new run in. Have a great day everyone.

h2o

2009-02-17T05:58:00.000-06:00

Ah, what would we do without good ole h2o, water. All life depends on it. Belle and Dunkey continue to be wonderful additions to our lives. Belle is so sweet. She does this little squeak thing when she sees me outside. She has learned to life her nose to give me kisses. A soft nose cures all ills, lol. Their coats are a lot more coarse than a horse's. Belle loves hugs and a good scratch on her chest and ears. I love just spending time with them and the horses. Just watching them interact with each other. One can learn a lot just watching and listening. Holds true with humans too. Gives you a perspective on what another human is really like. Most days, I perfer the company of the equines. No judgements, no backstabbing. Just honest feelings.

After the Storm

2009-02-12T06:16:00.000-06:00

Eight people died Tuesday night during our first outbreak of tornados for 2009. This was about 90 miles south of OKC. My sympathy to those who lost their loved ones. We badly needed the rain. The dry winter has contributed to fire danger. The horses all seemed to enjoy their unscheduled baths. They all rolled in the red dirt afterwards. Dunkey looked like a little ball of red mud. He is so cute. He is like a 10 year old boy when it comes to lovin on him. Aw Mom, not infront of the guys..... Belle likes her lovin. The new girl Sweetheart is true to her name. She is the true black and is beautiful. We will start on her run in today. Then she can be out of her round pen. She will be happy to have more room to roam. Have a great weekend everyone.

2009-02-06T11:18:00.000-06:00

This is Sweetheart. Saved from slaughter by the Fans of Barbaro. She is #10. We are full now. Until someone crosses the Rainbow Bridge, there will be no more new ones. She is supposed to be 19 years old. I named her sight unseen and it must have been devine intervention because she certainly is a Sweetheart. We now have 8 saved from slaughter equines. Each one is different and each one is special. Rescues are having a tough time now because of the economy. If you can help out even with a few dollars it would be great. Even giving of your time to a rescue can help out a bunch. Working with rescued animals is such a great thing to do, they are so greatful for your attention.

One way to help is to visit Savedahorses.org and donate $10.59 for a rescue. Here is the link:

http://savedahorses.org/id30.html

I did. And it feels great to know that just that small amount can help a lot.