MOLLY THE AMAZING PONY

Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. 'This was the right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too.' And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse', she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it. 'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life', Moore said, 'She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.' 'She's not back to normal,' Barca concluded, 'but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.'

Chasing dreams...

Tried to catch this one in a beautiful South African pasture for a ride while hubby played with guns and acted out his Rooseveltian fantasies... I got some good exercise, and the horse got a good laugh. Maybe next time.

...the dirt bag Cowboy

Here he is, chiding about keeping Momoxie up to date...

Introducing Wicca

Thoughts on Expecting a Cleveland Bay X Thoroughbred

"...Returning to the Cleveland's action, it was noted in the mid 18th century that if a Cleveland Bay was crossed with a thoroughbred mare, it produced a carriage horse of such elegance that they were very much sought after by aristocracy and landed gentry, they were the Rolls Royce of the day as far as transport and carriage driving were concerned, this particular cross became known as the YORKSHIRE COACH HORSE."-excerpted from Equiworld.net

"With the introduction of macadamised roads, the Cleveland Bay was considered not fast enough, and as a result the Yorkshire Coach Horse came into being. In 1887 a Yorkshire Coach Horse Stud Book was introduced, which contained horses that were three-quarters Cleveland Bay and one-quarter Thoroughbred. The Stud Book was closed in 1936 with the decline of the coaching era. Since the foundation breeds of the Yorkshire Coach Horse still exist, it would be possible to re-start this breed." -excerpted from Cleveland Bay Farm website

"The Yorkshire Coach Horse became so popular that the existence of the Cleveland Bay was jeopardized."- excerpted from Farm-Garden.com

Control?

Tori's Drawing of Peanut

Merry Christmas

A new edition??

Contemplating the outcome of the latest breeding of a Cleveland Bay to my Thoroughbred mare, I thought "If it is a boy, I will sell; if a girl, I will keep it and love it and raise it as my own." Hubby was not impressed, conjuring visions of the equine equivalent of diaper changes and late night awakenings...will I have to repsond to the filly's emotional or other needs, in the middle of the night, in my bathrobe? One thing is certain...He, Hubby that is, won't be getting up, unless to be entertained by the specter of my robed equine surrogate maternity.

Horse Humor

Don't say around non-horse people....Author: Annamaria - http://ultimatehorsesite.com

Horse people... don't say these in public; Sure, you're just talking about horses or horse stuff.... but non-horse people may get the wrong idea and become confused, embarrassed, or afraid of you.

Do you like my breast collar?
His sheath was really dirty, but I cleaned it.
In the winter, his Ass gets really hairy.
Don't jump on him, sit down gently.
What a lovely Jackass!
She wants to breed to my stud.
There's nothing like 17 hands between your legs!
Can I pet your Ass?
He had a bad attitude, so we castrated him.
He's got a lot of stamina, you can ride him all day long.
Is she a maiden?
I wanted to breed to her stud, but he's all booked this season.
We'll be breeding tonight, want to watch?
He's really good at walking and pooping at the same time.
He didn't try to run away when we drove the nails into his feet.
He broke his leg, so they shot him.
She bites her baby if it behaves badly.
She's on a new diet, she's only eating grass.
She just got a new rack.
If he's not good, just grab his lip and twist it.
When I'm done riding him, you can have a turn.
They cut his toe off and he walks better now.
Don't worry, if he pulls her teats too hard she'll bite him.
He's much better if you ride him with a crop.
I jumped 4 feet high yesterday.
She's got a really nice, big, square butt.
What color are her gums?
The mother is black and the father is white, and the baby came out black and white.
He tries to kick me when I put my hand in his sheath.
Don't worry, it's normal for his mouth to foam.
All of her babies have been sold overseas.
I know she's going to have a baby soon because her butt is soft.
Her baby started walking about 20 minutes after birth.
Her body was covered in 4-inch long hair, but I clipped it off.
He has trouble mounting her because she's so tall.
She likes to roll in the dirt after her bath.
He has 23 kids by different mothers.
He goes outside in just a blanket.
He was about 6 months old when we branded him with an iron.
I have to use a stool to mount him.
If he's spilling his food on the ground, he might need a dentist.
I was listening to his gut sounds last night...
One testicle is visible, but I can't even feel the other one.

Star Gazing

Myth
The horse flew up to join the gods, and was caught by the goddess Athena, daughter to Zeus. Athena tamed Pegasus with a golden bridle. At Mount Helicon, Pegasus started the famous spring of Hippocrene flowing with a single kick. Hippocrene was said to have been the source of all poetic inspiration. Athena later made her beloved Pegasus, the Winged Horse, into a constellation.

Reality
Windy flew up to join the mosh-pit called "run-in," and was caught by the farmer, husband of the horse lover. The farmer threatened to tame Windy with a golden bullet. At Mount Canoga, Windy started the famous spring of the "Farmer's Cussing" flowing with a single kick that exploded the gate post and all of its accoutrements. The "Farmer's Cussing" was said to be the source of all poetic frustration. The horse lover made her beloved Windy, the blow-hard horse, into a conflagration.

Once a dirt-bag cowboy, always a dirt-bag cowboy

MoChild Riding

The beginning of a life long affliction/addiction

Optical Illusions..."Everyone Knows its Windy"

To Ride or Not to Ride...

"It should be noted that chroniclers of the 11th and 12th century write of Godiva with respect as a religious woman, some mention her beauty, but significantly there is no mention of the ride by those of her contemporaries who knew her well. The Evesham chronicler refers to gifts of Leofricus and Godgiva and the creation of the church of Holy Trinity at Evesham and Godiva’s burial there but makes no mention of the ride. The fact that none of the contemporary chroniclers who wrote about Godiva mention anything about the ride is a substantial piece of evidence against the ride ever having taken place. Something so amazing, so shocking as the wife of one of the most powerful men in England riding naked or otherwise, through a small settlement would have required at least a mention. It has been suggested that Godiva may have been naked in the sense that she was unadorned by the jewels and the trappings of power, or that it may have been an unadorned pilgrimage as a display of piety. This would even so have been an event of note in the life of the famous lady and would have required some mention by her chroniclers, especially if as is claimed it resulted in taxation changes."

For more see: http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/parsonal/godiva.htm

update on Windy's training...

Backbone

"Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be."
-Clementine Paddleford-

Resolved

If I see something that needs to be done, I do it.

I
am
new.

Tori & Peanut

Memories of Ten