Merry Christmas and a Spirited New Year!

Hi All;
Hope this finds you nestled inside. If you are in the airport...I hope your layover is not weather related and your WI-FI is free :)

This picture is of Buddy (in the lead) and Alex playing this morning. A brief break from hugging the big bale. They are feeling great for a couple of 20 year olds.

Thanks for your support of the Angel Tree at Theisen's in Ames. Our bucket is filled and the table is starting to hold goodies. I forgot to put salt blocks on our wish list....some Santa added a mineral block which is good. We also received a check from GoodSearch! Thanks to Katie, One Heart receives a donation each time you use this search engine. Look through the blog and on the website for more info on GoodSearch and GoodShop.

We have received several humbling donations from all around the community at year's end. As we approach our 10th year, this support is not only generous but is a stong endorsement for the work you do. YOU, especially, the volunteers, Dani and Jennifer, donors, and horse donors make this all possible.

Buddy and Alex are at "the home place" along with Peanut, Dandy and Miracle. At the "Jungle" are Bri, Shane, Rosie, and Missy (with friend Kyle). Misty and Rocky are on a little "vacation". We had to take T.J. and Coffee to the Vet school where they were euthanized. T.J.'s arthritic stifles were getting the best of him - and even though we were used to his "cranky" face, it was impossible for us to watch his expression change to pain. We had alot of respect for T.J. We wanted to hug away his cranky face but never really convinced him we were the good guys. He had some tremendous high points in his career with One Heart. He will be missed. Many of you didn't get to meet Coffee. She visited the arena early in the Spring but did not get a chance to work. Coffee started loosing weight when the rains and mosquitos hit this summer. We brought her to the home place for more hands-on care but we could not get her weight loss reversed. She was patient and cooperative with a hint of cranky little ol' lady syndrome (after all she was 29!). Contributing to the decision for euthanasia was a sudden onset of lameness in her left from leg. She seemed as confused as we were about the painful condition of her leg/hoof. She had been perfectly sound her whole life.

Kris

Angel Tree

Theisen's in Ames is sponsoring an Angel Tree again this year. Stop in and leave your present for the horses. They left a list on the table or say gift cards work too. (Y'all know how they love to shop. :D) They reminded me to Thank you all in advance!

Shop online and help One Heart at no added cost to you

Did you know shopping online can help One Heart? And it doesn't cost you anything.

1) Go to http://www.goodshop.com
2) Enter your cause (If you don't choose One Heart Equestrian Therapy your shopping will go to the charity of the day)
3) Go shopping. Click over to your favorite store from GoodShop and go shopping as usual.
4) GoodShop donates--Up to 30% of your purchase will go to your favorite cause! Find products, coupons and deals for more than 1,500 stores

It really is that EASY!

You can shop at more than 900 top retailers. For example Amazon, Nike, PetSmart, Staples, Microsoft, Kohls, iTunes, J.Crew, etc.

From the FAQ page at goodsearch.com:

Where does the money come from?

When you shop through GoodShop at one of our retail partners, GoodSearch is paid a commission. At GoodSearch, we've developed a way to track these shopping-generated proceeds and direct them to charities.

Am I paying more to shop through GoodShop? Is this any different than buying directly from the retailer?

Absolutely not! The experience of shopping through GoodShop is exactly the same as going to the retailer directly – you receive the same prices and level of service. The retailers are responsible for collecting payment, shipping and returns.

Do all purchases qualify for a donation?

While the majority of all purchases will generate a donation for your organization, each retailer has its own rules and some purchases may not qualify. For example, many merchants do not contribute donations for gift cards or gift certificates. You can read about restrictions by clicking on the percentage generated link under each retailer's logo on the GoodShop shopping homepage.

You can also help out by searching the internet.
Start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search! http://www.goodsearch.com

So far this year we've earned about $15.50 just by searching! Use goodsearch for school and work and kill two birds with one stone. :-)

WEG photos ( just a few)

Kris and Helen Racing
Helen & Jen Churchill paddock

vaulting arena--tv film crew/horse

Helen & Dani--how high jump

Marathon water crossing

Eventing jump, makes our cross rails look pathetic

Funnycide bath time

Jen's What's happened since Ride and Tie

We just finished the last lesson of the year, now it’s time to winterize and move the horses back to Colo. I hate the thought, but let’s face it, it really is that time of year.

Here’s a little of what has happened since the Ride & Tie: unpacking from Special Olympics, moving horses, meeting the new crew at Stagecoach, a new Morgan gelding (Alex), new litter of seven kittens, Kris, Helen, Dani and I went to the World Equestrian Games, Linda covering classes for us while we were at WEG, the best group of volunteers that we’ve had, several new riders, and an arena that has now been treated with a dust control product (thanks Stagecoach!!!).

Kris just returned tonight from a trip to Brazil, where she was able to visit friends and also gave a presentation (including a lesson demo) on therapeutic riding—hopefully we’ll hear more about that later! What she didn’t realize was that she was going to be on TV. It sounds like she’s now inspired to tackle the Jungle fence now that she has seen the real jungle. So if anyone wants to learn the fine art of fence building/repair, let us know! Once we have a good hard frost (tonight?) we should be able to see how much the pasture fence was damaged by flooding this summer. Wear hiking boots and blaze orange!

I was able to spend a few days doing chores (yeah!) while she was gone. Coffee, Kyle, Dandy, Miracle, and Peanut were glad to see me. Maybe because I feed them twice as much as normal? Or else because I make a pretty good scratching post? Hagrid and Bindi the Jungle Kitty and her daughter were glad to see me, too. Last time I brought them some treats and they remembered. They were disappointed this time, though. I just refilled their bowls and gave them one treat.

Dani will be going to NARHA’s national convention in Denver in November. We’re looking forward to her report back.

We really want to give everyone a huge thank you for helping out during session 3, especially while we were at WEG! It was the first time that we were all on vacation, and we couldn’t have done it without such an awesome group of volunteers! And a huge thank you for Linda, too—we can’t ride without our NARHA instructors! This was my first non-family, non-Scout vacation, and the first time I’ve been on vacation with horsey friends. It was great!!! Well, the horse part, the sleeping part didn’t go as well as planned. We were wondering where the bluegrass was—apparently they’ve had a drought this summer, so it was more green at home in the fall than in Kentucky.

Special Olympics 2010

One Heart riders have participated in Special Olympics since 2003. The state offers one competition each year which is held near Des Moines. Kris has been a Special Olympics Equestrain coach since '03 and Dani and Jennifer are coaches as of 2010. To qualify for the One Heart Team, riders must participate in either session 1 or 2 of the year of the event. Special Olympics specifies that athletes should be coached 10 times prior to the competition. The One Heart rider must also meet the qualifications of Special Olympics. The One Heart coaches restrict the roster to those riders we can safely mount in an arena that is unfamiliar to us and may not have the facilities to support our riders. Even with those restrictions, more and more riders find they LOVE being in Special Olympics! When our team roster hit 20, the coaches faced a delimma; how can we possibly mount 20 riders in 2 classes each? We frequently have 3 to 4 or more riders in each class. From experience we knew that it was impossible to mount and dismount riders, get them through the class, watch the awards ceremony and keep tack changed and volunteers in place. The least of our worries was volunteers. One Heart volunteers eagerly sign up to accompany the team. We know they play a huge part in our success. First and foremost, One Heart volunteers know our horses and riders. This gives the horses, athletes, coaches, parents and staff more confidence and keeps us relaxed.

I'm Baaaa-ck :)

Hi Gang!

Special shout-out to Jerry - hope you are well,  Gaila, great to see you, Dani and Jen, thanks for finishing session 3, and Katie - prodding me back to the blog.   Thanks to all of you who offer comments.  It really encourages me to keep this up.   If you know me I chat, alot.  Chatting is not blogging.   I am a "reciter" not necessarily a writer, .
I want to start chiseling away at all the news.  We have to cover Special Olympics, what's going on with the PBS film, Session 3,  our trip to WEG, and my trip to Brazil.  Also, we have had several requests to have One Heart "get togethers" through the long winter.  Some suggestions are for social and educational opportunities.   Sounds good to me!   We should also think about a giant 10 year celebration!  One Heart was incorporated as a non-profit on sept. 24, 2001.  Our first riders went up June 4, 2002. 

On Sat. Oct. 30 we had several respond to our plea to help load out from Stagecoach for the Winter and get the horses to Colo.  Thanks to those who came....and brought a truck and muscle!
There's more to come tomorrow.  I also have to remember the World Percheron Congress and some horse updates.  Chat soon, I mean Blog soon,  Kris

Work Day Saturday October 30

There will be a work day this Sat. from 10-12 for anyone who can help winterize/pack up. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Stagecoach Stables, 1568 Stagecoach Road, Ames, IA

Wow where does the time go? Special Olympics, Ride and Tie

Hi all,
I don't know about you but I can't believe it's October already!

First of all a BIG THANK YOU!!!!!! to all the volunteers, sponsors and participants of the 1st annual Benefit Ride and Tie for One Heart over Labor Day weekend. It was a great success! The weather was great. Nine teams participated at our 3 lengths (4.5, 12 and 20 miles) and the best part EVERYONE finished! :P

There are a bunch of photos at www.oneheartrideandtie.org or on their Facebook Page.

If you couldn't make it this year plan on next year over Labor Day weekend!

I volunteered and was sent to Maxwell to direct traffic. WOW were some of those 20 milers FAST! There were 4 teams of brave souls who did 20 miles and 2 at 12 miles. We watched the start at Collins and then car pooled over to Maxwell. I was stationed in the park and I wasn't there long before teams started showing up.

Second- Session III is in full swing on Saturday mornings. The session is full so it's all hands on deck! Please come out and help if you can.

Third- 23 riders went to the Special Olympics state equestrian competition at Jester Park Equestrian Center on Sat. September 11. They were in 33 classes and came home with 20 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze medals. All thanks to the hard work and terrific support of the One Heart volunteers! Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Benefit Ride and Tie update. Come join us for the fun!

Ride and Tie Association President Melanie Weir is coming to our Ride and Tie! She's flying in from California to help out and possibly participate.

Saturday September 4th 6pm Hoe Down at the Story Co. Fairgrounds in Nevada, IA. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Sunday September 5th 5K Road Apple Fun Run/Walk at the Heart of Iowa Trail head in Collins, IA.

www.oneheartrideandtie.org

Shop online and help One Heart

Did you know shopping online can help One Heart? And it doesn't cost you anything.

1) Go to http://www.goodshop.com
2) Enter your cause (If you don't choose One Heart Equestrian Therapy your shopping will go to the charity of the day)
3) Go shopping. Click over to your favorite store from GoodShop and go shopping as usual.
4) GoodShop donates--Up to 30% of your purchase will go to your favorite cause! Find products, coupons and deals for more than 1,500 stores

It really is that EASY!

You can shop at more than 900 top retailers. For example Amazon, Nike, PetSmart, Staples, Microsoft, Kohls, iTunes, J.Crew, etc.

From the FAQ page at goodsearch.com:

Where does the money come from?

When you shop through GoodShop at one of our retail partners, GoodSearch is paid a commission. At GoodSearch, we've developed a way to track these shopping-generated proceeds and direct them to charities.

Am I paying more to shop through GoodShop? Is this any different than buying directly from the retailer?

Absolutely not! The experience of shopping through GoodShop is exactly the same as going to the retailer directly – you receive the same prices and level of service. The retailers are responsible for collecting payment, shipping and returns.

Do all purchases qualify for a donation?

While the majority of all purchases will generate a donation for your organization, each retailer has its own rules and some purchases may not qualify. For example, many merchants do not contribute donations for gift cards or gift certificates. You can read about restrictions by clicking on the percentage generated link under each retailer's logo on the GoodShop shopping homepage.

You can also help out by searching the internet.
Start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search! http://www.goodsearch.com
So far this year we've earned about $9.50 just by searching! Use goodsearch for school and work and kill two birds with one stone. :-)

Updates from One Heart

Hi Everyone - I'm BACK!
We have just finished Session 2 and are entering our summer break. Next up is our fundraiser - the Ride and Tie Benefit for One Heart then Special Olympics.
If you have followed along, I spent two weeks in Russia - which was a dream trip! After that I "commuted" to KC to be with my Dad as his health deteriorated. Dad died peacefully on June 3rd. I would like to thank you all for your sympathy and kind thoughts and words. I especially thank Dani and Jennifer for bearing the burden of all our activities and filling in for me.
I know there are several now who follow the blog...since you now politely mention that there hasn't been a post for awhile. There is so much to catch up on that I will just take it in little bits.
I'll start with referring you to a blog post on Nov. 11, 2009. To remind you, it was about a new mini program Jen started. What I am reporting today is the results of that wonderful program.

On June 13th our stable of minis; Peanut, Dandy, and Miracle went with Tesia to a fun show. Of course, Dani, Jen and I went along for the ride :)
We actually started out early Saturday, June 12 with Day 2 of Session 2 at Stagecoach-our "home" arena. It was storming, complete with thunder and lightning - and rain as we caught the horses to bring them from the pasture to the arena. We were soaked.

We had a fun day riding and then loaded a shaggy, muddy, furry, whiskery, bedragled group of minis into the old "true blue" trailer. Off to Marshalltown we ventured.
Meeting us in M-town was Tesia and her family as well as members of the Iowa Miniature Horse Club, the hosts of the event. The show was designed as an introduction for newcomers and a show for horses new to the showring. It was the spring warm-up, a chance to get a good practice in prior to show season. We practiced and practiced and learned and had fun. After the Saturday intros were winding down we started bathing our moutly three.
In short - we started out the day wet and ended up the day drenched! I need to remind you or inform you at this point that our three minis are a combination of all white or red roan and white. Our little pasture tribe needed to be presentable.

Session One

Time flies when you’re having fun…session 1 finished this weekend, and we haven’t added to the blog since April!  So here’s an update from Jen:

 Staff:   Not putting us first because we’re the most important, but because it will help explain why we’ve been busy.  Kris spent two weeks in Russia, but we still haven’t heard many stories from the trip since she’s been doing a ton of long-distance commuting between Colo and Kansas City for family emergencies.  Dani and I didn’t realize how much we rely on her to do the phone calls/emails during the day.  We couldn’t keep up, so now Kris is set up with a mobile office.  On the plus side, we’re getting more experience in running the office-side of things.  I can find most of the forms needed in the office, my fingers are getting stronger and my typing is getting faster.  I can still talk faster than I can type though.  And Dani and I are even more convinced that a time warp exists at the stables, starting at the driveway.  It seems like we try to do quick chores after work, and two or three hours later we’re wondering where all the time went.  Hannah is now an instructor-in-training, so we can teach her all this stuff, too.  Wonder how she is at typing….

Horses are on pasture now!  The horses and instructors celebrated on May 1 when we were able to move from the “dry” lots to the pasture.  Dani and I got stuck more than a few times in the mud, horses were going crazy because they could see, hear, and smell the lovely spring grass, and Peanut discovered that when it was super wet and muddy he could go to the deepest corner to escape.  He just let himself sink down till the mud was over his knees and waded under the fence.  I should have been suspicious when he had more mud than any other horse.  He can be such a mischievous little guy.  The herd spent their first hour of pasture time galloping laps and eating.  We had planned on keeping them in a small portion so they wouldn’t overeat, but they slipped past me and there was no catching them for the next 24 hours.  Luckily they already had their grazing muzzles on.  The advantage of the time in the dry lot was that they all lost some weight, which they badly needed. The downside of the

Update, Nearly Mid-April

Hi Friends;

So much is happening and yet it seems like the calm before the storm.  Speaking of storms, the horses have had their share of rain over the last week.  Something to realize with short-legged minis.......their little tummies really get wet and muddy when it rains.   I just think of them as pasture squeegies!   Kinda a Sham Wow Mini :)   Even Rocky "lost" his spots under a coat of mud for a couple of days.

Last night we had volunteer training at Stagecoach.  What a mob!   We had some familiar faces show up: Dean, Pat and Bethany.  Bethany started <16 when we were still at the fairgrounds.  Here she was ready to apply to vet school.  We also met at least 25 new, eager folks who listened to the schpeel and had good ol' Rosie demonstrate leading, sidewalking and the other horsey stuff.  Rosie was shuttled to Stagecoach from the Jungle just for the occassion.  She did pretty well considering she didn't have her herd with her.  She wondered where they could be....kept looking toward the pasture and pawing at the gate.  

In the Spring our friends' hearts turn to One Heart.  I have had a dozen vols email in their choice of shift!  Such a wonderful response.   We still have our ear to the ground waiting for some more familiar faces.  Watch the website calender - but to clarify:  We will ride on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings.  We have two shifts for vols on Tues- 4-6 & 6-8 pm.    On Sat. we have three shifts:  7:30-9:30 / 9:30 - 11:30 / 11:30 - 1:30.    We START classes Tuesday, April 20 and Saturday April 24.  We really have some fun classes put together.  If you ol' pro volunteers recall your first shift......please consider signing up to help guide our new folks.  

Even if you are a "seasoned" volunteer you will see 5 new horses coming to the arena.   All 5 need to be fully evaluated.  Then there is Rocky.  Rocky is ready to have a real job (we think:)  He has practiced being a therapy horse all of his life, essentially.   It is time he gets a real try. 

Pasture Rotation Has Begun

Hi Friends;

I see Jen, Dani, and Katie are keeping you updated on the arrival of Sofie and Boomer.  They are so excited!  They should be.  I got to meet Sofie and Boomer yesterday and was very impressed.

The change of seasons reminds me of how poorly humans remember.  At least me.  Every winter I can't believe how cold it gets.  Every summer I am suprised with how hot it can get.  There are those fleeting spring and fall episodes when I can't remeber how nice it can be.  This is one of those weeks.  Sure, there are small drifts of snow secluded along the fences and in the woods but with a call for temps in the 60s and 70s we can ignore the remaining white stuff and rejoice in green and sun.

Kelly and Jen strung the electric fence wire around the newly installed automatic waterer a couple of weeks ago.  We planned to be ready when the weather gave us the all clear (at least for awhile).

The trailer rambled over to the jungle on a mission.   It was time to move Rocky and Peanut to the newly fashioned pasture at the Lager's. The plan was to use the occasion to introduce Miracle and Dandy to these two prior to moving on to Stagecoach.   We called ahead to make sure Miracle and Dandy were packed and ready to go.  To keep your bearings; The Lager farm is the West anchor, next door is the Jungle, the last farm down is Helen's Wild Rose Farms and is the East anchor to our horsey neighborhood.  These acreages stretch for about a mile facing the Lincoln Hwy and are backed by a double track for the Union Pacific Railroad.   Dye Creek and several drainage tributaries cross-section all the properties.

How we've spent our winter break

Here's an update from Jen, Dani and Katie since Kris has been swamped with trips to Kansas City and back. She'll blog later, once she has a chance to catch up. But we just had to show off the new Fjords, fresh from Minnesota!!!

Sofie (age 6, darker face) and her son Boomer (age 3, in the front of picture) are both trained to ride and drive. Many thanks to Silver Leaf Farms and all the friends of One Heart who made this possible!

Sofie and Boomer are a tad bit lighter, shorter, and narrower than our previous Fjords, which the therapists will love. Sofie and Boomer both have relatives that were bred at the same farm that imported Rosa. They are young, have lovely hooves, and are friendly. They arrived Tuesday morning and quickly settled in. It was kind of sad when they were turned out. Bri came galloping up with a look of complete joy. We usually don't try to attach human thoughts/experiences to the horses, but we think that Bri thought that Alma and Dagmar were back. A quick sniff during the meet and greet proved that they were new Fjords. After a few minutes of running around everyone settled in. While the new pecking order is being finalized things are back to being peaceful. As far as Sofie is concerned, she's ready when the herd is ready to follow her. It's so nice to have an alpha mare again!

Eleven 4-Hers joined us in cleaning tack today- the earliest we've ever been able to cross that off the list

January 2010 Newsletter and Web Site updates

Hi All!
For those of you that haven't read the January 2010 edition of The Heartbeat (our newsletter) it's available on the web site.  http://www.onehearthorses.org/newsletter


Web site updates: http://www.onehearthorses.org/
-The newsletter section is new. You'll find it under About with the Staff and Community sections.
-Staff section: Instructor Dani (finally) made the page. :-)
-The Herd is back online! I think I got all the horses sorted out and the right pictures with the right horse... although I traded Fjord confusion for Mini confusion. Dandy and Miracle look a lot a like if you can't keep the spots with the right horse!
-Giving/Support:  There are links on the homepage for GoodShop and GoodSearch. You can support One Heart with what you do already searching and shopping online.
Please check out our sponsor page. We appreciate them greatly!

You can also find One Heart on Facebook. There is a link from the homepage or just search One Heart Equestrian Therapy. 

I think that's all the updates

Things are Heating Up at One Heart

Hi Friends - with a particular shout out to Jerry!

Did I say heating up - HA, this morning we set another weather record.  -8 degrees.  Here's a note from the One Heart Almanac - we only have 5 more weeks until Spring.  How do I know?   We have 5 big bales left!   My bet is that we will have robins hopping around amid the snowdrifts. 

What I mean to say is that things are really heating up with the program.  Registration was sent out to around 60 individuals and they are starting to roll in.  We have set the annual schedule - now in real calender form on the website, thanks to more of Katie's training.  Katie is also working on a driving page and the horse profiles to add to the website. 

The newsletter has gone out and people have responded with horses that will be potential donations.  Jen, Dani and I will have our work cut out seeing if they will work out for us. 

Meanwhile, a group of One Heart friends has come together to create a "kitty" so we can replace our Fjords.  This pool of friends will be the donor.  At this point we have identified two in Litchfield, MN.   We are trying to get them for a mid-March delivery.   Both are broke to drive and the younger gelding is started under saddle.  Both seem to fill the bill.  We are quite eager to add more Fjords to the pasture.  It will be a welcome sight!   If they come be ready to greet them by name....Sophie and Boomer.   I will keep you posted.

GoodSearch & GoodShop totals

Hey all!

Thanks to everyone who has been using GoodSearch and GoodShop. We raised $13.39 for 2009!
So far in 2010 we've raised about $0.84.

Use GoodSearch (http://www.goodsearch.com/) as your search engine and everytime you search you'll raise money for One Heart. Each search is about $0.01. GoodSearch is a Yahoo powered search engine.

Shop online with GoodShop (http://www.goodshop.com/) and a portion of your purchase will go to One Heart. It doesn't cost you anything! There are thousands of name brand stores to choose from including Wal-mart, Amazon, ebay, Staples, Best Buy, etc.

These are great and easy ways to support One Heart! Pass the word, the more people that search and shop the more we raise for One Heart.

Past totals:
2006: $0.60
2007: $7.48
2008: $3.05

Keep up the good work!

Katie
-webmaster and general techy for Kris :0)

Let's Get Busy with a Ride and Tie!

Hi Friends!

Vol Eileen and I met last night and submitted our application to host a sanctioned Ride and Tie Race!

Our application lists the date as Sept. 4th. That is the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. We have listed the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail (HINT)as our location.

We are so excited about the HINT for our ride! It is absolutely wonderful for beginners...it's essentially, flat. It is a beautiful route through the Iowa countryside mostly utilizing the retired railroad bed. The trail provides a crushed limestone path for runners, bikers, etc. and a nice wide grass strip for equestrian use. They also don't close the trail to horses when it rains.
To qualify as a sanctioned race, we had to outline a minimum of a 20 mile trail. This calculates on the HINT as start in Collins, end in Slater. Nice ride!

Keep going to the Ride and Tie Association website to get educated about Ride and Ties.

Our first official meeting of this planning committee will be held on Jan. 26th in Ames. Please email me at oneheart@netins.net for time and place.

We have a web developer creating a unique site for our Ride and Tie.

Keep in mind....this is the FIRST EVER Ride and Tie to be held in the Midwest, certainly in Iowa. It is something that Eileen and I have known about since the Levi company started them in the early '70s. Who'd-a-thunk that we would have one some day. Eileen is planning on competing, by the way and has started her training.

What's up at One Heart

Hi Friends:

Quick, show of hands, who's tired of snow?? Linda (instructor) sent this cartoon that espresses this for us all.

Jen and Dani will come this week to set the annual calender. When we get that set, we will send it to Webmaster, Katie to post.

For a warm thought..... One Heart is a qualifying organization for Disney's new promotion "Give a Day, Get a Day". This is for a ticket to Disney for a day of volunteering. We have a family using some volunteer hours with us since they are planning a trip to DisneyWorld this spring.