Recent Retirements

Hi Friends;

Following Session 3 we always assess our year. Part of this assessment is horse contribution. It is a very simple formula. If the horse is assigned a rider, they are contributing. Every now and then the instructors stop assigning a horse. Horses are assigned to a particular rider following evaluation by our therapist and instructor staff. We offer services to a very wide variety of riders and keep a wide variety of horses available. Variables include size, shape, gait, age, length, soundness, and level of training. The common factor of the entire herd regardless of the previously named variables is temperament. Although each horse's personality is different, their temperament needs to be stable. Frequently, nothing changes year after year, session after session. For a few of our horses, soundness will change with season (some get a little tenderfooted in the Spring), size changes when they fatten up on summer pasture, and level of training changes when they gain experience in the therapy arena. Through all the seasonal and experiential changes we rely on temperament to remain the same.

Misty's Adjustment

Hi Friends;

I missed joining you for several days while I was in KC. We were preparing for the big Thanksgiving holiday.

While in KC I was lucky enough to go to the American Royal horse show. I watched the USEF saddle seat equitation finals. Spectacular. There was also a full docket of saddlehorse and pony classes. The old show bug bit pretty bad!
Technology has hit the show ring. I rented a receiver with an earbud that I kept while watching the show. There was a live feed into my ear from very knowledgeable people as the class was being shown. For a horse show junkie who has been way out of the industry for a long time, it was like being part of the old action. I could hear all the ins and outs of the show horse, the rider, the owner, and other pertinent facts about the class. For novices, the monitors discussed what the judges were looking for. Apparently, a person could subscribe to a webfeed of the American Royal horse show and log on to watch every class over the Internet. Subscribers could also text and email comments to the people announcing the play-by-play live action to my earbud. It was very interactive and made me feel like I belonged back in the old groom days.......the good old days! Very fun and nostalgic.
I barely got my suitcase into the house when I zipped over to the jungle to visit the herd. They are sooooo happy to see people during the winter. Since we stopped trailering twice a week to the fairgrounds for classes, the horses are quite willing to come see you at the jungle. Of course, we only have a few remaining from the old fairground days. That's another story.....

Hi Friends;
Are you with us today, MK?
When I talked to you about my trip to KC for the Human-Animal Bond meeting I mentioned seeing the mule team, Terry and Tim, representatives of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. This is the third generation of mule team mascots for Mizzou Vet Med. To the right is a picture of the original mascot team, Hilda and Louise. I'm up in the box! I was one of the first muleskinners, mule club members, teamsters at Mizzou.
The story of Hilda and Louise begins with the arrival of the new Vet Med Dean of that era (1980's....a former life :) Dean Kahrs. Dean Kahrs had just visited the Vet school in Pennsylvania where he was given a campus tour in a buggy pulled by a standardbred. Dean Kahrs felt that would be an appropriate way to promote Mizzou Vet Med so actively sought the support to make that happen. Missouri is noted for mule production, especially noted for exporting more mules to Europe to support war efforts during WW1 than anywhere else. This reputation for producing good mules still lingers. Dean Kahrs solicited input from local mule experts and located a young team in Fayette, Mo. An 80-something year old man had broken them to drive. The were broke well. I know, because when Dr. Kahrs put out the word for pre-vet and vet students to come be the crew, I showed up. I was an active member of the pre-vet club even though I was not enrolled at Mizzou at the time. Rather, I was the "scholarship committee" supporting my husband while he became eligible to apply to Vet school and later be accepted. Since I knew nobody in our new town, I paid my dues to the pre-vet club to get to know the gang.

Behind the Scenes

Hi Friends;

Last Wed. Jennifer and Dani went on a trail ride. It was one of those rare occasions when the weather was good and they had the day off from work. It was also one of those rare times when the horses go for a ride and relax. There was nothing to correct, nothing to introduce, nothing to work on. It was in the Jungle with the herd, at ease. These are cherished rides that both the people and horses benefit from.

We have been working like crazy on getting water lines run to our home barn and get an automatic waterer set up. Helen was worried about Stormy starting to pester Dandy and Miracle. He is still playing but they are out matched by the big guy. He is bred to run, whereas D & M's little legs can outmaneuver but can't outdistance him. We wanted to have a back-up plan in case they have to move. We'll see.

Why I Missed Week 6

Hi Friends;

I missed you yesterday. I am taking a drizzly Saturday morning to join you. I enjoyed sharing our week 6 tradition with you last time. Now I will explain why I missed out. Thanks, Vol Peggy for sharing wonderful pictures taken in the arena during Session 3. It was like being there.

About mid-summer I got an email from who knows where and who knows why.....just one of those cyber-things. The email described an international meeting being held in conjunction with a research center from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Good ol' Mizzou, my Alma mater (MS '89) Of most interest was the subject of the meeting; the Human-Animal Bond. The meeting was in Kansas City (old stompin' grounds) and was the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) with the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction. The title of the meeting was Human-Animal Interaction: Impacting Multiple Species. The cost for the meeting was around $500.00 for all the members, more for non-members. However, they also offered people who worked in animal shelters, rescue groups, volunteer-based animal support groups a reduced rate of $100.00. I emailed to confirm that this included NARHA centers. Yippee was the answer!

Little Tidbits from Today

Hi Friends - and a shout out to MK.

I was pondering the next tale and searched my memories of Session 3 which ended Oct. 24th for some insights. What stands out for me at this time is the fact that I missed week 6, the final ride of the session and the final ride of the year. I had a dad ask me if it was the first time I had missed week 6. That really made me think. I remember moving week 6 to week 5 once, so I wouldn't miss it. The significance of week six is that it is "show day". Each participant at One Heart earns a ribbon on week six. All of the ribbons are donated to One Heart. Most have already been won and donated by the original owner so that we can lovingly recycle the ribbon to our equestrians. Some ribbons come to us from show secretaries or associations who have an inventory remaining from a past show or event. These are crisp and still in the box! Our recycled ribbons get overhauled with a dusting and an ironing from living under the bed or at the back of the closet- thanks, Vol Chealsea who learned to iron.... :)

Peanut to the Rescue

Hi Friends;

You who know me have heard me declare that I avoid descriptions of "miracle" and "dream" and other such words suggesting what we do in our therapy arena is less than calculated, planned, organized, and orchestrated work. I suppose it is my left-brained, analytical nature that promotes this. I will take that a bit further. I avoid talking about "miracles" and "dreams" out of a driven desire to develop and promote equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) as a true and professional approach to treatment as much as they are compassionate and fun. Now, here is where I get to talk out of the other side of my mouth. All the professionalism and continuing education and research and planning and training doesn't prevent those enlightened moments which happen all the time at One Heart. It also doesn't mean that I don't see them! One Heart has always been about following a "greater plan" and learning not to say no to those insights that could be interpreted as divine. While following this blog I hope you learn the many dimensions of One Heart and EAAT.

Through the networking of the NARHA centers of Iowa, an email was forwarded from a person with a miniature horse for donation. This mini was located in Eastern Iowa, probably an hour and a half from One Heart. A picture was attached. I forwarded the email with picture to Jennifer since she was "in to " minis. I advertised this potential donation using all of the worse descriptions possible. Truthfully, I felt this little misfit was not only muggly-ugly, but as a yearling wouldn't contribute to our program for a long time. This mini was of no use to us. There could be potential, but not without an investment of time and money. I phoned the owner to discuss the particulars of her little stallion which is when I found out he was born in Wisconsin. She had located and purchased him as a weanling through the internet. Her goal was to find a pure white mini who could accompany her to renaissance festivals and be her lovable unicorn sidekick. Her plan fell through and she felt the pure white mini with glass-blue eyes needed a new home. She had him boarded on a farm away from her and she couldn't give him the time and attention he deserved.