Sometimes all you need is a good pair of new shoes.

That was especially the case for Noir — a trick horse rescued from a slaughter pen in Pennsylvania and nurtured back to health by the New England Equine Rescue. To be a demonstration horse again, he needed shoes, desperately, but neither NEER nor his foster mom Liz Russell of West Newbury could afford to pay for them.

Enter 9-year-old Logen Witz of Georgetown. Witz, who recently completed third grade at Penn Brook Elementary School, saw Noir’s need for help on the NEER’s Web site. She chose to “become an angel” for the horse and began raising funds in her school.

The idea to raise money for a horse first came when she read a newspaper story this past February. The story detailed how Rowan Hanson, 12, raised money for, and eventually adopted, a Tennessee walking horse named Echo. Inspired by Hanson’s example, Witz asked her mother, Linda, if she could do a similar project. Her mother suggested she talk to the Penn Brook Principal Dr. Donna Tanner and see if a fundraiser could be set up through the school.

A meeting was arranged and within a short period of time, a collection jar was put in the front office of the building. Witz was allowed to use the school’s intercom daily to make announcements. She also asked around for money during lunch and recess. In total, Witz raised $60 from donations made at Penn Brook. Her father, Dennis, then matched that — making the total donation $120.

Witz said she was glad to help Noir and plans to help out future horses in similar ways.

“[The horses] don’t really have anyone else to help them. There needs to be someone to take care of them and get money for them,” she said.

As a rescue horse, there’s “not a lot of money for extras,” said Russell. “He gets plenty of food, shavings and dessert every night, but we had a hard time getting money together for shoes. He needs the support of shoes when he’s in heavy work and he’s proven to be really talented in the dressage ring,” she added.

Russell thanks Witz for coming through.

“It was unexpected and right when we needed it. It’s a huge relief and has made a huge difference to this horse,” she said.

Witz has been riding horses for two years, ever since she received horseback riding lessons for her seventh birthday, two years ago. Now she rides four times a week, twice at Twisdenwood Farms in Georgetown and twice at Churchfield Farm in Boxford.

This summer, she had the chance to ride even more due to a phone call she received from NEER after her donation to Noir. In the middle of June, NEER contacted her asking if she would be interested in riding Boo — a Hackney rescue pony — in a Boxford Trails Association horse show earlier this summer. Witz took two second-place awards for riding Boo.

“Mary [Martin of NEER] has already asked her to ride Boo again in another show just to get the word out … that there are a lot of young horses out there that are being slaughtered,” said Linda. “[NEER] can rescue these horses and they can have a regular life.”

Linda and Dennis have three children — Keaton, 11; Logen, 9; and Tristan, 6. The entire Witz family is proud of Logen’s continuous efforts with the NEER.

“I’m really proud of her that she took it upon herself to talk to Dr. Tanner and I think it’s great that she’s not just thinking about herself but also thinking about others, especially those who can’t speak for themselves,” said Linda.

In addition to horseback riding, Witz keeps a busy schedule playing piano, soccer in the fall and is a member of the 4H club.

But despite her other interests, horse riding is still her favorite passion, especially because of the relationship she has built with the animals she rides and works with.

“They really like humans so they’re fun to be around. Even though they’re a couple hundred pounds, you feel very safe around them,” she said.

I went to visit some friends near Southampton at the weekend and my friend Elizabeth is an avid horse rider.  We went over to her stables to look at her horses and she brought one over to us from the field where it was grazing.  As we stood by the gate for no apparent reason, it turned, bucked and kicked the gate where we were standing, severely damaging one of the metal bars.

Had we been standing inside the gate we could have been killed given the force of the kick.  It just cemented in my mind just how powerful a horse is and how dangerous it can be to be  if you don’t think safety first.

I have written a book all about staying safe and if you haven’t got a copy yet, it’s well worth reading.  Check it out here

Always think in terms of safety first when handling horses–safety for you, the horse, and anyone else in the general area. Like it or not, horses are fight or flight creatures and can be unpredictable when faced with new people or surroundings. With quick thinking and action, close attention to the horse’s language, and some common sense, you can handle most situations safely.

All horses, regardless of when they were actually born, are considered to have a common birthday of January 1. This is one of the reasons most horsemen don’t like their foals to be born late in the year: Even if a foal is born on December 31st he or she will have their first birthday the very next day.

So there’s your answer, we are all celebrating our horse’s birthday on 1st January regardless - assuming we don’t have a hangover of course!

Yes, an intriguing story and nothing to do with illusionist David Copperfield.    You can find out all about it here

Sunday, May 24, a group of trail riders set off from Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena.  During the ride, Lilly (pictured), a 5-year-old buckskin mare, slipped and lost her footing.  Her owner, Leslie Boyle, fell — and Lilly ran off.  So were is she?

Find out the full story and see her picture here

No one can have missed all the press about the breakup of Jordan and Peter.  Jordan has plunged into black moods since Peter, 36, dumped her after she was snapped flaunting her chest and flirting with horse-riding coach Andrew Gould.  Well, she was always know for her love of horses, but not necessarily for her association with her horse-riding coach.

Read the full story here

There is a major problem worldwide about what to do with unwanted horses and really there are just four options

The best remaining options for unwanted horses include:

1. Market the horse privately through websites, riding stables and barns, feed and tack stores, local and regional horse magazines and publications, veterinarians and farriers, horse shows and organizations.

2. Take the horse to a rescue organization.

3. Sale barns can provide an outlet for horse sales, but owners have little control over who buys the horse, where it will go or its selling price.

4. Euthanasia can be a difficult decision but a better alternative than neglect or prolonged suffering.

One of the primary factors contributing to unwanted horses is the lack of education people have about taking care of the animals or knowing about the costs and responsibilities of taking care of a horse before they get one.

So if you are undecided as to whether you want to buy your own horse, think carefully, research waht it will cost and more importantly if you have the time and funds to look after your horse once you’ve bought him or her!

Barrel Horse Training

Barrel horses are mostly stubborn, ringy, and they hardly listen to their riders. Because of this, many horse trainers have second thoughts in training them. If you were given a chance to train barrel horses, will you take up the challenge?

Well trained barrel horses have a cutting edge, ready to run barrels, and most especially, they have high energies. However, there is no reason for you to treat barrel horses like machines. Treating animals kindly is very important and there should be no room for cruelty.

You don’t need to train your horse to run barrels everyday. During the training, why don’t you try doing other things like trail rides? Taking your horse out for a ride, doing nothing and just having fun is an excellent training tool as well. By spending a fun time with your horse, your animal friend will be reassured that his life is not just about barrel racing; and that he can do fun things as well. This is another good way of using up your horses extra energy.

Consider putting yourself in your horse’s place. If you are required to work everyday, you will soon feel bored and exhausted. You will end up stressed out. The same thing happens to your horse. If you work him out everyday, he will eventually feel upset and uninterested.

During training, you need to train your horse to jump on the barrels. When you notice that your horse is tired, take him in front of the barrel and stop. Just stand and rest in front of the barrel. This gives your horse time to look around. He can explore the rest of the arena without actually running around. This breaks up the pattern of just running and jumping all day long.

As a horse trainer, you should learn a lot about your horse. You need to treat him as a friend. Every day, when you go out training, make your horse feel that he’s still your friend; spend time together without actually working out the lessons.   

Before starting out the training sessions, make sure that you know a great deal about the barrel horses. You can read books, magazines, or other online resources. You must be aware that in order to become a good trainer, you must continue learning. By working with your horses, you will also learn a lot of things from him. Always keep in mind that horses should be treated kindly. You can’t get him to follow you by constant whipping or hitting. Being cruel to horses and other animals are punishable by law. As a trainer, you should have patience whether you’re handling your own horse or that of others. Make sure that the horse will not encounter any injury during the training sessions.

All the equipments you’ll need in barrel horse training should be ready. Make the environment an ideal place to learn for the horse. Bonding is usually the first step to training the horse. When your horse is already comfortable with you around, you can now introduce the lessons. Training your horse takes time and you need to invest a lot of energy, time, and effort. By being patient and determined, you can train your horse to become one of the best barrel horses ever.

Good luck with your training. Soon, you will see your horses competing in the various barrel events.

I am sorry not to have mde a post for a while, but I have had to look after my family.  But hopefully things are back to normal, that is until I read this article about 74 dead horses being found at a ranch.  That was the bad news.  The good news is that 211 have been saved.

Read the full story here