Live @ Equine Niagara News

Great facility, caring people

2011-10-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have written a blog for ENN, and this one is a little different as it has nothing to do with horses per se, but everything to do with the love of animals.

Recently, due to a very trying day - one that I would rather not repeat, my two dogs Cannon and Casey escaped (due to the negligence of another) from my yard. It was about 15 minutes before they were noticed missing. Immediately a search was undertaken to find them on the street.

Since we now live in a very busy section of St. Catharines and by a major waterway, I get concerned quickly. Casey and Cannon still think they are country dogs. They really haven't got a clue that cars are not there to say hello to them as they were accustomed to at the farm. Anyway, within a few minutes we determined they were long gone already. Casey - my little Bichon is the instigator. The lab wouldn't venture further than two doors down if it weren't for following Casey to protect him. Anyway, back into the house to call the Lincoln County Humane Society to report them missing.

Wow - they already had the dogs. Thank God! They are safe. I told them I would be right there to pick them up. We live within a 10 minute walk of the Lincoln County Humane Society. We joked that the dogs walked out the gate and directly there.

Arriving at the facility, I found the dogs waiting in their holding room with smiles to see their mommy and Casey looking at me like - "Hi Mom, yup I led Cannon astray again." Anyway, I explained to the two people behind the desk, one being the gentleman that brought the dogs in the circumstances surrounding their escape. They were very understanding and asked a few questions about Cannon as they thought initially that he had been hit by a car. Not the case - Cannon is 13 1/2 years old and hobbles along the best he can for all the arthritis in his old bones. I was a little shocked at the cost to get them back, however I do understand that for all the good work the Lincoln County Humane Society does, they need revenue to do it. And, if there dog licenses were up to date, it wouldn't have been quite so much.

I always forget about the licenses. When we lived at the farm the Welland Humane Society used to show up at our door every February or March to sell us the dog licenses on the spot! I miss this service - but oh well. Casey and Cannon are now registered again. Next step, a tag for each of them with their names and my phone number as recommended by the great people at the LCHS.

I also couldn't believe the facility. I haven't been to their facility since I was a teenager - they were on Martindale Road then. It was clean, bright, welcoming, had a pet shop for supplies and I was hard pressed not to rescue the cute kitten in the reception room before I left.

All in all, the dogs were happy to see me, I was relieved to get them back so quickly. Thank you very much to the staff at the Lincoln County Humane Society for all the effort put in to keep our animals safe and secure!

Summer Camp Fun Goes Wrong

2011-08-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

Running a summer camp for children can be fun for the children and the organizers alike. However, precautionary measures should always be taken so incidents like this one don't happen again:

Follow this link to watch CTV news broadcast on the incident.

I have organized many summer camps for children at the farm. And while it is very easy to have fun, it is also very easy for things to go wrong quickly. In this case - I'm wondering why 50 children were in what appears to be a hay basket? That is an accident waiting to happen before it tipped over.

Missing the Horses

2011-07-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last month I sold my last horse. And as much as I know she went to a great home here in Niagara - I miss her. I guess I miss them all.

Sure I liked to grouch about the chores and the work involved like we all do, but believe it or not, I even miss mucking all that horse crap. Not that I did it that often as all the young girls that rode at the barn did it most of the time. But - at least it was always there waiting for me - to give me a break from the endless hours sitting in front of my computer working.

No longer can I go out to the barn for that break. Sitting in the back yard here doesn't seem to cut it. I don't seem to hear anything from the grass, birds or squirrels when I go outside. Not like the barn - all the horses would say hello in their own way as soon as I would walk in. Not to mention the goats - coming and knocking me down just because they thought it was funny. Someday - maybe again! In the meantime, a friend lets me use their horse for the rare occasion I find time to ride.

It isn't quite the same however - it is now a planning process - schedule use of horse, get saddle and gear in truck, drive across town, get horse from pasture, ride, bring it all home. No more just walking out the back door and deciding to ride. Oh and how I miss the rides to the winery. Where's Mikey when I need him? This horse loved his 'picnics'. He was the first horse I ever rode to Henry of Pelham. He would stand patiently munching grass while I went in to buy a bottle of wine for dinner. That seems like so long ago now.

And, I can't write about our horses without talking about "Maxx". The horse that thought he was a dog. I bought him as a 2-yr-old, unbroke stud. Believe me there are a few stories to be told about the brat that he was then. However through gelding him, professional training and a lot of years of frustration with him he turned into a fun, and local champion for so many. "Here Maxx - fetch the stick!".

So true is it that you don't miss something so much until you don't have it.

The worst part is, I'm losing touch with all the horse people. Even though I still produce Equine Niagara News, I'm not out at the events any more seeing everyone. Faces change so quickly - and the horses even quicker. So, although I do make an effort to get to an event now and then, please keep sending your stories and articles in for publishing in the magazine. This magazine stays strong because of the participation of the readers. Let's keep it that way. I love producing the magazine and it at least keeps me hoping that I'll get another horse one day soon.

The Upper Canada Equestrian Association's Cancer Ride is coming up again August 21st - I can't wait for that - all those horses in one place. Hopefully it's not rained out again. We've had a run of bad luck weather wise for that event. And I'm hoping that I can hitch a ride for the club's swim ride in two weeks as well. A little horse play is always helpful to relieve the day to day stresses.

Well enough gibberish for one day - off to produce ENN.

Our Horse Trails

2011-04-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you were out on a trail ride? Do you value the land we have to ride on? Limited I know, but if more of us don't start taking an active interest in the existing trails we may find ourselves a little lacking in places to ride.

While not everyone that has a horse enjoys trail riding - showing is more their thing - there are a great many of us that do enjoy the trails. As mentioned trails suitable for trail riding in Niagara are limited, but there are a few that need protecting and developing.

Most of us know about the Short Hills Provincial Park and its various trails that we enjoy thoroughly. This park offers a challenging ride for those that want it, or a simple, relaxing ride for those that don't. It is a great expanse of nature that we share with the hikers and the cyclists of Niagara. Do you know there is an organization called the Friends of Short Hills Park - check it out - keep involved.

More importantly - do you know about the Upper Canada Equestrian Association (UCEA)? This is a not-for-profit organization started almost 30 years ago to develop and protect our horseback riding trails. Over the years the membership has grown and dropped, and now requires the involvement of even more horse enthusiasts to keep the fight for our trails going strong. This organization not only helps with the trails, but offers monthly trail rides and most of you are familiar with the Annual Nicky Aitken Memorial Trail Ride for Breast Cancer.

Currently we are threatened with the loss of part of the Upper Canada Heritage Trail (St. David's to Niagara-on-the-Lake). The Welland Canal Trail is being over taken by ATVs, dirt bikes and off-road vehicles, destroying the horse trails. The Circle Committee is in a restructuring phase - leaving us wondering what is happening with these plans. The Friendship Trail has a very limited stretch of the trail available to horseback riding and the same with the TransCanada Trail in Wainfleet.

The UCEA has recently become a member of the Friends of Short Hills Park along with a new membership with the Ontario Trails Council - an advocate group protecting and developing our Ontario Trails (all types). The UCEA will be taking part in their (OTC's) annual conference April 18th & 19th in Niagara Falls.

Never has equestrian participation been so high - on the block I lived on in Niagara, I counted approximately 150 horses at one point. To keep our trails and the voice of the equestrian in the forefront, please consider becoming members of the above groups. Lots of fun, fellow horses lovers, a little bit of volunteer work and more importantly we keep the fight to keep our trails strong with your help.

Why Not in Niagara?

2011-04-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

Pet Peeve I think.

Every year I go to Can-Am. Every year there is a very large display from Home Hardware. And guess what - it's all horse products. At pretty good prices I might add.

So why is it that the Home Hardware stores locally do not carry products for our favourite animal? Kala's Home Hardware on 4th Avenue is smack dab in the middle of horse country. It's five minutes from many west St. Catharines and Pelham horse farms? So why no horse products?

Should we be pushing them to get the horse products? Or do you feel we have enough suppliers locally in Greenhawk, HorseWorld, TSC, Serge's, Minor Bros, Lowdens and a little further off Pleasant Ridge? What are your thoughts?

What to See at Can-Am

2011-03-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Here I am at Can-Am 2011. It's shaping up to be a great show. Yesterday I saw some old friends, made some new friends and enjoyed the day. But I think most of all I enjoyed seeing some of the new products available to the horse industry this year.

One of those is Healthy Horse Feeder Corp's introduction of a new hay slow feeder - I found this just fascinating. Check it out at http://www.healthyhorsefeeders.com/.

I met with George Hewitt (remember - I just reviewed his book "Keep Spurring"). Well I now have the sequel and another children's book to review as well. I can hardly wait to get into that.

I spoke to the people at Home Hardware, Granton Trailers, and so many more. Our Crib-FreeTM demo went over very well. Mike Hughes spoke to a full-house - all people wanting to know how to stop their horse from cribbing. He has another demo today at 4, using Richard Roy's Paso - Saturno. The modular run-in shelters are going over good as well.

I thought the crowds were down a bit yesterday, but apparently the numbers were up - they must have come through all at the same time. There are some big name clinicians here this year as well. And of course Amber Marshall. Incidentally, she was at the show yesterday - incognito mind you. It was tough not to pull my camera out for a candid shot. She's signing autographs on Sunday - the crowds should be big then!

And with that, I'm off and running - another day at the show today!

Saying Goodbye to the Farm

2011-02-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been the toughest of my life - I think! I thought selling the horses in December was tough. But not as tough as moving off the farm. And move we did, on February 9th. 1-2-3, sort, pack and flee. Let me tell you it wasn't fun. It was hard enough last week. Even harder was going back to the farm yesterday to get the remainder of our belongings - and at that I didn't have enough manpower or trucks to get it all. I am so thankful to our neighbour and friend for taking in 3 horses at a moments notice and for taking our barn cats - I hope they don't wonder back home. Let me tell you - it is really strange waking up in the morning and not having to feed horses, or turn them out, or even go down to the barn for a ride - now it's drive across town to ride like so many others.

Those that no me well, know the reason why the sudden change, and for those that don't email me if you want to know more. It's not something that needs to published all over facebook.

I always knew I would hate moving back to the city, but I didn't know just how much I would hate it. After only one week, I'm fed up. People showing up at the door all the time, listening to the neighbours yell from their side door to the driveway to say goodbye, and the constant worry that the dogs will get out on the busy street. I loved the solitary of the farm. Not to mention the police showing up at the front door at 6:30 in the morning because our car slid down the driveway onto the road because it was sitting on a sheet of ice. The only good thing about it is it's now 5 minutes to HorseWorld.

Also a big thank you to the owner of this house we are in - it was vacant, owned by a friend of Bill's and he handed us the keys. Home is where you make it and we are doing that -- but it's not the farm.

So the real reason for this extremely hard to write blog is to let you know that although things are a mess with Bill's business, mine are fine and still going - albeit a little slow in production due to dealing with moving a house and our world being turned upside down. So Equine Niagara News will be out at some point over the weekend. I apologize for the delay, but there is just so much to be taken care of at the moment, working has not been that much of a priority. I am finally starting to get back into the swing of things, and hope to be back to my slave-driving self by Monday. In the meantime, the house needs to be sorted and arrangements made. I'm finding out I'm not superwoman after all.

The normally calm, relaxed and in-control person that I am has lost it a few times in the past week - I feel sorry for the owner of the moving company we hired last week - I tore a strip off him. But all in all - I am so thankful for all of our friends that pulled together to help, that understood, that gave us their support. There really are good people out there! So thank you everyone for your help, support and well-wishes.

The way I see it - things can only get better from here!

$250,000 for Manure Removal

2011-02-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Now that's a lot of manure! The RCMP have come to realize they, like everyone else must learn to cut costs. But just what do you do with all that manure?

96 horses worth!

"They produce an awful lot," RCMP Insp. Marty Chesser, Officer-in-Charge of the Musical Ride branch, says of the 96 hay burners at the Sandridge Road stables.
"Five to 12 times a day."
For the average 450-kilogram horse, that works out to 15 kilograms to 23 kilograms of waste per day, including urine and absorbent wood chips, or about 2,700 kilograms of solid equine excreta annually. Ride mares and geldings, plus rider training horses and remounts fill six big, 20-cubic-yard Dumpsters each week.
This year, for the first time, the Mounties are making hay out of the situation through recycling, a move expected to save taxpayers a filthy load of money.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Musical+Ride+finds+save+taxpayers+filthy+load+money/4153468/story.html#ixzz1CobXjeJZ

The RCMP have enlisted Agriculture Canada to help - in so doing there is now a free source of fertilizer.

How many of us here in Niagara let the local farmers come take our manure. The grape farmers love it - some prefer it mixed with straw, others shavings - but heck - they come and take it away for nothing if you have a big enough source and a means for them to get at it. At that however, the farmers and grape growers still can't handle it all.

What do you do with your manure?

Is There Ever Good News Out of the U.K.?

2011-01-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

Tell me, is there ever good news out of the United Kingdom? I subscribe to hundreds of news feeds, one of them being "Horse and Hound Magazine" out of the U.K. Three out of four news feed titles are something like this one: "Rider and Two Horses Die in Road Accident", another: "Mutilated Pony", and yet a third: "Emaciated Mare and Foal Dumped".

Two years ago when I started ENN, I found the stories interesting and published one or two of them - and today, I still provide a link now and then, but really. Is it really that the UK has that many more horse tragedies than North America, or do they just publish more about them. I don't think two days go by without a horse being hit by a car, struck by lightening, fallen in a well or some other weird tragedy that befells only United Kingdom horses. Every week a horse is killed by a car it seems. Do motorists there not know horses exist? Are they worse than deers here? Or maybe, its a case of the horses are not paddocked in the U.K. like they are here and are free to roam where they want. I don't know. If I ever travel overseas, I'll have to make it a point ot visit the U.K. to see just what they do with the horses there. Subscribe to the on-line magazine sometime - you'll see just what I'm talking about.

Sure there are stories of good as well, but everything that makes the news feed seems to be a tragedy - like I said before 3 out of 4 feeds are tragedies. Really!

Horse Population: 21.5 million in 1915 compared to 9.2 million today

2011-01-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a change. 21.5 million to 9.2 million - but I guess that's what happens with the introduction of automobiles. Needless to say, 9.2 million horses is still an impressive number, considering they are now show horses and our friends, versus the work horses and means of transportation that they used to be. I'm sure there's a good population that are still used in the fields as well. And, I'm not sure if this article is referring to the world population of horses, U.S., or North America http://horsetalk.blogs.equisearch.com/2011/01/horse-breeding-horse-numbers-then-now.html but, I found it quite interesting and thought I would share it.

A Few Eyebrows Raised On This One!

2011-01-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

When I first ran across this article on facebook, I was actually amazed at the comments. There were your normal - save the horses, how dare you comments, but there were quite a few in support of horse slaughter as well - not necessarily for the consumption of meat however as the link below discusses. When I went back to the spot I originally saw the article - I could no longer find it. My guess - the comments got to be too much for the person that had posted it on their page.

So what am I talking about?

I'm talking about an article published by the Globe and Mail by Mark Shatzker on January 4th entitled: "Why You Should Eat Horsemeat: It's Delicious".
I found the article and read it from start to finish. This is unusual for me as I tend to skim most articles, but in this case I really wanted to know what this Mark Shatzker had to say.

I was quite surprised once again. This guy did his homework. He didn't just talk about the meat itself and how good it is (I'm not sure, I agree with this, I've tasted it), but he actually did his research as to horse slaughter in the U.S. and in Canada. What the effects of closing the slaughter houses in the States has had on the horses there, and how they are slaughtered here in Canada and for what purpose. It was quite an in-depth article - all to promote horse meat as a delicioius food.

I'm not sure 'most' Canadians are ready for horse meat on their dinner table. Like the author says ' "they're cute", they are our pets, our show horses, our work horses, our friends. But I can definitely see how the meat could be considered a delicacy.

My ex-husband was born in Holland and one of the treats he bought himself was horsemeat for sandwiches in his lunch now and then. This is when I tasted it - long before I ever had horses of my own. What he bought was a smoked version, very thinly sliced. All I remember from it was A) it was very salty and B) it reminded me of a sausage my great-grandmother prepared when we were kids - not sure if it was one of the Hungarian sausages or the German sausages, but either way. I didn't like it.

But regardless of what I or anyone else think, horse meat is a world-wide commodity and horses will continue to be slaughtered for human consumption.

I have to hand it to this Mark Schatzker - he wrote a very controversial article, in a major newspaper all to promote his like of horsemeat, but he did it with taste (pardon the pun), and with research - so many don't bother with the facts.

As for me - not on a bet will I order horse meat in a restaurant. But that's just me!

Loose Horses - Negligent Homicide

2011-01-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here's one for the record books. Man charged with negligent homicide http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=13768083 after his loose horse strays into the road, gets hit by a car. The horse dies and so does the driver of the car.

What next?

I'm sure if you were repeatedly warned to fix your fencing as your horse keeps. Escaping, it's possible. But we all know if a horse wants to leave, it will leave. Whether bit jumps the fence, breaks the fence or most of us have known at least one horse that is smart enough to open a latch.

What gets me though is - horses aren't like deer. They generally don't run blindly across a road. They are generally wary of cars having been exposed to many a road either by trail riding or simply by being paddocked next to the road. So how fast was the driver of that car going to not see a horse in the road? Don't get me wrong, the driver's untimely death is just as devastating, but I find it hard to believe one could not see a horse in the middle of the road. And even harder to believe the horse owner was charged with negligent homicide.

Goodbye Snow. Hello Mud!

2010-12-31T03:36:00.000-08:00

Last night as I cursed the slush and slipperyness of the snow when carrying an exercise bike that I sold across the lawn to an awaiting vehicle, I didn't imagine waking up to finding no snow on the ground. At six am as I trudged past the windows to the kitchen to make coffee and get to my office, the first thing I noticed was how dark it was outside. I couldn't figure out why at first, until I took a closer look. It wasn't that it was any darker out than any other morning at 6am, it was that there was nothing reflecting of the white snow on the ground. Because.... there was no snow. What a difference one night made.

So now, I look forward to the mud that will come. While I'm sure not quite that fast as the ground is still frozen by the end of tomorrow when the rain comes, there will be a ton of mud. I was just starting to enjoy grooming again - no mud to get off the hoofs, the tangled mess of caked mud and fetlock hair, and not to mention the mud balls in the ends of the horse's tails. Maybe I should just invest in a tail bag - not!

You would think if mother nature saw fit to raise the temperatures for the Holiday weekend, giving us nice riding temperatures for a winter day, that she could also see fit in keeping the rain away for a few days. If she wanted rain, why couldn't it wait til Tuesday when we all go back to work?

I haven't been on a horse since October and was quite looking forward to riding this weekend especially when I heard how warm it would be. Now, I'll probably still ride, but not likely to get into the short hills - it will be too wet and slick. This was going to be the first weekend I worked again with Spirit, the quarter horse / welsh cross mare I kept for myself after selling all the other horses. Don't get me wrong, I've ridden Spirit lots and love her ride, but mostly for training purposes for the kids to show - now she is my pleasure horse. I'm sure she'll still see a show or two, but for now she is my ride.

But first before any riding will now become cleaning off the mud. Being a bay, she is not prone to staying clean. Rolling in the wettest, muddiest area is par for the course with this fiesty little mare.

Oh well, here's to the love of riding and horses - mud or no mud!

Do Horses Enjoy the Holidays?

2010-12-27T04:27:00.000-08:00

Spirit of Toledo with her Santa Cap

Another Christmas come and gone. But did we remember our horses? The hustle and bustle associated at this time year, quite often leaves so many other things unattended.

So how many made time for your horse? Knowing my group of friends, I bet the answer to that is 90%. Whether, you had time for extra rides due to extra days off work, or whether you gave them treats and an extra grooming or two - whatever you did, I'm sure they appreciated it.

The barns are quite often quiet on Christmas Day. When you went to visit your horse, did you say hello to the others in the barn? Did you bring treats for your horse and the others in the barn? What do you think your horse thinks of being dressed up with Santa hats and reindeer antlers? Do you think they enjoy the attention and the photo shoots?

Believe me - this is the only usable shot I have of Spirit with her Santa hat. This particular hat I crocheted a couple of years ago to sell the pattern on Crochet Do Dads. It is specifically designed with a horse in mind - ear holes! Spirit was more interested in getting that pom-pom away from her face and shaking the hat off than anything else. But eventually we got the photo.

ENN has been receiving quite a few great photo entries for it's annual Christmas photo contest. Some people have gone to a lot of work to get the shots. There is still plenty of time to get your photos in for the contest. Just make sure you include your name and contact information so we can reach you if you should win. I always enjoy seeing the great pictures people are able to get - whether they have dressed their horse up, or just managed to get a great winter scene with their horse. It's always a pleasure seeing the photos. I particularly like the ones that show a horse being a horse!

My own barn was extremely quiet this year, having gone from 9 horses in the barn to 4 in the barn a couple days before Christmas. I truly hope the ponies, Donny and Maxx are enjoying their new home. And as for Alice and Cooper - our pygmy goats - well -- the barn just isn't the same without them. I can now walk through the barn without one of them cutting me off, head-butting the backs of my knees or trying to push me into the feed bin. The laughter from their antics is no longer there. No goat poop though! I miss them all.

So now that Christmas is over, today starts the first day of working with Spirit more often. This stalky quarterhorse/welsh mare is my new ride. I wonder what tricks I can teach her? I'm sure I'll have fun finding out.

With that, I think I'll sign off for today - starting to ramble again.

Until next time....

Saying Goodbye

2010-12-23T04:46:00.000-08:00

Maxx and I at the Grape & Wine Parade 2009

Yesterday was probably the hardest day I have ever had to endure. Saying goodbye to five of my best friends. Five horses that have meant so much to me and so many of my friends, and the people that have had lessons here. Five horses that have given their all for years to prove to us just how good, smart and friendly they can be. Saying goodbye to Maxx, Donny, Precious, Maple and Lady will be a day I never forget. And let's not forget Alice & Cooper, our two pygmy goats - they have a new home too.

But saying goodbye to Maxx was hardest of all. I thought he would be in my life until one of us died. I've had this horse since he was a 2 year-old unbroke stud. We learned to ride together, many students have had the pleasure and some times not so great of a pleasure learning to ride on him, and he's been seen everywhere and anywhere parades, the winery, on the trails, chasing cows, at the shows - he's done it all. He truly was my best friend. I didn't dare ride him if I was angry - he picked up my moods and they instantly became his. He thought he was a dog, following me everywhere, bowing for people, he's even been known to fetch a stick. The barn will never seem the same without him here. Maxx and Joker have been here for what seems like forever. I will miss him dramatically. I only hope the people at his new home love and appreciate him as much as we did.

I will miss my little black pony too - Precioius was born here on the farm and again I thought she would have a home here forever. I've played with that pony since she was hours old. I've watched her grow and become the beauty of a black pony for the past 4 years. I am probably the only person that Precious truly trusts - but I'm sure that ended yesterday when she too left the farm.

Donny, Maple and Lady I didn't have the same bond with, but they were all so much part of life here at the farm. They all had their own unique personalities. They all did their jobs well and were a joy to have around. With maple you never new just when she was going to jump the fence to visit her neighbours or get that one blade of grass that she couldn't reach from the other side. 13 hands and a powerhouse for jumping 4 and 5 foot fences.

I'm dreading going to the barn this morning to feed - it will seem so empty. Only four horses in the barn now. Three boarders and I kept Spirit - the quarterhorse/welsh cross mare for myself. She's not as flashy as Maxx, but I love her just the same. She has her own determined personality that I love. She'll never hold the same place in my heart as Maxx does, but she'll come close.

Alice & Cooper on the barn roof and in the manure bin

Walking into the barn will once again be safe and I would imagine it will stay clean again, now that Alice & Cooper are also gone. No more goat crap to step on. But I sure will miss their antics. It didn't matter what kind of mood you were in, these two critters could make you laugh.

They loved to sneak up behind me and head butt the back of my knee. You could almsot picture them running off to a corner to giggle at me falling on my knees after one of their headbutts. Or better yet, when they were impatient for the horses to be fed, they would headbutt my butt as I was scooping feed for the horses - more than once almost sending me head over heels into the feed bin. They were so much fun. The picture here is the day they found their way on top of the barn and ended up in the manure bin. There was always something happening with these goats. I'm sure the daughter of the man that bought the horses will have as much fun with them as we did. We had them exactly one year. I picked them up the week before Christmas last year.

I can't believe how things can change so dramatically so quickly. I only hope that all the horses and the goats have a great home and are loved and used as much as they were here. We'll miss them and life here just won't be the same without them!

Thank you to everyone that sent their best wishes and concern over the last couple days. It means a lot to us.
Merry Christmas Maxx, Precious, Donny, Maple, Lady, Alice & Cooper - enjoy your new home!

Some Rally

2010-12-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

Rally supporters at Regional Niagara Headquarters

So some of us - (6 initially and 3 more arrived later after getting lost) braved the cold to rally at Regional Council Headquarters last night in support of the NRPS mounted unit. I was quite disappointed in the turnout. It was kind of embarrasing that we had so few out to show their support when I'm hard pressed to find people that are against keeping the mounted unit in Niagara. As mentioned before, most people are supportive, but not willing to get involved. I understand that - I'm usually one of them. However, with this particular issue - I thought more would come out to show their support.

Our efforts didn't go unnoticed however. The newly elected Regional Chair, Gary Burroughs came out to talk with us prior to the council meeting ensuring that he will find out more if he was elected to the police commission board - which he was, along with Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey and Thorold Councillor Henry D'Angela. We made the radio news this morning and here is the link to the article written by the St. Catharines Standard. We were able to speak with many of the councillors as they arrived to hear their opinions of the mounted unit - pro or con and Toby (rally supporter) had a boisterous exchange with one of the councillors regarding the police budget.

We had another gentleman come out to the rally specifically to sign the petition to keep the mounted unit. He had even brought apples for the horses. That was probably the most common question last night - where were the horses?

Many just don't get that it's not just about the horses. Of course the horses are an integral part of the mounted unit. There can't be a mounted unit without them. However, it is the combination of horse and rider that makes the mounted unit. We need both to form the team. And while, yes, many of us involved in this campaign are horse-owners, it is the good that the mounted unit provides for the community that has us rallying in their support. Regardless of whether I owned horses or not, I would be fighting for the mounted unit to stay and I believe many of the other supporters feel the same. But because we are horse owners, we also know just what a horse is capable of. We know how quickly a horse can push through a crowd. We know that a horse can go on terrain that vehicles, bicycles, atvs, etc., just can't go. We know that the bond a horse and its rider have creates trust in each other, that allows extraordinary feats to be accomplished. If the horse trusts it's rider, he will do as asked. If the rider trusts his horse, they will allow the horse to take him through precarious situations. It's a team effort at all times.

Regardless of how few our numbers were, we made a statement and we will continue to push to save the unit until we can't!

Ok - So Where's the Support?

2010-12-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

So in the past few weeks I've spoken with hundreds of people about the plight of the NRPS Mounted Unit. I have run across exactly three people that were not in favour of keeping the unit in Niagara. That's right 3. Everyone else is floored that when other police forces are adding a mounted unit, we are dismantling ours.

So why then, are we seeing such a lack of support on the petition and in sign-ups for the rally? There are only 350 signatures and 4 attending the rally this Thursday at Regional Council. Is it because everyone believes that some one else will show their support by attending or signing? Is it that people don't like the fact the unit is being dismantled but are not that passionate about helping to keep them? Are people afraid to get involved? I don't understand.

Or maybe I do. I don't usually get involved either when it comes to causes. I think I mentioned this in the blog a few days ago. But either way - this one is in our back yard. Come on people show your support!

This unit does so much good for the region. Not only in public relations, but they also serve a valid means of policing our streets. I have heard from many downtown residents that feel much safer knowing the mounted unit is there. I've heard how one young boy transformed from a bully to one that now wants to be a mounted police officer. I have heard story after story for the good of our community.

Please join the fight and help us let the region know, we want the Mounted Unit to STAY!

Blogging Again

2010-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

After 8 months of not blogging, I'm back. I decided I missed it too much. It was kind of like therapy every morning. So here we start again, but this time for ENN instead of the farm. That's not to say there won't be the odd tale or two from the farm, but the majority of the blogs will be about the horses in general. And I'm not promising it will be every day as was the case with the farm blog. But it will be more frequent than the original blog I started for ENN. I'm back to Blogger with Google - partly because it allows integration to facebook and partly - it is just easier to use.

This morning's blog is short and sweet as you can see. But, basically I'm back....

Good for the Region

2010-12-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to jump on a band wagon for a cause. I'm more the type to sign the petition or donate, but become part of the cause - nope - not me. But this time, I found jumping in head first. For weeks, I've been asking myself why.

Is it I don't have enough to do? No way! If you know me at all, you know I have a thousand and one things on the go. Is it I wanted to be part of something? Don't think so - I'm a part of too many things now. And the funny thing is - with this particular 'cause', I didn't think twice. I heard about the situation and like I said, "jumped in head first".

So just what is this cause? It's the fight to save the Niagara Regional Mounted Police Unit. I first heard about the possibility of the mounted unit being dismantled weeks before it was publicly announced and at that time had already decided that if this was the case, I needed to try and do something about it. When I learned it was a reality the wheels were put in motion.

First the on-line petition, then the hard copy petition and then the hard work of making people aware of the situation and getting them to join the fight. That fight as it turns out is harder than I expected. There seems to be a very large 'silent majority' in favour of the mounted unit staying, but like me (in the past) are unwilling to get involved. I have now come to realize just how much effort has to go into fighting something you believe in. A friend is helping big-time with this project as well and together we have been spreading the word. But it is slow going in getting the petition signed.

Next week, we have planned a rally at the Niagara Region Headquarters - I'm only hoping more people come out and show their support there than have done so on the petition. If we are lucky we'll have maybe 1000 signatures - for this type of fight we need 10s of 1000s. But I guess most of this boils down to - we just don't have enough manpower out there collecting signatures.

Regardless, we have tried and hopefully the powers that be will take notice.