"I’m A Horse Advocate – so what’s my position on Horse Slaughter?"

Howdy Friends,

 

The other day when I posted a note on Facebook about my soon to be released book, “It’s For The Horses—Musings about their needs, spirit, gifts and care from a horse advocate,” I was asked a question. “If you are a horse advocate, what is your position on horse slaughter and why don’t you write about that?”

Why have I never written about horse slaughter? As a horse advocate I have written about many negatives regarding horses. Pregnant mare Urine farms, and horrible pee lines, TWH Soring, and the torture, Nurse Mare Farms, and the heartbreak, the Bureau of Land Management and the wanton mistreatment of our Wild Horses, to mention a few.

I could write many more stories of horrendous treatments of the noblest animal God ever created, almost every breed of equine suffers at the hand of man. I’ll not delineate the long list of horrors here, but we all know them. Each of us can name breeds, showing and techniques, bits, and other mechanical devices, management, care and use. These stories are painful and difficult to write, and it is not really my style. I prefer to write positive. I subscribe to the belief, the hope—that by sending out positive thoughts the positive energy may help make a change.

A friend once told me, “When horses and money compete, horses lose.” Sadly this is all too often proven true. And of course the horses pay the price, with their pain, mental and physical, their freedom, their contentment, and even their very lives. For that reason I try to write stories in support of humane, fun and healthy for the horse, care and management—in the hope that more folks may begin to consider a new dynamic. A paradigm shift to, in everything they do, consider the horse’s point of view first. Ask themselves, “Am I doing this for me? For the ribbon? The glory? The money? Or am I doing it for the horse. What will the horse get out of this?

I believe if all horse caregivers considered the “horse first” in every aspect, so much would change. It would have to.

How could a person who thinks, “horse first,” even consider torturing a magnificent TWH with chemicals, chains, stacks and plantation shoes? How could BLM management chase horses and foals to near death, (and death) with helicopters and stack them in corrals to suffer unsheltered in backing sun or frigid cold? How could trainers employ tail sets, rollkur, and a plethora of other horrible training techniques and mechanical devices? How could they breed nurse mare foals? How could they stand mares in pee lines for 8 months a year and deprive them of water to produce rich urine to create a drug known to kill the very women they pretend to help? How could they start horses at such a young age their bones, and minds, are damaged for life? How could they bred so many horses in the hope of producing a money maker, and toss aside the ones who don’t make the count? How could they ride a horse in a saddle that doesn’t fit? How could they stand a horse in a stall for days on end? And yes, how could they support horse slaughter? I’d wager if they thought “horse first” there would be changes.

I suppose I could write story after story detailing the negatives, abuse, neglect and horrors horses endure at the hand of man. And I will from time to time...But I’d rather do my best to write happy—to write stories suggesting better ways—ways in keeping with a “horse first” paradigm, and work to help more folks realize the exact same goals can be achieved, and achieved at even higher levels, if the horse comes first.

Where do I stand on horse slaughter? I reckon you can guess.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"Surprise What A Pony!"

Howdy Friends,

Surprise will soon celebrate her 34^th birthday and the beginning of her second decade as a Therapy Pony! More kids who are dealing with unkind life situations have learned to smile, sit straight and feel the glory of accomplishment while riding, leading or loving Surprise over the years than anyone could count.

Surprise in 2000

Surprise has always loved being a friend to all, a teacher, healer, confidant and cheer leader. All horses have the gift of being human’s best friend and even spiritual guide—some have an extra magical way of teaching us to hear them, learn from them, thrive with them. Surprise is one of those.

Half the children in Buckingham county VA have learned to ride with Surprise’s gentle guidance, or taken her to shows, or have had children of their own who have mastered equine essentials from the thoughtful tutelage of Surprise. You see, long before Surprise began her second career as a Therapy Pony, she had been a teacher, a lesson horse.

Surprise in 1998

She has always been an award winning show pony, and LaRue Dowd, our host at Sprouse’s Corner Ranch, and program director for Heartland Horse Heroes, remembers showing her own pony as a youth, and competing with Surprise. She remembers Surprise at VA State Fairs winning not only the blue ribbons for Gymkhana, but Hunter too. “Something few ponies do at the same show!” LaRue beams. Surprise has, over the years, introduced more children to the art, fun and excitement of showing, striving to be the best they can, and winning ribbons, than perhaps any other pony in VA. She has the heart, desire and love to teach. And does with grace.

Surprise and a few ribbons

Surprise has no plans on retiring any time soon. She continues to give regular riding lessons for beginners. She is also one of Heartland Horse Heroes primary Therapy Ponies. Often she’ll be the first new participants learn from, her understanding, compassionate ways, and short stature, easily overcoming fears some children bring to therapy about horses. She has often gotten youngsters over their fears allowing them in time to move on to taller horses. She loves her job, her life, and her kids.

Surprise teaching a youngster to sit tall and have courage in equine assisted therapy

Surprise the teaching pony. Short in stature, towering in human connection, teaching skills, love and understanding. She is a Therapy Horse, in every sense of the word.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

It's For The Horses

Howdy Friends! 

Editing, assembling, and cover design for my next book, “It’s For The Horses— Musings about horses, their needs, spirit, gifts and care from a horse advocate” are beginning. Troy Palmer, cover design magic person, just sent me a note asking for a back cover summary.

I sent her this... “This is not a book about riding, or training horses. This is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. It is my hope to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met, and worked with horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. I’m a horse advocate. Having had the honor and privilege of working for a number of years rehabilitating TWHs, with my mentor Diane Sept, a Senior Certified Connected Riding® Instructor, I learned from her, and the horses, many things. Everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human – from the horse’s point of view.”

Now Bobbie Jo will need to work her editing magic yet, but it’s close. “It’s For The Horses” will be released in May.

Gitty Up, Dutch

"Blanketing Horses"

Howdy Friends,

Coffee Clutch friends and Facebook friends know my position on blanketing our horses is pretty much, guarded. I’ve chatted about horses and blanketing HERE and HERE, and always I say something to the effect, “Understanding there are exceptions, I’m in the anti blanket camp.”

Exceptions. There are always exceptions to and for everything and exceptions are noteworthy, important and viable, my only concern is they can also be used to self justify not making a change. Conversely exceptions can be the reasons folks use to make changes not in the best interest of their horse.

Kessy wears a blanket for the first time in the 5 years we've been together. Unusual weather, temps dropping from 50 to 0 in one day, and she is already shed out a lot ... She wore the blanket evening to mid morning the next day, temps were back up to 30 in 15 hours.

That’s why when I write about blankets and horses I don’t spend a lot of time on the exceptions as to why it’s good to blanket horses, there are valid exceptions, and some horses certainly need and fair better with them, but most would thrive much better without blankets.

My most vehement exception to blanketing horses is how many times it is overdone, improperly done and in far too many instances sloppily managed. We’ve all seen horses standing outside on sunny days of 40, 50 and even 60 degree days blanketed because their caregivers don’t know any better, or worse are simply too lazy or busy to remove them. I’ve personally known horses who have been forced to wear blankets from fall to spring without ever once the blanket being removed. I’ve seen horses with rain rot, sores and bare skin under the blankets. I’ve seen horses gone lame from blankets causing pressure on their shoulder points. On and on this list of bad management and misunderstanding goes on.

However blankets used and managed with the horse’s best care in mind can be extremely helpful. I believe blankets properly managed should be removed daily and the horse brushed. I believe no blanket should be allowed to hang on the horse without removal daily, the horse checked for rubbing and other issues. Temperatures must be watched closely, with the horse’s best interest in mind, not the convenience of the caregiver or owner. Blankets are not easy to manage correctly, and blanketing a horse should not be taken or managed lightly.

Having stated many of my anti-blanket views here it is my hope to give all our friends a chuckle, or at least a smile when I tell you, for the first time ever, I blanketed Kessy this weekend!

Here in Appomattox our average daytime temps this time of year, should be 50+, with nights in the 30’s. And we’d been enjoying them or temps close to that for a while, even with the snow days. Kessy is just about a third or more shed out. Then the other day, as a large chunk of the country, we were visited by that weather they’ve labeled a polar vortex—and temps plummeted. Daytime highs in the teens and clean down to zero overnight!

Kessy’s barn is an open three sided run in, easy to get out of the weather and wind, but it stays about the same air temp as outside. In cold weather she gets all the long stem forage she wants. Some days she’ll eat 35 pounds of hay! However with this huge and sudden swing in temperatures this weekend she needed a little help. I was forced to rummage through my old tack tubs and dig out a blanket I hadn’t seen for a long time. It only had half a dozen mice holes, but was still in good shape.

Kessy’s eyes widened when I introduced her to it, but stood nicely as I adjusted the straps and buckles, and I can’t be sure but I think she liked being swaddled in the overnight zero temps. I removed her blanket the next day when temps rose to near 30 and brushed her. Our weather is not yet settled, but temps in the 30’s or high 20’s are about where we are now, and she is happily au naturel again. And yes, this was one of those things we can call an exception.

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

My thoughts on a Healthy Diet and Weight Loss

Howdy Friends!
 

Many friends have asked how I’m doing since my cardio adventure and surgery, and thank you all for that! I’m doing wonderful! It has been, of course, a life changing event in so many aspects, the biggest is eating and nutrition. This lead to a paradigm shift in health, eating, foods and understanding the foods we eat, our diets, nutritional needs verses out dated ingrained wants.

This was back in November, at 180 pounds. I've shed 12 more since, with only about 15 more to go. YeeHa! I've gone from 2x shirts to large, (big shoulders, haha) 44 jeans to 34, and you bet, Kessy is smilin' too!

Last May I tipped the scales at 235. Today 168. Doc Lewis, my cardiologist, would like to see 160, I’m shootin’ for 155. Great weight for a short fella, only 5’6”. Side note here when Ravishin’ Robbie and I were married 39 years ago I was 5’10” but my bone condition has my spine collapsing so I lost 4”. I pleaded with Doc to take that into account. He smiled politely 8 months ago when he said, “160 is a good weight for you.” I now believe him.

 

A wonderful thing about our hospital’s cardio rehab program is how they incorporate nutrition in the training. A truly in depth and understandable course on healthy eating that can, and does, not only get a fella back on his feet, but shatters myths, old standby ideas and attitudes, setting the stage for years of healthy, vibrant living.

Now for myself, having grown up on a PA Dutch very old fashioned dairy farm in PA and proud of his meat and potato diet, this new fangled idea of “healthy eating” was not only a paradigm shift, but something I had doubted all my life. Along the lines of insisting horses needed iron shoes nailed to their hooves, I insisted on that for many years too. Oops.

Having learned the beginnings of an understanding of what a human body truly needs to thrive at re-hab, as I am wont to do, I dove headlong into a bit of research on my own. Having a fair understanding of research, interviews and compiling facts from my experience in writing for TrailBlazer and Natural Horse Magazines, I began to look up and contact cardiologists, nutritionists and dietitians who, like holistic and homeopathic veterinarians, are on the cutting edge of societal evolution.

A few things became abundantly clear. The first and, for me, the single biggest fact is, “It is impossible to lose weight and maintain that weight loss simply by eating less of the same foods we’ve always eaten.” The body mind and triggers will not reset, so folks set sail on years of what has become known as, yo-yo loss and gain, fad diets, struggles and disappointments.

We must realize, understand and accept that almost all foods produced in the U.S. are unhealthy, toxic and addicting. Did you know sugar and salt can be as addicting as nicotine and heroine? It is a fact, and the large companies, fast food outfits and even meat produces know it, and spend millions of dollars in research to create just the right blends of sugar and salt to feed the triggers in our brains to keep us over-eating—addicted. We’ll not even discuss diet sodas, except to say, none should ever enter your body, really no soft drinks should.

Way too much along the lines of “What not to eat and why” for a blog post, let’s focus on a few simple blunt facts that can, and will, change lives. And remember, this all came as hard for me as taking my horses barefoot, and other holistic care.

Again there are changes in what we eat, not just how much we eat, that are paramount to success, health and satisfaction. No processed foods of any kind, ever—they are the addiction triggers. If man made them do not eat them, period. If it is in a bag or box or frozen it is not for health. No butter, spreads, sauces, bread, very, very little pastry, salt or things you can now begin to see fall in this old habit category. So what is left?

Sadly, for me for sure, we can’t really turn to fresh meats, turkey, chicken, beef or even most fish. But especially beef, pork and poultry are so loaded with growth stimulants and other nasty things which of course then transfer to our bodies, we need to severely limit, (and shop extremely wisely) them as well. Ravishin’ Robbie and I now eat about 3 to 6 ounces of meat a week. Yup, that’s it. I know it was mighty tough for this ol’ boy to swallow too, but friends, trust me—for your health and your family.

For us, we decided to go raw. We eat about 90% raw veggies, and pretty big piles of them. We are totally organic, which nowadays is easy to do, and in fact is more affordable than you’d think. We were already headed this direction when Bobbie Jo Lieberman released her book, “Sassy Salads,” and that for us was the final push. I Highly, highly, recommend it! So much knowledge there in a fun easy to read and understand format.

But eating raw has changed everything. My nasty, nasty arthritis is much better. I have zero dizzy spells, no swelling in my legs, and perhaps most importantly, my mind is much more clear, focused and recharged. And before you jump to conclusions, no, those things are not a result of my heart surgery—my cardiologist has stated it is totally related to diet change, (which they started me on) and he asked me to write about it. He said, “We patched up your heart, your diet changes are doing the rest.”

Quickly now, some tips that help. No snacks of any kind in the house. Drink water, no ice, (ice kills digestive enzymes and is a habit) decaf coffee or tea, no sugar. Keep cut up raw veggies in the fridge, snack often on them throughout the day, you can take them to work or play with you. Build big beautiful salads for your main meals (To get you started check outBobbie’s book). Olive oil and vinegar dressings can be made in many exciting and fun ways. Nuts make good snacks too, and don’t forget fruits! We grow our own sprouts and the salmon and other meats we eat we grill or bake and shred on our salad, just a few ounces a time or two a week. Just about our only cooked food anymore is the few ounces of salad meats, and our morning 7 grain oatmeal breakfast—which saves money and time, haha!

One last big tip from the doctors—weight loss should average a pond or 2 a week. That’s it. In that way the mind and body can adjust and accept as the proper weight and not go into starvation fear, which trigger all the old addictions, and yo-yos.

There you have it, it is really quite simple. I like to say, it is less about how much you eat, and more about what you eat.  Like making the paradigm shift for your horse’s health, take this one for yours—it’ll rock your world!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"Tom Named By Horse" Available Now!

Howdy Friends! ~ YeeHaw!! ... Tom Named By Horse is now available on Amazon! I’m sorry it took so long, but by golly here ya go! You can now ride through history and across the prairie with Tom, Soft Cloud, Buck, Chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Horn and the others.

Set just after the War Between The States and before what some refer to as the Plains Indian Wars it’s the story of tumultuous and harsh times. Tom Named By Horse is, at its core a love story, and just as love can be powerful and at the same time confusing, so were those times. Parallels between Tom Named By Horse's awakening and brutal changes washing over the great plains weave together telling the story of a time of struggle, conflict and confusion. While most of the characters are fictional, the struggles, love, hate, confusion and desperation are true. Tom Named By Horse's birth on the day of Chief Red Cloud's powerful vision of terrifying change sweeping over Grandmother Earth bind the two together in powerful ways.

EXCERPT~ The rolling grasslands spread before him as far as his eye could reach, as broad as the universe itself. Each rise gave way to the valley beyond. Every valley was the beginning of the next hill. Rain, falling hard from the hands of Grandfather Mystery, soaked Grandmother Earth.

Chief Red Cloud sat on his favorite war pony all that dark day, and allowed the skies to beat him with raindrops pounding like rocks. He had told his uncle, Chief Smoke, of his terrifying vision. With sad eyes he looked into the rain. Today Red Cloud knew even Grandfather Mystery could not wash away the change about to sweep over their ancestral hunting grounds. His tears mixed with cold rain as he turned his faithful pony toward his village.

REVIEW ~ I was blessed to receive a free, review copy of Dutch Henry's new release 'Tom Named by Horse.' I was so excited as I had read his very first release 'We'll Have the Summer' and could not put that one down. 'Tom Named by Horse' met all my expectations and then some. Dutch does not disappoint!

The reality of the characters transcends mere physical descriptions as Dutch brings the reader into the heart and soul of every individual in this adventure. His depiction of daily life in the 1860s is as down-to-earth as it truly was. I am so invested in the struggles, strengths, and successes of Tom that I am greatly anticipating the next episode in this series. ~ Darlene C Hohensee

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Friends if you’re looking for adventure, history and emotions rolled together in a story please go to Amazon and order your copy! For the paperback CLICK HERE ..... For the Ebook Kindle CLICK HERE ...

Or you can order from me dutchhenry@hughes.net for an autographed copy. If you’d like we can have Kessy autograph it too!

Winter 2015 the next in the series From The Banks Of Little Bear Creek will be released.

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry