I was checking my analytics today and I noticed that I have recently gotten a large number of hits on search terms involving the western horse trainer Cleve Wells.  I became curious as to why he is suddenly such a hot topic and began to search around.  I was set on my heels by what I found.   This trainer, one that has been referred to as “a legend” on this very blog, was involved in a horrific horse abuse case a couple of years ago.  I was shocked and saddened to read about this.  I had absolutely no idea that any of this had taken place and I’m still a bit numb about it.  

I don’t know enough about what happened with this case to form an educated opinion.  I am finding out about it now, more than two years after everything happened.  What I do know is that there are some very nasty photos depicting the alleged abuse that can be found online.  I do know that the Professional Horsemen’s Council saw evidence to justify removing Cleve from the Association.  I also know that the AQHA saw fit to suspend him for one year, instate indefinite probation, and fine him $10,000.  Collectively, this seems like a lot of smoke, and where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. 

The flip side of this story is that I have to reconcile the photos and articles I’ve seen regarding this matter with the man I knew.  Anyone that knows me or my family knows we love our horses.  We would never intentionally put any of them at a training facility where they would be mistreated in any way.  Cleve Wells trained and showed our stallion back in 1990 and 1991, and I can say with the utmost confidence that this horse was not mistreated while he was in that training program.  The horse we got back was never spur shy or bit shy, had no scars or evidence of trauma, and he still had a heck of a lot of fight left in him.  He did not have the personality of a horse that had been forced to submit, either mentally or physically.  The praises I’ve sung for Cleve Wells have been based upon those experiences – the genuinely nice guy with a boatload of talent that took our little Appaloosa and nurtured his abilities.  It makes me sick to think that a man this gifted with horses sold out for a paycheck, which is certainly how it appears on the surface. 

There are two sides to every story, as there clearly must be in this case.  The NSBA chose not to suspend Cleve’s membership and I could find no evidence that the animal cruelty case that was pending had a criminal outcome.  Cleve has opted not to speak on the matter, as far as I can tell.  His training business seems to be thriving and his website announces that he has several horses for sale in the $25K to $125K range.  This seems to indicate that he still has supporters out there, at least to some degree.

I have opted to remove the posts in which I promoted his training techniques and called him a legend.  He may have been a legend at one time, maybe even still is, but I do not feel qualified to pass judgement enough to defend or recommend him to anyone at this point.  It certainly sounds like the Cleve that I knew is not the same person that has created this brand that we see today. 

If you would like to read more about this situation, please see the following links, or those in the text above.

Professional Horsemen’s Council response

AQHA response

Once again, it’s time for Thankful Thursday! I hope this post inspires you to consider the things in your life that you are grateful for. If you have a blog, consider posting about it there and link back here. If you don’t have a blog, please feel welcome to comment here on what you are grateful for in your own life. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, then just take a few moments to reflect on all that you have. If you’d like to tag other bloggers that participate, feel free to do that.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Thankful Thursday, but my family had an experience last week that definitely warrants a post for this week’s edition.  Sometimes we lose track of our purpose or meaning and then things fall into your lap that remind you to wake up and get back on track.  You all know about my recent struggles with the direction that my life has been heading in.  What you don’t know is how I’ve been brainstorming about ways to bring the passion back into my life and give me the joy I’ve been missing for so long now.  Obviously the horse world is a big part of that.  So imagine my surprise when my mom got a call last week from a voice in our family’s vault of memories. 

“J” was instrumental in starting this journey not only for me but for my entire family.  He was the first person to ever give any of us a riding lesson.  He helped us find our first 5 or 6 horses.  He was there for the birth of our first foal.  He took us to our first horse show.  In short, our experiences with J put us on the path that took us around the country and back and made two little girls’ lives so much brighter.  (And two parents’ lives so much poorer – but it’s worth it, right Mom and Dad?!)

Our visit to this gorgeous Alabama farm led to the purchase of two National and World Champion horses

We rode with J for about 5 years in total and gained a solid foundation in riding.  I still remember that his friend, “J-Girl,” would give us lessons on horse care in the parking lot of our stable, teaching us the parts of the horse and how to properly care for them.  We made a lot of friends and fell in love with the horse business, in no small part because of our experiences with J.  One of my favorite memories was a wintertime road trip from Pennsylvania to Alabama to look at some horses.   This was my first visit to a top rated farm and my initial exposure to very high quality horses.  I’m embarrassed to say that I can no longer remember the name of the farm, but the stallion that resided there was Zippos Countryboy and his babies dotted the landscape.  Everywhere we turned there were foals with their mothers, show horses, broodmares.  I very clearly remember falling even more in love with horses while we were there.  Our motorhome pulled out of their driveway after that visit in 1989 carrying a huge and beautiful yearling filly named Zippos Strawmaid.  This filly would go on to become a National Champion in the 3 year old Hunter under Saddle and my sister’s mount for years in the flat and over fences classes.  After her show career ended, she went on to produce Custom Maid Zippo, who was the Champion Western Horse at the 2004 Appaloosa World Show.  Strawmaid has been sold a couple of times and she keeps coming back to us.  This time she’ll live out her remaining days on my sister’s farm, alongside her last gorgeous foal.

Strawmaid as a yearling, just two months after we brought her to Pennsylvania.

Another life changing moment that came out of our trip to that Alabama farm was my parent’s introduction to a beautiful and talented yearling colt named Zippo Par Three.  Although we weren’t ready for a stallion then, that meeting paved the way to our first National and World championships (in western pleasure) and our future breeding program.  Just a little more than a year later, we had several broodmares and Easy Acres Appaloosas was created.  Without J, Tiny would have never been born.

It’s hard for me to remember how things ended with J, but I know it was sudden and final.  I believe he was at a crossroads in his life and wanted to get out of the horse business.  We lost touch and have had no contact for the past 21 years.  My mom relayed his shock at hearing about our successes in the show arena and in life.  He had no idea how powerfully he impacted our family back then.  Oddly, it was a missed transfer of ownership from a horse (Tammy) he got for us back in 1988 that brought J back into our lives now – he wants to register one of her babies that he purchased recently and apparently she was never transferred out of our name when we sold her years ago.  Talk about full circle…

Tammy's (and our) first baby, QT, shown in 1989 shortly after his Valentine's Day birth

I haven’t spoken to J yet, but I will.  I want to thank him with an adult’s wisdom for all the things he has done for my family and for me.  He brought a little girl’s dream to life back in 1985 and I can never thank him enough for that.

I hope you all have a happy Thursday and please visit these other sites that frequently participate in Thankful Thursday:

Akal Ranch, Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch, The Pony Expression, and Tired Dog Ranch.

You’ve ridden your horse diligently, practiced your event until you are prepared to excel, and you arrive at a horse show ready to be a star.  So what separates the shooting stars from the falling stars?  It’s all in the details.  I’ve learned a lot of things about competing over the years, but the way you present yourself might be one of the most important details to perfect.  Think about it:  regardless of your chosen discipline, a judge sees tens or hundreds of competitors in a given day or event.  What would make YOU stand out?  You are being judged from the moment you enter the ring and it is very important  for that judge to sit up and take notice from that instant forward. 

I gave Tiny a makeover recently to illustrate the difference between an acceptable presentation and a stellar one and we’ll talk a little about the changes I made to help her look her best.  The photo below demonstrates a clean and clipped horse.  She is perfectly acceptable to enter the ring as she is, and I’ve seen many horses appear just this way at local open or breed shows. 

While the photo above demonstrates “acceptable” presentation, do you want to be “acceptable” after all your hard work?  Not me – I want to be “Stellar.”  I want that judge to look at us and think “now THIS is a horse to watch.”  Look at the difference a few small changes can make:

Big difference, right?  Which horse would YOU pay more attention to if you were judging an event?  Like it or not, appearance matters in the show pen.  The rider that pays attention to the details of their horse’s presentation is often the rider that exhibits that same level of detail in their riding preparations.  However, it is important to remember that no amount of scrubbing or shine can cover up a lack of preparation.  Your image will only attract the judge to you in the first place – it is up to you to follow through in living up to that first impression.  So what changes did I make to improve Tiny’s appearance so much?

• Fit Matters!

The first (and most important) thing I did was to adjust the fit of Tiny’s halter.  It doesn’t matter how much bling your equipment has, but cleanliness and fit are critical.  The properly fitted halter is far safer and serves to highlight Tiny’s face.  In addition, a long chain dangling down looks untidy and doesn’t serve a purpose in controlling your horse.  It is much better to run the chain under the chin and up the cheek to clip.  This gives you more control and looks better.  Finally, a bit of shine dabbed around the eyes, ears, and muzzle really sets the horse off and makes you look like a winner.

• Don’t Forget the Feet!

The horse’s legs and feet are often overlooked by competitors when attending horse shows.  The preparation begins at home, by keeping the horse on a regular farrier schedule and by keeping the feet strong and healthy.  It is also important to clip the horse’s legs about a week or two before the show season and keep them tidy throughout the season.  You can see the difference between Tiny’s untouched legs (first photo) and the neatness of the second photo.  Finally, add some shine to those feet!  It makes a huge difference in your final presentation if your horse has clean and shiny feet.  I used a sanding block to clean her hooves and then I painted them with some oil.  Voila!  Instant makeover.

•  Hair DO’s

One of the most dramatic changes you can make to your horse’s image is to add a tail extension, if your horse is lacking a tail like mine.  People sometimes complain the the ability to add an extension encourages people to slack off on caring for their horse’s tail.  As you can see, a long and full tail makes a HUGE difference in presentation and it is important for anyone that shows to do their best to care for the horse’s tail.  However, sometimes you might need some help.  Maybe you live in a state like mine, where the year round bug problem makes it difficult to maintain full tails.  Maybe your horse has a playful turnout buddy that likes to chew tails.  Maybe he got it caught on a bucket or stepped on it.  Any number of  things can result in a less than fabulous tail, but it doesn’t take much to correct with the simple addition of an extension.

• Band it Down

Finally, I recommend banding or braiding your horse’s mane and forelock, whichever is appropriate for your discipline.  It provides a neat and tidy appearance and really finishes off your look.  If you ride Western and choose to band your horse, you should thin and shorten your horse’s mane to a flattering length for his conformation. 

If  you follow these useful and easy tips you will take your image from Blah to Unforgettable.  It doesn’t matter if you show at a National level or a open fun show level – you should always present yourself and your mount to the best of your ability, down to the smallest detail.  Good luck and happy horse showing!

This Sunday Stills challenge was to take creative photos of rust.  While packing Tiny’s things for our move I came across a bucket of old horse shoes.  They were perfect for this challenge.

A Study in Horseshoes

Thank you so much for visting!  I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this challenge.  Please stop by Sunday Stills and check out all the great photos!

This flysheet has survived more than a year of abuse at this time and is still holding up very well.

 Schneiders advertises this product line as “protecting against the smallest biting insects as well as large flies; shaping to the horse; allowing maximum air flow; staying cool in sun; providing 60% UV protection; and durable for turnout.”  I can tell you that these claims have proven accurate for me.  Tiny has gone through numerous fly protection products throughout the years and this one is by far the best.  I opted for the bellyband style to help protect her midline, where the majority of her sores were found.  I like Schneiders products because they have a unique Adjusta-Fit system that allows you to customize the shoulder fit for each horse.  Other nice features include fleece lined wither protection and a breathable nylon lining in the shoulder area to prevent rubbing.  I was worried that this lining might be too hot in the Florida sun, but Tiny doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.  In fact, it does a great job of polishing her coat and bringing out a deep shine!  The light color does a great job of reflecting the sun and doesn’t absorb much heat.

The fine mesh window screen fabric holds up very well to the abuses of turnout.  I would rate this durability as “excellent” although Schneiders claims the sheet is “very good” for turnout conditions.  I believe I’ve gone through about 3 of these sheets since I started using them 4 years ago.  I generally buy one per year because they do eventually get beat up; but remember, this is a horse that LIVES in these things.  The only time she gets them off is when she’s being ridden or groomed.  Year round.  Given that, I think my claim of excellent durability is solid, especially when this product is compared to others like it. 

There are only a couple of negative features that I would comment on.  The first is that the nylon lining in the shoulder area serves to increase UV protection for that area.  Therefore, I have noticed that she does get a bit bleached out on other parts of her body and she often has a “tan line” from the nylon lining.  It’s not terribly obvious, but if I were showing her in halter or showmanship it would be an issue.  Although most show horses aren’t turned out all day in the sun, either.  The second (and most troublesome) flaw is the difficulty I’ve had in ordering this product.  Every time I’ve tried to order it, it’s been on backorder for months.  Apparently EVERYONE loves this product as much as I do (it’s received 5 stars on Schneiders’ rating system) and they’ve had trouble keeping it – and the matching accessories – in stock.  I just checked the website and the product line seems to be well stocked at this time, so maybe they have increased production to meet demand. 

Tiny is so much happier now that we've found the Mosquito Mesh flysheet!

In summary, if you have a horse that is bothered by gnats, mosquitos,  and no-see-ums, consider using the Schneiders Mosquito Mesh fly protection line.  It has lived up to all of its claims and more and is well worth the $70 price tag.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge was to photograph flowers and wildflowers blooming in our areas.  Believe it or not, wildflowers aren’t terribly common in central Florida, especially right now with temperatures heating up and very little rain in the forecasts.  So I thought I’d do a little cheat this week and pull from the archives, as I have taken some decent shots of flowers during my travels.  I chose and prepped my horseless shots, but was surprised to find a few flowers on my ride this morning.  Given my self-imposed restriction to keep my photos “horse related” but reluctant to let go of my travel shots… I opted to cheat (again!) and give you all not one, but two Sunday Stills posts this week!  Lucky you.  =)   As always, thanks to Ed for another great challenge. 

I also wanted to let everyone know about a great photography contest I came across.  Check out Nickertown‘s website if you’re interested in participating in a little friendly horsey competition!  This is my first month to submit an entry, but it looks like fun.  Stop by, vote for your favorite (I think photos are judged during the first 2 or 3 weeks of the month), and check out some of their great photography tips.  Without further ado, here are my (many) selections for this week:  horses first!

Thanks for visiting and be sure to visit Sunday Stills to see all the other great photos that were submitted!

This week’s challenge was a hard one to come back to after my break!  Anyone who knows me KNOWS the kitchen is not a safe place for me to be.  And recipes?  Hmph.  But as I recovered from my initial panic then procrastination, I thought maybe it was time to make some of  Tiny’s favorite peppermint cookies.  So here goes!  Be gentle, I haven’t done this for awhile.  =)

Peppermint Horse Cookies

2 cups flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup molasses

10 crushed peppermint candies

1 tsp peppermint oil

3/4 cup water

Mix oats and flour together, then add molasses.  Add peppermint oil then add water slowly until mixture becomes a sticky dough.  Fold in peppermint crumbles and add more water if necessary to achieve doughy consistency.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

As always, Tiny loooooves her cookies.  She gently takes the first cookie…

….Then she quickly becomes the Cookie Monster!

Things on the horse front have been pretty quiet.  I opted to move Tiny from Emma’s place in December, for a number of reasons.  After I moved in August, it became a lot more inconvenient to go ride as she was now more than 30 minutes away from my house.  Plus, going to visit your horse that lives 3 houses down from the ex-boyfriend that you’re trying to get over isn’t very conducive to healing.  Combine all that with Emma’s new life – which doesn’t really involve a lot of horsing around – and you get a lonely Michelle that doesn’t see her horse enough.  Soooo… I opted to move her.  I’m lucky enough to live on the East side of Orlando, near where there is about as much green space as you can hope to find in a city.  I felt that I’d have lots of options to choose from that would put Tiny closer to me and allow us to resume the fun we used to have – plus maybe I could meet some new horse friends.  HA!  I learned lots of things during my barn hunting, among them:

• *Apparently barbed wire fencing is considered “horse safe fencing” in a number of facilities in Orlando.  Um…do these people even LOOK at their horses after bringing them in, or are they just the luckiest collection of horse managers in the world?  Don’t know, don’t want to find out.
• *Barrel horses (and apparently mares in general, at least according to one barn owner) are discriminated against here.  As in banned.  Actually, unless you have a hunter or a dressage horse, you pretty much experience some level of discrimination at many places.  Ok, I guess these barn owners must be independently wealthy if they can turn away any boarders in this economy.
• *The term “full board” doesn’t necessarily include lots of things.  Like supplements, or blanketing, or cleaning water buckets, or fly spraying, or even feeding/turnout at one ridiculous place that somehow managed to con people into thinking they were getting a great deal even though they were paying way more than most real full care barns. 
• *Speaking of full board, I had several quotes from barns that were greater than $750 for full board NOT including training.  And these were not Roberts Quarter Horses type barns.  They were acceptable, at best.  And yes, they had a number of clueless doofuses that happily shelled out the equivalent of a second mortgage to keep their horse in an overpriced, grassless desert.  Um, hello?  You can BUY a property for that price and keep your own horse, and hey, maybe even charge some OTHER doofus ridiculous fees to keep their horse there too.  See?  Win-win.  Maybe I should consult these morons and charge them exhorbitant fees for my services because they are apparently going home from the barn and rolling around in their boatloads of money.
• *Grass is at a premium.  Like, if you want grass you gotta sell your soul to get it.  And you pay.  Lots. 
• *And those people that HAVE grass in their turnouts?  Oh, they’ll do ANYTHING to keep it.  Including telling you that horses don’t need to be turned out every day.  Or that 2 or 3 hours is sufficient.  Ok, I had show horses for years.  I know a lot of people don’t believe in turnout or a lot of it.  I don’t agree with that philosophy, but AT LEAST those horses are on a strict riding and training regimen NOT standing in their stalls for the remaining 22 hours per day. 
• *I had one brilliant barn owner try to convince me that horses don’t even need grass.  Lady, I spent five years doing a Master’s degree in herbivore nutrition.  Uh, yes.  They do.  Or at the very least, lots and lots of high quality hay.  They are GRAZERS!!! …Sigh.

Consensus is that I was really lucky (no, make that REALLY lucky) to find Emma six years ago.

So after visiting all these charming little places, I finally settled on a place that was very close to my house (5 minutes drive!) and seemed relatively safe.  Nice barn, well kept, kind of in my price range, lots of activity.  The downside?  No grass.  Not even a blade of it.  They do provide high quality hay though, so that was the compromise I settled for.  I can take Tiny next door to a large field and hand graze her, which I often do.   She doesn’t like it though.  I can tell she doesn’t get the attention she got from Emma, even with all the kids around.  She looks for me and when I come to see her she is excited.  Gotta say that’s good for the ego, but it pains me.  She couldn’t have cared less about me when she was at Em’s place.  And she misses her friend Abby.  She’s gone through two buddies in her time there and they both beat her up.  She despises being put out alone and does nothing but pace the fence all day long, especially since there’s no grass to distract her. 

Soooo….we move again.  Sigh.   I’ll keep you posted.

As some of you may know, my cousin Jenn moved to Vermont a few months ago.  I was so surprised to get a package from her for Tiny a few weeks later!  Apparently she ran into this adorable 10 year old entrepreneur – Emma –  at a local feed store, and the treats she was selling looked so good that Jenn was inspired to pick some up for Tiny.  These delightful treats came bagged with a cute tag and a note describing Emma’s venture.  This little girl is a true animal lover!  Her goal is to get a lap top so she can expand Emma’s Sweet Nibblets beyond her local market.

For the record, Tiny (and I) gave these treats two thumbs up!  They were chewy, tasty, and healthy.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a photo of Tiny devouring them because they were gone in the blink of an eye.  But they were definitely well liked!  I hope that Emma succeeds in her venture and is able to get a laptop and expand her business.  I’m always appreciative (and amazed by) kids that are so talented and show so much initiative!  If you’d like to contact Emma about her treats or her business, please let me know and I can give you her email address.

Thankful Thursday is going on hiatus for a little while, but will be back soon! Stay Thankful!

I was wandering through the displays at the Equine Affaire in April, when a large poster caught my eye. Of course, being a spot lovin’ Appaloosa girl, the photo of a striking blue roan horse with a distinctly patterned coat attracted me to the booth. However, this was no Appaloosa group – it was the Nokota Horse Conservancy. I’d never heard of the Nokota horse before and was intrigued, becoming even more so as I read about this fascinating breed.  Nokotas originated in North Dakota and have survived for more than 100 years in the Little Missouri River Badlands, dodging government sanctioned roundups and culls.   Eventually several bands of Nokotas were accidentally trapped in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park during its creation, and thus the unusual breed has been preserved.

These mares exhibit typical Nokota coloring; Photo courtesy of François Marchal

Nokotas are a variable mix of blood.  Some of these beautiful horses descended from horses owned by Sitting Bull, the famous Sioux Indian chief.  Nokotas have been crossbred over the years to a variety of horse types; including draft, Thoroughbred, and stock horses.  As a result, they vary in size and type.  Colors vary and can include any shade, but blue roans are the most common.  This is also one of the only breeds (the only one I know of) that can include horses with spots (a la Appaloosa patterns) or Paint markings.  This likely results from the interbreeding of the feral horses with Indian ponies back in the 1800′s.

In the 1980′s, the National Park Service began removing the last remaining Nokota horses from the Park and, for the few that remained, introduced several new stallions to the herd in an effort to alter the horses’ type.  At this time, two brothers from the area stepped in.  Frank and Leo Kuntz purchased a large number of horses and created the Nokota Horse Conservancy in an effort to preserve this fascinating breed of horse.  Since that time they have created a breed registry and brought attention to the colorful Nokota history.  Another registry, the Nakota Horse Association, was also developed to recognize the breed.  According to Wikipedia, the last traditional type Nokota was removed from the wild in 2000, so the responsibility of ensuring these horses’ futures lies in the hands of organizations like these.  Perhaps I have a soft spot for these little-known equines because of their historical similarities to my much beloved Appaloosa.  Or maybe it’s because I tend to fight for the underdog.  But either way, horse lovers need to hear about these uncommon gems and spread the word.  The sustainability of their future lies with us.