QT's Fan Club

The Languarge of Equus .....

2009-02-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

In James Hillman's book, "The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling", he states the Greek philosopher's believed that before birth each soul selects a particular image or pattern to be lived out on Earth, but because of the trauma of entering the world (birth), we forget all that took place before we arrived. The blueprint of this calling is entrusted to a soul companion called 'daimon' ( pronounced 'dye` moan') by the Greeks. This Guardian Angel of sorts guides each person towards embodying and fulfilling his or her purpose on Earth. The acorn, or soul's code asserts itself in urges that seem to come out of nowhere. Childhood fascinations or odd behaviors that stand out, or peculiar turn of events that allow for the sentiment "This is what I must do", "This is what I've got to have", "This is who I am", "This is where I'm suppose to be".

In my time volunteering at the Rescue I have come across many new volunteers who tell me that, 'I had to come here', or ' I had to do this', yet only a handful of those volunteers are still there today, and even fewer volunteers have so immersed themselves in The Way of The Horse that they have come to understand the Language of Equus.

The Rescue brings people to its doors for all kinds of reasons ... some for it's healing abilities, some for the physical activities of the work, some as a social outlet. What causes the 'normal' person to believe that being with these magnificent creatures is their true calling ? Why is it they insist on developing a deeper, more socialsensual and intuitive symbiotic relationship with the horse ? What drives them to study the horses body language, interpret it, and communicate it back ? How is it that the subtle ear movements, slight shoulder turn, lick of the lips, or drop of the neck doesn't go unnoticed ? Or their understanding of incongruent emotions that allows them to be responsive and emotionally present and doing nothing ?

I have watched a few of these people at the Rescue, and at times it has felt intrusive. The communication between horse and human at that level is one to be envied. There isn't much 'talking' going on between the two, but if you watch them, you can hear things you may not have seen or heard before. There is an energy associated with these interactions, one that at its deepest roots could be called morphogenetic. This becomes the formation for their entire relationship. I have seen such relationships form, and they are beautiful.

Each and every person who comes to the Rescue has something of value to offer. It is a privilege to be able to go there and be a part of something that special.

Every animal who lives there has a story to tell, and a reason for being there. If we listen to them, we can figure it out.

Mary Anne Radmacher said ....
Live with Intention ....
Walk to the Edge .....
Listen Hard .....
Play with Abandon .....
Laugh ......
Choose with No Regrets ......
Continue to Learn ......
Do What You Love ....
Live as if This is All There Is .....

Winter Turn-Out

2008-10-29T14:32:00.001-07:00

Well, it's winter turn-out time, which means the horses are out all day and in all night. It's getting colder and the volunteers are gearing up for winter blanket season. As anyone who owns a horse knows, it takes extra time to put a blanket on or take it off. I noticed that the winter blankets were out next to every stall and hanging over the fences next to the pasture horses. There is a nip in the morning air.

Much has been going on at the Rescue this Fall. We just finished our first ever motorcycle Ride for the Horses poker run and our annual Hay Day festival which brought tons of people out to the barn. There were all kinds of activities for families, and many people showed up on that beautiful Fall Sunday to participate. It also brought in much needed funds to help with food and supplies. Thanks to all who showed up. We're also preparing for some upcoming holiday events in December.

The volunteers also chipped in for large, round bales of hay for the pastures. The horses all think they're in Horse Heaven, munching all day till their hearts content. It's really something to watch the horses gather round one of these big bales, their heads deep in the hay! All you see are necks and legs, pretty funny !

Lucy, Lucy and Domino

2008-07-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

" Is there any more that can be done ? "

Last Wednesday when I was at the Farm an old man from down the road showed up with a trailer in tow. He was looking for Cheryl. He said he had an old mare named Lucy who was going blind and he just didn't have any need for her anymore. He was looking to see if Cheryl wanted her. I looked at the trailer but didn't see any horse, and who knows, it was a pretty long trailer and maybe she was in there. We told him Cheryl wasn't around, so he left.

That Saturday when I returned to the Farm there were 3 new horses. One was in Wendy's pasture and two were in a small fenced area close to the barn. I asked Cheryl about them and she told me that she got them from the 'Old Man down the road'. She went down to get Lucy, the mare that was going blind and he asked Cheryl if she wanted the other two cause he was gonna get rid of them if not. Chery said ' What was I gonna do, say no. ' He called two of the horses Lucy and the other Domino and said all three were 12 years old. I'm not calling him a liar but I didn't believe him either and I'm not alone in that assumption. The volunteers called them Lucy1 and Lucy2.

Lucy1 is the old mare he tried pawning off that Wednesday. She is a beautiful, sweet girl who is sharing the pasture with Wendy. When I showed up on Saturday I found Lucy1 in Wendy's pen with Wendy. She seemed so happy to have a friend in the pasture with her.

Domino is a large spotted appaloosa that looks like a bag of dominos exploded on him. He looks like he could lose a few pounds but other than that doesn't appear to have any problems. He is sweet and scared, but safe.

Lucy2 is breaking my heart. Her right eye is gone. You can see clear into the socket and it appears like she was just left that way. There is a large abscess on the outside of the eye which looks like a small cauliflower bulb. The last time I saw something like that was in nursing school. Those types of tissue masses are usually cancer, squamous cell cancer, which can be fast spreading. The old man told Cheryl she'd had an arrow in her eye. Do I believe that story ? Does it matter ? Either way, he did nothing to help this poor girl. She must be in pain. How could anyone just leave a wounded animal and do nothing. I'm sorry, I just don't get it.

Cheryl is taking her to UGA tomorrow. Hopefully it isn't squamous cell and something can be done for her. Hopefully Lucy2 will come back to the rescue tomorrow. That has got to be the hard part about running a Rescue. Cheryl will have to make some tough decisions tomorrow based on what the vets tell her but the one question I know I will never have to ask her is ' Is there any more that can be done? ' because I know that Cheryl will do everything she can for Lucy and that's all a person can ask.

They'll both be in my thoughts and prayers tonight and tomorrow.

UPDATE: You can read the whole story on The Lucy's by Cheryl at http://savethehorses-savingthelucymares.blogspot.com/
The Rescue found out on Friday that Lucy's eye problem was cancer and not an injury. We are all heart broken and sad. Lucy will be loved on until her time comes and then she will be gently laid to rest. She'll let us know when that time is and until then we'll just luv her.

Getting To Know Chopper

2008-06-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

If you decide to become a volunteer and go to orientation, one of the first things Julia will tell you is NOT TO PET CHOPPER ! She stresses this and tells you, 'You'll know Chopper when you see him'. Well ! If that ain't an invitation to try the impossible than nothing is ! Thus began my journey of Getting To Know Chopper.

I'm a huge dog lover from way back and I haven't come across a dog yet that doesn't like me, so I couldn't imagine this Chopper character not cuddling right up to me and giving me a big wet kiss. Well, as it turns out Chopper came by his name naturally. And although he's never bitten me I can understand why this pint sized fur ball can be scary. Chopper likes to bark and assert his authority. He's really a lovely little guy who is all bark and not much bite, but all this getting-to-know-you takes time and patience, lots of patience.

So every time I was at the Rescue I made of point of seeking out Chopper and saying 'hello' and bringing him a treat. Bribery works and I was willing to try anything. I did this until he was familiar enough with me that I didn't pose much of a threat. Now mind you, I'm very tall, almost 6 feet, so how I could scare or pose a threat to an 8 lb pip squeak is beyond me, but Chopper always let me know who was Boss, at least until we had our ShowDown !

One day while I was cleaning a small pasture off the back end of the barn Chopper came out to join me. He and I were doing just fine until I picked up the shovel and swung some manure over the fence into the manure pile. Apparently Chopper doesn't like shovels and he started barking at me and coming closer. When he did that I just pointed my finger at him and said ' I don't know who you think you're barking at but it ain't me Buddy' and then said 'How dare you bark like that'. Well, that was enough and Chopper immediately stopped barking and starting waging his tail ! Go figure !

Now when I come to the Rescue Chopper will come find me. He lets me pet him and scratch his ears and as always, Chopper waits for his treat cause he knows I have one for him !

Horse Racing

2008-05-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. If you're a horse lover you might find racing quite the sport to watch, but with any sport there is a down side. Today proved that. Today, Eight Belles gave her life for the sport. The only filly in the race, she went down after crossing the finish line with two broken front ankles and was immediately euthanized. The interesing and sad fact in all of this is that Eight Belles along with the 19 other horses in the Kentucky Derby are descendants of Native Dancer, a runner in the 1953 race who lost by a head. Barbaro was also a descendant of Native Dance as was the last triple crown winner, Affairmed. Unfortunately, Native Dancer's bloodline has a flaw, in part due to its heavily muscled legs and herky-jerky running style. All this over breeding has caused Native Dancer's descendants to have feet trouble.

You might wonder as I have if this was a contributing factor in Eight Belles injuries. Or, if maybe these horses weren't so over breed and run so hard, might she still be alive? What happens to horses after they're no longer needed for racing? Well, some are simply retired to live out their lives in peace. Some are hired out as sires and can breed upwards of 250 descendants. Many are sold at auction, and as a result of that some are then resold to slaughterhouses for meat processing and shipment over seas.
The Horse Rescue, Relief and Retirement Fund has taken in many kinds of horses since its start in 1998, including retired race horses. QT is one such horse. He was picked up from a Birmingham race track and brought to the rescue. They've also taken in abused, neglected and unwanted horses and given them a place that is peaceful, safe, and with an improved quality of life.

QT and Doodlebug may not have had the life they now have if not for the efforts of Cheryl Flanagan. Her tireless work in animal rescue has allowed so many to be saved.

I'm saddened by today's Derby news of Eight Belles and hopeful that something good might come of it. Maybe someone watching the race today might do something to save an animal, like donate money to a shelter, or volunteer their time at a rescue or maybe even take in a stray they've found. So, the next time you watch a horse race and get caught up in the excitement of it all, ask yourself what will happen in one year, two years, three years, to that horse. Please support your local rescues and the work they're trying to do. It matters.

Welcome !

2008-04-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome and thanks for checking out QT's fan club! My name is Peg and I started volunteering at The Farm (as I affectionately call it) about 6 months ago. Like a lot of people I've volunteered at other places before ..... I was a candy striper as a kid, did my share of community service, worked with the Flying Doctors organization, gave blood regularly, but never was quite satisfied or contented for very long. What brought me here was an article in the local North Points magazine written about Cheryl and the rescue. I gotta say, it was love at first sight and I knew this was the place I had to come, and come often.

There is nothing more exhilarating than being up close and personal with a 1300 lb horse snorting through his nose, stomping his foot and eyeing you. Heck, who needs caffeine ! If that doesn't get your blood moving, nothing will ! And if the horses weren't enough for you, then how about a couple of pot bellied pigs, or a few goats, or maybe a dozen dogs ! If it's fur-kids you like then this place has em !

I took the picture of QT and Doodlebug that's on this page. I was working with Gary, another volunteer and we were repairing a back wall to Pokey's run. QT and Doodlebug were in the pasture behind us. All of a sudden I heard the sound of heavy hooves, running at what appeared like a very fast pace. When I turned to see what was going on I saw QT and Doodlebug chasing each other around the pasture and kicking up a storm. When the dust finally settled I watched these two stay locked in a friendly kiss for what seemed like several minutes. I was just glad I happened to have my camera with me that day. It really was something to watch.

So, I'll be updating both QT's and Doddlebug's Fan Club pages and keep you posted on their progress.