The Mane Point: May 2012

Monday

Owners went AWOL ... and horses need homes

Eleven abandoned horses were rescued, standing in their own filth, after a mother/daughter team of barn owners/managers went missing in Southeast Wisconsin earlier this month. When they were found, the horses had no access to hay, feed or potable water.

Princess and Little Prince

The equines were listed for adoption by Clawz and Paws, a family-owned animal control service that picked up the horses at the request of the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department.

Clawz and Pawz transported the herd, including a mare and foal, from the Willow Crest Equestrian Center, in Bristol, Wisconsin, to Stonehedge Farm LLC, in Union Grove.

Pumpkin

Intriguingly, the Willow Crest barn website claims one of the owners to be "currently working on obtaining her degree in Veterinary Medicine," studying "to develop her growing knowledge in nutrition, reproduction and farm management."

Stonehedge owners Klaus and Erika Dierks began recuperating the malnourished horses, after taking in the abandoned equines.

Several of the horses have been placed for adoption.

Charlie

A few may remain, awaiting new ownership. Many of the emaciated equines possessed promising pedigrees.

All of the horses seemed to improve quickly, once they were placed in clean stables and pastures with access to clean water, hay and feed.

The rescued horses included:

Athena, Appaloosa mare (senior) - ADOPTED
Brownie, Arabian filly (1 year old) - ADOPTED
Charm, Arabian mare (8 years old and possible in-foal)
Little Prince, Arabian colt (approximately 4 months old)
Oreo, Arabian colt (approximately 5-6 months old) - ADOPTED
Princess, Arabian mare (senior)
Pumpkin, Paint filly (approximately 2 years old)
Shadow, Arabian colt (approximately 5-6 months old) - ADOPTED
Summer, Arabian mare (senior) - ADOPTED
Sunny’s Son, Arabian colt (approximately 1 1/2 months old) - ADOPTED
Virtuoso (“Charlie”), Arabian Stallion (4-5 years old)

Charm

(NOTE: I visited the horses personally this weekend at Stonehedge Farm,

speaking with Klaus and Erika Dierks

and with Robert W. Melby, Jr., of Clawz and Pawz.

Those currently available are listed above in blue boldface type.)

Possibly, Charlie is the sire of all of the youngsters, as the stallion is believed to have been turned out routinely in a shared pasture with the mares and foals at Willow Crest.

Horse lovers interested in possible adoptions of these equines may contact Clawz and Pawz by phone (262-880-3482) or email (clawzandpawz@wi.rr.com).

Update: As of May 29th,

all of the rescued horses

had reportedly been placed for adoption,

with the exception of Charlie,
the young stallion
(pictured at right).

Image/s:

Adoptable Horse photos

From Clawz and Pawz

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A to Z Blogging Challenge Roundup of Reflections

The Mane Point has completed the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. What a wild and wonderful ride it was!

Like a long-distance trail ride or endurance race, the month-long blog event was both invigorating and trying. Certainly, some posts came easier than others.

But finishing counts!

Here’s what U.S. Supreme Court jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said about completing a challenging race.

“The riders in a race do not stop when they reach the goal.
There is a little finishing canter before coming to a standstill.
There is time to hear the kind words of friends and say to oneself,
‘The work is done.’”

And he was right.

A few days ago, I’ll Have Another won the 138^th Kentucky Derby. On the track, jockey-turned-newscaster Donna Brothers trotted up to interview the winning jockey.

''He's an amazing horse. I kept telling everybody, from the first time I met him, I knew he was the one. I knew he was good,'' chirped Mario Gutierrez, the jubilant jockey. Even then, the chestnut colt continued his post-race cool-down canter.

I’d be willing to bet that’s how it feels to finish any sort of race. The momentum doesn’t simply stop on the spot.

Maybe the Kentucky Derby winner’s name can inspire bloggers to keep on posting!

Who’s ready for more? Who wants to play along with the A to Z Blogging Challenge next year?

I’ll Have Another!

Nope, I didn’t pick that horse. Still, I love a good come-from-behind story. And he earned his mettle by winning the Santa Anita Derby in April.

But I did pick a bunch of winners for my April A to Z posts. Each day, I highlighted a special horse (or even two or three special equines) for the alphabetic posts. In the process, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with old friends and even growing to know new friends better.

I guess that makes us all winners, in a sense!

A to Z Blogging Challenge finishers:

You are welcome to use this badge,

created by Working in Words,

if you wish.

As a courtesy,

please link back to Working in Words,

if you do!

Thank you.

Here’s the whole herd of featured horses, from A to Z!

How many different equine breeds and equestrian disciplines can you find in those 25 April posts?

From Andalusians to Appaloosas, and from Baroque horses to barrel racers, I was attracted to an assortment! I hope my horse-loving readers feel the same way.

This year, I finished the April A to Z Challenge with six blogs.

Heart of a Ready Writer – Bible and devotional writings
Meme Express: Blog Prompts – blog topics and writing prompts
Nickers and Ink: Poetry and Humor – poetry and humor
Practically at Home – home and how-to’s
The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers – horses and equestrian topics
Working in Words – writing and publishing pointers

Image/s:

A to Z April Challenge Survivor badge

by co-host Jeremy

at Retro-Zombie – used by permission

Kentucky Derby winner

I’ll Have Another

Pedigree photo – Fair Use

A to Z 2012 Checkered Flag
created by Linda Ann Nickerson
for Working in Words

A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012 logo

Fair Use

A to Z horses – Here's the whole herd!

Whoa! The April A to Z Blogging Challenge is now complete. The proverbial horse has left the barn.

Did you miss any of The Mane Point’s special horses, highlighted throughout the month of April?

Just in case, you are invited to check out all of these intriguing and appreciated equines. Scroll down for the entire list. The group includes a variety of equine breeds and equestrian disciplines.

You never know what favorite horses you might find in the lineup.

Here’s the whole herd of featured horses, from A to Z!

Thanks to all of the horse owners, equestrian trainers, equine rescuers and other friends who participated. The Mane Point’s A to Z lineup of special horses would never have been complete without you all!

Watch for next year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge in April 2013!

A to Z Blogging Challenge Finisher badge from Working in Words

Image/s:

A to Z 2012 Checkered Flag
created by Linda Ann Nickerson
for Working in Words

A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012 logo

Fair Use

Pages

Monday

Owners went AWOL ... and horses need homes

A to Z Blogging Challenge Roundup of Reflections

Tuesday

A to Z horses – Here's the whole herd!