Jane Beshear's Horses and Hope Days at the Races

Horsewoman, Eventer and Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear has joined with the Kentucky Cancer Program and friends within the horse industry to create a program dedicated to improving the well-being of industry employees. Horses and Hope works to raise funds to provide breast cancer screenings, awareness, education and treatment referral to the uninsured and under-insured workers that make up the backbone of the thoroughbred industry.

In an effort to increase awareness, the organization is hosting Horses and Hope Race Days at thoroughbred racetracks throughout the state of Kentucky.  A portion of the ticket sales to the Horses and Hope events will go towards screenings for horse industry workers on the backside of each track. The following race days are as follows: Friday, September 25, 2009 – Turfway Park in Florence, Thursday, October 29, 2009 – at Lexington's Keeneland racecourse, and Sunday, November 15, 2009 – at the home of the Kentucky Derby -- Churchill Downs.

Please join Kentucky's First Lady in a fun day at the races while benefiting a worthy cause!

Stem Cell Treatments Regrow Knee Cartilage in Lava Man

Millionaire racehorse Lava Man has returned to training following the successful regrowth of knee cartilage.  The gelding was retired last year after sustaining an ankle injury.  Following bone chip surgery and multiple 10-million stem cell infusions to the ankle, the horse regrew cartilage. Lava Man continued training during the treatments and, if and when he returns to racing, he will race in only Grade 1 stakes with all trainer earnings donated to charity.

While Lava Man's possible return to the track has caused some understandable controversy, the very exciting news that stem cell research now makes it possible to regrow both cartilage and tendon tissue in horses offers great hope to similarly injured equine athletes.

For more information visit http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=4499891

Nutrena Offers Free Horse Safety DVD

As many of Ping's followers know, Ping loves Nutrena® Horse Feeds.  He'd scarf them all day if I let him. Nutrena® Senior keeps him fat, sassy, and shiny red. And Safechoice® keeps his annoying step-sister Teddie in great shape as she ever-so-slowly plods along that enormous learning curve that is her journey towards becoming a riding horse.

Nutrena® is currently offering a free horse safety DVD to anyone who registers.  The 11-chapter, 50 minute DVD, titled Horse Safety First - How to become your Horse's Best Friend covers an array of topics, from Horse Psychology to Rules for the Trail and Arena, while covering the basics of horsemanship safety. It's free for the picking so why not pick one up! Visit www.nutrena.com to register for yours today.

Always Look a Gift Horse in the Feet

Last November, a friend called to ask if I wanted a filly.  My friend Heather has been breeding horses for a number of years.  She was well-aware that I have always admired her horses. They are athletic, versatile, and intelligent but nearly extinct Cheval Canadiens, better known as Canadian Horses.  I love this breed! They are the national breed of Canada -- sometimes called Little Iron Horses.  It is an ancient french baroque breed originally sent to Canada by Louis Quatorze (King Louis the XIV).  They jump like deer, are calm, well-rounded (I have cut cattle on them), and are generally sweet-natured. They are hardy, short-coupled easy keepers with great bone, and, most importantly, fantastic hard, strong feet -- something with which I have grown very unfamiliar in the last few years.

Jane Savoie and the Fear of Wild Turkeys

 One bright fall misty morning, Ping and I went out for a hack.  While riding through some woods we popped over the crest of a hill.  Suddenly,  huge flapping brown blobs seemed to fly out of the trees from all directions like Dorothy's flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz! It seemed a flock of melegris gallopavo (aka wild turkeys) were roosting up there -- taking both the old redhead and myself completely by surprise. I, having absolutely no presence of mind, stopped breathing.  But the old Pingster just hunkered down for a moment before calmly walking on.

Cloud and his Mustang herd are being rounded-up!

Some of you may have   seen the PBS specials about Cloud, the wild Mustang stallion and his herd.  Now he and his herd have been rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Please watch the video and call the number at the end. Please help us stop the systematic round up of these beautiful wild creatures.

"Filmed in Britton Springs, Wyoming during the BLM roundup of Cloud and the Pryor Mountain Horses. September 7&8, 2009. Please watch and call the numbers at the end of the film. We need your help."
music: www.freeplaymusic.com

Check Out WEG Central

WEG Central is a new clearing house site we put together to disseminate all the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games information I receive every day from press releases and other sources.  As a member of the press, I am privileged  to acquire information rather more quickly than the general equine enthusiast. Therefore, I'm going to pass the info along just as soon as I receive it.  So check out the new site and keep up with what's new and exciting as we head towards WEG 2010!

Defensive Trail Riding -- Something I'd never thought about...

Recently, I ran across a little video clip. It deals with personal self-defense while trail riding.  I'd honestly never thought about this issue before -- at least not while mounted on a horse.  I guess I'd  always just assumed that up there, mounted on my mighty steed, I was kind of invincible. Or perhaps, subconsciously, I thought old Pinger would protect me from the bad guys.  But, in truth, it never crossed my mind that someone would want to drag me, or anyone else, off a horse  while out trail riding in the boonies somewhere.  But we live in a tumultuous world.  That being said, I watched this informative video clip and it opened my eyes a bit. Now, rather than hit someone with my water bottle, I can use the old Pool Boy as a weapon!  I just have to remind him that he can still probably turn on his forehand.

Scot Hansen's Self Defense Video Clip 

For more information on the extended self-defense video or other equine products, visit Horse Think.com.

Removing Mold and Mildew from Leather Tack -- Permanently

You've forgotten to clean your your $3000.00 saddle and left it in the tack room way too long.  Now it's covered with a lovely layer of slimy green fuzz!  What do you do? Leather experts often lament the inability to permanently remove mold and mildew from tack and other leather goods, once the little green buggers get a good toe hold.  The mold spores lodge deep down in the pores of the hide, making it extremely difficult to remove.

Restoring Old Tack and Leather with Leather Therapy®

A couple of years ago I purchased an old saddle at a yard sale.  It was a Crosby close-contact and I got it for less than $50.  It was in pretty sorry shape -- moldy, dry, brittle cracked.  My husband thought I was nuts but the tree was in good shape, the stitching and billets were intact, the flocking nice and even with no creases.  I handed over my hard earned cash,  stuck the saddle on a rack and promptly forgot it. 

Several months later I ran across a line of products called Leather Therapy® at my tack store.  There were several components to this line:  a wash, a restorer and conditioner, and a finish restorer --  the latter interesting as this old saddle had no finish left on the flaps.  I gave it a whirl and took all three products home.

Welcome to our new home...

Here we are in our new literary (that may be pushing it a bit) home.  Hopefully this site will be a little bit of fun for the horse lover and non lover alike.  If you want to read posts from over the past few years, they're all here.  Just check the older posts. Nan Rawlins.com is still up and running. That's still the archive of older adventures.  But, for the latest, stay right here.  And  if you like to comment or become a follower, Ping, Teddie and I would welcome the company and love to hear from you.

Welcome!

Ping and the old manure shoveler ~ Nan

The Quest for the Best, or Six Trips in a Truck

Sunday was horse show day. My friend Rebecca had a Fun Show planned and I thought it would be fun to take Teddie, my Canadian/Thoroughbred cross filly over to Rebecca's for a little show experience. Bear in mind that Teddie (aka Peut-etre) has rarely loaded into a trailer, let alone been to a horse show.

I admit that horse shows are no longer my favorite way to spend a weekend day. After years and years of shooting shows two to three weekends a month, I no longer feel any great pull towards the ribbons. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather mow the grass or clean the bathrooms. But one has a responsibility when training a young horse (Teddie is only three years old and in the midst of training for riding) to ensure that her training is thorough. So, she needs all the experience she can acquire. And, it is fun to spend a day with my friends, no matter what!

Hay Can Change Your Life

© 2009 By Nan Rawlins, all right reserved

It was a good idea, but a little sad, when Ping and I moved ourselves, lock, stock, barrel, and tack trunks, from our blue home for the past four years to another barn. And, although the new barn was very nice and owned by a friend, let’s just says we were both a little down in the mouth.

I had been pretty happy with our horsey home. Even though there were things I would have done differently than current management, I really didn’t want to move. I suppose that could be said of my old four-footed friend as well. He liked his stall and his mane and tail-chewing buddies in the big blue barn.