ASAP Farm Updates

On the 9th Day Before Christmas................

2009-12-16T20:03:00.002-06:00

I will try to keep my patience, my savvy, my professionalism, my cool...........
People ask ASAP why we retain lifetime ownership of horses - I guess with the pictures we are going to show you, you will see why.
How many horses are released to adopters and never followed up on? How many horses are "released" to adopters after 2-3 years and then forgotten? The horses you are about to see were in adoptive care seven years (Flaunting It) and about the same for Spect's Solution. Spect had a horrible beginning after racing with one bad adoptive experience. ASAP came to his assistance and a fantastic adopter was found for him. She had him for many years until a riding injury in 2008, when she decided it would be best to find Spect's Solution another home. Thinking Spect may be happier as a driving horse, he was rehomed. This year we received a call from the adopter, telling us Spect had received a horrific injury to his front leg. The vet was called and immediate vet care was given. Thinking all was okay, ASAP went about its business, until this fall. The adopter decided to return Flaunting It, Spect's Solution, and another mare he had adopted in 2008. They arrived tonite - and I cannot tell you how angry, disappointed, and exasperated we are. It does not happen often - in fact, Bart's A Bad Boy and Race For Home returned back to ASAP two weeks ago in the best shape of their lives. You can tell they had impeccable care.

The horses you will see now are in need of TLC - food, deworming. and vet attention for Spect's leg. We are just grateful that they will have a chance to thrive once again, and that ASAP can be there for them when they have NOT had the best of care.

Each and every rescue and adoption program is faced with tough decisions about placement of each horse. ASAP does its best to make sure each horse is well cared for. Horses are tracked, and believe me, there was a LOT of communication with this adopter before he dropped them off at the farm. This adopter was not necessarily happy with ASAP, but we will not accept the condition these horses were in and insisted they be cared for. Your thoughts and prayers are coveted as we continue our mission of lifetime care for the horses!

Thanks

2009-12-07T21:13:00.004-06:00

I want to thank Heather for opening her heart and her home to Chevie Silverado and Goodnight Starship. As it turned out, Chevie was just not a happy horse at Heather's farm, and needed to be brought back to ASAP. Thankfully, Heather was able to take in Bart's A Bad Boy and Race for Home! They are very happy with their beautiful horses, and Heather is very lucky to have such nice horses for her family.
Chevie will hopefully find the family he is looking for - in the meantime, Amy will have fun riding him here! On a side note, Chevie was never misbehaved under saddle. He has been very accepting of different people riding him, so he is well on his way to being a great pleasure horse. Now to find out WHO is going to be his forever family.

We are particularly worried about Spect's Solution, Flaunting It, and Sarajevo, who will be brought here this week unless we can locate placement for them. Please please consider giving them a home if you haven't already. Spect's Solution is the smallest of the three. He was a great driving horse - inconsistent riding horse, but has done trails and pleasure. Sarajevo has been driven quite a bit these past months - is accepting of riders now - a beautiful mare. Flaunting It just needs a place to enjoy the last 10-12 years of her life - very complacent, although she doesn't like to be caught.

Attached please find a copy of a fund raising letter we are sending to as many people as possible. Thanks for your continued support! Pictures include Precious KC on one of her last springs at the ASAP farm with Mayatuk next to her, Haiaku and me before his passing, Sarajevo the trotter who is urgently needing placement, and Bob Cook, our long term sanctuary horse.

Dear IHHA Board, ASAP Adopters and Supporters:

First ASAP would like to extend its most heartfelt sympathy for the weekend fire at Lebanon Ohio that left two people dead and (from what we have heard) 43 horses that also perished in the flames. There is a facebook page where you can contribute to rebuilding barn 16 - donate if you can. My parents lost everything to a house fire ten short years ago. Luckily, my mother was not at home but the house, the cat of 13 years, and everything inside including a safe with cash inside, was a total loss.
Fire is horrific and devastating - unforgiving and relentless. It makes me scared to think about - but we must, to prevent one in a house or barn if at all possible.

We currently have 24 horses standing outside our barn. We also have two round bales and about 20 small squares left, with no clear answer on who will be providing more. It is enough to provoke a panic attack - realizing I do not have the means to transport hay because we do not have a big enough trailer, a storm is coming, and other farmers are also busy this time of year. I hope and pray we do get a load tomorrow, but such is life at the farm, where we must feed hay 24 hours a day and seven days a week to at least 15 at a time.

We are a lifetime placement program. ONLY ASAP and SRF in New Jersey are lifetime placement programs, while all other programs to our knowledge relinquish ownership of horses within six months to 3 years. We could show pictures of horses who were returned to ASAP after 3-4 years away - our dedication to them for a lifetime is sometimes painstaking and requires private investigators or special and talented individuals who are invested in the horses as we are. Attorneys offer assistance when needed. It is necessary to track these horses for a lifetime - after being in business for 16 years we do know that contracts mean nothing unless the person signing them are honest. People "forget" what they sign, or "misunderstand" when it is convenient. Still, at no salary or wage, we endeavor to protect all horses referred to us for a lifetime. We have no regrets about this to this day.

Sanctuary horses? Let us never forget the ones who inhabited this farm for years. Horses were misrepresented as sound when they, in reality, were literally on three legs or ill. Innocently and sincerely, thought we realized something was wrong upon arrival at so many stables, we loaded up those horses and brought them home to do our best by them. Such horses included Precious KC (made $90,000 before she became lame), Arne (made $50,000 before he broke his hock), You and Me Forever (sulfur smells horrid coming out of a horse's nostrils...........colic many times over and only 3 years old.......finally lost her battle with internal problems before age 4), and Brad's Man - named after Brad Farrington (picked up at Maywood in 1993 with a stifle completely shot). Brad's Man traveled with me to U of M for diagnostics. Many vets believed he should be put down, but we kept him for a period of almost two years before he could stand no longer.

Other horses we had knowledge of that we agreed to provide care for were Bob Cook (broke his foot several years ago but never healed to the point of being sound), Free To Go (herniated), and the beloved Haiaku (I will go to my grave remembering our daily care of this great gelding and the appreciation he showed in his eyes). Haiaku had a fractured hock and over the years the other hip/leg slowly degenerated. Haiaku fought a long, hard battle while experts from Texas flew in to try to fit him with braces and other orthopedic devices at no charge to improve his quality of life. Haiaku left us two years ago - and I still cry over him.

It isn't easy being "ASAP". Over the years I have probably lost some time off my own life out of grief. Brown Sugar Babe, a rescue mare from a feed lot in Cannon Falls, MN - one of the loves of my life - left our farm for what I thought would be a great new home - only to die within three weeks after leaving. She had been rehabilitated here and had bonded with Haiaku and Precious. She looked good and was very happy. I was scared to let her go, but Craig stated it was time. A portion of me wonders if she died of heartbreak? The voice over the phone the night before she was to return to ASAP stated, "I think she misses all of you and is homesick". Yet, it was too late to ever know. Why did she have to go?

Yet we carry on with boundless stories of happiness and partnership between adopters and the horses we serve. There is the hope in the goodness of people stepping forward, and those people making a commitment to their pets. I have come to realize over the course of my own life that not many people view horses as part of the family. It would appear that there are many horses returned to ASAP over time. Some people ask why that is? Simply stated, when hard times come, a horse is a big expense. Whether you are boarding or keep a horse in the back pasture, they still must be vetted, trimmed, and fed. When medical problems arise or there is a death in the family, priorities must change. It is inevitable and understandable. We are happy to attempt to assist people in finding new and wonderful homes for their horses. We often are unable to make this happen overnight. We need time. We appreciate and adore your patience. An option for all people if they MUST relinquish their horse is to recruit your own adopter in your area. The only specific detail that must be followed is that any person acquiring an ASAP horse must have been approved through the application process. Thank you for understanding and respecting things for the protection of the horse.

So who feeds Bob Cook, Arne, Brandy, Strawberry Jacki, Steelin Apples, Miss Molly P, Chevie Silverado, Stylish Sharon, and the other sanctuary horses living out their days at ASAP? That is where you can come in - to stretch out your hands to these horses who are in need of support. We have asked the racing industry's organizations, and now it is time to ask you. Remember that anything you donate goes directly into the fund that feeds the horses waiting for homes at ASAP. If you prefer to sponsor a horse at a foster farm (for example, Sugar, Thunder, FV Terror, and Comet who are all near Madison), let us know! We can help you make the connection to make that possible. We have other foster homes in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Illinois that would also love the support. Please, this holiday season, help if you can! Let's get through this most challenging economic period together. We simply cannot exist without your assistance this year.

Loving the horses,
Susan

Available for Immediate Placement

2009-12-02T15:52:00.002-06:00

As emergency circumstances arise, I will post horses who are being returned to the program that ASAP cannot accommodate.
Though our cries about being overpopulated at the ASAP farm go ignored, maybe someone who already is approved will step up to assist us by providing temporary or permanent housing and care for the horses who have nowhere else to go.

The following horses are being returned, via a phone message left earlier today. Matter of factly, without any consideration for the status of ASAP and our ability to provide for the many horses being relinquished, horses are pouring in weekly from people who have encountered personal situations that make it inconvenient to keep their horses. Not impossible - but inconvenient. Here's the current list:

Flaunting It - 19 year old broodmare originally donated by Harmony Oaks Stable - Flaunting It is a dark bay, very quiet mare to ride or drive. She is healthy and sound - but age is going to make it more difficult to place her. She does not like to be caught- this is her only vice.

Spect's Solution - 14 year old STB gelding - on the smaller side at 15-15'1 hands. Nice bay with beautiful head. Spect rides and drives - prefers driving to riding but has done trails.

Sarajevo - trotting mare - beautiful bay - has white marking on face that is in the shape of the state of Illinois! Sarajevo is sweet and willing - drives and has had some riding experience. Sound. Healthy

Honey Fitz - remember this gelding? Made about a half a million before retirement. Honey Fitz is dark bay - has had years worth of trail riding experience. Honey Fitz is so well trained that if he is hauled to a state park and two other horses are being ridden and there are no riders for Fitz, they simply let him go loose and he follows his buddies on the trail without wandering!!
Honey Fitz is 18 this year and has been with the same adopter for several years.

King's Royal Fella - light bay STB gelding - beautiful face with white star and white snip on nose - friendly and loving and affectioniate to everyone around him. Low in pecking order in herd. The only vice King has is when shipped great distances he may stress colic. This happened on one occasion when he traveled to Kansas for a trail ride about five years ago.
Currently pastured with Honey Fitz and A Team Hall

A Team Hall - Standardbred gelding - 15 hands tall - solid bay trotting horse. Ridden by a young woman for two years who had limited riding experience - has been on trails all over the midwest and in parades. A Team has not been cantered but has been a solid riding horse at the walk and trot, even at a fast rate. Pastured with Honey Fitz and A Team Hall.

Please help us, everyone! We are in a delicate situation currently.

Susan

Holidays and End of Year

2009-11-29T23:25:00.002-06:00

I have been having a lot of fun learning how to use Facebook. In retrospect I should have set up a page for ASAP - as it is, me, Susan Wellman, has a facebook page. It's so much fun to talk to so many of you on the chat line there! Hopefully we will learn how to use Facebook to get word out to more people about ASAP. We could use about 50 persons who want to adopt horses right now.

Thanksgiving day was bittersweet. We didn't celebrate this day due to Craig's work schedule. It was a day of playing outside and working outside, munching only when hungry, and going to La Crosse to get last minute items at Walmart. Yes! Walmart was open! Dang it! I left my wallet at home in my other coat pocket! On to see the Christmas lights anyway - stopped at grandma's condo, and a quick stop at Burger King for the kids. Our thoughts turned to Craig's family and my sister's family who were also celebrating not too far away. We should have joined them, but by the time Craig got up and felt at all ready to seize the day it was too late. On Thursday Craig worked the 6pm - 4am shift at Cabela's and came home around 5 or 6 in the morning. It was already Friday. I had left him a note on the bathroom sink asking if he would mind throwing the bird in the oven before he crashed. That saved me getting up earlier than I wanted to. Up at 9:30 - got the potatoes boiling, then made the veggies and stuffing and oyster stew. When Craig got up on Friday we were ready to eat! It was just us and my mother at the table, but it meant so much to the kids. We had a great time and stuffed ourselves, then outside to do chores (does it never end? LOL). We made a last minute decision to go to Wisconsin Dells for an overnight getaway. This was partially because I felt badly that we had canceled our trip to see Jordan in Ocala Florida over Thanksgiving. Cherie and Julien flew down there and hoped we would be down to drive them back. It just didn't seem right, my kids reminded me, to leave "Papa" back here and take off for down south without him. I thought that was very thoughtful and selfless. So we went to explore Fort Wilderness at the Dells.

I was sorely disappointed at Fort Wilderness guest services and accomodations! The Kalahari and Great Wolf and all other motels are 10x better than this huge giant of a complex was. We felt as though we were herded from one area to the next, and the waterparks were so full that the kids didn't even want to attempt going in to any of the three to try to have fun. Between trying to keep the kids entertained, helping grandma to bed early because she didn't feel like going to the Ho Chunk for a bit, and my dog Peanut running from the neighbors who came to let him out we began to feel like stressed out bundles of nerves. To top it all off, when we got back from the casino (I only spent $8 and had a ball!)..........we went to bed and at around 3:30 am I found myself sleepwalking in the elevator of the motel!! Thank goodness I woke up, and realized I had to get back to third floor! I realized in my panic when I awoke fully that I didn't have a room key, and who would hear me? Thank God for Rachel who came to the door after I had rapped on it for several seconds. I was SOOO embarassed and it really scared Craig and the kids. Oh well..........another great little getaway that was more stressful than staying home!!!

Have been playing more with horses, realizing at any moment the weather can turn on us.....getting my thoughts organized for a holiday e-newsletter - we cannot afford to have one printed this year. We really need to rally in the end of year donations for hay. We have about 100 bales left in the arena (small squares) and some donated round bales from last summer (mostly grass, about five total), so my wheels are turning to figure out how to reach the most people with our holiday "hay" drive!
We do have about 250 bales of donated hay to pick up, but the hay is about a 2-3 hour drive from us.......and we need a flat bed trailer.

Last week Race for Home and Bart's A Bad Boy returned to the program. Gosh, I hadn't seen Race for Home since she was three, and she is already 13. She is so beautiful and you sure could tell the adopters gave them the best of care. Bart is already 14! They do have homes arranged, as Chevie Silverado is returning back to the ASAP farm due to, shall we say, behavioral issues? He just isn't happy in his current adoptive placement, and is beginning to charge the gate and has become nippy. Sigh...........Chevie is certainly a personality! I never had him nip at me while here, but did see him try to bite a man who was going to pet him. I guess he decides who he wants to be with and when - that is one smart horse!!

It won't be long and Flaunting It and Spect's Solution will be back at the ASAP farm.
Spect hurt his leg this past spring and is not happy being a driving horse. Maybe he wants to go back to Springfield? He had such a great home with Irma and her husband........if only..............

We got the tree up today, and Christmas decorations. It's great to have my ten year old still be so excited about putting the tree up and all. She's my last little one - I had better enjoy it!

Thanks to Carmen for fostering Anxious Larry and Jake and Dolly's Delight and Cape Cruiser. Thanks to Marie for continuing to foster Fox Valley Terror, Thunder, Sugar, and Comet!! Thanks to Ninette for continued loving care of Z Tempest, and to Kim for boarding Code Zero N and Ooops. Thank you to Terry for hanging on to Honey Fitz and King's Royal Fella and A Team Hall until we can find them a home. Thank you to Sara for doing the same for her adopted horses. Thank you to Sue L. for her recent donation of a carriage and harness! What a fantastic thing for our youth programs and possibly parades for ASAP?

If everyone reading this blog gave $5 on Pay Pal, and we got 350 hits per day on our site, that would be $1,750! Consider giving a gift! It would be so appreciated, no matter what the amount!

Horses at ASAP right now include:
Arne
Bob Cook
Stylish Sharon
Strawberry Jacki
Steelin Apples
Little Jeffrey John
Timesareachanging
Taser Gun
Tillie
Rocky and Chloe (our boarders)
Chief
Lakehills Texas
Cash Wilco
Cricket
R Colelateral
Janimal
Sheba (my own App)
Remmie
Race for Home
Bart's A Bad Boy
Miss Molly P
Brandy
Goodnight Starship (home pending)
Chevie Silverado

That's a load! At one bale of hay each per day, we are going through small squares at the rate of 24 per day. We are feeding about 1400# of sweet feed every other week. The tank heaters are about to be plugged in - oh there goes the electric bill!
As we move towards more and more boarding of horses it will generate more income to pay for more hay and feed. Pick a horse, or pick a cause. Your gift will make all the difference this holiday season.

I'll write more soon!
Susan

Monday Update

2009-11-16T10:14:00.002-06:00

Well the anxiety of last week is slowly waning - and I feel good about my decision to stay part time at my work (less than 40 hours a week) and have more time to take care of mom at home, among all the other things that require a mother's touch.
We had a meeting with my mother's estate attorney last week and the investment company, and many issues were addressed and resolved. I guess the feedback I got from all of you was the same- we are all going through the same thing as women and mothers who have careers. We all do not feel 100% great about not being a home for our children and families, but we all do what we have to do to make ends meet. You all offered feedback that resounded loud and clear - "FOLLOW YOUR GUT". God always has a way of things working out the way they are supposed to in the end! So another lesson in patience, faith and trust was good for me.

What is new? SOOOOO MUCH (again)

Chevie Silverado is wearing out his welcome at his new home of one week. He came into the new adopter home like a true gentleman - adapted to the resident jack donkey and mare. Rode like a dream. No issues. Three days ago he began charging the gate when the adopters came to get him. He has been nipping or biting at the kids. NOT GOOD. Looks like he may have gotten himself a ticket back to our farm. Where do we put him? Good question, since we had six come back last weekend that filled up the lower arena. Please send foster families or adopters - aaauuughhh.

DT has not fit into his new family as hoped. There were three horses at the farm before DT arrived - two were Standardbreds Rocky and Royal Swan Song, and one is a blind horse. The family was hoping for a true companion to the blind horse. DT seemed a good candidate. After less than two weeks, the determination is made that DT wants to join up with his STB buddies more than he wants to be friends with a blind horse. Discussion ensued that in the wild the horse would have been pushed out of ther herd and eaten by a predator so there would be no social issues. Here is it more complicated. Rather than looking for another companion for the blind horse, it has been decided that Rocky and DT should come back to the program. I am throwing them out there for any of you who are tempted to adopt a drop dead gorgeous, well trained horse with tons of personality (DT), or Rocky the Amish horse turned pleasure horse. HELP!

Louannie, Code Zero, and now OOOPS are all at Kim Welsh's farm in Topeka IL - we need adopters in that area, although I do believe that Louannie has found a forever home with Kim there. Code Zero has certainly been hanging around for a very long time without any serious adopters. Seems horses that are not at the ASAP farm wait a longer time for adoption. Ideas on how to market Illinois horses for adoption?

I took a long ride up to the top of the bluff on Remmie with my husband Craig yesterday. What a beuatiful day to get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. I went to take pictures and discovered my digital camera battery dead - sorry!
Timesareachanging and Taser Gun are separated right now. Seems with the overflow of horses at the farm we had to add another mare to their mix. Times wanted both mares for himself, so a little scuffle occurrred and Taser Gun was pushed out of the herd completely. What a weird twist of fate for a horse who was always at the top of his game! After a few bite marks and scratches left Taser in the trees, I brought him in and kept him in the barn for two days. Now it is Times turn to be in the barn, and I have turned Taser back out - will attempt to reintroduce Times to the herd today but if he becomes aggressive again I only have two choices: 1) Keep either Times or Taser out of that turnout or 2) take the mares to the lower arena and bring up two geldings. We'll see what happens!!

Thanks to the Edwards family and Lori H. W. and Andrea T. and other donations, we are happy to report that we are up to date on the feed bill!! YYYAYYYYYYY. Also with donations received in the jar at Balmoral Park on Super Night, we were able to purchase a new copy machine. Thank you everyone!

Parent teacher conferences last Thursday night brought good news for both Rachel and Zachary - both had all A's and B's! There was one questionable grade in Music class for Rachel, but teacher mom is going to approach this music teacher gingerly to ask if she grades on behavior or the actual class - not that Rachel has any behavioral issues cuz she doesn't, but a C in Music? Comeon! She loves to sing!!!! I think I remember Zachary getting an unjustifiable grade in Music in elementary school too. HMMMMMMMMM- wonder what's up.

Cherie will be student teaching in January already! GO CHERIE! Mom is so proud. Also Jordan is in school in Ocala Florida at the moment..............yes, it IS professional wrestling school - giggle giggle - but let him follow his dream. I just asked him yesterday what he would do if he got hurt, or broke his arm or leg?
He said he would just come home cuz he couldn't afford treatment. That worries me! Nevertheless, he was listed on doryfunk.com as "Wisconsin Iron Man" in his last match. OMGoodness, isn't that something? I remember Jordan being two years old sitting in front of the television watching his two favorite things. One was anything Garth Brooks, and the other was professional wrestling. While I didn't encourage it and didn't want it on in the living room, it was so cute to see Jordan watch the wrestlers and then shout "BIG MAN FALL DOWN!" Now my little boy is the big man falling down. Wow -life is a trip!

More on horses and kids later - have a GREAT WEEK!

Susan

Choices

2009-11-11T12:19:00.002-06:00

I am putting myself out there to those of you who may have experienced similar struggles in regards to work vs. family.
I was having a pretty weird day to start at school today, but then got pulled in to the HR department to be told frankly that my Family Medical Leave Act time would be ending the end of November.

They informed me that it would be an opportunity for me to make a decision as to either going back full time, or staying part time with no benefits.

I guess I kind of have a pit in my stomach..........I have been taking time off to care for my mother who has been gravely ill for the past year and two months. She stays with my sister one month and me the next. During the months I have her I take two days per week off. I guess this can no longer be tolerated as we continue to encounter tough financial times.

In a way I feel as though I cannot be totally effective in both places, home or school, only working three days per week. If I go more than that, my mother needs a caregiver hired and that will cost me or her more than we can afford. But what does our family do about benefits?

If anyone has a take on this, please write me. What is ethically, morally, and spiritually the right decision? How do we make it without a full time income, let alone health insurance for our family. I am feeling kinda teary eyed right now- need some encouragement.

Sue

Facebook, horses, family

2009-11-09T11:06:00.006-06:00

How can so much happen between October 25 and November 7? It has been a roller coaster ride of emotions.

First, upon arriving back from our trip to Alabama we noticed one of the four kittens in our house was acting dopey. Sleepy, no appetite. Then the diarrhea arrived. We nursed little Looshus along thinking it was no big deal. By Monday I became very fearful. He had started throwing up clear liquids. I followed the vets orders to give fluids either sub-q or by mouth and keep him warm, then bring him in the morning to the office. I felt hopeful, as he drank three syringfefuls of water while I wrapped him in a blanket and watched Dancing with the Stars on television.
He jumped down out of my lap and I felt he must be gaining strength back. He walked to the water dish and drank - even better!!! By morning he was looking rather pekid but still walking around the kitchen. I quickly put him in the cat carrier and kept him warm and made the drive to the vet. They put him on a heating pad. They gave him more liquids. Then I got a phone call at 9 am - Looshus had passed away. So again, the process of beating myself up began. God gives us wisdom - he gives us a brain - to notice things, to observe, to get help when needed. Exactly WHAT DID I MISS??? Rachel has taken this very hard. There have been a lot of tears shared, and a lot of questions asked. I have no answer why Looshus got sick and died. All I could come up with was a bible verse that Pastor David Holt gave us in church one time - Deuteronomy 29:29 - "The secret things of the Lord belong to the Lord......."
It doesn't make us feel better, but it lets us know that He is there and according to His word He knows even every sparrow that falls to the earth. How much more did he care about little Looshus? So our little kitten was picked up by Craig and brought back to the farm to be buried. Rachel wants me to be sure he is never forgotten. I also refuse to forget Trouble, Rascal, Willow, Velcro, Tuffy, Grandma Kitty, Squirt, Tommy, and other cats who have lived both brief and long lives at our farm. No matter how conscientious we are, sometimes we lose a kitty. Someday we'll have the answer.

Halloween came and went. I watched my 7th grade son do a street dance with his friends and have fun while my daughter trick or treated as Minnie Mouse. I proudly say that she won second prize in the costume contest that the legion had! She worked hard for that.

We had one of our friends' father pass away this week - very hard stuff, since her father was only 61. My thoughts and prayers are with Michelle and her family. Then, last night, we went to a musical tribute for David Crook, who passed away August 2 at age 61. What a shock to lose David - what a loss to the world - and the love for life she showed to others was reflected in the people who were at the Fieldhouse in La Farge last night. It was a wonderful night of recounting memories, telling David stories, and eating and dancing. Shots of chocolate milk were offered up in memory of David, as his favorite drink was organic chocolate milk! David was the very first person to tell me about Standardbreds. We met in 1988 or 1989 when he was working with my dad on satellite dishes. It started a friendship that would span many years, with many miles of trail riding. Nights under the stars, drinking a Point beer, listening to rock music, sharing dreams and aspriations with our horses tied nearby. You can never let go of times like that - they are forever etched in my heart and mind. Cheers to you, David - you live on through all of us whose lives you touched.

I am learning to navigate around facebook and it's a bit tricky but also very addicting and fun! I have linked up with a whole lot of harness racing people already, and even have some of my older kids' friends wanting to be my friend - coooolll!! Many of you are also facebook'ers, I am finding out.

Allie did find a placement and the people are working with her and all is well so far. DT got a home, as well as Cam's Matte Finish. Yesterday we had to go down and remove six horses from summer pasture - bringing them back alarmed us as we looked around our property and realized that we don't have a spare inch left. My husband feels we may lose our farm if we have to feed them all winter, so if you have room for one or two for the winter please let us know! Or if you have hay, or know of someone who has hay to donate, let us know. It was wonderful to get a donation of hay recently, but by the time we paid someone to go and get it, we were shocked to find out the bill was $475 upon his return!!!!!!!!!! We'll go and pick it up ourselves next time. Oh, the six horses who returned are Stylish Sharon, Bob Cook, Arne, Steelin Apples, Strawberry Jacki, and Little John. What a crew.

Cherie and Julien came to spend the weekend with us and we all enjoyed the sunshine very veyr much. I was outside nonstop most of both days, riding Timesareachanging. Amy came down and we hoped to ride Taser and Times together, but Taser is suffering from some rear leg problem of unknown origin. He has just been down and out lately, so I began some bute to see if it would make a difference. His hock has some fluid in it but is not enlarged. He just seems sore - even too sore to be fighting with Little John and Strawberry across the fence. Timesareachanging has taken that upon himself for now, thank you, with Taser watching from a distance. What a change in Taser - it's almost scary!

Special thanks to Lori H. and Barb and Scott Edwards for their recent gifts. Again, we could not function without you. We are hoping that IHHA will come through with an end of the year gifting, as they have in the past.

Enjoy today and this week - it won't be long before we'll be cursing winter. Let me know if you can help us - PLEASE!!!

Susan

Update on ASAP

2009-10-25T21:53:00.005-05:00

The following horses need relocating as quickly as possible, to new homes or foster homes, if you can help?
Ginger and Solomon (urgent situation) - Palmyra area
Thunder - Blanchardville
Sugar - Blanchardville
Allie - Blanchardville
Goodnight Starship - Lake Geneva WI area
Jumbo Shrimp - Baraboo
Spect's Solution and Flaunting It - Stoddard
Honey Fitz, A Team Hall, and Kings Royal Fella - all in Stoddard
3 new horses from Illinois - Lockport area
Six horses coming back from summer pasture including Strawberry Jacki and Little John
Stylish Sharon, Bob Cook, Apples, Arne
Miss Molly P at ASAP farm

Still waiting to be adopted from placing homes:
Onthewayagain
Ooops
Code Zero N - all currently in Illinois

I think that is even a partial list! Help us if you can!

Congratulations to Ray and Alice for going to a driving competition a couple of weeks ago. Pete and Ray took third place! (Pistol Pete that is!).

Congratulations also to Mollie Roehl and Squire One for taking first place at their first walk-trot competition last weekend!

We did an impulsive thing and took off Friday night for the southern state of Alabama. You see, we sold our horse trailer and wanted to find something less expensive that would suit our needs. We knew we needed a four horse and not a six horse. We would have loved to have had living quarters, but that would put us back into debt again. Our goal was to pay off what we owed on our trailer, which wasn't much, and buy something about half price. We found one! Okay, so we had to travel a wee bit to get it, but it was so worth it! We came home with an older Featherlite with partial living quarters and even an awning that is in awesome shape! I would recommend Kelly's Trailer Sales in Alabaster, Alabama to anyone. They were the friendliest, most conscientious trailer sales people we have ever dealt with. We cannot thank them enough. Along the way, we took pictures of cotton fields and other things we saw. We stopped in Nashville and ate seafood buffet at Shoney's. It was a whirlwind trip and we are a little punchy today. So worth it, though!

Thank you to Carmen for fostering FOUR horses for ASAP! Thank you to Andrea for continued fostering of JB, the buckskin mare, and the little colt. Thanks to all of you who continue to care for the horses when it is hard -

Thanks to Balmoral Park who will host next June's 5K run for the horses, with ASAP as beneficiary of the event!

Anyone interested in going to Balmoral for a Christmas get-together this year? Let me know - we could arrange a sulky suite and have a blast watching the races!!

More soon,
Susan

Busy Place

2009-10-18T10:53:00.003-05:00

I am sitting in my green chair in the living room watching Rachel still asleep and watching Christian television programs with Zach. Craig is sick, so we won't be going to church. The sun is shining outside and Packers play at noon. I am drawn outside to ride - maybe later?

It's been a busy weekend, beginning with Friday. The channel 8 WKBT camera arrived at noon. I was blessed enough to have Amy here, as well as Whitney and Heidi (two high schoolers who were here doing a service learning project). Rachel came home from school and was filmed riding Remmie. Chief and Taser Gun made the spotlight too! We also went over to Ursula's farm and filmed Arne, Bob Cook, Steelin Apples, Stylish Sharon, Little John and Strawberry. People cannot help but stare at the old race injuries on Bob Cook and Arne. Arne's hock has a great deal of scar tissue and is extremely large. He has some bad days where he holds his leg up, when the arthritis is flaring up. Bob Cook's fetlock is large, and sometimes he hops on three legs. We have accustomed ourselves to seeing them this way, but to others it can be disturbing. I wonder to myself how we are going to bring six more horses back from this pasture and where they will go on the farm. I need to have faith that some will find homes before winter sets in.

Our foster families are stretched to their limits as well. If you see it in your hearts to help either Carmen in Minnesota (currently has Dolly's Delight and Cape Cruiser and may end up taking Bart's A Bad Boy and Race For Home), or Marie near Madison (Allie, Comet, Sugar, Thunder, Fox Valley Terror) I would be happy to give you their direct email addresses. Marie needs to relocate Allie and Fox Valley Terror more urgently than the rest.

We have waived adoption fees on the following horses as of today:
Allie
Thunder
Sugar
Bart's A Bad Boy
Race for Home
JB
Jumbo Shrimp
Of course, all people receiving a horse at no cost must have an application on file and be an approved adopter. If you would like to foster, please contact me!!!

Thanks to Lori H. and the gentleman from Galesville for their donations on chipin.com

Thanks to Ray and Alice for taking such good care of Cams Matte Finish for the past several weeks!

We sold our trailer on Saturday so now I am almost in a state of panic without one. I feel as though we have lost our horse getaway vehicle...........but we are working with families who have four horse trailers for sale to see which one would be the best fit for our family. Wish us luck!

I'll let you know what happens.
Susan

Chipin.com

2009-10-15T22:33:00.001-05:00

News and Views

2009-10-12T17:25:00.004-05:00

It has been a horrific two weeks in Wisconsin. First the big winds came on the weekend of our anniversary the end of September. It shuttled in the colder temperatures, and we haven't been able to shake the cold, rain, and, today, SNOW since! Arizona here I wanna come!!!!! Still, we have to brave all the conditions to care for the animals here at ASAP.

Rachel braved the cold to go to the Retreat World's Fair in our area last weekend and competed in a horse show. She brought home another trophy for the walk/trot class and had a second and third place in other classes. That's my girl! She decided to have a sleepover that night, and you can see pictures of her two friends and her having a facial-too funny!

Since we have a hay shortage, and a money shortage, we made a decision to board a few horses to keep some form of income coming to the farm. I also contacted the USTA, and Hoofbeats is doing a feature article on Taser Gun and Timesarechanging in their next issue! I got some great pictures of Amy A. riding Taser this past weekend, and forwarded the only picture I have of me sitting on Times. Hoofbeats is interviewing Amy (friend and volunteer for ASAP) and Tracy B (trainer who donated Times)so be sure to get your issue of Hoofbeats next month!

Another golden egg happened this week. WKBT Channel 8 in La Crosse has agreed to come out and do a story on ASAP!!! This is very exciting and will, hopefully, bring more local support from our community. After all, if the humane society in La Crosse is getting a story about rabbits that were surrendered there last week and needing supplies for them, how much more is our need for 1000# animals that need to eat? WKBT is very motivated to do this story, and we are grateful for that!

The weekend brought one young man who was doing a community service project for extra credit at his school, and one young lady who is a real fan of ASAP and is planning on adopting a horse by next month. Then Amy came to ride Taser Gun despite that awful, chilly wind. At least the sun shone through the clouds a few times that day.

We are in the process of selling our six horse trailer and downsizing in size and price of a trailer that will work for ASAP and our family. The shopping is kind of fun, we must admit!

Please please please don't forget to vote on theanimalrescuesite.com
click on the tab that says Animal Shelter, then type in American Standardbred Adoption and WI and vote every day! Each vote really can make a difference!

Enjoy the pictures.
Hugs,
Susan

Pictures

2009-09-28T13:33:00.002-05:00

Here are the picturesI promised - from Carriage Classic to Vernon County Fair - horse shows, kittens in barn manger, and more!

Please Give

2009-09-24T10:22:00.002-05:00

We are once again in a financial crisis.
Adopting horses is one way that we are able to provide for all of the horses still waiting for homes.
When adoptions are slow, we must reach out to ask for assistance.

If you are unable to make a donation, think about logging on to ameaningfulgift.com
A portion of the proceeds of sales of items on this site will go to ASAP.
There are great gifts for animal lovers - great Christmas gift ideas, etc.

Please think about making a contribution using Pay Pal.
Even if you are only able to donate $5 a week - it would mean so much to have each donation add up.

We are now trying to lease our arena in order to pay bills. We hate to see our arena, designed for training horses, giving lessons, and storing hay turn into a storage place for boats and RV's, but at this point we have no choice.

We are also trying to sell our six horse Featherlite slant-load aluminum trailer, and downsize to a four horse.
Please contact me if you are interested.

Other ways to help include online shopping at the Country Supply site - a portion of sales go to ASAP.
Also, how many times do you google something? If you think of it, going to goodsearch.com means a penny from every search goes to ASAP.

Last but certainly not least, please please please go to www.theanimalrescuesite.com and click on the tab at the right called
the Great Shelter Challenge.

Type in American Standardbred and the state WI and you will see our name come up. You can vote once per day starting now.
Please don't forget us! We need you!!

Susan

It's a Joint Effort

2009-09-22T16:03:00.002-05:00

AAAAHHH - the county fair is over.
Super Night has come and gone.
Carriage Classic is now 9 days past - where does time go?

Congratulations to my children - Zachary and Rachel - for their hard work and dedication to their pets during the fair.
We showed two rabbits, two cats on Thursday night, and one wonderful Standardbred horse known as Remmie.
Zachary took a white ribbon on his rabbit Thumper. Who was to know that white rabbits with blue eyes and lots of black spots on their ears were basically utterly undesirable by judges? Live and learn! Rachel's rabbit, on the other hand, took a first place in her division (Lop-eared doe under six months). Rachel's bunny is brown with a white cottontail. The judge loved her.

The cat show was a scream! The judges were warm and friendly - helpful - and comical. They gave out trophies for such things as longest tail, scariest face, cuddliest, and so on. Zach showed Oreo the black and white domestic short-hair, and Rachel showed Adam (formerly an orphaned kitten who was the only one in his litter to survive distemper, and bottle fed by us). Adam is a short-haired tabby cat. Well, the kids did well again! Zach got a red ribbon for Oreo and a trophy for shiest cat, and Rachel took a blue ribbon with Adam!

Zach won second place for his picture of domestic animal (Magnum in the creek), and a white ribbon for his landscape picture (water with no buildings).

And last but not least, Rachel took home the trophy for the walk/trot class on Remmie! She also took a blue for the costume class, and a red ribbon for the halter class. She placed a first in something else (can't remember which class), but the 4-H club took home a merit award for Rachel and the other members' hard work in keeping the area clean, horses fed and watered, and
horses exercised. During the four day stay at the grounds we were once again chosen by the man upstairs to have three kittens under the manger board in Remmie's stall discovered. The mother, a feral cat, was scared away by the fair activities on the first day. She must have come home at night to nurse them, but by noon the three kittens were screaming for her loudly. Remmie put up with the incessant meowing, but others had a tougher time tolerating it. After much debate, and a report from another woman saying that the fair groundskeepers will kill the kittens if found because they hate feral cats, we called Tabby Town Cat Rescue. Marie and I met at 3:30 outside the gate and I handed over three very hungry baby kitties to her rescue.
The very neat thing is that they have set live traps for the mother, hoping to find her. If they do, they will bring her back to their place and she will have a whole room to herself to be with her kittens. Then today I got an email telling me that the fair groundskeepers asked them to remove the live traps. This is very upsetting to all of us, as we know there is a cat desperately searching for her kittens right now, and no one at the fairgrounds appears to care. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks to Alice and Ray H. and Danielle S., Super Night was a huge success. I managed to get a heavy box with display materials down to Ray and Alice in time. They had the privilege of bringing Pistol Pete N to the track to share with the public during the races, and got to hand out brochures to anyone interested in adoption. Danielle manned the table down near the clubhouse/race office area outside. Alice said each time she looked Danielle seemed to have someone at the table. We were also part of a live interview done by Joshua Potts, thanks to Danielle!!! Joshua reported to me that Danielle did an absolutely excellent job of representing ASAP. The 60 second dvd was shown in between races to promote ASAP. We are very grateful to Debra from Balmoral for all of the assistance and support this year! And Danielle and Ray and Alice - you are tops!!!
Ray and Alice, in addition to all of the above, even went out of their way to haul Cam's Matte Finish to their place after they left the track that night. ASAP is made up of many many people - it is such a great feeling to know that you are out there for the horses! Thank you again and again.

The Carriage Classic was very interesting, and thanks to Mike Rider, we were able to have a table set up there for the weekend.
It was a first time for me to see the events at the beautiful Villa Louis. The best thing about being there was seeing Ray and Alice, who had traveled from Gratiot to Prairie du Chien to watch the driving classes. I have never seen such elegance and beauty. The carriages were superb! There was only one Standardbred in the entire show that weekend, and it was a half Standardbred at that. Maybe us being there will create some interest? We can only hope. My mother was a trooper that whole weekend, going back and forth with me two days in a row. She really enjoyed her chat with Ray!

So now is the time to recoup. It feels good to be back at work and back in the routine. There are horses to ride! Timesareachanging had his first saddling and ponying experience two Sundays ago. We took him on trails, roads, and across fields and creeks. He did about six miles that day and was very well behaved! I almost think I could have ridden him!

I will send pictures.
Updates on horses:
Wawatassi adopted!
Allie in second foster home.

MANY HORSES NEEDING PLACEMENT.
We are only $300 behind on our feed bills at this point after a tough summer. We are praying for enough donations or adoptions to get us paid up on hay and feed and vet bills. Thanks to Laurie for her donation towards Chevie Silverado's vet bill!!

Soon,
Susan

Long Time

2009-09-11T11:32:00.003-05:00

I am surprised how quickly time passes in between my posts. I have had a few adventures since August 27. Some have been good and some have been not so positive. It has stretched me in terms of what I can handle as a horse woman, and what is not fair to expect. It has made me questioned my own ability to train horses when I am not spending enough time with each one. Craig keeps telling me that I need to just choose one horse as "mine" and stick with that one. As it is right now, R Colelateral has been "my" horse for three years. However, as I have moved more into riding Cricket and working with Taser Gun and, now, riding Timesareachanging, Cole has become more herd bound, difficult, and harder to manage.

Our two day camping trip to the Kickapoo Reserve found me fearful on the trails on the second day. Cole was insisting on being in the lead, but when he got there was afraid of everything invisible under the sun. Combining his spooking with his attitude when I held him back when he wanted to run (hunching up, crow hopping), I was not having any fun. I cried "whoa", got out of the saddle and stood, holding him, sobbing. I explained to the kids I just was not having any fun. I envisioned Cole as a horse that was harnessed to a two-wheeled cart and could literally fly down the road. He would be so happy. Maybe the problem with me is that I am trying to make him into a pleasure horse but that is not part of his character. Maybe I am just looking for excuses to give up. I am really confused at this point. I have taken him out here at home and worked with him more often. I am teaching him how to flex and bend - he has to be the most stiff-necked horse I have ever worked with, which makes him harder to manage when I am riding him. A gal came over to adopt two horses two nights ago, and picked him out of 19 horses because of his affections towards her and his friendliness. She tacked him up and got on and rode. As long as I was around walking with them or trotting, he was fine. I left to help her get a feel for her without me around. He became quite obstinant and barn sour. She said something that made me think. She said, "You sure can tell he is YOUR horse and you are HIS person". There..............now what does that do for my conscience?
I don't want to give up! The same goes for Cricket and Times and Taser. I just have to focus my energies more and do more of the boring ground stuff and daily work and not expect each horse I get on top of to automatically be wonderful on any trail in America I decide to explore.....

We have had a long run of beautiful weather. We live in a part of the country where we are afraid to know what the next day is going to bring, because we usually never have five days of sunshine in a row. Craig would love to move so we don't have to experience another winter, but the two remaining kids at home don't want to go. Coming from a home where my father never thought twice about pulling me up by the roots twice a year to go from California to Wisconsin and back again, I don't wish that on my worst enemy. I want my kids to feel rooted and stable, safe and happy, with the same friends and the same environment that they know and love. I had that in California, but never felt completely welcome as a peer at schools in Wisconsin. I can even reflect that I had the worst education in terms of teacher sensitivity to student needs I have ever seen. I can say this now, since I am a teacher. I remember a teacher in 7th and 8th grade in the local school close to where we live now that was related to me. I was scared to death of her bi-polar emotions, but knew how to save myself by behaving properly around her. I was smart academically, but I sat next to a boy who was basically a non reader. In those days we did not have special educators or title 1 teachers. He was basically ignored and I helped him complete assignments when I could. Each week we would receive a Weekly Reader and part of our curriculum was reading this aloud together as a class. I will never forget dreading this part of my day, when I knew my friend and fellow class mate who was a non-reader would surely be called upon to stand up next to his desk and read.
He would begin to cry, but the teacher, my relative, would let him stand there, humiliated, until someone would say the word out loud to help him. This boy grew up to have many emotional issues in his life, but I can't help but think the teachers could have helped him become a healthy adult if they would have showed some compassion.

The same goes for how I feel about the horses here. Miss Molly P would rather kill me than look at me, but somehow over the summer she has seen me as a sort of friend. She will seek me out rather than running away, and I can stand and pet her without fear of being trampled or struck with a front hoof (unless I try to push her!). Compassion rules my heart -a horse who has no useful place in society will someday find a horse whisperer or someone who sees the beauty in a one-eyed horse with suspensory problems and a dented skull. Maybe in the meantime, God's love can shine through enough here at the farm to show her it is safe to trust. After all, it happened with a kitten that was brought to us last year. She would cringe when we tried to pet her and cry out as if to say "Leave me alone - please don't torture me". Somehow I believe she had been greatly tortured - she cannot tell us what happened but I know something did. After a year of watching us, and our gentle rewarding her for letting us pet her by giving her a special treat, she has decided to own us. If I open my eyes during the night she is next to me looking at me. She is the first cat I see in the morning when I wake up, and won't leave me alone until I feed her. She has learned that she can trust. She now lets me pick her up and carry her all over the house, and loves to be petted. She hasn't generalized this trust to everyone in our house, but someday I just know it will come. Time and love can heal so many things.

I want to share that a former racing champion who was adopted and loved by a dear friend of mine for so many years I cannot count has passed. Broderick, a famous trotting horse originally from Indiana who made over $500,000, died home on the farm last week. He was well into his 20's. His last public appearance for ASAP was at Night of Champions at Hawthorne in 2007. It will take Adrienne awhile to get over the loss of such a great horse. His many years in 4-h helped earn many medals, ribbons and trophies for Kristin and Kathleen. Our sympathy goes out to the family.

Our next event is this weekend at the Carriage Classic in Prairie du Chien! Then the fair, and Super Night in Chicago. We are pleased to say that Alice and Ray H. of Gratiot will be bringing Pistol Pete N (formerly owned by Bell Valley Farm) to be in the Billy Barn area to greet the crowds. Squire One's adopter and Sportsmaster's adopter will help with the two tables at the track that night. I can just feel the excitement in the air for this huge night of harness racing!

I promise to get pictures up after the classic!
Love
Susan

So Much To Share

2009-08-27T15:50:00.002-05:00

We had a very productive meeting last night in Winona MN. Our strategic planning group consisted of a sheriff named Dave, a boarding barn owner named Shannon who is an animal advocate and plays a big role in some of our toughest rescue situations, Andrea T., the corporate sponsor and key contributor to ASAP's operations, her friend Judy, a veterinarian Jan H. of Winona who has provided critical vet care to great horses such as Hiawatha Hannah and Windswept Glory, as well as the buckskin mare and foal you see listed for adoption on the site, and myself. I can see clearly that this is not only a team of people who have horses as a common interest, but whose hearts are set on jumping right in and getting involved in whatever way possible to save lives and help horses find homes. I can't say "thank you" enough to all of them!

In the same breath, I had a lengthy interview with Josh Potts for an upcoming publication that will feature Timesareachanging, along with Taser Gun, and spotlight some of the long term sanctuary horses who have been cared for here at our farm for so many years now. Thanks to Josh for giving us a second opportunity to be heard.

Balmoral Park has opened up a great opportunity for us! Super Night is coming up on September 19. We will have a table at the track, as always, and we will be able to play our one minute commercial in between races to generate more interest in ASAP and our mission! The announcer is going to announce our presence, and we have been ased to bring one horse to greet the crowd that night in the Billy Barn area! I am reaching out to all of you that might live a bit closer to Balmoral Park, and asking you if you would like to be that person to bring one horse to Balmoral to an inside stall in the Billy Barn area to meet and greet people? If you think you have that special horse, email me right away at asapinc@mwt.net I have already committed to being there...........but also realize we have the Vernon County fair that weekend, so I am really overcommitting myself without help. Can you help by either sitting at a table or bringing a horse? I'd love to hear from you soon!!!

Please watch the web site, as we will have a great gift collection of horse blankets, throws, pillows, etc displayed. A portion of all purchases will go to ASAP - so be on the lookout for some beautiful items!

I'll write more soon!
Susan

Always Grateful

2009-08-24T12:00:00.002-05:00

Last week we had a special visitor who wanted to bring some feed to donate to the horses. We had never met before, but I had known her brother previously from a church we attended years ago. Small world! We want to thank Jean and her husband for the donation of 250# of feed, and a $100 cash donation which went to Farmers Union Coop!

Then last week's phone call and my blog to you all produced an outpouring of support from people who wanted us to be able to pay for reinstatement of our equine market license. To date, we can thank Andrea T. and Lori H. for their donations of $250 and
$200, and thanks to a veterinarian from Janesville for her $100 donation which was paid directly to the Dept. of Agriculture. We are so grateful to each and every one of you.

This week's urgencies include:
Placement of Allie and Kokinos into adoptive or foster homes by August 30

Placement of a rescued STB mare in Green Bay with new family who can feed her and love her and help her back on her feet - she is currently 300# underweight. Her name is JB and we are awaiting a tattoo number for positive identification of name and age.

Immediate placement of two horses in the Marshfield area - one horse is Race for Home, bred by Iriquois River Stables years ago. She is a mare in her teens and she is sorrel. She comes with Bart's A Bad Boy who is also in his mid teens or thereabouts. He has been trained to ride for years. He is a smaller bay horse.

Chief Pow Hat Ten still in need of foster placement or adoptive home and currently in the UP of Michigan.

Odd's On Tom and Emaline are in Iowa and in a situation requiring immediate removal, but they cannot be brought into Wisconsin without a 2009 coggins and interstate health certificate, so need a place to go to get the necessary items completed. The horses are in the Marengo are of Iowa.

Please - times are tough - if you can help let us know!

I had a great ride on Cole last night at Yellow River State Forest. We went about 6-7 miles and got into a fast trot quite a few times. I did not yet get him to canter, but it is coming! I hope to take Timesareachanging there in the near future. Remmie, Janimal, Chief, Fargo and Cole all made a quiet and stable group.......well........Cole did do a nice spook on me one time, but it was a spook in place sort of thing and I stayed on!

Will post pictures soon. I have had no response to my offer to do an ACTHA ride so will assume we will be unable to plan one this year. Maybe we'll try for next spring?

Susan

Licensing Blues

2009-08-18T08:59:00.002-05:00

I had a great phone conversation with a Department of Ag agent today. She was concerned that we had not submitted our renewal application for our equine market license. At the time, the cost of renewal was close to $300. That was $300 that we did not have. I called the Dept. of Agriculture and explained to the agent that we did not have the money.

Today we have learned that we will receive a gift from IHHA (thank you so much, IHHA board). Unfortunately, our waiting to renew our equine market license is going to result in almost doubling our fees, since we now have late fees and surcharges. I understand that now we will owe approximately $500. This license is necessary for ASAP to operate. I am so grateful to the agent to have phoned out of concern about the situation, and plan to get the paperwork out to them this week. We are praying for support of any kind to meet the licensure requirements in the amount mandated. Wish us luck!

Susan

Summer Is Here

2009-08-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness! Summer has finally arrived in Wisconsin! It may be August, but it hasn't felt balmy until now. Heat - bring it on! I love it!

Sad stuff: Had to say "Good-bye" to my son, Jordan, who left yesterday to go back to Ocala, Florida to attend wrestling school.
He didn't want to go, but knew he had to, and it sparked memories of my college days, watching my mom cry as I drove away from that lonely farm in Wisconsin. It was bittersweet for me, as I wanted to stay for her but knew I had to get back to college to finish my teaching degree in Illinois. I guess Jordan must be feeling the same way. I wanted, as a mom, to go with him to ease the transition, but as always my own job kept me here. It makes me a bit angry and frustrated inside to realize that no matter how many years go by, my life is really not my own in terms of what I feel I want to do as a mother for my four children. Money is money, time is time, and the important things often are not given priority.

Speaking of important things, I had not heard from my friends David and Mary Ann Crook of Viola this year. David, Mary Ann, and I go back more than 20 years as horse lovers. David originally worked with my dad in the 80's, installing satellite dishes. I later learned that David was a horse enthusiast and trail rider, and this was the beginning of a long relationship that included endless trail rides, a horse named Bud, later an adopted horse named Jalind Rose, and many nights under the stars listening to music and sipping on Point beer after a good, long ride. Shockingly, today my sister sent me an obituary of David, who passed away on August 2. Yet another blow - another good friend of many years - who influenced my life in so many ways. David, 64, died of esophageal cancer. Hardly anyone knew he had been ill. I will pray for Mary Ann, his wife of 37 years, who must be so devastated at this time. A touching memory I have of David is when his father was sick, in his late 80's. David and Mary Ann lived next to him, and he was a widower. David took care of his dad all the days of his illness, and when he died, David was the man who personally carried his dad in his arms from the farmhouse to the vehicle that would transport him to the funeral home. Such love had this man - such devotion - it was simply amazing. So another great loss too early.

Fun News:
While Jordan was still home we took a boat ride out on the river. Rachel, Jordan, Craig and I enjoyed the evening sunset and the kids threw out a line. Jordan had a good feeling that he would catch something, and catch he did! A five pound catfish!
Rachel caught an almost-15 inch Walleye! Craig caught a catfish, mooneye, and I am happy to say that all fish survived the ordeal and were mercifully pitched back into the river (mom's along, that's what happens!).

We went to Duck Egg County Park to ride over the weekend. Cole, Remmie, Janimal, Fargo, and Cricket made the trip with us. I would like to say I had a great ride, but Cricket (the half-Arab that she is) spazzed out when we arrived over a herd of cattle that were hidden behind trees across the road when we were tacking up. She almost ran me over, head butted me, got herself into a full sweat, shaking and petrified, and was head butting me to avoid the tacking process. Guess I have never seen this kind of behavior out of her before, which made me fearful. Ah, give me the Standardbred! All three Standardbreds were perfect for the entire ride, and we rode back at sunset when the bats were circling around and every trail going through the woods brought pitch-black darkness. Jordan offered to ride Cricket, and I took my trusty gelding, Cole, the rest of the way home. We made a great memory!

I have nothing to report about the ACTHA ride - have had one response that said they would love to go - please give me your feedback?

Upcoming events:
Wild West Days parade - tonite at 6 pm
August 22 - Open horse show - Viroqua
Carriage Classic, Vernon County Fair, and Super Night - all in September.

Thanks to IHHA for their recent contribution to ASAP! Without them it wouldnt be possible!

Susan

September 26?

2009-08-09T12:04:00.002-05:00

We are constantly looking for ways to bring money in to the organization to help provide for the horses. The American Competitive Trail Horse Association has graciously offered to assist ASAP with putting together a competitive trail ride this year.

We are considering holding a trail ride on Saturday, September 26. We would have the option of camping overnight at Yellow River State Forest. This is a beautiful place to ride and camp! It is located about an hour from La Crosse, WI and less than an hour from Prairie du Chien, right over the Iowa border. It also is a nice location for us, since it takes us only about 35 minutes to get there.

By this date, the county fair in Viroqua will be over, and the Carriage Classic in Prairie du Chien, as well as Super Night. It seems like a great time to see fall colors and still not be too cold at night.

If we can get at least ten riders (25 would be best) we will commit to the date, but we need to hear from you. The ACTHA ride costs to participate, but you would be eligible for money prizes and ribbons/trophies. There are judges appointed to different places along the trail, who rate each rider on their ability to maneuver through and around obstacles, back up in a figure eight pattern, or open and close gates. It looks like a lot of fun...............would you consider joining?

The entry fee amount depends on whether you are entering as a professional or for pleasure. The proceeds go to ASAP. Please RSVP if you would like more details, or go to the ACTHA web site. If we get enough responses we'll begin advertising!

Chevie continues to get better. As soon as Wawatassi makes it to Iowa we will reunite him with Idlewhile and Miss Molly P. We got a wonderful adoptive home for Irresistable Lou and Lyric!

We are looking forward to Josh Potts doing a story on Timesareachanging and Taser Gun, and are still waiting for the arrival of an IHHA member to tour our farm.

We had one donation of $150 from a race owner this week. Thank you! Other than that no income to report. Lou and Lyric were both gifted to the adopter. Three square bales left, but eight round bales from donated fields are ready to be picked up.
Hoping to ride Yellow River today if the weather clears!

Hugs,
Susan

Sunday Evening

2009-08-02T21:41:00.002-05:00

It's August 2, and I am still waiting for summer to arrive. I spent February agonizing over winter and actively considering moving away for good to warmer country with the family, then forgot a little about that once spring got here. Spring got me looking forward to summer, which still has not shown its face. Combine that with lack of time to do things, and I am feeling that all-too-familiar anxiety beginning to creep up as I note some of the leaves changing on the trees.

I have been at the emergency ward at our local hospital two times in the past 24 hours with my mother. She has not done well this past week, and continued a downhill trend over the weekend. She stayed at her condo with my oldest daughter, Cherie, on Friday, and by Saturday she just wanted to be in bed at my house. Back she came, and by afternoon we realized this was bigger than we could deal with at home, so up to the clinic we went. Good thing! Her blood pressure was 70/40 which brought immediate alarm to the doctors and nurses. One bag of fluids later and bloodwork galore, and she was sent home. By this morning, it was clear she was not responding to the antibiotic they prescribed as quickly as we wished. She had a temperature of 101.7 by the time we got to ER, so back on IV fluids and more blood work. A chest xray done yesterday revealed fluid on the lungs. Today it was confirmed that she has pneumonia. Well, I am no dummy and do realize that my father died three days after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. It is serious busines with elderly persons. Still, they didn't want to keep her overnight. She is here now, resting peacefully, but I am scared. Please say a prayer.

The board meeting went well Friday night. Some hard decisions had to be made regarding intakes on horses. It was decided at that meeting that we are going to freeze intakes until funding sources can be located. If we can do direct placements of horses from placing owner to adoptive home, we will be posting them on the internet. Don't assume if you see a new horse on the site that they are at the ASAP farm........

When we do receive horses into the program they have to meet criteria. Since we are primarily an adoption program vs. a rescue, horses accepted will have to be at least 2 years of age. There will be a cutoff of age as well (no more 25 year olds) until things are flowing positively and we are able to provide for them. As it is, we have six horses coming back from summer pasture this fall, and nowhere to house them without placing horses that are here.

ASAP is forming a strategic planning committee to include interested persons who are able to assist in public relations, marketing, and fund raising. This committee will meet in August.

Emphasis for the next several months will be for ASAP to seek finances, and/ or to obtain donations of hay and feed. What would we do without our foster families? They are many in number - we are so grateful to them for helping horses out.

A fundraiser will occur in either September or October at Yellow River State Forest. ACTHA has offered to assist us in putting this together. If you would like to join us for prizes and money, let me know. We need at least 25 riders to make this work. Also include a weekend you are available to do a ride. We will plan to have music and food if possible. ACTHA believes that with enough riders we may raise $3,000-$4,000. Wouldn't that be WONDERFUL???? But we need YOU to make it possible.

Whenever possible, try to use goodsearch as your search engine. It benefits ASAP. Also Country Supply for your horse needs, as they donate a portion of the proceeds to ASAP. Thanks so much for your continued support!

Chevie Silverado's wound is finally mending. He should be ready for turnout this week. He is anxious and feeling his "oats" - wants to run! He has been one patient boy since 4th of July. Thanks to Bryan and Kim for coming out to spend time with Chevie and the other horses at ASAP and volunteering their time.

We were able to place two horses this weekend - Irresistable Lou and Lyric went to an adoptive family! I am anxious to hear how they are settling in. The farrier was here yesterday so everyone looks pretty sharp right about now.

We are anticipating a long-awaited visit from IHHA board member this week to tour our farm and meet the horses who live here.

I'll share more when this occurs!
Susan

Last and Final Decision Re: Board Meeting

2009-07-28T12:07:00.002-05:00

The semi-annual board meeting will occur on Friday evening at the Red Lion Pub and Eatery in Victory WI at 8:00 pm.
This decision comes after discussion between board member Susan Wellman and significant individuals whose schedules ASAP tried to accommodate to make attendance possible. A decision has been made to convene with these people and any other persons who are interested in forming a strategic task force for ASAP. The meeting for the advisory board who want to establish this committee will occur in August, and will, most likely, meet in Winona, MN. Focus of the strategic task force is to address the budget, plan for fund raising and public awareness, and form specific committees to address specific areas of need. More details to follow. So, to finalize.........meeting of the board will take place
Red Lion Pub and Eatery
Victory WI
Friday, July 31
8:00 pm
Sorry for all of the confusion!
Susan

CORRECTION

2009-07-27T11:16:00.004-05:00

Dr. Jan Hofer has made herself available for the urgent situations that arose with two horses this year. She did donate a few of her services - thanks to Andrea T. for making most of the veterinary care possible by paying for their treatment and board.

I apologize for the miscommunication in an earlier blog.

The board meeting for July 31 has been tentatively moved to Friday, August 6, 2009 in Winona. This is to make sure that all people wishing to attend can be present.

Susan

One More Day

2009-07-26T22:00:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends,
Well, one more day of voting..............actually today was the last day........we will pray for even a little monetary gift, and thanks to all of you for voting for ASAP. We did get quite a few vote for being a little ol' organization with a big heart!

I drove about 25 miles today with a former student (since our truck is getting new u-joints) and his truck to pick up what I thought was 50+ bales of hay at $1.50 a bale.
We came home with 12 bales - what would fit on the back of his pickup, because we had no wagon to bring more home with. The ball on Mitch's hitch was too small to fit the wagon, so we were SOL. Sigh.........after I paid Mitch and paid for the hay, that 12 bales came to $31.00. OH, well, let's hope we can find some hay a little closer at a good price this week.

Nothing really bad or good to report. We did place a couple of horses this week, and we were excited to be invited to Running Aces Race Park in Minnesota today to take part in their festivities. Thanks to loyal Carmen who was there with enthusiasm to represent ASAP. We tried to meet yesterday so I could pass over the banner and lots of promotional activities, but between Zach's ball tournaments, grandma's needs (she wasn't feeling well this weekend), and the needs of the animals at home, it was not to happen. Carmen was at a family reunion and I sure didn't want to tear her away from that either.

We received one adoption fee of $300 this week, and a $300 donation last week from a wonderful woman in Niles, Illinois who felt compelled to give. Also I want to thank Pam Galein for her gift of $400 in June - somehow that was left out and I sure don't want to forget her. She is so extremely happy with Frank N Hank. Also got pictures of Mc Dominant with a young gal who finished first in several classes last weekend.
Hopefully those will make it up on the site if they aren't there already!

Our board meeting on Friday night in Winona should prove to be quite productive, as we search for more ways of bringing badly needed funds and hay/supplies to ASAP. Putting our heads together with the owner of a corporation who sponsors ASAP and a veterinarian who has gone out of her way to donate each time ASAP has asked will make us a stronger and wiser organization.

Many kids over on Friday night until Saturday for Rachel's end-of-the-season softball sleepover. One of the highlights was riding horses on Saturday. Chief, Tex and Fargo were three favorites. Everyone felt sorry for Chevie, who is still recovering from his horrible injury on the 4th of July. Having Chevie in need of good care has proven positive in some ways, however. Chevie and I are spending quite a bit of time together. I am finding out that he is ornery when he eats in his stall at graining time, and respect his wishes for personal space. He loves quiet walks around the farm now with me. He is snoopy and nosy all at the same time, stopping to sniff flowerbeds, ladders, car trunks, mailboxes, signs, and an occasional cat or dog. His curiosity demonstrates his intelligence. He listens to me very well on the ground, and is easy to guide without a rope or chain over his nose. He is trusting and kind. He does have a tendency to step on his lead rope if you aren't careful, but doesn't panic too much when he goes to try to pull his head up. I love Chevie, and hope for the day that his very own person comes along.

We are starting a business venture in a nearby small town. We are going to have a booth similar to what flea markets do, and sell ASAP items which have been donated to us. The proceeds of all tack and equipment will go to the horses at ASAP. I am pretty excited, but holding my breath. We have to have the booth space set up before next Friday night, so Friday morning will find us getting the truck (hopefully it's fixed!) loaded and organized. If you have any tack or items you think might be appropriate for resale, don't forget us if you wish to make a donation.

Had quite a little shock again on Friday when I learned that an ASAP horse had been sold to a young gal in Michigan for $1,000. This gal claims she did not know the horse was an ASAP horse, but now that she can no longer afford his board, she assigned "ownership" of the horse to ASAP and this is how we discovered he should have never been sold. So, the adopter adopted the horse at a fee of $350, then quite handily turned around and sold him for $1,000. I AM OUTRAGED, but thankful that this gal has contacted us so that the horse can come back to ASAP. By the way, the original adopters WILL BE CONTACTED.............ahem...............(trying to remain calm). It never ceases to amaze me at least once a year that people forget what they sign when they sign it. For example, I had a gal come to the farm in March and wanted horses for a camp. She was gifted two horses. Within a month to two months one of the horses came up on the internet FOR SALE, and we were alerted by a wonderfully alert and observant person. I contacted this gal, and reminded her that we had stood and talked and gone over each contract rule before she signed the placement agreement. She initialed every place and agreed to terms. Why, then, would she try something like this? Maybe something that should be on the board meeting agenda. Some organizations give adopters ownership within five or six years, yet I am hearing from some organizations that the horses are disappearing before that time! So how do we get people to hold to what they sign? I wonder....

I'll leave on a good note, though. I continue to read Helen Keller and her book, "The Story of My Life". The things she writes puts me to tears. For example,after meeting an animal communicator by accident one day while putting fuel in my car, I realized we had spent about 30 minutes talking. I went away from that meeting refreshed and with a sense of wonder. This is what Helen said about this:
"There are red lettr days in our lives when we meet people who thrill us like a fine poem, people whose handshake is brimful of unspoken sympathy, and whose sweet, rich natures impart to our eager, impatient spirits a wonderful restlessness which, in its essense, is divine. The perplexities, irritations and worries that have absorbed us pass like unpleasant dreams, and we wake to see with new eyes and hear with new ears the beauty and harmony of God's real world. The solemn nothings that fill our everyday life blossom suddenly into bright possibilities. In a word, while such friends are near us we feel that all is well. Perhaps we never saw them before, and they may never cross our life's path again; but the influence of their calm, mellow natures is a libation poured upon our discontent, and we feel its healing touch, as the ocean feels the mountain stream freshening its brine." WOW
Susan

Ouch and Other Things

2009-07-18T20:42:00.004-05:00

I have often wondered how people get hurt around horses, which is a pretty stupid thing to wonder about when I look down at my legs. I have one bruise that was deep enough in 2008 that it appears it may be with me for life. That one happened when Remmie had the "incident" with the light-weight cart that almost took my daughter's life and shook me up pretty badly. In fact, if there is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for driving horses, I think I now have it.

Then I have the broken toe from Sportsbar, the other broken toe and bruise from Equinox (both my fault........when they spooked and I wasn't exactly wearing boots).
As of today, I now have a nice shiner on the inside of my right knee. How did I get that, you might ask? Well, there's a first time for everything........

Last Sunday Craig and I took a ride to the top of our hill behind our home. The trails are nice and wide, but overgrown with tall weeds and grasses. I decided to take R Colelateral - after all, I have been having a great time riding Cricket and also Times is getting a good start - why not take Cole? He was quiet enough for saddling and quiet enough on the ground. We ascended the hill like we had been doing it every day, with Fargo and Craig behind us because Cole really wanted to almost lope up the hill! We got so far, and there was a huge log down. I ended up holding Fargo and Craig and Cole contemplated what to do with the log. All of a sudden, Fargo began acting like he was being attacked by a swarm of bees. I thought he was going to come over the top of me by lunging forward. Cole began the same behavior. They stomped, they kicked out their hinds, they wanted to lunge or run, and there we stood trying to hold them from it. I grabbed Cole's reins as Craig tried to calm Fargo down - I looked under Fargo and behind to see what was there and saw nothing. Cole, meanwhile, began reeling and wheeling and stomping and striking. Craig said, "It's these weeds - they are nettles!". Well, they were nothing like the common "burning weed" or "burning grass" I am so familiar with. Their leaves are wider and lighter green, but their sting is almost worse. I brushed against Cole's bridle and got a handful of the burning stuff and could instantly understand what the horses were feeling. We turned around lickety-split and walked down the trail to where there were less nettles. The horses continued to reel and strike and kick. Somehow in the lunging out and turning with Cole, I got too far back. He cow kicked and, BAM.........got me square in the inside knee. Instant pain, then realizing I could not feel my leg, I couldn't handle Cole's antics. Craig took two horses and frantically got halters on both of them so better lead them. I barely hopped onto the side of the trail but was in writhing pain.
I started cussing and yelling and feeling sorry for the horses, then myself.........

Craig got the horses down to trees and tied them both to the trees to come back and help me. Cole, who has not had much discipline in this area this year, was still crazy about the weeds or nettles and mad about standing still. He backed up against the bank of the tree and started kicking at it. I just stood there and wondered how I could ride such a spirited steed but, understanding what they had just been through, could not judge him. I wasn't even angry that he kicked me. It just wasn't his fault. We made it down the hill that day, but I wasn't in very good shape this past week. I could not bend my knee for a few days and still can't bend it all the way. It's pretty swollen and there's a pretty ugly bruise, but every day it gets better. Did I go to the doctor? Nope. Don't think anything is broken. I was very very blessed to not have gotten hurt worse than that. So.........that was our adventure last weekend.

Since it hurt worse to walk on the leg than to ride in a saddle, I naturally had to go to Duck Egg County Park the following day for a ride. It was one of the most beautiful days we have had this whole year (we haven't had many)........and I will always remember the blue of the sky, the clarity of the air, and the berries that Craig and I picked that day. Was I riding Cole? Nope.........took Remmie!

Someday I'll probably be an old lady that has a story to tell about every scar on my body. Maybe I'd never have it any other way!

Jordan is still home, and his girlfriend Sofie is here from Germany. Grandma is living here this month, so our home and our hearts are full.

Don't forget to vote on the animal rescue site, please please please - vote every day!

Susan