Your Help Needed - Give If You Can

Wish us well! We are off on a well-deserved horsey vacation to the wild wild west. Tonite we plan to stop at Chamberlain and take a load off and get to know a family who has an equestrian campground and lodge. They kiddingly said, "No Standardbreds allowed - only Quarter horses!" Then he began asking a lot of questions about the breed and you never know - I think I might have him sold on trying one at his ranch! I'll try to get pictures.

Anyway, we are in the red again at ASAP. Adoptions are slow and there are so many horses waiting to come in. Now hay prices here are just fine and we have an abundance of hay in our neck of the woods, but other people do not have it so easy. Many foster families are stepping up to keep horses at their place until they can be adopted, but some simply cannot continue with the extra expense. We are in need of more foster families and also donations to help us continue to provide for the horses at our farm. Would you believe Spirit is still here? Pearl??? Lyric?

I am hearing countless stories of people who initially applied to adopt a horse but went ahead and took a FREE horse or a really "cheap" horse. Now that horse is not turning out and they are asking to place them into our program in order to adopt a horse through our organization!!!

The BEAUTY of ASAP is that we guarantee your satisfaction when it comes to adoption. If the horses do not work out for you you are entitled, within 30 days, to a FREE EXCHANGE. We stand behind our horses. We are also not a rescue. Horses coming through our adoption program are generally sound and well-trained. Occasionally we do rescue - we won't deny that - but adoption programs do differ greatly from rescue programs so if you study this you'll know you can't go wrong with one of our horses. If you do (I can't see every horse personally and evaluate them before you do so can't recommend one horse over the other if it is not at ASAP), I will do my best to make sure you are happy.

We are in a tight bind right now and need your financial help. The following horses require extra care. If you remember them and want to help sponsor them, it is greatly appreciated:

Stylish Sharon - needs much feed to keep weight on - needs blood work for thyroid function - needs skin care for hair that is just now starting to shed when it shouldn't. This mare raced and made over a quarter million dollars - we owe her our best! She is 22 or 23 this year.

Steelin Apples - ongoing monitoring as he gets sore in the shoulder area. Needs closer supervision

Strawberry - aged mare - hip problems - still gives great rides around the yard to kids but is not being adopted due to age and hips

Bob Cook - made over $100,000 as a race horse - still limps when he walks but has been enjoying a summer full of pasture and leisure - will come back to ASAP in fall - needs monitoring

Arne - made over $50,000 as a race horse - fractured his hock - been a companion horse since coming to ASAP. Needs close monitoring but has done well in summer pasture turnout!

Brandy - Quarter horse cross - 25 years old this year - sidebone - does well with regular trims by natural hoof care farrier and good food. WE LOVE THIS HORSE but she is not adoptable due to biting issues in the past (not at ASAP) and her age. Please help us support her!

Colonel Meacham - a recent return to our program - has been adopted by two families in the past seven or eight years. He came back very thin - trying to put weight on and giving bute for an injury that must have happened on the hind leg in the past year. We have been having to pull him out to feed extra and give bute. He is fairly fragile right now and needs dental care.

There's more but I won't continue due to time contraints (grandma and daughter Rachel are out catching horses to go out west and I am sitting here at the computer!!)..................but please give - use Pay Pal if you can - or send us whatever you can spare. We are feeling the effects of the anti-slaughter and know that horses are a dime a dozen right now - problem is people are not thinking and taking free horses has resulted in many people who wish they would have gone through the adoption program.

Upcoming events:

Vernon County Fair - Remmie the STB debuts as a 4-H show horse!

Super Night - Balmoral Park - Sat. September 20!!!!

Hugs,

Susan

Blogspot

I went on my blogspot this morning to try to email the page to the United States Trotting Association, and viewed quite a mess. I am not sure why I can type up the blogspot in one format and attach pictures and then have it come out scattered all over the page with huge gaps in between paragraphs. I apologize and will try to resolve it!

On Friday we will host Chileda Institute day program students - most of the students have autism or autism spectrum disorder. There will be 15-20 students with just as many youth workers so we will be a busy place! Pray for us that all horses behave and all students will stay safe and have a great time! I'll be sure to post pictures.

Events coming up:

Wild West Days Parade - Viroqua, WI = Friday August 15 @ 7 pm

Super Night - details to be announced

Vernon County Fair - September - Rachel is showing her Standardbred in Viroqua!!! This is a first for her so wish her well. Also in attendance will be Chief with a 4-h gal named Casey.

I am busy working or trying to get to Cricket, Taser Gun, and R Colelateral each day, training them as I have time. Cole was a bit of a spitfire last weekend - Cricket surprised me with her great behavior, and Taser is getting to be more and more calm all of the time! WE hope to be off to the Kickapoo Reserve this weekend.

Adoptions are slow this year - oh, so slow. I have heard the same from all adoption groups. There is a surplus of "free horses to good homes". The people taking these free horses are now coming to us to see if we want them, finding out the horses have too many vices or are too untrained. That is the beauty of adoption programs - we take in very well trained, healthy horses and guarantee that they will be satisfied or they can trade...........our horses are not throw-aways! They are valuable, loved animals whose owners want the best for them and a lifetime placement program. Check out your rescues and adoptions - there are only a few across the nation who maintain lifetime ownership - and after doing this for over 15 years I can be the first to tell you how much turnover there can be in a horse's life due to divorce, death, illness, and other life events. Isn't it good to know they won't go just anywhere when these events do occur in a family's life? I would rest assured if I died in a plane accident or was incapacitated that if I had an adopted horse like I did with Star Cheetah, there would be an organization who would be there to make sure my horse went to only a qualified family and be tracked throughout his lifetime. It's like having an insurance policy!

A few weeks ago I was having a rough week with Tommy, our long haired black and white cat. He had been attacked by dogs and we thought he would be okay but Craig came up one morning and said, "Something's wrong with Tommy - he can't walk". I knew if CRAIG was worried that there was something seriously wrong, so we immediately put him in a kennel cab and I drove him up to La Crosse Veterinary Clinic. His condition was critical - the bacteria from the bite had traveled into his spine. They diagnosed spinal meningitis and started huge rounds of steroids and powerful antibiotics. I had just come out of eye surgery and was in a great deal of pain myself, but went to work and kept checking in on Tommy. They reported that he was continuing to lose coordination and was not eating or drinking. I asked Jan, one of the vet assistants there, to give Tommy a big hug for me. I think Jan did more than that, but I know she went back and spent time with him. I searched the bible during my free moments, looking for reassurance and also preparation for anything that might happen to Tommy that would bring comfort to my heart. The next morning the vet called and my lump in my throat dropped to my soul as I picked up the phone. Someone was frantic on the other end - the vet assistant was ECSTATIC - Tommy was up and walking and eating! I praised God for what many people would consider a little thing that was such a huge thing for us - Tommy was going to be okay!

After that my eyes started to feel better and every day just got better and better. There are so many bumps in the road along life's path, and we never know what is on the other side of the hills we climb, but I want to be sure to be thankful for each day. I always said after Taser Gun was kicked and he recovered after a guarded prognosis that I could never have another bad day. Each miracle that happens brings me to the reality that God is so close in every situation, and He really cares and will respond if we come to Him with our problems and crises. The verses I found during the trial of Tommy and my post surgery pain were:

Psalm 31:7 "I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou has considered my trouble; thou

hast known my soul in adversities".

Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Don't forget to be thankful for something today!!!

Susan