Thanks to Many

As we wind down the year, we receive a few more donations in the mail that we are very thankful for. Large or small, each dollar received benefits the horses! More hay is possible, more feed, a hoof trim, more dewormers, extra for the vet payment!
So thanks to the following most recent contributors:
Pat Mouw and Charle RL - Illinois
Lisa and Collin Garvalia and Rocky, Peggy and Ron Garvalia, Kurt and Carrie Begalke Genoa WI
Dawn Meyers and Finale's Fooler - Bangor WI
Bob Armentrout - Genoa
Lynette Laska and friends and Maureen Anastasia - donation of time and tack!
Judy and Jessica King - Stoddard, WI - volunteers!
Amy Anderson and Mc Lock and Lucky - Genoa, WI - volunteering some time and riding Chevie Silverado and R Colelateral
Andrea T for providing the necessary vet care and surgery for Spect's Solution
Bonnie Falkowski for offering to take in Flaunting It
Kickapoo Carriages for offering to take in a horse or two for foster or adoption
Sue LeFebvre for her donation of a carriage!
Ray and Alice for their generous contribution (Penguin Beware, Sunny Forecast, Pistol Pete N and Mini Happi Times mom and dad!) - you guys!!!!
Trudy Mara - Baraboo (Jumbo Shrimp's rescuer)
Lori Hahn Wiedemeyer
Mary Dyroff and Friendly Explosion (this horse deceased but his memory lives on)
Eric Mandelbaum - New Jersey

Without any end of year donation from IHHA, we were concerned about the state of ASAP - but with your support we are able to continue. Thank you all so very much - I will continue to post more donations as they are mailed out!
Other than the ice, all are doing well and eating well. Timesareachanging is up to his usual shenanigans, Taser Gun is looking better after being bullied by Times in November (they are separated right now), Chevie Silverado does not like ice and tippy toes everywhere he goes, and all appear bored but healthy.

Ring in the New Year - I am ready for spring!
Happy New Year,
Susan

PS - if any of you are facebook members, look for ASAP and me and let's become friends!

Update on Spect's Solution and Flaunting It

Hello!
I know many of you are asking the status of the two horses we took back that were in such horrific condition. Thanks to Andrea for stepping up and taking Spect's Solution back for diagnostics and treatment. We did not know the extent of the leg problem until yesterday.
Xrays and tests revealed that the injury that was incurred in May or June of this year had not healed for a reason - the infection is still rampant in that leg, and, unfortunately, has gone into the bone. He will undergo surgery this weekend to remove the infection - please whisper a prayer for Spect for a speedy recovery.

Flaunting It continues to put on weight. She is so cute when she spies us coming out the door towards the barn - she now nickers to us, hoping for more of that good stuff (treats, feed, etc). Bonnie F. who has several ASAP horses has volunteered to foster or adopt Flauting It. We are taking our time to make sure she is dewormed and fully evaluated so that if and when Bonnie takes her she will only have to worry about food and love and nothing more. Flaunting It is really soaking up all the attention and affection!

Two days until Christmas Eve - thank you all for your support.

Susan

Good People

Just a quick update for everyone...........God is good and there are good people in the world who see the damage other humans have done and want to help. Thank you to Andrea and Shannon for taking Spect's Solution to get him evaluated by a top notch veterinarian and treated. He will return once he is on the road to healing.

Thank you to Lynnette and Amy, who came down Saturday. It was fun spending many hours together talking Standardbreds and horses in general........sharing stories, and thanks for helping me fill tanks, muck stalls, and especially thanks for helping me bring Miss Molly P and Chevie up and in stalls for the night. Molly left this morning for the trainer. I cried. She stood, haltered, like a stone in the barn. I felt I had let her down, having her standing around our place for so long without working with her. Still it is selfish to keep her here where we cannot work on her trust issues in a consistent manner. She is a liability for the children that come to the farm - she kicks and strikes. So it was for the best, but Chevie was very upset and it made me feel guilty for taking her from him. Thank you Heather (also has Ain't Nothin New at her place).

Sarajevo is off to foster care - depending on how the family gets along with her she may be adopted. Thank you Sabrina!

Flaunting It is still here. I de=loused her yesterday. Plan to carefully worm her this week. It is amazing but true - she has gained weight since coming several days ago! If this continues, we realize that most of her condition was simply due to a lack of food and shelter - NOT ACCEPTABLE. Emily brought down some spray-on solution for rain rot - will get to that tomorrow. Thank you Emily! Thanks Bonnie and Deb for stepping up to want to help this old mare, too!

Every one of you are amazing. And special thanks to Ray and Alice and Andrea and Deb D. for your donations this week - we've got hay!!!

More pictures to come!
HO HO HO
Susan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News and Views

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

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