I just came in from daily chores. The wind is howling, snow is blowing, and temperatures are dropping. Ice is everywhere, and I manage to carry buckets without falling. Stalls are cleaned, fresh bedding placed, and my mind races.
I feel as though we have reached a point where decisions must be made. Decisions about our bi-laws as an organization, and how long we can protect and serve the horses placed into our now-lifetime placement program.
I look around me and recall histories on the following horses. Horses that we have cared for for so many years now:
Arne-donated by owner MO/IL area. The hauler arrived several years ago at the barn where both Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds were being trained. The two horses being donated were easy to spot. They stood in dark stalls, with manure literally up to their knees in some spots. Arne had fractured his hock. No longer raceable, he was left in the stall with the owner being faced with few choices as to his future. It was both a blessing and a curse that Arne came to be at ASAP. The owner offered no money to help with shipping or future care. Arne was unmistakably lame, his hock the size of a melon. The TB gelding was emaciated, but didn't appear to be struggling to move around. For the sake of memory, I cannot recall his name, but I know he was given a great home by a local farmer and his girlfriend and lived there in green pastures until he died this past year.
Arne and the Thoroughbred made the seven hour ride back to our Wisconsin farm. I often say that there is little that time, love, and good nutrition cannot help, and such was the case for both of these horses. Arne was adopted out to a teacher in northern Wisconsin. She even rode him around the yard, and he was docile, obedient, and kind. Yet, as life goes, she found herself in the middle of a divorce and no longer able to care for Arne. He came back to ASAP and has lived here ever since. He has had two brief sponsorships in the years since re-placement. Yet, ASAP continues to love and provide for him unconditionally. There are days when his hock clearly aches, and he holds his leg up. On the other hand, he is the clearly established herd boss among Chevie Silverado, Stylish Sharon, Strawberry Jacki, and Brandy.
Brandy
We all know the fond tale of Brandy - appropriately at the time labeled the "killer horse". Her mouth could open so wide you would think she'd be trying to bite a dinosaur when she was aggressive! Ears pinned, she meant business! She went from one failed foster placement to the ASAP farm. Many interested individuals came out to give her a chance to show her soft side, if there was one? ASAP might have known she had "issues" when she was donated - we knew about the sidebone in both her front legs, but we didn't know she had her own tack trunk, complete with a sign from her former stall that read "BEWARE OF HORSE" and a muzzle!!!
Since that time, Brandy has adopted ASAP as her family. She has been successfully used as a therapy horse (without sidewalkers, which makes her very claustrophobic!), and a great little riding horse. Last weekend, afer not being ridden in literally months, Amy A. jumped on her bareback as we all went down the road a couple of miles. Brandy loves Amy, and many others who have "adopted" her over the years. Her former owner still keeps in contact, but support for her has been limited.
Strawberry Jacki
This old mare was donated as a 13 year old. Her former owner was interested in adopting a Standardbred, which she did. Strawberry has had two brief homes, but financial hardship at a farmer's residence and a two year stay at a doctor's farm proved to be temporary. Strawberry came back, and her hips tell us that all of those years as a brood mare in her younger days are taking a toll. Strawberry now pins her ears when saddled, and even will pin her ears when first mounted, but she always tries to give her best. She is ridden lightly but, for the most part, is loved and fed well without having to give back.
Stylish Sharon
This great old mare had a great racing career. She made over $250,000 as a race horse! I believe she may have been a brood mare, but ultimately needed at home by the time she reached 19. A loving owner donated her to ASAP in hopes of finding her permanency to live out her days. Initially Sharon was adopted by the same family who currently has K Macaroni. She suffered from some sort of metabolic disorder which caused her to lose most of her hair by the spring of 2007. She came back to us looking like a hairless horse! We had blood drawn and that showed no anomalies. We put her on thyroid medication and fed her well. She was virtually unadoptable due to her thin condition and skin/hair problems. The past two summers we have been blessed with donated pasture, which has helped Sharon's overall condition so very much! She is now 25 years old and still needs an eye kept on her to insure her intake is sufficient, but she has kept all of her hair! The racing industry and former owner have both been contacted for support. Still, times seem to be tough all over, and the support does not come.
Chevie Silverado
Chevie's former owner cared about Chevie so very much that they paid the shipping for him to come all the way to Wisconsin afte retirement out east! He arrived at foster care in Illinois along with Cryptic Star, a retired Thoroughbred. I should say that he arrived first, and seemed a bit neurotic right from the git-go. It was evident he had never been an only horse before, and he did not like it even one little bit! He paced fencelines and called for a horse that wasn't there. Thank goodness Cryptic Star came along to be his companion.
Soon it was time for Chevie to be moved. He went into foster care with Marie, who kept him through a few hard winter months. There were other horses there, which comforted him. Marie brought him to the ASAP farm and he has been adopted one time.
This was a failed adoption, as Chevie did not seem happy in his home with Race for Home, Bart's A Bad Boy, and a jack donkey. We thought the problem may be that the jack was causing some "hormonal" issues.........but nevertheless nipping at people and charging the gate just weren't acceptable behaviors. Chevie returned to ASAP and is continuing to be worked by ASAP volunteers. Amy has started him under saddle and he has been impressive! He still has some hours to be put on him, but his main issue is that he needs another horse around and to feel confident and secure in his home. Chevie is very very emotional but tends to love women and stands as still as a rock when we go to tack him up. We are hoping and praying that his former groom or trainer will be able to adopt him this spring when she buys her dream farm!
Steelin Apples
Apples came from a very caring trainer in Pennsylvania. Tom knew this horse was so special that he deserved a dignified retirement. Tom was right. Apples shipped in to Springfield during the Illinois Horse Fair in 2006 (going off memory again). Dondi agreed to foster him, and took him to her farm for a time. An outbreak of strangles occurred, and Apples contracted it! Dondi took him to a vet hospital and dropped him off, asking ASAP to please take over from that point on. I drove to the vet hospital, facing a vet bill of $1300.00. ASAP did not have the funds to cover this vet bill, so my personal credit card was used. To this day, I am paying off his vet bill. At any rate, we brought Apples home and continued to care for him until he healed. A neighbor offered her pasture and shelter until Apples was completely well (thank you Renata). Apples clearly had some leg issues - he had suffered a reaction to injections while racing, and had sustained nerve damage in his front legs. His rear leg also centered underneath him when he walked, and we knew he was not going to be adoptable until we could figure it out. IN the meantime, Apples didn't mind people sitting on him, and I even rode him bareback down the lane to eat in a lush field about 1/4 mile down the road. He has given a lot of little ones hours of joy, as his gentle nature makes him a safe horse, but his body is not 100%.
ASAP now bears the full amount for feeding, vet care, trimming, and all the rest of what goes into caring for a horse. There is no regret for taking Apples in, but the reality of the cost of care cannot be ignored.
Bob Cook
This beautiful gelding stands 17 hands tall. We knew when he came that he would have front foot problems. Bob made over $105,000 as a race horse, but broke his foot and was turned out in pasture by his owner for a time. Seeing his temperament in a pasture full of brood mares as caring and gentle, the owner hoped for a lifetime placement for Bob. He came to us hopping on one front foot. Today, many years later, he is walking on all four feet (thanks to our natural hoof trimmer Mark!). His beauty alone would attract potential adopters to take him home, but the fact that he walks in a labored fashion and cannot be ridden makes him an unwanted horse, or unadoptable. Times are tough, and the former owner and racing industry does not currently support his placement.
Taser Gun
Who would NOT KNOW about this great racing champion? Taser is the object of many's affections. It took him two years to "settle down"! He is now being ridden and is adoptable. Still, ASAP sees him as a great ambassador for our program, so it has been hard to think about saying "so long" after so long!!
Timesareachanging
Ditto from Taser Gun's description! Times is a permanent resident at ASAP. He would be difficult to place in a home due to his stallion-like behaviors which make it challenging to keep him in any kind of herd. Currently he is in with Flaunting It, who is rehabilitating with us after lack of food and care in her former adoptive home.
Flaunting It
An older STB mare, she was placed after her brood mare days were over. She was more difficult to get close to - she ran every time someone came near her. After a period of evaluation, we were faced with the fact that she would either be a potential brood mare or buggy horse for someone, or be with ASAP for the rest of her days. She has had two placements, and the last placement seemed to just stop caring. She was brought back to us in unacceptable condition, and we have been rehabbing her ever since. She is quickly putting on weight and has recovered from her rain rot. It shows ASAP that they just quit feeding her. UNACCEPTABLE!
Spect's Solution
Spect was in his adoptive home with great care for many many years! He had been rather challenging as a riding horse. The only alternative was to be used for driving. While at his home with Dan, he sustained a wire injury to the front leg. Dan's son called me to ask for help, and a vet was called and treatment done. Enough said. ASAP thought they didn't have to worry. Six months later, Spect is returned to ASAP due to his injury not healing. Well, no wonder! The injury had not been followed up with a vet, and the infection had spread into the bone. It is a great thing that Spect was delivered to ASAP in time - thanks to caring people such as Shannon and especially Andrea (who covered his surgery costs), Spect is now recovering from his surgery and has a hopeful future.
Comet
Comet is the product of a Standardbred mare named Silent Pursuit and an Appaloosa stallion. The former owners had given consent for Silent Pursuit to be bred, and this did occur one time for the adopters who had her for ten years or better. Comet is now ten years old and never had training. His adopters relinquished Silent Pursuit and Comet to the program last year and Silent Pursuit was adopted and even demonstrated at Midwest Horse Fair last year! Comet, in the meantime, has been virtually unadoptable due to the fact that he has not had training. He is colored and gentle and a very pretty horse, but in this economy no one seems interested in adopting a ten year old with no experience. Thanks to Marie, he has been able to stay at her place for a ong time - yet no funds are available for Comet and Marie is providing out of the goodness of her heart. It would be so great to see someone step up to donate to the hay fund at Marie's! Better yet, who may adopt Comet or even volunteer to do training?
Marie is also fostering Fox Valley Terror, Sugar, and Allie. Read their descriptions on our web site.
At ASAP let's also not forget Little Jeffrey John,Sandbakkel, Sandbakkels' foal, and horses waiting to come back into the program which also include:
A Team Hall
Honey Fitz
King's Royal Fella
Annaliz Ferdinand
Letsgo Steve
Missile Mike
Superbowl Joe
Get About?
Horses in foster care in other places include:
Jackson
Anxious Larry
Cape Cruiser
Dolly's Delight (thanks to Carmen for caring for all of these horses!)
Thanks to Heather Dix for working with
Miss Molly P
Thanks to Andrea for paying board for JB the Standardbred rescued in Green Bay area in 2009
Thanks to Ninette for ongoing care for Z Tempest, an Arabian mare who has been unadoptable in years past.
Long story short, we face a point where, without support from the racing industry or racing owners, we cannot guarantee lifetime placement with ASAP. There may be a time when ownership will be relinquished to long-time adopters. With the rate of return ONLY DUE TO financial hardship, divorce, loss of interest, or illness or death, and not due to problems with the horses we place since we GUARANTEE them, we cannot afford, as an organization, to take in every horse that is being relinquished.
Until times change, we must come up with a way to fund raise, market our program, or increase adoptions. Our ultimate goal is to provide lifetime placement for horses entrusted to us, but can we, ultimately, afford to do that?
Food for thought!
