And Heeeeerrrrrrrre She Issssssss!!!

Sweet mother of Pearl!!!!

I got pictures today as temperatures soared to at least 25 degrees (downright balmy, isn't it?)....

as Ty, Alec, Zach, Amy, Erich, and Rachel joined me in the barn for all the excitement.

We turned Pearl out briefly to stretch her legs, but when we called her she came right back to the gate. She has a thing for Taser already (even from far away his pizzazz stuns the ladies!!) and he was eyeing her up, too. A couple of the kids commented that Pearl wasn't much for Taser to feast his eyes upon, but she had that special "something" that made him stand up and take notice (oh that TASER!!!!).

So here are the pictures - I should have gotten some of the scar tissue she has on her ankle area that looks as though it may have affected the hoof at one point, but it has not affected her ability to move fluidly and her hoof is not malformed whatsoever. Enjoy, and help me find Pearl a home!

Susan

HERE WE GO AGAIN - HELP!

Okay, we got a call today from an Amish man, stating he was dropping off a mare.
Of course you know Craig was not at all happy................I said nothing, hoping the horse would not appear but wanting to help at the same time.

He arrived 20 minutes ago, with a tall gentle Standardbred mare he calls "Pearl". He said she got injured two years ago (ugly scar tissue around front ankle) and hasn't been sound for a lot of road driving. She walked and trotted off sound - put her in the barn to eat. She isn't too thin. He commented the mare was trained English and Western riding before he got her. She is extremely well behaved and gentle...........I don't know her age yet but we are tracing her tattoo.

Please if you are thinking of taking on a great gentle horse she would be the one! Contact me at asapinc@mwt.net or call 608-689-2296.

That's it for today - pictures coming.
Susan

HORSE NEAR CASHTON NEEDS IMMEDIATE HELP

Hi everyone,

We have a Standardbred mare who is IN FOAL who needs immediate fostering or adoption.

She is at a farm near Cashton WI - she has been in with a gelding, but also a neighboring stallion broke down the fence last May and bred this ASAP mare - she may be due to foal in May.

Her condition is not good - the adopter reports that despite the feed she has been receiving she has lost a considerable amount of weight. She is extremely thin and with the cold temperatures and her condition we are worried for her well-being. Can anyone step up to the plate to help Breta? We can take her here at ASAP, but would prefer someone to help that does not have 23 other horses already at the farm to monitor and care for. Please call me at 608-689-2296 or 608-792-5126 for contact information for this mare! We need to help her!

As a point of comparison, the photo above is of Bullwinkle and Shay N Telle, both of whom were relinquished to ASAP by the adopter when feed became scarce. This is NOT the case for Breta, who is being cared for and the adopter is a responsible individual who has had Breta for several years. However, her condition is not optimal at this point in time.

Susan

Help ASAP

Hi Everyone,

Well it's happened again - we are in the red again.....winter has been super tough on the horses and they keep eating and eating...$$$, $$$$, $$$$$

I will have the results of last year's income and expenses this week, but in the meantime would you consider buying something to help ASAP out of the hole?

We had a large donation from a large Iowa distributor again this past week. We now have about 600 Magic Muzzles, countless treat balls to hang in stalls, the round treat inserts to go into them (hundreds!), 2 gallon flat side feed pails, hay nets, halters......make a donation and we'll send you one!!! If you want pictures I can post them here...........

Remember. the only way ASAP makes money to support horses is through adoption fees and donations. If you can help us make a difference, we would welcome your support!
How about adopting another horse???? I can only try!

Susan

Illinois Horse Fair

The days tick away.......and before I realize it there are only a couple of weeks left until the Illinois Horse Fair in Springfield!

Since the horse fair starts at the tail end of February, you can only guess my anxiety at having to travel the 6+ hours on icy roads. Last year we had a full scale blizzard when we left. I assured Craig that the line was in Dubuque if we could make it that far. Well........I guess I fibbed or misunderstood the forecast, as the dangerous driving conditions, ice, snow, and winds stayed with us all the way to Springfield. So I want to ask any of you who live closer to Springfield if you are able to help us demonstrate at teh horse fair? I guess my words on this page would not encourage you to do so, since you are thinking, "uh uh - I'm not going to risk my neck to get a horse to the fair"......but maybe the roads will be clear and the temps will be a balmy 40 or better? Let's think positive! Dondi usually helps me by demonstrating at this horse fair but she is going to Road To The Horse in Tennessee that weekend, so I need your help.

Also, we are seeking business sponsorships to help us defray the cost of motel and diesel. If you know any companies that may contribute please let me know.

Another snow storm today - and frigid temperatures. I am off to my son's fifth grade ski trip, then have a job interview for a school position at 1:10 (wish me luck!) and then do chores, then off to work from 3-6. WHEW - it's gonna be a long day!

I'll write more later, but please think about participating at the horse fair. Taser Gun will be there, but judging from the way he behaves when I put him in a stall at night, it's going to be a long weekend of rearing, kicking stall walls, and head tossing!!!!! He is one charismatic, smart horse!

Hugs,

Susan

If Ony I Had Never Said "Yes"

I have been grieving quite a bit over the loss of Angel Spirit recently. I guess I am blaming myself for her existence and, consquently, her early death. You see, way back in the beginning was Land Of Witches. She came to us as a lame mare - I believe she had a racing injury but cannot say that for certain...it was many years ago now. My husband could not believe the size of her hock....and we knew that she would certainly only be suitable as a brood mare (could she carry the weight of a foal inside her?), or as a companion horse.

We felt as though it was a blessing when we ran into the equine professors from UW in Madison at a horse fair. They had come to our booth and were looking for horses that they could study from. I was immediately skeptical, thinking they would perform harsh experiments, but she showed me the pictures of horses on a treadmill, where they took pulse and respiration data. They said that they did reproductive studies on horses as well, so mares would be desired.

Two horses went to UW, with one of them being Land of Witches. She was there for at least a couple of years before we got the call that they were no longer needed for study, and would I like to have the two mares bred before we took them back to ASAP? I thought it would be extremely exciting (most people do) so I agreed to have them bred by a STB stallion that they had at UW.

The following year two beautiful little fillies were born to the mares, and we named one Angel Spirit (to counteract the name Land of Witches!) and Mercy, or Mercedes.

If I had never said "Yes", Angel would have never been born, and I wouldn't be feeling the guilt over the fact that she NEVER was adopted by anyone, but thankfully Carmen and Kim in Minnesota gave her heatlh and happiness and love. Because of my own selfish thoughts of having another foal and the excitement related to it, she came into the world but never really had a place. I am so sorry she is gone - we will truly miss her.

On a more positive note, we had a grand day on Saturday with teens and adults coming together and Will having his weekly lesson, and lots of hugs, kisses, and attention for all of the horses here at ASAP! I want to include pictures for your enjoyment!

One more thing: I have two five month old chickens that have weathered the winter quite nicely and have been healthy. Suddenly on Saturday, my rooster who is only about 1.5 pounds or so, decided to quit walking. He is eating and his eyes are bright - no respiratory distress - but he cannot walk on his legs. Does anyone have any ideas on what this could be? Any ideas are appreciated and, for now, the chickens are in a cage in my sun room (ick)

I'll write more later!

Susan

Don't Forget

Board meeting tomorrow night at 7:00 pm - meeting place TBA





Horse at Maywood Park and Cottonwood Farms both need immediate pick up........please call with any ideas 608-792-5126



IN LOVING MEMORY OF LAND OF WITCHES AND ANGEL SPIRIT


Thanks to Sheri H. and her husband of Cuba City (adopters of STB gelding Pancho) for their recent donation of 200 bales of hay - we are looking forward to receiving it!





Looking for Tom Dyer, formerly of Prairie du Chien - MOST WANTED


Looking for Joe Marth of Prophetstown IL - MOST WANTED - need an updated phone #


Looking for Roger Sigler - formerly of Kansas City MO - MOST WANTED - need updated address and phone number


Looking for Richard Warren, adopter of Laredo Hall - MOST WANTED - formerly of Quad Cities area





Thanks for any information you can get me on the above mentioned people!


Susan

Grieving Departed Horses

Have we survived the winter? In a way I think we deserve a medal of honor for even living where icicles hang several inches off the bottom of our horses' winter coats. Dogs dont even want to venture outside to go to the bathroom, and all we can hope is that our cars will start in the morning in the sub zero temperatures.

I am crazy, I am crazy, I am crazy - that is all I can think each day - I want to get out of January so I can feel as though there is at least some end in sight?

At least the horses here have weathered the cold without too much discomfort. We have so many horses in their 20's that I have to worry just that little extra bit, but each morning they all stand, present and accounted for, without even a winter blanket. In fact, most of the horses literally RUN from me when they see me coming with one!

Some of my friends have not been so fortunate this winter with their loved equine companions, and my heart goes out to each of them. Bonnie called to tell me that Starzie, a STB gelding she got from the Amish in his 20's several years ago, had been peacefully put to sleep after a two day battle with falling and not being able to get up. Delaney Rae passed a few days ago - she had a front ankle/leg injury that she had lived with for many years and this winter she just had not been able to keep the weight on. We are sorry for Elaine and Stephanie's loss.

Then only today, Carmen suffered the loss of a very young horse, and you may remember her as Angel Spirit, daughter of Land of Witches. This was a shock to us, as she was just on the beginning journey of her life, and had lived with Carmen for the past couple of years as a foster horse. Carmen has a $320 vet bill and a $95 necropsy bill to pay and is unable to do so at this time. I want to ask any of you who want to make a donation in her memory to do so contact me.
Carmen is our placement assistant and she also maintains the web site at no charge to us. We want to help her and ASAP will do so as much as it is able.....we are still in a state of shock as I write this and this is her second loss this winter, as Nougat also passed away of something similar. If you can help either mail Carmen a check directly to the address on the application on our web site in North Branch or email her at mkcar1@usfamily.net Angel will be sadly missed.

On a more positive note, Super Bowl Joe and Picasso were officially adopted, and Little Tyrone went to his new home in Minnesota. Dr. Helsing from Illinois adopted Skater Boy! A four year old filly was moved into foster care in the Springfield IL area, and two are waiting in Illinois and there is an urgent need to get them moved from the breeding farm and Maywood Park Race track. So it has been a productive week for people adopting and also volunteering their time shipping or fostering and we very much appreciate it. We are hoping that Rollin Jesse also may have a home, as she is now retrained to saddle and a different mare from the one she was last summer! We still are seeking a companion home for Idlewhile Niatros.

We had pony club this morning and it was great to feel warmth instead of bitter cold on our breath as the four girls and I went to the barn for grooming, identifying horse body parts, and a little bareback riding. I hope it gets warmer from here on in!

Take care and I'll write soon.
Susan

2008 and some of 2007

My sister and I, Jordan and Wolf

Grandma Lee

Julien and Cherie





It's a Peanut life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friends





Parties, horses, friends and family....................and foreign exchange student from Brazil!

Classmates and family friends ride Janimal

More family, friends, loved ones, and horse fun!

I was going over some pictures of the past couple of months and thought I should post some, since they portray a day in the life of ASAP, and Susan and her family! If your name is Curt Armstrong, these pictures should reach you in frigid North Dakota! And for everyone else, enjoy and know that whoever comes to ASAP certainly enjoys the animals and wonderful horses who live here (and great people, too, I might add!!! Tee hee). Cherie, my oldest, has a two year old son as of January 1!! That makes me a.......a........a Nana! That's right - I am a Nana and Craig is "PaPa". It is so cute! We had a birthday party for him last weekend that I will share with you too! Last Saturday we had Pony Club at 11 am (Remmie and LakeHills Texas were the lesson horses), and Will came to ride Chief at 12:30. At 3:00 we were off to Wildcat Mountain for the torchlight sledding/ski get-together that Grandpa Snyder still enjoys at age 89. On Sunday was little Julien's party. So life never slows down here in our little neck of the woods, and I hope you get a kick out of the pictures.

GO PACK! Packer Party at my house Saturday!!!!!!!

The important things this week to remember are:

We have horses in Chicago that need a home, a haul, or a foster family.......looking for volunteers!

We are going through 4 800# square bales of hay every 3-4 days. We really would love and appreciate your donations of hay if you are able?

We are looking for business or corporate sponsorships for upcoming horse expos in Madison, Springfield Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa. The first horse fair will be on the last weekend in February! Let us know your ideas for sponsorships help defray the extreme costs of attending these event. Also looking for people to demonstrate in Illinois and Iowa.

Does anyone have a youth saddle with good adjustable stirrups for your shorter-legged pony club girls? Consider a donation, or give me your best price!

Thanks so much for your support!

Hugs,

Susan

Happy 2008!!!!

Wow - it's already January 3. Between working extra hours and all the company we have had it hardly seems possible. Now my outside Christmas lights are still twinkling and I face the stress of the Christmas tree staring at me, waiting to go back down to the basement until November.

I just am not ready!

Thank you to all who sent cards and pictures. I tend to keep the pictures out throughout the year to admire them. It was fun to share my wall full of greeting cards and photos, most of which were western-themed, or variously-colored horsey faces with proud adopters. Thanks also to all of you who sent a donation - it all helps so very much!

It has been below zero the past few days. I have been worried about our two littel pet chickens that we acquired at the Kickapoo Country Fair in August. I have put together a two-story apartment for them made out of dog houses, with roosts. I keep adding hay and shavings to keep them dry and warm. I bought a heated water dish so they have an endless supply of water. They see me come outside in the morning and start calling to me - the hen is so gentle and sweet that I can pick her up and cuddle with her, while the rooster looks on, skeptically.

I hate worrying about how cold everyone is outside each day. Arne was down by the running creek this morning, standing and contemplating a drink. The longer he stood there the more I worried about whether or not he was stuck....so I opened the window and called out to him. He perked up at first, then put his head down and took a big chunk of snow in his mouth. I believe that he must have decided against the path down to where the water was ebbing and flowing - maybe his leg was too sore. Nonetheless, he turned and boogied back to the herd that was huddled up by the barn taking in the first rays of sunshine to thaw the misty ice on their fur.

Precious is down this morning but lately she has been getting turned out with Taser Gun, who she absolutely adores. When I or Craig take her through the gate she literally runs to the water tank, then kicks up her heels to get to Taser. He thinks she is a bit too thin, but interesting. He enjoys being admired. After all, he knows he is "all that". I tried to put him in the day that we got special visitors Andrea and friends. I wanted to give them the opportunity to see him up close and personal in a stall in the barn. WELLL!!!!!! He was most put out with my decision, and spent the time dashing around, kicking stall walls, and pawing by the gate. I guess he is a horse that is happiest being on full turn out now with his buddies Steelin Apples, Bob Cook, Brandy and Strawberry. What a character.

Fellowship Divine, Cole, Shay N Telle and Mc Lock are still down in the lower turnout waiting for homes. Mc Lock is boss of the herd, and yet a bit timid around humans.....Cole is Mr. Mustang, fancy and quick on his feet, and boyfriend to Shay N Telle. Fellowship is my sweetie pie - always looking for someone to give him attention and love on him. It is neat how a 16+ hand horse can be so gentle.

I am busy working in the afternoons but it gives me time to be with the animals during the day.

I will share some pictures of some of my day campers and pony club girls - Remmie is quickly becoming a favorite with the girls. Hope all of you are having a happy and healthy new year!

Semi annual board meeting: Thursday Jan. 31 2008 7:00 pm - place TBA

Susan