Find Mylie A Home! + Entitlement Sucks

This is Mylie-- and she needs a home!

Many blogs feature adoptable horses from rescues. It's awesome-- but a little unfair. Horse rescues do work incredibly hard, and they deserve help and respect. But usually, they already have a support network. What about individuals?

I'm not talking about every Joe Shmoe that wants to "rehome" (sell) a horse because their daughter grew out of her pony phase. I'm talking about the honest, hard-working people who have opened their homes to a single animal in need, and don't want to make any profit. These people don't have highly visible, popular websites. They don't have 501(c)(3) status. They're getting no deals from vets or trainers, and they're generally not part of the rescue-involved "scene." They're just people trying to do the right thing. That's today's featured rescue.

This Quarter Horse mare is a gorgeous bay, fully broke, sound, healthy, and young (seven). She's also nice and tall at 15.2 hands. She's had her hooves, vaccinations and worming done. She's located near Markesan, WI. And she's free!

There's one problem: Mylie is a bucker. Not always, and not a bronco-bucker, but not for a beginner.

Her owner Todd says he has ruled out saddle fit problems, back injury or pain, teeth problems, rider error, and in short, everything he can think of. Todd got sold a lemon, but unlike many people, he won't send her to auction, he won't dump her on a dealer or an unknowing newbie, he won't give her away to just anyone, he's going to keep her until she finds a really suitable home. That's awesome.

Here's what Todd has to say about the bucking issue:

"She is a nice girl. She will saddle and take a bit fine. She will at times buck after first mounting or anytime while riding. It is not the aggressive bucking but a back step buck up and you can be thrown. It seems to be a fear or panic response to things. She can be ridden and before us had two young children riders but SHE IS NOT SAFE for a child and I will not market her as such. I want her to go to someone who has desensitizing training or experience with troubled horses and has the time she needs. She can appear perfect and sound and so I fear if in the wrong hands she would be remarketed and sold for profit and someone would end up hurt."

There are those of you that might complain that Todd needs to spend some money on training. That might be true if this was just a simple issue. The way Todd describes it however, it's a dangerous habit that may or may not be fixable-- meaning, even if he had the expertise or money to train her, he may never be able to fully trust Mylie. I can empathize with that. I had an Arabian cross gelding that was a fantastic horse-- except that he was hot, hot, hot. Fast, spooky, pushy and dominant, he scared me to death, and after a year of trying, I was simply not comfortable with, or capable of, doing more with him. Even if I had sent him to a trainer for 365 days, his personality was such that I would never have felt safe riding him. Likewise, Todd just doesn't feel safe riding Mylie...but he's not dumping her either!

Mylie needs a great home with someone who can work on her issue. Is it you? Are you one of those go-get-'em riders with training expertise and a little taste for thrill? Do you have experience working on bad habits? OR, do you need a gorgeous, sound young pasture mate?

See Mylie's Craigslist ad here, or contact Todd at funkltodd@hotmail.com -- but be warned, Mylie is only going to go to a GREAT home!

P.S. Todd says he's been getting a ton of criticism from all sides. Undoubtedly, there are those who are telling him to just shoot or euthanize poor Mylie, and those telling him he should keep her forever and ever and ever regardless of his safety. What really made me angry, however, was one response to his Craigslit ad, also posted on Craigslist:

Is this a scam (markesen)

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Date: 2012-05-03, 3:04PM CDT

Reply to: see below ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

Theres an add for a free horse and I went to see it and I wasn't given it. I think it's a scam!!!!!!!! I wasted my day and so I don't want anyone else to waste theirs. I was told that she was rideable but told I couldn't ride. The guy who showed her got up and rode but when I asked why I couldn't i was told because she is unpredictable. So what she is free and I should have been allowed to get on her. I was told I wasn't a match for her because she needs an experienced handler. Why? I think this guy jusst wants to waste peoples time and has nothing better to do.

Isn't that the most bratty, entitlement-filled thing you've ever read?!  I just had to respond:

To the person complaining about not getting the free horse:

- They rode themselves and didn't want YOU to ride because of the possibility of a lawsuit if the horse injured you.

- They didn't give you the free horse because they obviously thought you were not going to be a good owner

- It's THEIR horse, and they have the right to decide who to give it to-- i.e. a GOOD home

- This whiny, entitlement-filled ad PROVES you are not going to be a good owner

- If you want everything your way, try actually paying for a horse

Okay folks-- spread the word! Find Mylie a home! I have faith in you :)  Don't forget to watch the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, Sat. May 5th! It will be on NBC at 5:24 pm central time-- but if you want a preview of the horses and jockeys, you should of course tune in earlier.

Cyndi Plasch Beating A Horse at Midwest Horse Fair

If you're looking for my video of Asia Voight doing psychic readings for horse owners, click here. If you're looking for my full report on her, head on over to Snarkyrider. Now onto breaking news:

Wisconsin horse trainer Cyndi Plasch was caught on video tape at the Midwest Horse Fair repeatedly hitting a horse with a wiffle bat in order to force it into a trailer:

Cindy Plasch was heavily involved in gaited horses, as an owner, trainer and coach. She worked at the Missouri Foxtrotter Riding Academy (warning: site may be down due to heavy traffic) located at the Driftless Valley Ranch in Mazomanie, WI. The Upper Midwest Missouri Foxtrotter Association has just removed her from its board, but we don't know whether Driftless Valley has fired her or not. The Midwest Horse Fair organization has issued a statement condemning Plasch's actions, but we don't yet know if she will be allowed to come back next year. Hopefully, all of the media attention, including this video which has an interview with person who caught the abuse on tape, will mean permanent banishment for Plasch. Several witnesses have attempted to get some legal action going, but so far it seems officials are treating the incident as harmless. If you disagree, you can contact:

Timothy Frank
Animal Services Officer
Public Health-Madison & Dane County
Ph. 608-243-0310 or try (608) 266-4821


Or write to:

health@cityofmadison.com


Public Health Administrative Office
Attn: Animal Services
210 Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd, Room 507
Madison, WI 53703

Plasch has now released a statement defending herself:

"Attempts to load the horse had been going on for an hour and a half prior," and "gentler methods such as tapping and using treats were used at the start and were not successful." She also said in the statement that the horse had become violent.  

Can anyone say, "lame excuse to throw a temper tantrum?" I have a challenge for you, dear readers: let's see how many ways we can come up with to get a balky horse into a trailer that don't involve beating it with a plastic bat. I'm willing to bet that most of you are not trainers, yet you can come up with dozens of better ways. Ready? I'll start us off:

- Using a butt rope.
- Training a horse extremely well prior to a major show, so that this is less likely to happen in the first place.
- Lunging the horse immediately after he refuses to go in the trailer, teaching him that refusal = more work than cooperation.

Several people have defended Plasch, saying stuff like, "A plastic wiffle bat doesn't hurt,"  "everyone loses their temper sometimes," and "the horse was aggressive." To which I reply:

A wiffle bat doesn't hurt much, but can you imagine how afraid this horse was? And the next time he even sees another trailer, he'll be even more afraid because of what he's experienced. Violence of any kind is never an appropriate training technique. Yes, everyone loses their temper, but this is an adult professional entrusted with the care of children and other peoples' horses. Even if she couldn't be adult enough to handle her shit, she could have found a better way of taking out her frustration. However, I don't believe this was spontaneous at all; ask yourself why a trainer would be carrying a large plastic wiffle bat around at a show unless they intended to use it exactly for this purpose. I'm betting beating balky horses into and out of trailers is Cyndi Plasch's favorite technique. Finally, this horse was not aggressive. Despite being whaled on with a bat, I didn't see him try to kick or bite even once in this video-- hardly the behavior of an aggressive horse. But even if it was an aggressive horse, does that warrant repeated beatings with a bat? Um, no. That's not how you deal with an aggressive horse, that's how you make one worse.

Cyndi Plasch = Scum. Spread the word.

 

Update: Plasch was eventually fined $429 (only after huge public pressure).

Jennifer Lawrence & Horses: Fake Cowgirl or Untaught Unfortunate?

Jennifer Lawrence, newly-beloved media darling and the actress who plays Katniss in "The Hunger Games" movie just made the cover of "Seventeen" magazine. For some reason, perhaps because she's not very interesting in any other way, they chose to play up her interest in horses. This picture was on page 2:

 

She's barefoot, in a pasture, around a horse. Okay, yeah, it's a semi-glamorous photo shoot-- which is why I can forgive her for the dress that's more appropriate for a summer afternoon shopping session at a posh mall. But barefoot? Why? Does she want to "get into" the character of Katniss better by experiencing the pain of broken toes? Also, it's kind of nit-picky, but I was taught never to hold a lead rope like that. You never want the rope wrapped around your hand even loosely, because if the horse moves suddenly, you could be jerked off your feet or even dragged. You want to squeeze the extra rope, so your hand cannot be trapped. And then, what's with the un-groomed horse? They couldn't have gotten rid of the grass stains and put it in a decent halter? Finally, there's this picture:

Are you seeing that? I mean besides the totally impractical (but gorgeous) midriff shirt. Yeah, besides the pure white pants that you would never ever ever really wear to a farm. Look closer:

 That's a tomb thumb bit. Now, I know not everyone agrees that these are bad, confusing, nasty bits...but hey, it's my blog, and I'm sayin' they are. I actually used to use one until I really researched what they do. The video here is a pretty good explanation; I don't agree with everything he says, but it's useful nonetheless. Here's an even better written explanation.

What are we to make of all this? Is Jennifer Lawrence, as a rider, just a bit young and reckless/inexperienced, like most of us have been at some point in our youths? Or is she a total fake, not a "real" horse person at all, unless you count a brief tween obsession with them? Is the truth somewhere in between?

On David Letterman, she claimed that her parents bought wild, untamed stallions for her to ride (because they were cheaper), and that she broke her horse herself, "deforming" her tailbone and injuring herself multiple times in the process. She also states that her parents discouraged her from using the saddles at their barn, as those were for boarders, so she rode bareback. Um, what?! Is this girl lying, or were her parents total asshats? I really want to know what you think. I want to like Jennifer Lawrence; she's strong, not hyper-sexualized, a decent actress...and she basically told PETA to go fuck themselves. That's always a plus in my book. I'm just not sure I can forgive her for looking like an idiot on this, and kind of setting a bad example for other young riders. No, wait, maybe I can't forgive her parents.

The David Letterman video is below. More pictures and videos here, here and here.

Horse Safety: Oh No, Your Bare Bulbs are Showing!

How embarrassing! Your bare light bulbs are showing!

Yes, there, in your barn, they're totally bare nekkid!

Don't understand? Let me explain.

I live in Wisconsin, land of dairy barns. The barn my horses shelter in is a dairy barn-- a very old one. That means its smallish; old-time farmers couldn't handle more than 10-30 cows at a time, and they didn't waste building materials making fancy high ceilings. I can stand on my toes and touch the support beams in the ceiling-- and I am short. That means DANGER for my horses. Why?

Excited horse + light bulbs = broken glass or worse

My horses don't rear much that I've ever seen, they're not "wild" and there's only two of them. But if you know horses at all, you know that they will someday take advantage of any opportunity to hurt themselves. 

That's why it's important to cover up those naked light bulbs! Even in a "normal" sized horse barn, a rearing horse can do serious damage to itself if it crashes into a light fixture. There are two easy ways to fix this farm fashion faux pas: 

1) Put a plastic or safety glass "cone" around the bulb.

2) Screw a metal cage around the bulb.

In this picture, I have option one on the light bulb and show option two hanging above it. Of course, it would also improve the safety of the barn if I removed the big damn bolt the cage is currently hanging on, but I am super scared that it's holding up something important. Why else is it there?!

Both of these should be cheap and available through home improvement or hardware stores. A couple of bucks and ten minutes work (or ten minutes of your husband's work) could save you some heartbreak down the road.