SEPTEMBER! YAY!

SEPTEMBER! YAY! Can it be? Can it really, really be? Can the interminable desert summer finally be coming to a close? It ain’t necessarily gone yet – but the signs are there. Consider…… Orion is back in the early morning sky. The annual monsoon, which brings a continuous damp blanket of humidity & towering thunderstorms, seems to have crept out of town on little bobcat’s paws. The water running from the cold water tap is longer too warm to drink. The mornings are cooler &, once again, Eric has to turn the barn lights on to feed the kids their breakfasts. We haven’t had to turn on the Home Depot-donated misters in over two weeks. The daily ritual of scratching the salt – really, dried sweat – off the horses’ backs has ended. The local two-legged populace seems to be shaking off its annual hibernation – the polar opposite of what most folks in the colder climes do during the winter. And football season has begun! We have two words to describe it: “Whew!” & “Yay!” Okay. “How have the horses been?”, you ask. Well, for the most part, this was just about the best summer we’ve had in a long time. Oh, Charlie had his annual bout with cellulitis & we had to get Ted’s back fixed, but other than that, we did real well. Oh, sure an abscess here & there – especially after a hard rain & the resultant mud – but, gee, we did really, really well. Oh – last week we had a situation that flummoxed both Eric & me. And it was Ted. On Thursday morning, Eric noticed that he was covered in hives. And, he had trouble walking. He didn’t want to move. Hmm. Now, between Eric & me, we’re usually pretty good about determining what’s wrong with somebody, but this one had us confused…..hives & not wanting to walk? We both agreed that a call to Dr. Rollins was in order. Doc showed up a couple of hours later & found that one of Ted’s hooves had two bad abscesses – one on the bottom of the hoof & one on the ‘bulb’ of his heel. That combination had even conspired to make his lower leg swell – the sure sign of infection. Oh – he had a minor fever, too. Proof positive. Plus – he had the remnants of an abscess in his other hoof, too, though that one had pretty much rectified itself on its own. Doc got our boy all cleaned up & we put him on antibiotics. Oh - & Doc gave him a shot of antihistamine for his hives – the cause of which remains a mystery to this day. Needless to say, ol’ Ted was pretty miserable that morning. But, by suppertime, his hives were gone & his attitude was back to Ted being Ted. And he’s improved every single day since. I guess the reason that I’m relating this is because Ted is really funny. See, because he lives right next to the breezeway, he’s always banged his hoof on the lower bar of his fencing whenever any two-legged is in the immediate area. He wants a treat or a carrot. And he really has most of us – volunteers included – trained pretty well. BANG! BANG! BANG! “Oh, all right, Ted! Here! Now, knock it off, willya?!?” Ted smiles. Here’s the funny thing…….Ted used to wear shoes. And that metal-on-metal sound resounded throughout the whole neighborhood……we couldn’t hear ourselves think. Then, once his shoes came off, the sound was a little more – but just a little more – muted. Our aural senses were nowhere near as assaulted. And Eric & I were laughing the other morning because, as part of his two-hooved abscess treatment, ol’ Ted has to wear rubber E-Z boots for a week or so. On both hooves. “Let him bang on that bar with those rubber boots – we’ll never hear it! Hahahahaha!” Wrong. Because the E-Z boots have a metal clip on the front of them to help hold them on (much like the old ‘mouse-trap’ shoes of the early ‘60s – if you’re old enough to remember them!), our boy has figured out that if he kicks the bar instead of stomping on it, the sound is almost as loud as when he still wore shoes. Needless to say, over the weekend, Ted has had more than his fair share of carrots & treats. Ah, that’s okay. That means that Ted’s back! He’s feeling good again! And that thrills us no end. He can’t wait to go back out into the arena every morning with Sweet Boy & Sedona, but he’ll have to wait another three or four days. “Sorry, Ted…..later this week, okay?” Ted’s answer: BANG! BANG! BANG! We love that guy! Our great friends, Tracy & Marty (he’s Tracy; she’s Marty), come out – oh – three or four days a week to help clean poop, clean & fill waterers , walk & care for horses, just hang around being great friends – all of that. They’re really part of the family, now. And they have two dogs (three, actually, but I’m talking about two of them here). One is Zuma. The other is Kima. And they’re both pretty much Australian Shepards – just like my all-time best partner in the world, Mikey. And one day, it’s Zuma’s turn to come out & the next day it’s Kima’s turn. And, like Mike, they roam the ranch of their own free will. I just love those guys - & so does everybody else. As a matter of fact, we’ve named a part of the field “Kima Pond”. Every morning, when we dump the water out of the tubs in the field, we dump it into a particular corner - the very corner where one of the resident bunnies comes to drink. That particular little pool of yesterday’s water just happens to be Kima’s favorite place. She has her timing down well enough to know when the water will be dumped over there. This morning, while I was in the process of baling & dumping the water, I looked up & here came Kima through the field & negotiating her way around the horses. “Jimbo”, she said, “you gonna dump that water or what?” “Hang on, darlin’”, I said, dumping the cart full of water into the big hole. “Here you go.” “Aw, thanks!”, she said. And promptly walked over & lay down right in the middle of the freshly-dumped water. After a minute or so, she jumped out of the water, shook herself off & said, “Okay, Jimbo….thanks a lot. I gotta go back & see dad (Tracy) now.” And off she went – all the way across the ranch to where her dad was cleaning stalls. And that’s why that little pool of water has come to be known as “Kima Pond”. And, once she’d been gone for four or five minutes, here came Bunny. “Dang, dude – that girl freaks me out. Now, if you don’t mind & she ain’t comin’ back for a little while, I’m’a get myself a quaff of water, okay?” “Sure, Bunny. Knock yourself out.” “Okay – thanks, Mister.” It’s those little magical moments of life that just knock me out. Okay. You can’t believe the progress that Eric has made with Chance. Those two guys have become soul-mates. Really. No kidding. Chance listens to every single word Eric says & everybody who spends any time at all around here remarks on the love those two guys have for each other. I mean, Chance & I get along pretty well – really well, actually. But nothing – nothing – like he does with Eric. The love that passes between those two is absolutely palpable. I’m so happy for both of them. And it hasn’t come without a lot of time & compassion & work & love on Eric’s part. Chance has gotten so lucky. And so – admittedly – has Eric. Those two were meant for each other & now they’ve found each other. It is amazing, simply amazing. I came around the corner of the breezeway this morning & all I saw was Chance’s big ol’ butt sticking out of the tack room. His head, his front hooves & most of his body were actually IN the tack room. Eric was in there, getting him some carrots. And Chance was all for it. To actually witness that boy having the peace of mind & the confidence to follow his best friend that far into a closed space was stunning. Tears might’ve come into my eyes if it hadn’t been for Ted & his BANG! BANG! BANG! Okay. Because the flies, this year, have been brutal - & no matter who we talk to or where they live, they all agree – we’ve been putting this stuff called SWAT on the faces of the kids in the field. Fine. It works really well. However, the color of SWAT is hot pink. So, when we put it on the horses’ faces, it looks like either war paint or women’s blush – whichever you choose. Note: I choose ‘war paint’. They look funnier’n hell, but it seems to work. To see Bentley with war paint on his face is fairly impressive. After all, he looks like a war-horse to begin with & when you see a few hot pink ‘war paint’ stripes on his kisser, you think, “Jee-zus! Is that boy gonna stomp me into the ground – or what?!?” Nah. He’s just a sweet little boy, down below that war-horse demeanor. Hot pink SWAT…..what WERE they thinking? Okay. I guess I gotta go. I’m really sorry that this blog has been so long in coming, but the summer around this neck of the desert is really survival time. And that’s what we’ve been attempting to do…..survive. And I think – I hope – that we’ve succeeded. And that more temperate weather is right around the corner. And that I’ll have enough energy & good humor to be able to write this with more regularity. Oh – don’t forget……..We’re celebrating our fifth anniversary! And, with our “Hi, Five!” promotion, two of our angels have agreed to match all the donations you can make – up to $10,000! So, if you ever have an inkling to help out the 29 Horses of Tierra Madre, now would be a good time. Because your donation will be matched, in full, by our angels. Just go to the “How to Donate” page on our website: www.tierramadrehorsesanctuary.org - & our kids & all who care for them will love you for ever & a day! Okay. That’s enough for the commercial announcements for now. Thanks for reading this far &, like I said, I’ll try to make this blog a little more regular, now that the weather is a little more compatible with life as we know it. In the meantime, let’s be nice to each other, okay? Remember – we’re all we’ve got. Peace. Out.

AUGUST 18 - TED GOT HIS BACK FIXED!

TED GOT HIS BACK FIXED I think the heat wave’s finally broken. After days upon days of temps over 110. Yesterday & today, I don’t think we’ve reached 100. Close, but not quite – 99 each day? Whatever. We went for a stretch of over two weeks where the temperature never went below 90 – not even at night. Ah – happens pretty much every year, but that doesn’t make it pretty. We’ll get back to the normal highs of 105-106 in a day or so, but that’s a far cry from 115-116. Yay! But that always takes it out of us. The heat. And – at this time of year in the Arizona desert – the humidity, too. By 6AM, Eric & I are always drenched in sweat. Which reminds me of an old saying: “Horses sweat. Men perspire. And women glow.” Man, if Eric & I were of the more ‘persuasive sex’, we’d be glowing like nobody’s business! Whatever. It’s summer in the desert & it’s every bit as miserable as winter in the colder climes. Well, the polar opposite, if you will – but you get the idea. Gotta love Bre. If you’ve been following Tierra Madre for any length of time, you’ll note that our young friend, Bre, is a real fixture around here. She’s 17 & about to become a senior in high school. And, of all the people that come around here, she’s been just about the most regular, most dependable friend we have. I think she came here, first, when she was 11 or 12…..just a mere sprite. But, when school’s not in session (& sometimes, even when it is!), Bre comes through the gates at 8 in the morning, rain or shine. Or heat wave or cold snap. She’s an artist – really, an artist - & has done some wonderful paintings & drawings of the ‘kids’, many of which are hanging on my wall. They’re treasures. And she’s a treasure. A real treasure. Like nobody who’s ever been here. Really. How many young people do you know that would subject themselves to the heat & cold & all the hard work & that comes with caring for 29 horses? And who loves every single one of them & appreciates each of their idiosyncracies & knows how to deal with them? Uh…..not too many, I’ll guarantee you that. But she does – several times a week, each & every week of each & every year. A true gem, that young woman. Her favorite horse? Hudson. “Huddy”. She works with him every day that she’s here. And that’s a challenge I’d throw down to anyone & everyone, because Hudson – Huddy – the Big Galoot – is probably one of the biggest challenges on the ranch. See…..he doesn’t care about pleasing us two-leggeds. He knows he’s a horse & is perfectly happy with being a horse. He doesn’t think it’s his job to do what we two-leggeds ask of him. Oh, to be sure – he’s well-mannered & there’s not a mean bone in his body – but, it’s “Dude….I’m a horse. And I’m perfectly happy being a horse. And I really – really – am not interested in doing a whole lot of your dumb two-legged things. Ain’t my job, okay? My job is to be a horse & your job is to be a two-legged. And when & if those two things meet – to the best of both of our satisfactions – fine. Otherwise, well……you can go pound sand.” And that’s pretty much a direct quote from him. But Bre has taken it upon herself to try to begin to change his mind. And she has, too. Well, a little, anyway. He walks with her, nicely. He listens to her – sometimes, anyway – in the round pen. He lets her do things to him & with him that he usually won’t let anybody else do. God love Bre for taking on the ‘Huddie Challenge’. Bre’s a gem. A true gem. She’s as much a part of Tierra Madre as Eric or I or any of the 29 horses. And I absolutely love her for that. Good, Bre! Ted. Ted hasn’t really been himself lately. I’m talking about when Eric turns him out every morning – at 6AM – with Sweet Boy & Sedona. He’s an ex-racer & usually blows those boys’ door off when he gets to running & tearing around. But, lately, he hasn’t been all that hot on joining in on the ‘running & tearing’ part. Hmmmm……….something’s wrong…..or, at the very least, not quite right. Eric & I talked about it. And, knowing that Ted has a tendency toward a bad back, surmised that he could’ve been hurting from a goofed-up pelvis or something like that. So, we called Dr. Bill Wood – the vet/equine chiropractor – that we’ve used on over a dozen of our horses. Dr. Wood has fixed Ted’s back twice before – each time being a challenge of all of us. The first time, Ted became a raving maniac, right off the bat. I’m talking the aggressive, up-on-his-hind-legs-&-ready-for-battle-type behavior. It was all we could do to get some tranquilizer into him. That was probably four or five years ago. The second time – two or three years ago – we had the same problem. Not a pretty sight. Not for Ted & not for us. To say that those two times were a challenge would be a monster understatement. And, so, today? Today we were ready for the same thing. When Dr. Wood drove in, I said something like, “Hey, Doc – you bring plenty of joy-juice?” He said, “You know I did!” We – actually, Bre – brought Ted out into the breezeway. He took one look at Dr. Wood & - you could see it in his eyes – said to himself & to anyone who’d listen – “Uh-oh….that guy again!” But Bre & Eric & I & Dr. Wood just all showed him the love. We all stayed calm, cool & collected. Like nothing much was going on. And Ted relented. We got him into the breezeway – onto the concrete where Dr. Wood could truly evaluate him. And, thanks to Eric & Bre, got Ted’s feet situated under him properly. Doc said, “Man – this guy’s pelvis is completely out of whack again. Look – there’s even a ‘hunter’s bump’”. Note: a lot of jumpers develop this problem…..hence, the term. Doc had work to do. But, because Ted wasn’t all kaflooey – at least at that point – we held off on the sedative. We had to get him to stand between a fence & the two bales of hay that Dr. Wood had to stand on in order to work on Ted’s back. And, surprisingly, Ted relented. See – horses don’t like feeling penned in & that’s exactly what they are in that situation. Long story short, with me holding Ted’s head & Eric & Bre getting his hooves into the right spots & Doc doing his thing up on top, he fixed Ted’s back in less than half an hour. And Ted stood there like a champion throughout the whole thing. I think he knew – he knew that his back hurt & he recognized Dr. Wood as the guy who fixes it. And decided that it was okay & he didn’t have to fight us. When we were finished, Doc said, “Guys – this is a five carrot day for ol’ Ted!” And Ted got at least that many. And – after we’d put him back into his house, which is right next to the breezeway where we were all standing – he walked up to Dr. Wood & nuzzled his back. And all of us knew exactly what Ted was saying, too: “Thanks, Doc. Thanks for making me feel a whole lot better.” Good, Ted! We need to exercise him a bit over the next several days & he can’t go out with Sweet Boy & Sedona for a few days, until all of those bones & muscles set properly into place, but Ted is well on the road to recovery. Yay! Oh – remember the Comedy Night we had a couple of weeks ago? It was such a success & so many people had such a good time that we’ve decided to do it again. So, on Friday, September 14th, it’ll be ‘Comedy Night 2’ – at the American Legion Hall in Cave Creek. Tony Vicich (from Comedy Central, A&E & Showtime) will be the headliner again & promises to turn out several laugh-a-minute comics. He told us to bill it as “Best of the West Comedy Showcase – Cave Creek Edition”, so that’s what we’ll do. Fifteen bucks at the door. RSVPs encouraged (480.747.1070). There’ll be a bar with adult beverages & food will be available, too. Our volunteer & AV guru, Ang, will try to stream some of it, live, on the internet but I’ll have to get you details on that as they arrive. But, if you’re in the area, we certainly hope to see you there! Well, kids. That’s about it for now. Thanks for joining us today & please let us know if there’s anything specific that you’d like to read about here in the blog. We’ll do our best to accommodate you. In the meantime, let’s be nice to each other out there, okay? Like I always say, we’re all we’ve got. Peace. Out.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM The heat is on! We’re in the middle of one of those stretches of 110+ days that we seem to get a couple of times every summer. Thank the stars - & The Home Depot – for those misters! We used to have a couple of those big sprayers – like you see on golf courses, etc. – at the edges of the arena, but they hadn’t worked in years. Until, thankfully & brilliantly, Eric decided to rectify the situation. He fixed ‘em up & now, those two big sprayers cover most of the arena & that keeps the dust way down. However, there’s one corner that can’t be reached by those big streams of water. So Eric went out & got a regular lawn sprinkler & we hook it to the hose & voila! The entire arena gets covered. And that lawn sprinkler has become a favorite of Sweet Boy, Sedona & Ted. They all hang out around the sprinkler &, pretty much every morning, each one takes a turn standing directly over it, getting his belly washed. This morning, Eric was about to turn it off when he noticed Ted standing right next to it, getting his kisser washed. “Oh – okay, Ted. Carry on. I’ll get to it a little later.” “Thanks, Eric.” Funnier’n hell. Mistah Lee digs the big sprinkler. He’ll stand right there in the midst of it. His playmates – Miss Akira, Rusty, Buddy & Jani – could care less & generally try to stay out of the stream, but Mistah Lee soaks it right up. The ‘sports cars’ – Chance & Studley & Nibz & Hollywood – love it, too, & always end up soaking wet. Then they roll in the sand, get covered with it, get wet again, roll again & the whole shootin’ match happens over & over. Real glad Eric did that. The horses are, too. Good, Eric! Big Charlie’s cellulitis is coming along beautifully. Because we caught it right away, we think we stopped it almost in its tracks. There’s very little, if any, swelling now & it’s been less than two weeks. He’s been off the antibiotics for a week, now – they actually made him a little sick one night. We’ve all had that happen to us, haven’t we? Guess it even happens with horses. Anyway, he’s going out on short walks when we do his hydrotherapy, nowadays, & he’s having fun ‘exploring’. He should be back to normal in a couple of weeks. Good, Charlie! Here’s one……One of the women I see at the grocery store stopped me today. She asked all about the ‘kids’. And she told me that a few years ago, her daughter went to a ‘garage sale’. And, standing in a field on the property, was one of the sickest-looking, most-malnourished, horses she’d ever seen. She walked around the one-acre property, twice, & saw no evidence of food or water. She walked up to the property’s owner. “How much for the horse?” “Oh”, he said. “He’s a very important, very expensive horse!” The young woman said, “Want me to call the authorities?” He sold the horse, on the spot, for fifty bucks. The woman called her husband to bring the trailer. He took one look at the horse & said, “Honey – I don’t think he’ll live for the ride home.” She said, “Well – that may be…..but he isn’t dying here!” Long story, short – ‘Bingo’ has been at their place for several years, now. He’s fat. He’s happy. He lets their kids crawl under him & all over him & is the sweetest, gentlest horse any of them have ever met. All that boy needed was someone to love him & care for him. And he’s proven that time & again. He proves it every day. How many others like Bingo are out there? Here’s your answer: All of them. All of the ones who are neglected or abandoned or mistreated in some way. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands of them. And each & every one of them wants nothing more than love & respect. And a decent meal three times a day. And a good scratching every day or so. And a fair shot at life. That’s all. That’s all they want. Just like you. Just like me. What amazes me & inspires me is that you’ll see or meet some horse – looking for all the world that he or she wants to just die - &, given a fair shot & a good opportunity – will turn into the happiest, friendliest, spirit you’ve ever met. Ergo – I guess – Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary. Can’t save ‘em all……but for 29 of ‘em – many of whom have come from unhappy lives & unhappy surroundings – well, those 29 horses will be loved & cared for to the best of the two-leggeds’ ability. Our goal is to give them the best lives they could ever imagine, no matter what transpired earlier. And, really – I can’t say enough about a guy who’s become the heart & soul of Tierra Madre. Eric. He walked up the lane about four or five years ago, fresh from getting off his motorcycle. “Want some help?”, he asked. “Sure”, I said. “Grab a rake.” And here we are – years later - & he’s not only become my best friend, but he’s come to epitomize Tierra Madre. Nobody cares for horses like he does. Nobody watches horses like he does. He doesn’t need to be here. But, five in the morning or ten at night, he’s here. And he’s here for the horses & he’s here for me. His better half, Stephanie, doesn’t need to be here, either. Those two can be anywhere in the world they want to be. And yet – yet - they’ve chosen to be at Tierra Madre. In the heat & the cold & the hard times & the good – they’re here. Man, oh, man, huh? Like I always say, I don’t have any two-legged heroes. But, my friends, Brother Eric sure comes close. Alright, then – I’ve about shot my wad for now. Oh – other than to mention our ‘Going For the Gold’ promotion, where we’re trying to raise $2012 during the Games of the XXX Olympiad. So far - & it’s Thursday, August 9th, at five in the afternoon – we’ve raised $1480 – that’s 75% of our way toward our goal. The Olympic torch will be extinguished this coming Sunday – a little over three days from now. Will we make it? Will we achieve our own Olympic gold? I dunno. Up to you, isn’t it? Here’s the dealio……. GOING FOR THE GOLD In honor of the Games of the XXX Olympiad, Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary is inviting you to be an Olympian, too – a Tierra Madre Olympian. The Horses of Tierra Madre – your horses – will be competing for gold as well as the world’s greatest athletes. Their goal? To raise $2012 in gold medals. For each $20 donation you make in the name of your favorite horse, he or she will receive a gold medal. Each & every one of them is ‘Going for the Gold’ & yearns to be high atop the leader board by the time the Olympic flame is extinguished in London on August 12th. Just go here: http://tierramadrehorsesanctuary.org/HowToDonate.html & use our simple PayPal function - then put the name of your horse in the note/comment box. And watch for daily updates on our Facebook pages & on the Alex Brown Racing Forums. Twenty bucks here; twenty bucks there - & we’ll make it! The Horses of Tierra Madre want it. I want it. Eric & Stephanie want it. All of our wonderful volunteers want it. Anyhow, you’ll do what you can do. Or you won’t. Whatever. The fact that you’re reading this tells us all that you care. And that’s the most important thing – that you care. I’m sorry this has been a few days late. No excuses. Just late. I’ll try harder next week….really I will. In the meantime, let’s be nice to each other, okay? Remember, we’re all we’ve got. Peace. Out.

GOING FOR THE GOLD!

GOING FOR THE GOLD! Well, it’s just about the first of August. Just in time for big Charlie’s annual bout of cellulitis. And, true to form, it’s here. This is just about the weirdest thing any of us – Dr. Rollins included – has ever seen. For four out of the past five years, within a couple days of August 1st, he’s gotten an attack. The only year of the five when he didn’t get it was that year where he was full of the antibiotics we used to conquer that horrible sinus infection of his. Why August 1st? That’s the big mystery. There seems to be no real explanation for it – that any of us can see, anyway. This year, though, we caught it in the very first hour. Cellulitis generally comes on suddenly – within a matter of an hour or two or three. At first, nothing, then – bang! – swelling, pain & fever, all at once. The other day, Charlie’d been out running around in the arena with M’Stor, perfectly normally – the last two guys in the arena before lunchtime. By the time I’d gotten back from some errands – maybe an hour later, Charlie wasn’t eating, could hardly put any weight on that hoof & had a fever of 104.4. Eric & I swung into action – injected antibiotics, gave him Equiiox (pain & fever), did some hydrotherapy on him & got his leg covered with Furazone & wrapped the leg almost to the hock (knee). Anyway, now, the fever’s gone, the pain isn’t quite as acute & we’re all settling into the ‘cellulitis’ mode. It’ll probably be a couple of months before he’s really back to normal. Oh - & by being lucky enough to catch it right away, we stopped it from traveling all the way up his leg & - in some bad cases – into the groin. I’m thinking that next year, we might start him on antibiotics around the first of July to see if we can help to break the mysterious cycle. I love mysteries, but not when it comes to horses. Okay. The Games of the XXX Olympiad have started. I love the Olympics. Well, really, who doesn’t? And this year, we’re holding our own mini-Olympics right here at the ranch. It’s called “Going For the Gold” & all the horses are vying to get to - & stay – high atop the leader board in terms of medals. See, for each $20 you make in the name of your favorite horse, he or she gets a ‘gold’. We have a huge board set up here in the office with everybody’s name on it & big gold stars signify the ‘medal count’. As of right this moment, Charlie’s in the lead, with M’Stor Chance, Cadence & the Iron Man also showing gold. Your horses are counting on you to help them compete. Here’s how….. Just go here: http://tierramadrehorsesanctuary.org/HowToDonate.html & use our simple PayPal function - then put the name of your horse in the note/comment box. And watch for daily updates on our Facebook pages & on the Alex Brown Racing Forums. This is fun! We had a small troop of Boy Scouts here yesterday morning. To gain one of their merit badges, they have to do some community service work. And, because the troop is located in Cave Creek, they chose Tierra Madre. Thanks to the help of a couple of our terrific volunteers – Jacqi & Kristina – the boys (& a couple of moms) did all the water tanks & buckets. They seemed to have a pretty good time (one comment: “Hey, this is pretty hard work!”) & a couple of them asked if they can come out & volunteer, again, on their own. Why, sure! Speaking of water tanks, I have to tell you about a little bunny. Behind the back field fence is a big bush. And a family of bunnies lives under it. When we empty out the field tanks, we pour the old water into one specific area near the bush. Most of the water runs under the fence & into the wash, but a little pool has been created in that spot, although the pool dries up by late morning. Every morning, one of the baby bunnies sits right there at the edge of the pool, waiting for his or her early drink. “Hey, mister. You wanna hurry that up a little? I’m kinda thirsty over here.” When I get there with a cart full of water, the bunny backs up a couple of feet & I slowly pour it into the pool. “Great. Thanks, mister!” And the bunny goes to the ‘shore’ & drinks mightily. Sometimes, I even have to wait a couple of minutes before I can pour the second cartful into the pool. “Hold on, mister. I’ll be done in a sec.” “Okay, bunny. No problem.” Good, bunny! Okay, kids. That’s about it for now, but don’t forget – if you live anywhere in this area to come to our Comedy Night, this coming Friday (Aug.) at the American Legion Hall in Cave Creek. Doors open at 7 & the show starts at 7:30. Call for more information & to RSVP. In the meantime, we all hope your lives are filled with gold medals, too. See ya. Peace. Out.

WHY A SANCTUARY? Why a horse sanctuary? Well, it started with a little girl. It started with a little girl who had no name & no home. A little girl that we had rescued from the ravages of having been dropped off in the Arizona desert with no food, no water & who was nothing but a lost soul. A little girl that was closer to death than she was to life. My friend & I had been called & told that there was a small herd of horses wandering in the nearby desert. And they didn’t look like wild horses. It looked like they had been abandoned. After several hours of trying, we were finally able to round up the little herd & took them to my friend’s place – a place where they would be provided with all the food & water they wanted & needed. It was a sorry lot, though – seven or eight emaciated bodies with spirits to match. And, although they were still frightened out of their wits, seemed to begin to settle down & rally. Our vet was here one morning & he & I both received frantic calls within 30 seconds of each other. Both calls said, “You have to get over here right away! One of the little mares is having a foal – right now! And I don’t know what to do!” We both jumped into our trucks & sped to my friend’s place. “There she is!”, my friend yelled. And, lo & behold, this emaciated little mare was in the process of giving birth. Right there. Right then. Nobody knew she’d been pregnant – that’s how horribly emaciated she’d been. The doc & I helped the little foal & the moaning mom. And – voila! – a little boy was born. Right there in the desert dirt & sand. “Get the mom out of here –right now!”, said the vet. “She’s so weak, she’s liable to fall on him & crush him!” Miraculously, I was able to get the mother to her feet. She was so weak that two or three others – including my friend – helped to hold her up & get her somewhat steady on her badly-shaking legs. Slowly & carefully, we led her away to a waiting stall. The twenty-foot walk, though, took almost ten minutes. I was afraid that she’d drop dead during the slow, agonizing trip. But she made it. Once in the stall, she virtually fell down. And I dropped to my knees & took her head into my lap. “Easy, little mama, easy…..You just gave birth to a beautiful little boy. A little boy who’s already up & looks to be the picture of perfection. You’ve done well, little mama. You’ve done what you were meant to do!” And I stroked & kissed her forehead & gave her handfuls of hay & water. She was so weak…..so very weak. But she was trying with all of her heart……a heart that had gotten her through the hell of the Arizona summer desert. The little girl was in such dire straits that she didn’t have any milk or the necessary colostrum that her little foal would need. My friend built a pen in her garage & she & her young daughter fed that little boy every hour, on the hour, for four or five weeks. He eventually grew into a strapping young colt, but only because those two-legged heroines had sacrificed their days & nights to him. For weeks & weeks. About three days after his birth, my friend called me. “This little mare needs more care than I can give her, what with all the other horses here & her little boy to care for day & night. Can you help?” “Send her over”, I said. She was here within the hour, still weak but seemingly improving. She walked off the trailer on her own & into the stall directly next to my front door. For days, I gave her all the food & water - & treats – that she wanted. She was happy & getting stronger every day. But she had no name….no identity. And I remembered an Indian friend from my youth. A person called Little Bird Sing Pretty. And I thought that name fit her like a glove. She was like a little bird. And she had given birth to this beautiful little boy. And that’s a pretty song, if not a beautiful one. She would be Little Bird Sing Pretty. For four days & nights, Little Bird Sing Pretty seemed to rally. She loved her food. She came up to me when I entered her house. She knew in her heart that things were getting better. Then, one evening, while my dog, Mikey, & I went out to check on everybody, Mikey looked into Little Bird Sing Pretty’s house & began to bark. “Why is he doing that?”, I asked myself. I had to almost pull him away from her stall gate. As we returned from our rounds, it happened again. Mikey started barking. And Little Bird Sing Pretty was in the back of her house & didn’t come forward, the way she’d been doing for the past couple of days. She was eating, alright. But she didn’t come forward……. Mikey & I went to bed & arose as usual the next morning – around 5 AM. As soon as the door opened & Mike stepped outside, the barking – this time, mixed with whining – started again. I went in to see Little Bird Sing Pretty & she didn’t seem herself. She was dull & disoriented. Her eyes were dull. Her head was down. There were droplets of blood wherever she’d walked. She wasn’t well. I immediately called the vet & he said he’d be here as quickly as he could, despite the early hour. When he got here & looked at her, he turned to me. “She’s dying”, he said. “It appears that her uterine canal had been so weakened by her malnourished state that the little foal’s hooves tore it while he was being born. There’s nothing we can do.” I looked at him. A tear rolled down my cheek. And one rolled down his, too. “Aw, Doc”, I said. “After all she’s been through, she has to die, too?” Putting his arms around me, he said, “I’m afraid so.” And the two of us cried on each other’s shoulders for a minute or two. Never, in all my years of knowing this doctor, have I ever remembered him being so emotional. But we were both overwhelmed by the unfairness of it all. That little girl had been abandoned in the desert. Pregnant. And she’d been saved. And had given birth to a perfect little boy. And, for all her trouble, had to die for it. What a shame. What a crying shame. Doc & I sent Little Bird Sing Pretty on to the Great Herd that morning. To a place where she could run free & fat & happy & without a care. She could run on the wind. Forever. Over the subsequent years, I’ve come to realize that there’s just no explanation for some two-leggeds’ actions. They are what they are & reality is reality. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. It is what it is. But on that fateful morning, with Mikey barking & whining & Doc & I holding each other, I said to myself, “Son, you have to do what you can. You can’t save them all, but, somehow, you’ll save some of them. And those that you do save will have the very best lives they can ever imagine, no matter where they’ve come from & no matter the injustices done to them.” And that’s what happened. All because of one of the most courageous, most gentle spirits I’ve ever known. And had the honor to know & love. A little girl who’d had no chance, but had done what she’d had to do, in spite of it all. A beautiful little girl named Little Bird Sing Pretty.

JULY 22 - SUMMERTIME

SUMMERTIME Well, kids……I guess it’s about time to fire up the old fingertips again & give you little update on life here at the ranch. Well, it’s summertime - & you know what that means……hundred-degree-plus temperatures day in & day out; the advent of our annual monsoon, where the humidity goes way up & we can find ourselves dodging – or standing under - towering thunderstorms; the incessant whirring of the fans in the barn; flies; a time when only the hardiest helpers are around. Yeah, all of that. The funny thing is, the horses never seem to mind – only us two-leggeds. The horses know that there’s nothing they or anyone else can do about the weather. And they accept it. They’re going on about their business just like they always do. Eat, play, poop, eat, snooze, poop. Ah, the life of a horse, huh? But this summer, their lives are even a little more bearable in the torrid afternoon heat. Our great friends at The Home Depot near here have made a wonderful donation to us: they’re in the process of putting misters in all over the ranch. So far, the barn & shed row are completely finished & they’re in the process of installing them on the field side. Yep – even in the big shade structure in the middle of the field. Not only does it make the kids feel good, but it’s saving a lot of time & energy on those real, real hot afternoons when we’ve had to hose down every horse on the ranch to cool him or her down. Yay, Home Depot! And, especially, Mike & Frank! We’ve moved a few guys around in the past few weeks: Chance, Studley, Slayer & the Iron Man. By that, I mean we’ve moved them into new houses. And it’s working out very well. Because Chance (aka Chauncey) still guards his house as if it’s his castle - & with so many volunteers & visitors coming through – we thought it prudent if we kept him away from the two-legged traffic flow a little more than he had been. We decided to move him over to Tarzan’s old place – that real big paddock over at the end of the ‘hallway’ on the field side. And, because Studs is his buddy, we thought he should be near him, too. And, that because Slayer & the Iron Man could’ve used larger digs, we’d do something with & for them, too. So, we moved the Iron Man into Chance’s big old double-wide at the end of the shed row & Slayer into the adjoining double-wide (Studs’ old place). Eric & a couple of helpers rearranged the fencing over by Chance & Studley – took out the fence that had separated Slayer & the Iron Man & moved one whole fence side so that, now, Chance & Studley are partners again with only a fence between them (not a mini-‘hallway’ any longer). And, I’m happy to report that all four boys are really digging the new arrangements. Buddy. Ah, Buddy. If you’ll recall, he had a pronounced limp in his right rear leg for quite a while. Thinking it might be his back, we had Dr. Wood (the vet/equine chiropractor) come & fix it (he did have plenty of problems back there). But, after three or four weeks – with me riding him in Dr. Wood’s prescribed figure-8s, he didn’t seem to be improving. So we had Dr. Rollins look at him. And he took x-rays & found that Bud has very little cartilage left in his hock. The cartilage rides between the two bones & acts as a cushion. About the only thing that could be done was to inject some steroids into it & hope for the best. Which we didn’t do, by the way, but were considering it before things began to turn around. See, around the same time, it seemed that Buddy was blue. He didn’t seem at all happy. Maybe it was the pain in his leg & maybe it was something else. Something more emotional. Or a combination of the two. We decided it was time to make Buddy happy again. And thus began our nearly-every-day Buddy time. I’ll get the halter & he & I go for long walks. Wherever he wants to go & for whatever duration he chooses. We always go to the big mesquite tree at the south end of the arena & he eats some leaves & scarfs up some of the dried seed pods that have fallen (we call them ‘Fritos’ – more on that later). Then, we’ll walk all through the desert area, stopping & starting wherever he wants. Then, it’s up the lane, around the barn & into the breezeway. He hangs out in the breezeway for quite a while, being fawned over by whomever’s in the area & getting more than his fair share of carrots & treats. Finally, after periods of almost an hour out & about, he goes home. Not that he really wants to – he loves his new routine – but he knows that lunch isn’t far behind & good-naturedly heads to his house. I’ll tell you – it’s made a world of difference in that boy. You can feel the happiness vibe coming off him. It’s a difference of night & day. His gentle spirit has become a happy gentle spirit. It’s so good to see & so good to know that we listened to him, heard him & did what it took to make it happen. Here’s the kicker: no more limp! Good, Buddy! I spoke of ‘Fritos’. At this time of the year, the mesquite trees drop their dried seed pods. And the horses love ‘em! They can’t have too many of them, but up to a dozen? Sure. And nobody loves Fritos more than Mistah Lee & Miss Akira. Well, most of the others do, too, but nobody’s quite as vocal about it as those two. We’ve spent a lot of time picking them up off the ground & filling buckets with ‘em. And, every evening when I do my last walk-around, everybody on the shed row side gets a nice big handful dropped into their feeder. As I make my way over to the shed row, I can hear a nightly equine chorus of, “Yay! Fritos!” I guess it’s kind of a learned liking for them, though. The kids on the field side all look at them & sniff at them & say, “Yo! Jimmy! What the hell is this?!? You tryin’ to poison me or something?!?” Funnier’n hell. Those guys are relegated to store-bought treats & there are certainly never any complaints about them, either. We’ve also just begun our ‘Alfalfa Hay Drive”. The price has finally begun to drop a bit. BTW – the editor of Bridle and Bit told me the other day that the main reason for the exorbitant prices over the past year was that Japan’s alfalfa crop had been wiped out by the tsunami - & they would & did pay almost anything to import it. Funny how a natural disaster on the other side of the earth can affect 29 horses in the Arizona desert, isn’t it? Anyway, we’ve gotten a darned good deal on hay, recently, & are trying to get enough in here to last us until at least Labor Day. And you can help, too. Just go here: http://tierramadrehorsesanctuary.org/HowToDonate.html & you’ll be doing the Horses of Tierra Madre a world of good. Thanks. Also, keep an eye out for our upcoming Olympics promotion. It should prove to be a five-ring ton o’ fun. More on that real soon. Oh - & if you’re in the area, please come to our very first Comedy Night at the American Legion Hall in downtown Cave Creek on Friday, August 3rd. That WILL be a ton o’ fun because we’ve lined up comics that have appeared on Comedy Central, A & E, Showtime & The Improv. As you can tell by the photo, Solo was listening to one of them the other day & knocked himself out. Okay, kids. That’s about it for today. I’m going to try hard & write a new weekly blog. I know it’s been a while since the old ‘daily’ days & it’s been too long since my last one. We’ll try to find a happy medium. So, weekly, it is. In the meantime, let’s be nice to each other, okay? Remember – we’re all we’ve got. Peace. Out.

The Horses of Tierra Madre Announce PATRIOT DAYZ!

"Hear ye! Hear ye! The Horses of Tierra Madre have declared that the period of time from June 12 - July 4th, 2012 shall be known as 'PATRIOT DAYZ'! "Each & every one of them is striving mightily to be declared the most patriotic horse on the ranch. So, each day, the horse - or Jim - that receives the most donations on that day will get to wear the Uncle Sam hat all the following day (as Venture is doing - handsomely - in the photo). "This is an all-American competition for all it's worth! So, help your favorite horse to show the colors - on his or her head! "Go to our website - http://tierramadrehorsesanctuary.org/HowToDonate.html. Then, email us at tierramadrehorsesanctuary@live.com telling us which horse - or Jim - you're supporting for that particular day. And watch Facebook - every day - to see if YOUR horse is wearing the hat! Remember, get your daily entries in by 11:59 PM/MST. "All hail PATRIOT DAYZ and the Horses of Tierra Madre!"