Here’s a story in pictures of our recent 3-day weekend drive in Danville, Vermont…
Hubby hauling horse trailer on I-93 north past Cannon Mountain, Franconia Notch in the White Mountains. Those are a couple of Cannon’s tamer ski slopes.
Cannon’s southeast face
Passing through the Notch with Mt. Lafayette on our right
Granite State Carriage Association attendees camped in the “Northeast Kingdom,” Aug. 6-8. Our site is on private land in a reclaimed quarry in Danville, Vermont. Folks are horse-camping and driving out or riding daily on the miles of dirt roads.
Hostess Deb H. coordinated this fine drive and ride.
The boys slept outside while we got to sleep on the horse trailer. LOL!
Deb, Sonja C. and Hubby at our camp
The boys in their electric-tape paddock meet Chance, Sonja’s rescued mustang.
Sonja makes sure Chance enjoys his new life as a well-loved riding horse!
Pat P. with daughters Taryn and Keely tending their horses.
Peaches pays a visit to Carolyn and Bob T. and friends.
A couple of cart drivers stop by to chat.
Deb with Bob C.– there’s Peaches again, she has to be in the middle of everything!
Sonja took our portrait
At our campsite, ready to roll
A big roadside hazard next to camp didn’t faze our guys.
Surrounded by lovely ponds
We drove Glen on the left (leader) this time, and went out on Friday and Saturday, The boys here are on a long, LONG dirt road (that’s the road going up a steep Vermont hill in the distance.)
At the covered bridge they are saying “You really want us to go INTO there?” But they DID do it!
Pat P. and Nils, with furry friend in a basket, exploring the dirt roads.
Joyce W. with Taryn and Keely P. Joyce was the rescuer of the Morab Dusty earlier this year. (Dusty’s not here on this trip, he has to learn camping first.)
This picturesque old barn belongs to Bert F.
Back at last to home-sweet-away-from-home
They really enjoyed their rest when they got back!
All this and a fair too! On Saturday we visit the Danville Fair, where Sonja and Bob danced to country music…
and we all enjoyed the festivities.
As luck would have it, we ran into good friend Martha from Nashua NH (pink sweater), who HAPPENED to be in Vt. with her friends, who HAPPENED to be driving through Danville, and just HAPPENED to stop into the Fair at the same time we did– what are the odds??
Plus we got to watch a draft horse pull at the Fair.
Two big Belgians with only one tiny fence post to hold them!
On our last day, for a change, Sonja rides Gilford (right) and I’m on Glendale. The boys had almost forgotten how to be ridden and to move separately from each other, so they needed the practice! We rode about 4 hours– boy was I sore!
The pond at dusk– and overnight the Milky Way was SO bright! Even a couple of Aurora flashes! Who wouldn’t want to do this with horses!
Only “Horse people” can truly appreciate this. It was a huge thrill for me!
Horses snooze in their home-away-from-home!
On the first day of a recent horse-camping trip to Vermont, the boys were so relaxed (or tired?) after trailering 2 hours then taking us on a carriage drive that they both took naps at the same time– AND they let me commune with them while they were down!
Gil and me “guarding” Glen
Though horses DO nap lying down (and standing up as well), horses in a group generally don’t all lie down at the same time. Usually at least one horse remains standing, to be the guard or “lookout” horse as per their wild instincts of self-preservation.
Glen feels safe with me…
…and so does Gilford.
Gil closeups
Our boys will often both lie down together at home, and when mom was with them they sometimes would all three lie down at the same time.
When they were babies and did this, we called them “pancakes!”
However, allowing a person to approach them while lying down is rare, even if it is a person they know very well– so I’d LIKE to think it was a measure of their trust in me to let me do this, AND to let Hubby wander all around near them taking these pictures. It was a unique experience for me and the highlight of my weekend with them in Danville, VT.
Hubby wanted a horse hug too!
Glendale close up
Horses are unusual in that they never sleep for long periods of time, like people do– they sleep in short naps throughout the day and night. I have never seen our horses get comatose for more than 10-15 minutes at a stretch.
Nice moment
So regardless of what you may have heard, seeing a horse lying down does NOT mean he is sick. It MIGHT, but If the horse is feeling ill, there will be other symptoms of discomfort besides lying down, such as rolling or getting up and down or biting at his sides.
Glendale next to me, Gilford beyond
But napping is very normal… depending on the horse’s disposition and inclination (some horses are just by nature more tense than others). Some horses, including even some race horses, will lie down flat on their sides to sleep.
I was ALMOST tempted to hop on!
Each owner knows his own horse and that horse’s nature and habits, so don’t worry next time you notice a horse lying down, just observe it for a while from that unique perspective!
A zedonk was born recently at an animal reserve in Dahlonega, Georgia (Chestatee Wildlife Preserve). Zebras and donkeys very rarely mate, but it is not unheard of for them to do so. A zedonk typically results from the pairing of a male zebra and a female donkey. Zedonks are usually sterile because they are missing a chromosome. According to a Science Daily article, “the offspring of an interspecific cross very often are sterile; this hybrid sterility prevents the movement of genes from one species to the other, keeping both species distinct.”
Zedonks are also called Zonkeys, but Zedonk is considered the proper name.
Congressmen Seek to Halt BLM Gathers
From theHorse.com
by: Pat Raia
August 04 2010, Article # 16772
A bipartisan group of congressmen have asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to halt controversial gather operations in Nevada and postpone all pending wild horse gathers until an independent study of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustang management operations takes place. The BLM is a division within the Department of Interior, and the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 places mustang and burro management under BLM jurisdiction.
In a July 30 letter U.S. Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and 53 other House members called on Salazar specifically to stop the mustang gather from the Tuscarora Complex in Elko County, Nev., during which 17 horses died due to dehydration or roundup-related injuries.
In the letter the Congressmen labeled the BLM’s mustang management policies as “deeply flawed” and requested a halt to all gathers “until the agency demonstrates that it has addressed the failings of the current program and can ensure the safety and well-being of the animals you are charged with protecting.”
The letter also called for an independent study of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro program by the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit group that advises government agencies on scientific issues. The study would determine the most accurate, science-based methods for estimating wild horse and burro populations and recommend practical, effective non-lethal, publicly acceptable management alternatives to current BLM policies.
BLM spokesman Tom Gorey said, “We are committed to the protection and conservation of wild horses and the lands on which they roam. We are reviewing the letter.”
Jerry Finch, president and founder of Habitat for Horses, said wild horse advocates have long called for congressional attention to mustang management issues. “This positive action has been a long time coming,” he said. “Since the appointment of Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar the BLM has been hell bent on zeroing out standing herds and reducing remaining ones to unsustainable numbers. There is just no logic or science to it.”
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ANOTHER heart-warming story at theHorse.com Tevis Volunteer Rescues Fallen Mare
These are the first Cavalia videos that I have come across, so I wanted to share them… to be in Denver in September, and San Francisco later in year. As I’ve said before, this extravaganza is the most amazing thing I have ever seen done with horses. I seriously want to see it again– and HorseGal can’t wait!
in Charlotte NC last May
Florida in March
It certainly appears that many folks have been sneaking in their cameras into performances! (When I went in 2005 in Boston it was not allowed.)
promo for American tour, apparently Atlanta in Oct. 2009.
Elko, NV (July 8, 2010)— Over 1,400 federally-protected wild mustangs are to be rounded up beginning July 9, in the Tuscarora area of Elko County Nevada during the hottest month of the year. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is violating their own set-protocol for waiting six weeks after the main foaling season, defined as March 1-June 30, so that young foals can escape the inherent danger of a high-heat summer roundup. BLM will dispatch privately contracted choppers to run the Tuscarora mustangs over miles of rugged terrain in a taxpayer-funded roundup expected to last three weeks and result in the removal of some 1,100 mustangs. Only last month, Oregon BLM wild horse managers postponed a planned roundup that would have started the day after foaling season—opting to begin instead in mid-August for the horses’ safety.
“If allowed to go forward this will be a massacre,” states Anne-Marie Pinter who rode the Pony Express Race through the area on her Spanish Mustang and saw small foals. “It is covered with razor-sharp, volcanic rock that will rip up the feet of these poor foals. Before riding the area, our event veterinarian strongly recommended that we put thick rubber boots over the metal shoes of our horses—the rocks are that treacherous. We experienced triple digit temperatures and had to constantly work at keeping our horses hydrated. I can’t even imagine the toll on terrified small foals and even the adult animals at the hottest time of the year. This amounts to horrible animal cruelty and no one will know what is going on because BLM has closed the area, even the roads.”
Last winter, during the deadliest BLM roundup in memory in the Calico Mountains of Northwestern Nevada, at least two 6-9 month foals suffered a horrible death. Their hooves literally separated from their leg bones after running over similar terrain. Yet, BLM justified the dead-of-winter roundup by stating in their Environment Assessment: “Fall and winter time-frames are much less stressful to foals than summer gathers. Not only are young foals in summer months more prone to dehydration and complications from heat stress, the handling, sorting and transport is a stress to the young animals and increases the chance for them to be rejected by their mothers. By gathering wild horses during the winter, stress associated with summer gathers can be avoided.”
“Let’s be honest. What is driving these roundups has very little to do with concern for vulnerable foals and everything to do with contractor availability and using up taxpayer money before the end of fiscal year 2010,” states Cloud Foundation Director, Ginger Kathrens, who has spent over 16 years documenting the lives of wild horse families. “With only two helicopter contractors available to round up the horses, scheduling becomes tricky, especially when the goal is the removal of 6,000 wild horses before the end of September. So, the rush to rid the land of mustangs trumps humane treatment. Disgusting.”
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Read more at theCloudFoundation.org
Gunstock Nordic Association is proud to have Nina Gavrylyuk, 3-time Olympic gold medalist, as coach for cross-country ski training here in Gilford. We are pleased to be host-housing a young man from the Keene area who is in (very intense) training with Nina this summer.
You may ask, as I did, how does one train in the heat of summer for cross-country skiing? Well, I get tired just hearing about it! Ski-walking (hiking with XC poles), roller-skiing (roller-blading on our local roads with XC poles), strength training, and cart-pulling are just a few exercises in their training regimen. These kids are truly dedicated; our current guest trainee came very close to qualifying for Junior Olympics just last year, and he is only 16!
Nina Gavrylyuk, 3-time gold medalist and 10-time World Champion as a member of the Russian National Team. See Overview of Gunstock Nordic Association, with Bio of Nina and Igor on GNA website.
Per GunstockNordic.com website–
GNA’s internationally-renowned coaches train athletes of all levels and abilities, helping skiers to reach their goals. Cross-country ski coach, Nina Gavrylyuk, is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, where she graduated from the P.F. Lesgaft State Institute of Physical Culture as a qualified ski coach. As a member of the Russian National Team, her accomplishments include 3 Olympic gold medals, 5 individual World Cup victories, and 10 World Championships. Her 15 years on the World Cup Circuit bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to GNA. Her husband, Igor Badamshin, also a past Olympian and many time Russian National Champion, assists her. He brings energy and enthusiasm with his past coaching experience to us from the Russian National team.
Nina Gavrylyuk (right) pulled ahead early in Jan. 2010 U.S. Master’s XC race in Craftsbury Vermont, to finish first in Women’s division and 16th overall against men and women. [Reported by New England Nordic Ski Association]
