Happy Independence Day Holiday, Everyone!

I just love the Independence Day holiday, don't you? Wishing you all as much sun and fun as you can pack in by Monday.

Today is my husband Ed's birthday, and we are spending it at our trusty cabin. I dragged an old yard sale bed out of the shed, and set it up as an Independence-themed flower bed--for the benefit of the drive-by celebrators. We'll also get in some saddle time, some fishing time, and some saddle time.

How about you?

Smitty's Big Brother Wins National Title

Remember back in April, when I fell for the blanketed Appaloosa foal nicknamed Smitty, and just had to have him--even though he was barely a week old?

It turns out I'm not the only one with an eye for the offspring of An Awesome Secret. Another one of his get, a 2008 model named R Secret Vision, has won the National Champion Yearling Gelding title at the 2009 National Appaloosa Show in Jackson, Mississippi.

This is his victory photo, published with permission from photographer Larry Williams.

I sure wish that Grandpa Smith, after whom Smitty was nicknamed, were here to enjoy this moment in the sun. He'd be busting the buttons right off his Bibb overalls.

Congratulations to Kristine Fasano, owner of R Secret Vision, and to exhibitor Dave Parlier. And, to "big daddy," An Awesome Secret!

Just a bit more evidence that the horse world is a kind of ride, with ups that follow the downs.

Among the Mourners

This morning, there's a backhoe operator out in the pasture, digging the grave for Miss Rose--who was put down yesterday next to her final resting place.

The equine mourners, as well as the human ones,  are giving witness and paying their respects.

Farewell, sweet little friend. We're all going to miss you.

The Merciful Hand

You often hear "how do you know when it's time?" in relation to putting down a horse.

Well, today's the day when we knew it was time for Miss Rose. Her initial recovery from her choke episode last Tuesday was short-lived. Despite daily veterinary treatment and the best nursing we could muster, she didn't regain ability to eat and drink, and by this morning was shutting down and in mortal pain.

We now suspect she may have been in the first phases of some kind of internal distress when she choked, and that something beyond the choke itself may have been the issue. But regardless of underlying reason, there comes a time when the need to ease suffering trumps medical second-guessing. 

A merciful hand, therefore, has opened the gate for Miss Rose to canter off up to Horse Heaven. I'm sure the Tankman, who got there back in February, already has her rounded up and in his herd.

I trimmed a lock from her white mane and tail, covered up her until the backhoe driver can get here to bury her in the pasture, and arranged a vase of flowers in her honor.

R.I.P, little Miss Rose. You were loved when you ran out that gate.

Off Topic: Thinking About Michael Jackson

By now, the entire planet knows that entertainer Michael Jackson died yesterday at age 50. That was the nature of his fame--worldwide.

I once nicknamed a horse after him--Jackson--because like Michael, my Jackson had a glove (a single white sock) on his left front.

This morning, I was reminiscing with Ed about seeing MJ's breakout young-adult performance, in which he debuted the moonwalk. The occasion was the Motown 25th anniversary TV special at the Apollo Theater in New York, in the early 1980s. Nobody had ever seen anything remotely like it, and it created a sensation.

At the time, I worked at a popular Northwest equine publication called The Lariat. We all came to work the next morning and spent most of it talking about what we'd seen on television the night before. It'd take another 20-some years before the YouTube phenomenon would make that performance readily available.

Here it is.

Another Member of the Canine Editorial Team

Readers, meet Sam, as in Sam Purvis, as in beloved pupster of H&R's art director, Adam Purvis.

Sam, a Rat Terrier, is on a considerably smaller physical scale than Happy and Murphy, the two Labs introduced a couple of posts ago.

However, I suspect no one's told him he's a little dog. And as you can see from his expression, he brings a skeptical honesty to his editorial duties.

"Dad--dude!--you're going to put WHAT on the cover of H&R this month?!? Another horse?! Did you forget who is REALLY 'man's best friend'?"

"Um, I hate to bring this up, but that logo color you used last month did not match my dog bed AT ALL."

"Is that BLING I see on the other H&R dogs' collars? Tsk tsk...I like a more conservative look, myself. Goes with everything, and if the Big Boss drops by, I can be under a desk and under the radar in a flash."

"The dog thing? Just a disguise. I'm really just as human as the next person."

July 2009 Horse & Rider: Your Sneak Peek

If you don't have it already, this will be the next issue of Horse & Rider to appear in your mailbox or at your favorite magazine vendor locale.

"De-Spook Training" is a photo how-to on desensitization--great for beginners, and always a good visual refresher for everyone else...you know how those groundwork holes always seem to show up under saddle eventually!

* "Your Next New Horse" offers tips and strategies for avoiding bad buys in horses. There are a lot of seemingly good deals on horses out there right now, but--as we all know--a free or low-priced horse isn't always the right choice in the long run.

* "40 Hot Ideas for Your Bucket List" is a fun-read round-up of the horse activities our staff and readers hope to experience before their buckets get kicked.

* Team H&R's newest member, Julie Goodnight, kicks off her new Confidence Boosters series.

Just a few of the highlights from an issue I hope you'll enjoy and learn from.

Good advice, that you can trust...that's our mission. (See my previous post on for a personal experience with exactly that!)

Horse & Rider Comes To My Own Rescue!

I looked out a window last evening to see Miss Rose, our little Arabian mare, lying apart from the other horses with her neck stretched out and her head repeatedly lifted in an odd way.

"This is not good," I say to myself.

When I go to get her up, she coughs up milky froth, tinged a yellowish-green, that POURS from her nostrils and out her mouth. I've never seen a horse spew like this, and can't imagine what horrible disease has overtaken the poor thing. She's vaccinated against the typical respiratory diseases like flu and rhino, and has not been off the place nor in contact with any unfamiliar horses for many months. Her temperature turns out to be normal, which wouldn't be the case with flu or rhino. What the heck??

So I go to the house to call Dr. Denise, our veterinarian, and happen to spy the May issue of Horse & Rider on the kitchen table. The top cover banner line (which I wrote) was "EMERGENCY! HOW TO HANDLE A CHOKE CRISIS." I remember that the article said something about coughing and fluid discharge, so I give it a quick scan, and--sure enough. Miss Rose's symptoms match those of a horse with an obstruction in the esophagus.

When Denise comes on the line, she agrees that this is most likely the situation--one that's a 9-1-1 problem for a horse--and says she'll be right out. She sedates Miss Rose, gives her an anti-spasm medication, then breaks up the obstruction with a tube passed through a nostril and down into the esophagus. Except for a bloody nose from the procedure, Rosie turns out to be fine.

I'd never seen a choked horse before, but I won't mistake the symptoms next time. And I'll be just as swift about bringing in veterinary intervention, because this was not a do-it-yourself treatment situation.

Now I know why we get "THANK YOU, HORSE & RIDER!" letters from readers who've been assisted by articles in the magazine. I know just how they feel!

And Now, A Wag-Wag from Happy & Murphy

More of Horse & Rider's unpaid editorial staff: Happy (on the left), Erin Sullivan's dog; and Murphy (Alana Harrison's canine companion). And, a new post from the On Staff blog as well.

I'll bet we could have an interesting episode of "You Write the Caption" with these two!

("Whose turn was it to bring the fresh bones for lunch?") 

The California Pup Checks In

Well, as soon as Sadie the PomChi Meyer found out that Squeeker got HIS picture on one of the Horse & Rider blogs, she insisted on a closeup of her own.

Here, you get a glimpse of how closely her hairdo matches that of her pet human, Jenny!

Horse & Rider's Canine Editorial Team

As the production crew put the final touches on August's Horse & Rider last week, I reset my brain to editorial planning for September's issue and beyond. 

I was busy going over notes, making phone calls, and filling in calendar dates, when I felt a familiar "thump-thump-swish" of a dog tail wisking my foot. I looked down, and there was Deputy Squeeker, in position and on duty as one of Horse & Rider's canine members of the editorial team.

The whole lot of us are proof that Horse Person usually = Dog Person as well.

The On Staff at H&R bloggers, Erin and Alana, have dogs, Happy and Murphy, who spend work days under or next to their desks. Their Texas office mate, Art Director Adam Purvis, has four canine furkids in addition to little boys Atticus and Holden. Senior Editor Jenny Meyer, who has a home office in California, is owned by a bossy little PomChi named Sadie. The contributing editors have just as much dog hair in their rigs as those of us who serve on the full-time staff.

One thing you gotta love about dogs as editorial partners is that they never complain about the hours. They're ready to be on standby as long as you need their company.

I'm betting that most of you reading this post have your own canine partners to count on.

Do you?