Once again, I must post and comment on how I haven't posted in a long while. Alas...
Fortunately, my reasons for not posting are most excellent.
They're named Bud, Mike, Jesse, Peggy, Huey, TLa, Dakota, Petey, Madison, Mooch and Cupcake. They live in Palmer, Massachusetts, and are residents under the care of Blue Star Equiculture.
What, you may ask, is Blue Star Equiculture?
Well, BSE is a non-profit draft horse sanctuary and organic farm founded in January by Pamela Rickenbach and Christina Hansen (that would be me).
You can check out our (still underconstruction) website here and our blog here.
We're drafting a better future for horses, humans and Mother Earth!
If you like what you see over at Equiculture, please sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop about our goings on.
(Next post, I'll return to carriage driving in Philadelphia, though Blue Star Equiculture is now the retirement home for two 76 Carriage Company carriage horses.)
16.4.09
3.3.09
Excuse me?
I was working on Sunday, and a group of three women walked past. My coworker asked them if they wanted a ride. They said, "No, thanks."
I chimed in as they passed me, "Well, if you change your mind, tours start at $30 for all three of you."
That actually got them to stop. I continued to explain all the aspects of the carriage rides. Two of the women were like, "OK, we'll see... We're going to go in the visitor's center." Which is fine. We're all being polite here.
Then the third woman--the youngest--screws up her face and asks, "Are these horses well-taken care of? I mean, do they get all the proper care and food and stuff?"
I'm so tired of that. It's not like she said, "You can tell this horse is well-taken care of," or "What kind of care does this horse get that he looks so good?" Her question was laced with the whole carriage-horses-AREN'T-taken-care-of-properly smugness of an outsider who has only read the anti-carriage propaganda.
So I straightened myself up, looked her right in the eye and asked her, "What kind of person do you think I am? Do you honestly think I would do this job if the horses weren't being taken care of?"
"I don't know," she stammered, "I don't know you. I don't know what kind of person you are."
"Well, look at Tomahawk," I continued, "Does he look like he's well-fed?"
She nodded.
"Does he look like he's well-groomed?"
"Yes."
"Well, then, what about him would make you ask me if he was well taken care of?"
She struggled for an answer. "Um... He's wearing harness."
"So?"
She didn't have an answer for that.
Since when is wearing a harness a bad thing? It's no different from a saddle or a bridle or a bareback pad or a surcingle or an Indian wedding costume...
I chimed in as they passed me, "Well, if you change your mind, tours start at $30 for all three of you."
That actually got them to stop. I continued to explain all the aspects of the carriage rides. Two of the women were like, "OK, we'll see... We're going to go in the visitor's center." Which is fine. We're all being polite here.
Then the third woman--the youngest--screws up her face and asks, "Are these horses well-taken care of? I mean, do they get all the proper care and food and stuff?"
I'm so tired of that. It's not like she said, "You can tell this horse is well-taken care of," or "What kind of care does this horse get that he looks so good?" Her question was laced with the whole carriage-horses-AREN'T-taken-care-of-properly smugness of an outsider who has only read the anti-carriage propaganda.
So I straightened myself up, looked her right in the eye and asked her, "What kind of person do you think I am? Do you honestly think I would do this job if the horses weren't being taken care of?"
"I don't know," she stammered, "I don't know you. I don't know what kind of person you are."
"Well, look at Tomahawk," I continued, "Does he look like he's well-fed?"
She nodded.
"Does he look like he's well-groomed?"
"Yes."
"Well, then, what about him would make you ask me if he was well taken care of?"
She struggled for an answer. "Um... He's wearing harness."
"So?"
She didn't have an answer for that.
Since when is wearing a harness a bad thing? It's no different from a saddle or a bridle or a bareback pad or a surcingle or an Indian wedding costume...
23.2.09
Blue Star Equiculture
In January, signed up for nanowrimo's "Year of Doing Big, Fun, Scary Things Together" but I had no idea things were going to be this Big, Fun (and Scary)!
My friend, Pam Rickenbach, who runs Stardust Organics and used to drive a carriage with me in Philadelphia (where she was Tom's Mom), recently met a wonderful benefactor named Sandy. Sandy is interested in organic gardening, which is how she met Pam's partner, Glenn. Glenn told her about Pam's work with draft horses (Pam also has the great and awesome Bud in his retirement).
Before we knew it, we had a plan for a draft horse rescue / sanctuary and organic farm on 150 acres in Palmer, Massachusetts.
I'm very thankful to Pam for including me in this.
Here's our mission statement:
Our Mission is to provide homeless working horses a sanctuary and the opportunity to be useful and positively improve their lives, while bringing education, equine awareness, skills and healing to the community.
Blue Star Equiculture is a vision born out of the hearts of like-minded individuals who feel the need to respond to the current, increasingly dire situation facing homeless horses, especially working draft horses.
To be honest, the Jethro Tull song, "Heavy Horses," posted below, is really the mission statement.
HUMAN HISTORY IS WRITTEN IN HOOFPRINTS.
Check back for more.
Our website (still under construction) is www.equiculture.org
29.1.09
Heavy Horses -- Jethro Tull
In these dark towns folk lie sleeping
As the heavy horses thunder by
To wake the dying city
With the living horseman's cry
At once the old hands quicken ---
Bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---
Thrill to the sound of all
The heavy horses coming home.
I'm posting this song today for two reasons.
1.) My friend Pam of Stardust Organics is pursuing a project to promote draft horses and carriage horses as both living history and our living future.
2.) Up in New York, my carriage driving brethren have a hearing tomorrow on two bills in NYC City Council. One proposes to ban all horse carriages in NYC. The other would give the carriage horses and drivers a fare raise. You can read more about it at these blogs: centralparkcarriagehorses and thewhiffletreenyc
Heavy horses
By jethro tull
Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust
On October's day, towards evening
Sweat-embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning
Last of the line at an honest day's toil
Turning the deep sod under
Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone
Flies at the nostrils plunder.
The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie
With the Shire on his feathers floating
Hauling soft timber into the dusk
To bed on a warm straw coating.
Heavy horses, move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free
Now you're down to the few
And there's no work to do
The tractor's on its way.
Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed
To keep the old line going.
And we'll stand you abreast at the back of the woods
Behind the young trees growing
To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth,
Youre eighteen hands at the shoulder
And one day when the oil barons have all dripped dry
And the nights are seen to draw colder
Theyll beg for your strength, your gentle power
Your noble grace and your bearing
And youll strain once again to the sound of the gulls
In the wake of the deep plough, sharing.
Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
Up into the cold wind facing
In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
Against the low sun racing
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.
Bring a song for the evening
Clean brass to flash the dawn
Across these acres glistening
Like dew on a carpet lawn
In these dark towns folk lie sleeping
As the heavy horses thunder by
To wake the dying city
With the living horseman's cry
At once the old hands quicken ---
Bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---
Thrill to the sound of all
The heavy horses coming home.
Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust
On October's day, towards evening
Sweat-embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.
Heavy horses, move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free
Now you're down to the few
And there's no work to do
The tractor's on its way.
As the heavy horses thunder by
To wake the dying city
With the living horseman's cry
At once the old hands quicken ---
Bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---
Thrill to the sound of all
The heavy horses coming home.
I'm posting this song today for two reasons.
1.) My friend Pam of Stardust Organics is pursuing a project to promote draft horses and carriage horses as both living history and our living future.
2.) Up in New York, my carriage driving brethren have a hearing tomorrow on two bills in NYC City Council. One proposes to ban all horse carriages in NYC. The other would give the carriage horses and drivers a fare raise. You can read more about it at these blogs: centralparkcarriagehorses and thewhiffletreenyc
Heavy horses
By jethro tull
Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust
On October's day, towards evening
Sweat-embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning
Last of the line at an honest day's toil
Turning the deep sod under
Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone
Flies at the nostrils plunder.
The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie
With the Shire on his feathers floating
Hauling soft timber into the dusk
To bed on a warm straw coating.
Heavy horses, move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free
Now you're down to the few
And there's no work to do
The tractor's on its way.
Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed
To keep the old line going.
And we'll stand you abreast at the back of the woods
Behind the young trees growing
To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth,
Youre eighteen hands at the shoulder
And one day when the oil barons have all dripped dry
And the nights are seen to draw colder
Theyll beg for your strength, your gentle power
Your noble grace and your bearing
And youll strain once again to the sound of the gulls
In the wake of the deep plough, sharing.
Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
Up into the cold wind facing
In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
Against the low sun racing
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.
Bring a song for the evening
Clean brass to flash the dawn
Across these acres glistening
Like dew on a carpet lawn
In these dark towns folk lie sleeping
As the heavy horses thunder by
To wake the dying city
With the living horseman's cry
At once the old hands quicken ---
Bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---
Thrill to the sound of all
The heavy horses coming home.
Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust
On October's day, towards evening
Sweat-embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.
Heavy horses, move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free
Now you're down to the few
And there's no work to do
The tractor's on its way.
27.1.09
Audio-visual equestrian puns
Anybody else notice that Anky and Saliniero are piaffing to Piaf?
(For those not in the dressage know, the piaffe is where the horse trots in place. And Edith Piaf? Well she's French! The song used at the beginning and the end of this kur is "Je ne regrette rien.")
P.S. This video is from the 2006 World Equestrian Games. We can't wait until the 2010 World Equestrian Games come to Lexington! Whee!
26.1.09
L'hiver viendra, les gars, l'hiver viendra
Le jument de Michao, elle s'en repentira...
Right now, Bubba the Round is on turnout. Jean-Leo over at Percheron-International recently published a post about Breton draft horses. I think they look an awful lot like Bubba. (Or, rather, Bubba looks a lot like a Breton draft horse, particularly the rounder specimens.)
You can be the judge of Bubba's parentage. I found this lovely video of Bretons on youtube (you will also note the large numbers of people wearing white shirts and black vests):
The music in the video is a traditional Breton song called "Le Jument de Michao."
Here are the lyrics:
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
La jument de Michao et son petit poulain
Sont passés dans le pré, ont mangé tout le foin
La jument de Michao et son petit poulain
Sont passés dans le pré, ont mangé tout le foin
L'hiver viendra les gars, l'hiver viendra
La jument de Michao, elle s'en repentira
L'hiver viendra les gars, l'hiver viendra
La jument de Michao, elle s'en repentira
Translation:
In ten years I'm going to leave
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
In ten years I'm going to leave
I hear the wolf and the fox singing.
I hear the wolf, the fox, and the weasel
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
I hear the wolf, the fox, and the weasel
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
In ten years I'm going to leave
In ten years I'm going to leave
The mare of Michao and her little foal
Passed through the pasture and ate up all the hay
The mare of Michao and her little foal
Passed through the pasture and ate up all the hay
Winter is coming, boys, winter is coming
The mare of Michao is going to be sorry for it
Winter is coming, boys, winter is coming
The mare of Michao is going to be sorry for it.
Bubba spends all of his waking hours attempting to eat all the hay wherever he is.
This is the time of year when bad weather forces the carriage horses to either go on turnout or to stay in the barn. And it's when metaphorically we regret all the hay we ate in the field and didn't leave for the winter. A snow storm is coming in the next couple of days, so it looks like it's going to be at least Thursday before anyone does any work.
(Meanwhile, Bubba is out in Lancaster County eating so much hay that, if it's anything like last year, he won't be able to fit in the shafts come spring. If there's anything Bubba will repent for, it will be for getting so fat he'll have to go on a diet.)
On a tangentially related note:
We heard our own "wolf" Rinnie the German Shepherd singing yesterday afternoon when Noodle locked him in one of the stalls outside. I think Noodle was tired of Rinnie chasing him all the time.
Rinnie last year.
Some pics of Bubba from this summer:
Right now, Bubba the Round is on turnout. Jean-Leo over at Percheron-International recently published a post about Breton draft horses. I think they look an awful lot like Bubba. (Or, rather, Bubba looks a lot like a Breton draft horse, particularly the rounder specimens.)
You can be the judge of Bubba's parentage. I found this lovely video of Bretons on youtube (you will also note the large numbers of people wearing white shirts and black vests):
The music in the video is a traditional Breton song called "Le Jument de Michao."
Here are the lyrics:
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette
J'entends le loup et le renard chanter
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
Et dans dix ans je m'en irai
La jument de Michao et son petit poulain
Sont passés dans le pré, ont mangé tout le foin
La jument de Michao et son petit poulain
Sont passés dans le pré, ont mangé tout le foin
L'hiver viendra les gars, l'hiver viendra
La jument de Michao, elle s'en repentira
L'hiver viendra les gars, l'hiver viendra
La jument de Michao, elle s'en repentira
Translation:
In ten years I'm going to leave
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
In ten years I'm going to leave
I hear the wolf and the fox singing.
I hear the wolf, the fox, and the weasel
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
I hear the wolf, the fox, and the weasel
I hear the wolf and the fox singing
In ten years I'm going to leave
In ten years I'm going to leave
The mare of Michao and her little foal
Passed through the pasture and ate up all the hay
The mare of Michao and her little foal
Passed through the pasture and ate up all the hay
Winter is coming, boys, winter is coming
The mare of Michao is going to be sorry for it
Winter is coming, boys, winter is coming
The mare of Michao is going to be sorry for it.
Bubba spends all of his waking hours attempting to eat all the hay wherever he is.
This is the time of year when bad weather forces the carriage horses to either go on turnout or to stay in the barn. And it's when metaphorically we regret all the hay we ate in the field and didn't leave for the winter. A snow storm is coming in the next couple of days, so it looks like it's going to be at least Thursday before anyone does any work.
(Meanwhile, Bubba is out in Lancaster County eating so much hay that, if it's anything like last year, he won't be able to fit in the shafts come spring. If there's anything Bubba will repent for, it will be for getting so fat he'll have to go on a diet.)
On a tangentially related note:
We heard our own "wolf" Rinnie the German Shepherd singing yesterday afternoon when Noodle locked him in one of the stalls outside. I think Noodle was tired of Rinnie chasing him all the time.
Rinnie last year.
Some pics of Bubba from this summer:
17.1.09
Arctic Exercize
Tom trots 'round...
...and 'round...
...and 'round...
...and 'round...
It was 18 degrees yesterday in Philadelphia, so all of the carriage horses at 76 were tucked snugly in their nice, warm stalls inside the barn. It was so cold outside that there was ice on the insides of the wooden barn doors where the condensation from the horses' breath had frozen to it. And the horses put off enough heat that my glasses steamed up when I went in from the mid-teens temperatures after having free-longued Tom.
Regardless of the weather, though, the horses must get their exercize rather than being cooped up all the time, so I spent yesterday walking and longuing the 11 horses that aren't on turnout right now. It frigid enough, though, that even the most enthusiastic of yard-goers was ready to return to the warmth after only 10 to 15 minutes of exercize.
All this frozen tundra-cize must have worked up an appetite, though, because the boys were more than ready for their feed, supplemented by a nice warm bran mash. (Or maybe they're all just hungry as a, um, horse.)
Trump, Rex, Tom and Bill eagerly await their hot dinners.
This was the kind of happy day with the horses that reaffirms my belief that I have the coolest (and at times the coldest) job in the world.
Tomorrow we'll be back downtown, after being confined to the barn since Tuesday, because it shall be a balmy 35.
14.1.09
Random Philadelphia history
"Wissahickon" means either "stream of yellowish color" or "catfish creek" in the Lenape language.
"Moyamensing" means "bird droppings."
"Moyamensing" means "bird droppings."
Winter in Philadelphia and New Year's Resolutions
This is the time of year
when we sustain ourselves on
fantasies of summer.
After the big holiday season and a week and a half vacation in ol' Kentucky, I'm back in Philadelphia with several days ahead with temperatures and windchills not rising out of the low to mid-20s, which means no carriages on the street.
Hopefully, therefore, I can spend some time cleaning and unpacking and otherwise working on my Big, Fun, Scary goals for 2009 (sponsored by nanowrimo.org.
Here's my list (at the moment):
LIVING MORE HEALTHFULLY
1. Cut the soda habit.
2. Take lunch to work instead of buying cheesesteaks downtown.
3. Cook dinner more at home, at least on the weekdays (with leftovers for my long weekend days). Try at least two new recipes per month.
4. Grow basil at home.
5. Eat fruit every day.
6. Stretch every day.
CONNECT WITH HORSE PEOPLE
7. Submit pictures of Philadelphia percherons to Jean-Leo's blog, percheron-international.blogspot.com.
8. Look into joining professional organizations like CONA or the CAA.
9. Reconnect with my vaulting group and / or find a place to take horseback riding lessons.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
10. Continue to be involved in the Association of Philadelphia Tourguides. Run for office, design a logo, build our website.
11. Design and order some rockin' business cards from Zazzle.com.
12. Learn one thing about Philadelphia everyday.
13. Go some place new in Philly or surroundings each week.
14. Look into getting a killer historic frock coat by summer season.
CREATIVITY
15. Clean off art table so I can actually use it. Create something at least once a week.
15a. In the process of creating something every week over the course of the year, do a portrait (any medium) of each of my equine friends. (That's 20 horses we currently own, plus one retired and three departed for 24 total.)
16. Try to finish either Nano2007 or Nano2008 by October.
17. Further work on my website, thedrafthorse.com and thedrafthorse blog. One breed entry per week on my draft horse breed reference, and three blog entries per week on drafthorse.blogspot.com.
18. Learn Macromedia Freehand to create more designs for my cafepress shop.
19. Limit TV to "bare minimum": sports, Mythbusters, the occasional PBS thingie.
LIFE AT HOME
20. Declutter. Once shelf or drawer per week (or more often).
21. Seriously sort through books again. Half.com and ebay are my friends.
22. Mindfully clean house once a week. Our apartment does not have to be perfect, but it deserves my respect as my home.
23. No filing for a tax extension this year (at least not until we see how much we owe!).
24. Sit down with husband and make a budget to repay some debt.
when we sustain ourselves on
fantasies of summer.
After the big holiday season and a week and a half vacation in ol' Kentucky, I'm back in Philadelphia with several days ahead with temperatures and windchills not rising out of the low to mid-20s, which means no carriages on the street.
Hopefully, therefore, I can spend some time cleaning and unpacking and otherwise working on my Big, Fun, Scary goals for 2009 (sponsored by nanowrimo.org.
Here's my list (at the moment):
LIVING MORE HEALTHFULLY
1. Cut the soda habit.
2. Take lunch to work instead of buying cheesesteaks downtown.
3. Cook dinner more at home, at least on the weekdays (with leftovers for my long weekend days). Try at least two new recipes per month.
4. Grow basil at home.
5. Eat fruit every day.
6. Stretch every day.
CONNECT WITH HORSE PEOPLE
7. Submit pictures of Philadelphia percherons to Jean-Leo's blog, percheron-international.blogspot.com.
8. Look into joining professional organizations like CONA or the CAA.
9. Reconnect with my vaulting group and / or find a place to take horseback riding lessons.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
10. Continue to be involved in the Association of Philadelphia Tourguides. Run for office, design a logo, build our website.
11. Design and order some rockin' business cards from Zazzle.com.
12. Learn one thing about Philadelphia everyday.
13. Go some place new in Philly or surroundings each week.
14. Look into getting a killer historic frock coat by summer season.
CREATIVITY
15. Clean off art table so I can actually use it. Create something at least once a week.
15a. In the process of creating something every week over the course of the year, do a portrait (any medium) of each of my equine friends. (That's 20 horses we currently own, plus one retired and three departed for 24 total.)
16. Try to finish either Nano2007 or Nano2008 by October.
17. Further work on my website, thedrafthorse.com and thedrafthorse blog. One breed entry per week on my draft horse breed reference, and three blog entries per week on drafthorse.blogspot.com.
18. Learn Macromedia Freehand to create more designs for my cafepress shop.
19. Limit TV to "bare minimum": sports, Mythbusters, the occasional PBS thingie.
LIFE AT HOME
20. Declutter. Once shelf or drawer per week (or more often).
21. Seriously sort through books again. Half.com and ebay are my friends.
22. Mindfully clean house once a week. Our apartment does not have to be perfect, but it deserves my respect as my home.
23. No filing for a tax extension this year (at least not until we see how much we owe!).
24. Sit down with husband and make a budget to repay some debt.
22.11.08
Welcome to Winter!
It's only mid-November, and already we're getting snow and frigid temperatures. Looks like it could be a long winter here in Philly.
Photo 1: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Pavillion, November 21, 2008
Photo 2: Tom is wondering where the 72 degree weather from a week ago went
Photo 1: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Pavillion, November 21, 2008
Photo 2: Tom is wondering where the 72 degree weather from a week ago went
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