Show Canes for Sale

I have two hand made show canes available for purchase. They are $45 each plus packaging and shipping in a custom storage tube.

The first is a gorgeous black handled one with the pink floral design has a lovely soft, black leather handle which is hand sewn on. It measures 43" long and could be shortened upon request.

The second is a 40" long cane with a lovely brass and glass knob. The handle is wrapped and hand sewn with a beige leather that affords an excellent grip. This is an elegant and unique piece and the flash of red on the handle is very eye catching.

I accept PayPal or money order. Email me at scaequestrian@yahoo.com for more information.

Another Floral Fiasco

What is up with all the floral tack!? Yuck, this one has a PURPLE stirrup that doesn't even MATCH. Yuck.

Frustrating

Sometimes I just want to bang my head against a wall.

Some of you may know of the massive outbreak of tornadoes in the southeast. Arkansas was hit two weeks in a row. The storms Monday night in Central Arkansas, specifically in the Vilonia area, caused widespread damage. The aftermath has left dozens, if not hundreds, of displaced and/or injured pets and livestock. I spent Tuesday night until 12:30am at the temporary shelter they had set up, triaging horses with a volunteer vet that arrived after spending the ongoing storms in her safe room that afternoon. We both got out, drove over a half hour each, into the teeth of another tornado and flash flood-producing storm to help and what do we arrive to? Chaos. Absolute, utter chaos. Mongolian clusterfuck of the highest order. No organization, no leadership, nothing. My friend was handed a clipboard at 6pm with random notes on it, told "you are in charge now", and abandoned by the other volunteers in the face of oncoming bad weather. Not only was there no one actually doing anything when we arrived (except my friend and she was on the edge of losing her shit) except standing around and causing trouble. One lady was so rude and nasty to volunteers, donators, and people asking for help, that many left unaided.

Why? Why be like that and run off your help? Are you trying to be the sole savior? The animals are the ones who suffer in the end. When the vet arrived, she, my friend and I began working up the horses. The rude person hung around for a bit with her cronies making loud, rude observations then they wandered off not to be seen again. None of the horses had hay left, none had been fed, several had not so much as had anyone look at their wounds. We did what we could, gave Tetanus shots, cleaned at and wrapped wounds, applied topical treatment, gave antibiotics where indicated, sedated and treated several that were too worked up to be touched, hayed, fed, watered and bedded them down for the night. Then we drove home, only to have to get up and go to work in the morning. My friend went back the next day, and rude chick was there, full force. None of the horses had been checked, all needed hay and feed. My friend took care of them, told the rude chick off, and hooked up her trailer and left, warning me not to go up there again because of the rude person who was apparently the self-appointed "in charge" person. Apparently nothing was getting done, people were leaving unaided, with donations un-donated, and volunteers un-volunteering.

Look folks, if you are asking, nay pleading, for help. Don't leave the operation in the hands of someone like this! If you do you will suddenly find it VERY difficult to get people willing to help out in the event of another disaster.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

At least for a little while. My show got cancelled this past Saturday, no one wanted to play in the mud. There is another one this coming weekend, and unless it stops raining soon, it will likely be cancelled too. I plan to show the SRF aside in the local horse show association's Ladies Gaited class and I also plan to show her in the local gaited horse association's shows. We have been practicing diligently with the side saddle lately. I even took it on a trail ride Saturday in lieu of the cancelled show. I am sort of glad to have another week for more hair to shed off of her, she looks kind of moth-eaten at the moment. I am excited to do this, and I hope she behaves herself and doesn't have a nervous fit at all the new stuff. I have a riding habit pieced together, cost me all of about $65 and that includes a wool felt bowler hat (new) and a new vest and shirt. I got a blazer to use until I can get a day coat made and it cost me all of $5 at Goodwill. Yes we can do this on the cheap. I made a cute ribbon brow band for her with teal and purple ribbons and braided a set for her forelock and mane. The daycoat will be teal satin with the matte side out and will be lined in purple. How fun. Now if the weather will just cooperate!

Now, some Tacky Tack...

Sorry it's teeny, but I was unable to save a larger one. If I can find one I will update.

Parelli-sites

Today's rant brought to you by all the Parelli Kool-Aid drinking people and the problem horses they create.

Pat Parelli is a snake oil salesman.

There I said it. It is my constitutional right to have this opinion, so get your knickers all twisted if you want, but it is.

I can't STAND Parellied horses. The ones belonging to the Kool-Aid drinkers are rude, pushy and spoiled to the point of being somewhat dangerous. I have worked with a few horses that have been Parrelied, one horse after 6 months was finally a somewhat normal horse that behaves, surprisingly, like a HORSE. Not like an over sized dog. When I started with her, she would literally knock you the hell off the mounting block every time you went to get on. She would frisk you for cookies and always had her face all up in your business. I am NOT a scratching post and made that very clear to her. She would also turn and nuzzle and chew on your foot while you were mounted, I couldn't figure out why until I saw one of the other folks doing it and praising their horse. It is not a sign of affection, and it turns into biting. She got caught, groomed, saddled and ridden, and if she was a VERY good girl, she MIGHT get a treat, one, when she is minding her own business. Now she is back in a Parelli only training program. Sigh.

There are a couple of other horses I know that are products of the Parelli snake-oil sales. The first we will call the Fuzzy Little Jerk. I have had this horse come at me with his little ears back and his evil little eyes narrowed more times than I care to count. Thankfully, I moved my mare to a different pasture. I was told to shake my finger at him and shoo him away. Yeah, right. He just looked at me and flattened his ears MORE. Someone overheard the owner telling a girl that was riding him not to try to make him so a particular exercise, he didn't look like he felt like doing it that day. Excuse me? Last time I checked, the horse doesn't really get an opinion on that unless he is sick or in pain. Another one shall be known as the Big Pushy Moose. This horse has NO ground manners. He won't pick up a foot for his owner without a struggle. We have watched her tug and beg and he just stands there. Myself and the other non-Kool-Aid-Drinking boarder could walk over, grab his chestnut, twist slightly, and volia, hoof lifted. Hmm. He will run you the hell over, he will swing his big ol' head around and knock you down, he will walk all over you and push you around. He is ALWAYS looking for cookies or candy in your pockets. No sense of personal space or respect for the handler.

NONE of the Parelli-sites' horses I have ever run across is a balanced, well behaved animal. They all seem to have issues with space and respect. Most of the "training" techniques make no sense nor do they seem to have practical application toward actually RIDING your horse. How standing for an hour and draping a bit of string attached to a $60 orange stick while holding onto the magical $80 rope halter does something for a horse I will never know. (I have witnessed this.) I am all for using their language to communicate with them when applicable, but for actual RIDING, the snake oil just doesn't seem to work.

I don't get it. I just don't...

New Creations

Look what I made! A rocking sidesaddle cane! Want one like it? I can make one for you with any of the four toppers pictured for $40. The cane itself is bamboo lacquered a lovely dark red, the topper is firmly set into the end and the handle is wrapped in soft black leather. I can make them any length you want. Email me with questions or to reserve one. I can ship internationally and domestically. Shipping will be based upon your location. Cost of a shipping tube will be added to the shipping cost. This is NOT to be used for day to day riding, this is a show cane, the knobs are fragile, made of ceramic, brass inlaid with glass, or studded polyresin. I can also get the topper in plain white with an initial inscribed in black on it. Email for letter availability.

Floral Fail

April showers bring...ugly flowers in this case. Check out the angle of that seat too. Ouch.

More Funky Tack

Courtesy of our friends at Hilason. It looks like it has some kind of growths on it.

That looks comfortable...

...or not. Treeless saddles like this scare me.

I'm Still Here

Just busy, busy, busy!

Here is some gratuitous Tack for you to look at!