I AM ECSTATIC TO BE SO VERY WRONG!!!

I am genuinely thrilled to know and share that the 3 Strikes Mustangs are no longer at this time endangered.
I am thoroughly blown away by what ALL of the volunteers, and ABR and yes, even HSUS,
have managed to accomplish!!!
This has been a fantastical example of what can happen when people work together.
And I am so excited for the horses.
The outpouring has been tremendous.
From the individual who donated time and/money, to the professionals, and the companies, and the agencies, and the rescues, who donated and helped to bring resolution.
And The Sheriff's Department for causing charges to come into play.

*APPLAUSE* *I AM STANDING ON MY CHAIR AND APPLAUDING ALL OF YOU*

I am so proud you all proved me wrong. Thank you sincerely and from the depths of my heart for all you have done to help these animals.
Oh, and what the hell, forgiveness for all.

I did say, "I would be the last person to say good job"...

Oh, and Cathy? Very good job... I mean that sincerely...

Dena Rodacker
WMS

My Friends Call Me Turtle...

One of my least favourite dealers brought this filly to a local crap sale. With a whole herd that he had purchased at bargain basement prices from a colour breeder.
I made the mistake of walking by the ring to leave.
The auctioneer said, "What about you Dena"? My response was, "Whatever". Apparently that translates into "SOLD"!

If, I recall correctly, she was close to 3 months when she came. Rip weaned at the sale. And a nightmare to handle. Anytime she startled she flipped right over on her back. And most everything startled her.

And then, there were, the sale barn snots, the ringworm, the strangles that just about killed her(she broke behind the throatlatch in her neck), another round of ringworm, and after many cold nights in in the barn nursing her, here she is.

She is an angel for the farrier. Fair about doctoring(shots). And she hates the clippers with a purple passion(we are working on that). Very soft in the halter.
And she has finally learned to tie and stand quietly.

She is very sensitive skinned. Think hypereactive Thoroughbred. And she is insanely fast...

Her name on application is, "Go Leona Go". She is broodstock paint. Sonny Dee Bar and Tiger Leo topside. Her mother is not on allbreed but her name is, "Rodeo Dun It".

She may very well end up going to live with Bobby the 17hand wonderhorse in ND. I just need to know the flipping thing is truly a thing of the past. She currently has about 6 months flip free under her belt. When it is a year then I will know.
She will be 2 sometime this year. As you can see, by how high her rear end is, she is no where near mature enough to start under saddle.
We will see how she looks next year.

All of our youngstock are late babies. April through June.

Meet Madam Jiggles...

This is Eternal Moment. Our nod to the off the track Thoroughbred. Em is 5 this year. And this is her second stay with us.
She was originally here in August, I think, of last year. She became cost prohibitive for the folks she went to live with and returned in January.

Em too, is on a diet of solely forage. 90% alfalfa that tests 21% or better.
Her original owners are coming for a visit this summer. From Nebraska.
Em was a little distracted in the first 2 pictures. Gato was buzzing her pasture by way of the inside of the farmers field.

She has her new shoes on. And is ready to go back into training. She is a fairly level headed girl. And a very nice ride.
I am thinking not bad weight for a TB who is only on hay. She has actually gained since being here.
Poor Em. No more Scampers Choice for her. As if, she needs to be any thicker.

Hey Baby Take A Walk On The Wild Side...

I have added the under saddle pictures here. And some of my old time lawn mower on the thread directly below this. There is a lot to be said for a good angle in picture taking.

Gato the amazing yellow horse. Who has to date, at least, 4 lives. That is how many times he has escaped the truck.
The first picture was taken I believe in October 2007. He was a little tubby. Grained twice a day. Non- working. He was on the thin side when he came. Not emaciated. Ribby and raised backbone.
The other pictures were taken today.
No, he isn't quite as thick.

We switched the younger stock over to a program recommended by Dr. Harlan Anderson. Solely forage. We feed 90% alfalfa that tests 21% or better.
No grains left in the hind guts.

We did have one of the toughest winters here in Minnesota that we have suffered through in quite some time.
Think -30 as a good day.

Anyway, now it is finally Spring. HA! Almost summer more like. And our last snow was what? 2 weeks ago?

Gato has an interesting history in that he is not what a person would call a get along kind of horse.
I think he licked and chewed for the first time today after a lesson.
He has however changed remarkably from when he came.
I don't know if the pictures reflect it or not but he has his new shoes on. And he goes into the conditioning portion of his training program beginning tomorrow.

Now be careful making snap judgements based on these pictures. I am trying to make a point here.
Tomorrow he will have a haircut. A bath. And I will take something more resembling conformation shots.
And pictures under tack.
I guarantee these pictures from today were taken from angles guaranteed to mislead.

Gato was and is what we term, "An Issue Horse". I believe he was so mishandled at one point he even received a tryout for a rodeo company as a bucking horse.
I spent 20 days poulticing and wrapping a hind leg with 2 huge eggs on it that everyone said would not go away.
Having chute gates slammed on him was my guess. And I do know where he was staying before his last pitstop at the KBs.

There were a couple of times I questioned euthanizing him myself. He was dangerous in his original insanity.
The biggest thing that always made me reconsider? His relationship with Micah.
He could be blowing a full scale fit. This horse used to rear high enough in the air to look like he was doing a backbend.
We never flipped him though. Rough handling was the last thing he needed.
Micah would come running up, and the minute that horse heard or saw him he would stop, blow, get a little soft in the eye, and give him a nuzzle on the forehead.
And a good nudge that very clearly stated, "I like you kid. But get out of the way before you get hurt".
Micah would take hold of the lead, and that horse would drop his head to Micah's elbow and walk off. A few strides off and you would hear this huge sigh.

It took a long time for this horse to settle enough to trust. Let alone, begin to learn.
And when he decided he liked you? OMG!!! Breaking stall gates, to come visit. Taking out 3 strands of high tensile electric fence, to come visit.
The only horse I have ever personally met that will pick up the entire round pen and run with it. I assume because he could.

He has come a very long way. He may rear in play with the herd. But he has not reared being handled since July of 2007. He came June 6 of 2007.
He hasn't felt the need to kick anyone since February of 2008. He had never had his feet done when he came to us as a three year old.

He had 60 days of under saddle training with another individual last year. Tim Hennen of Birch Culee. He was too much for me and I am not ashamed to admit it.
Tim did a fantastic job with him. Brought him along real nice.

Gato clips, bathes, loads, and trailers. The farrier loves him now. And he gets his shoes burned on.
And thanks to Tim he has a very nice start under saddle.

I would never allow this horse to go to an amateur. Or, a juvenile. I do not wish to mislead anyone.
Yes, he has been handled by Micah since Micah was almost 5. But this is one of those strange exceptions.
It does NOT mean I would place Micah in the saddle on Gato with all the protective gear in the world. Yet. I expect this horse to continue to improve. But he is still as green as the grass he is munching in the pictures.

Gato is a safe horse for a experienced horse(wo)man. Most horses are.
He is not safe for a beginner. Except apparently, Micah.

Gato is currently 5. And even though, he has $13,500 in stud fees on his first 3 top lines. Sire, Grandsire, Great Grandsire. He is a Grandson of Frenchmans Guy. And a Great Grandson of Sunfrost. He still ended up in the direct to slaughter pen. Several times.
He has tremendous agility. And appears to have interest in the cows. Great expression!..
And moves with a powerful and effortless drive that takes your breath away. A total air glide ride.
He is quick. But, not what I would consider a barrel prospect.

So, meet Gato. Rescue #2.

On a sidenote; Keith Tongen the KB whose horses were on that double decker that tipped over in Illinois has reached an agreement with the prosecution.
Something to the effect of 2 years probation and a $4,000 fine.
I purchased Gato from him for $325.00 June 4, 2007. And little Joe for $200. And Reyna for $375.00. And Lizzie B for $100.
We no longer purchase from KBs and feedlots. Or sale venues. We determined that based on, our own beliefs, we were not helping horses by contributing to any of those folks staying in business.

A Message To The Alex Brown Racing Forum And The Fans Of Barbaro

I have struggled with my understanding of how you all arrive at the conclusions that you do. In truth, I think that a great many of you are overzealous in your desire to help horses.
I believe that is your driving force.

But, I do have difficulty with what you are supporting. I am not throwing blows here. I am simply saying. And I believe, as someone who bore the brunt of, your disillusionment and anger. Over having been, so successfully scammed by so many supposed rescues, I have some standing to question and state.

I wish to be very clear in that I do not wish to be a recipient of the money that you raise. I asked for help once. A rather limited amount of help.
What was it? $600 maybe?

I had no idea the rules or guidelines to asking for help online. At that time, I barely knew how to operate a computer.
No money was ever solicited to be sent directly to us. Nor did or do we have a PayPal account.
And while, I came to know later that you had all been the victims of scammers and frauds. I had no way of knowing that at the time.

Many of you crowed about being able to determine me a scammer. How smart some of you were.
I believe one poster even threatened to have me incarcerated. For fraud.
And I was turned over to fhotd. For what you all had determined were my just desserts.
For asking for help.

I was called "Begging Bertha". "Another Panhandler At The Park". And had someone else's interpretation of my life made into public fodder on the internet.

Even now, some of you dare to call me a scammer. And it does bother me. Mostly, that you would dare.
As, so many of the rescues your group have supported, have proven to be frauds and scammers.

I still have all of the same animals that I did in October of 2008. I am not the subject of any type of negative Humane action.
Why do you suppose that is?
We all know there were many many anonymous calls to AC. Why am I, the one you labeled, a scammer and a hoarder, not the one who is currently the subject of investigation?

I would never ask for money from either of these boards again. Without meaning to be, harsh or hurtful, I think many of you give far more than you can afford to.
And I do believe you donate irresponsibly.
And the follow up is very poor.

I think many of you have become "Rescue Addicts". Which is, very similar to being a hoarder.
And I think, in all honesty, that I feel sorry for many of you.
Because, you are not responsible.

I believe in many instances, you made promises of money to get horses placed at 3 Strikes. And dropped the ball after.
1 man and 336 mustangs? How could that have ever been considered a good idea?

I can commend your efforts to raise money to help address the 3 Strikes situation and to feed the workers.
I can commend your ability to organize quickly and with some proficiency.
But neither, can I forget.
I cannot overlook that you also could have organized to have a spot check done once a month.
Never did you require Jason Meduna's permission to do a fly over. As some of you had horses there.

I am going to be over the next week, posting histories and pictures of the animals here. I invite you all to take a look.
Because in truth, We, as in, my family and I, are owed an apology. For everything that the ABR board caused to be rained upon us.
We have never violated our promises to the animals.
And we, more so than, any rescue the ABR board has supported, have done it for the most part with our own money.
We asked for help once. And received a fair amount of abuse in return. The funny thing is, We are still here. As, are the animals we committed to help.

We do not consider the ABR board to be in the same league with rescue. We can hope that will change.
And that you will become responsible.
In truth, that would be our hope for all of you.
But we, would not be comfortable endorsing your efforts at this time.

I apologize if this is cause for offense. But it is nothing compared to what we were exposed to by so many of you.

Now They Lay You Down To Sleep. I Pray The Lord Your Souls To Keep...

I have struggled with accepting the inevitable deaths of so many of the 3 Strikes Mustangs and Burros.
Supposedly protected animals.
Animals that were the recipients of many stated and implied promises. That their times of trouble were over.
And that they were safe.

Regardless of, who did what, that has proven so very untrue...

The Promises have been broken. All of them.
And the animals will pay the ultimate price.
Isn't that the way of it?

The Rule of Man... I take what I want. I disregard the needs of others. And I call it "Progress".
Or necessary.

I imagine these wonderful wild and free spirits exactly that way. Wild and free... With their manes and tails streaming.
At peace in a grove. Satisfying their thirst at a stream. Giving birth under vast and starry skies.
And I wonder how they ever became considered vermin. To be removed and eradicated.

And I tell myself, if there truly is such a thing as, a jealous GOD, a vengeful GOD, I hope he tracks everyone who played a part in the vandalism and destruction of His Living Art.
And visits many a plague upon you.

It started with the land and ways of life of native peoples. And moved on to the buffalo. And there have been many examples since, of mans progress.
And now the wild horses must go.
Because, even though they came to be through a force larger than, the work of any mans hand, man has decreed that they no longer fit.

Let me think on this. The Spaniards came and left. Leaving horses behind. The white man came. And imported through similar disregard for life and freedom, the Black man, woman, and child.
And the Chinese. To serve them. The Irish came due to famine. And then, there was Ellis Island designated for the use of emigres of all nations.

This land belonged to that which was free and wild. The white man determined to tame it. And has historically, without fail, proceeded to kill off, or fence in, whatever did not appeal to them.

I usually do not think in terms of colour. But sometimes, it is necessary. To comprehensively understand the issue at hand.

It seems to me, in reviewing the history, the only thing the white man forgot to pack before immigrating was respect.

I am grateful to my ancestors. For instilling in me to be no mans slave. And sharing an ingrained respect for the land and all of its many gifts.
And the knowledge to not take more than what is necessary to sustain life.

And I weep. Over this latest proof that man has learned nothing from his and her own history.

True or False???

There is much I do not know. TRUE
There is much I have not seen. TRUE

There is much I have seen that I wish I had not. TRUE
There is much that I have heard that I wish I had not. TRUE

There is no possibility that I can be wrong about anything. FALSE
I generally admit when I am wrong. TRUE

There are many people that I have met who have convinced me there are many worthwhile human beings.
There are even more who cause me to reconsider that opinion on a daily basis.

Wasting my time with adults who act as children while addressing very important issues?
And maintaining a peaceable and respectful of their opinions attitude and demeanor?
So far beyond my reach that I have stopped reaching.

I am actually stunned by what I have seen with this whole 3 Strikes drama/saga. I am stunned that so many are so blatantly hypocritical that they now require compensation for doing the right thing.
And expecting of adulation and praise as well.

If this is any indication of where equine rescue is headed I want out. Of any organized group.
I am blown by the complete disregard for any type of ethical and consistent standard.

Someone described their general impression of most of the FHoTD posters as being like the cool girls smoking their cigarettes in the bathroom at school. Sucking those cigarettes til the cherry was an inch long and glowing red. Chewing and snapping their gum. All while, trying to look cool and tough. When they were scared shitless that they were going to get caught.
How apropo... Sucking, chewing, and snapping. And scared of being caught.

I have little patience with posers and imposters. Even less tolerance for. If, this is to be my peer group in rescue, I am disassociating myself from any relation to.

So many of these people think they are changing the world. No. Not really. They are just creating more smoke for everyone else to navigate through. And when it clears?
There is usually a tremendously large pile of shit and dead bodies on the other side. That they were hoping to hide.

I have said my piece on this issue repeatedly. I have horses to train and other employment to attend to.
I am through trying to share information with the ineducable.
They already know everything they are interested in knowing. And as they have made careers out of blowing smoke up the asses and in the eyes of the masses?
Who am I to stand in the way of their progress?

Hopefully and occasionally, a hurdle to the progression of ignorance that cannot be stepped around, on, or over...