Horses and Hope: TJ's Story

Horses and Hope 2014 calendar preview: June

“He is stumbling and stiff in the shoulder,  
And splints from the hoof to the knee,

But never a horse on the station 
Has half such a spirit as he.”
~ William Ogilvie, "The Pearl Of Them All"

 
Every horse has a story, and this is the story of TJ.

TJ's The Bomb was presented at the auction looking handsome, but moving badly. Lame at even a walk, the typical muscular Quarter Horse standing on smallish feet was pegged as a lost cause by bidders. Navicular disease is a serious condition that can render a horse unsound for the rest of its life. New Jersey horsewoman Sarah Kampel was not looking for a project, but this guy caught her eye and his sunny disposition won her heart. Turns out TJ was beautifully trained, and had a show record to boot. In the springtime, his original owner (who lives halfway across the country) fell on hard times and sold him to a good home. After that, his story gets unclear and by June, he was sore-footed and selling at a New Jersey auction house.

Shown here is TJ's Horses and Hope calendar page, and it includes TJ's owner's account of his story: 

"I met TJ in the course of my volunteer work taking pictures and writing descriptions of horses on sale night. The horses were loose in the pen; when I went in the extremely lame TJ hobbled up to greet me. He followed me around as I took notes on the rest of the horses, reminding me that he was there by gently touching his chin to my shoulder or his lips to my hair. He sat for almost a week with no interest - probably due to his lameness. I couldn't stop thinking about him so I brought him home. We addressed the problems with his feet; lameness evaluations and x-rays were done and a treatment plan was set up. A lot of people were involved in helping him and after months of therapeutic work, he is sound. TJ is a wonderful friend and partner who now has a family who loves him dearly."

-Sarah Kampel

It turned out that TJ's lameness, while still serious, is NOT navicular. He's being treated by a great team of equine health and hoof professionals and is now sound for riding. 

TJ gets a hoof evaluation from Daisy Bicking from http://www.daisyhavenfarm.com/

 Horses and Hope 2014 Calendar

TJ's story is one of the many featured in the 2014 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, the 2012 and 2013 Horses and Hope calendars featured stories and photos of hundreds of horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers everywhere, it raised thousands of dollars for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have two calendars' worth of experience to draw upon, the 2014 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.  

 

Please click here to order your calendar- they are printed and ready to go!

- Sarah Andrew

 

Horses and Hope: Esme's Story

Horses and Hope 2014 calendar preview: August

Every horse has a story, and this is the story of Esme.

Esme is a 10-year-old registered Morgan. This beautiful, well-bred mare was raised on a farm that obviously knew how to produce quality horses; however, things got a little out of hand there and while the horses were well fed, they were not handled. At all. Some situations changed, and part of the herd ended up at a rescue in western Maryland. Finding good homes for trained horses is challenging and for untouched horses, it's nearly impossible. Fortunately, there was someone out there for Esme - Hilltop Farm’s office manager and photographer Erin McCardell also rides and trains, and was more than up to the challenge presented by this fiery mare.

Erin tells of the day she met Esme: “I got her from a rescue as a completely unhandled 6-year-old. When I went out to look at her the first time, they chased her into the ring through a series of gates so I could watch her move. When she took it upon herself to not only show off marvelously, but also to jump the jumps that were in the ring, I decided I definitely wanted her.”

The first couple years with Erin were spent catching up and learning all the things that horses need to know that we often take for granted, like leading, longeing, riding in a trailer, and having manners for the farrier and vet. Once that was mastered, these two never looked back. They’ve gone camping, competed successfully in dressage and Conditioning Distance Rides, and they’re gearing up for longer endurance rides. Erin hopes to have done a 50-miler by the time you're looking at this calendar page in August 2014.

Whenever I meet up with Erin and Esme for a ride or a photo session, I'm so impressed with their progress. With Erin's patient training and guidance, Esme has blossomed into a confident and bold athlete. A mare with this much energy and intelligence could be a real handful for the wrong rider, but she and Erin are a perfect match. And the camera loves her- she's one of the most beautiful horses I've ever met.

 Horses and Hope 2014 Calendar

Esme's story is one of the many featured in the 2014 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, the 2012 and 2013 Horses and Hope calendars featured stories and photos of hundreds of horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers everywhere, it raised thousands of dollars for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have two calendars' worth of experience to draw upon, the 2014 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.  

 

Please click here to reserve your copy now for November delivery 

And from now until November 18, 2013, "like" the Horses and Hope Calendar page on Facebook, and you're automatically entered in a random drawing to win a FREE 2014 calendar!

- Sarah Andrew

Horses and Hope: Horse Rescue United

Horses and Hope 2014 calendar preview: September

Standardbreds are one of the best-kept secrets in the horse world. They're robust, rugged, sensible, level-headed, sound, and capable of a wide variety of jobs. You'll find them working as police horses, blazing the trails, doing therapeutic riding work, competing in combined driving events, jumping, and performing dressage tests, just to name a few of their talents.

Shown in these photos is the latest group of adoptable Standardbreds from New Jersey's Horse Rescue United. Volunteers at the rescue teach the horses about being ridden and expose them to a variety of environments under saddle; horses learn about the trails and the beach and are trained to cross water, ride in groups, and become all-around riding horses.

  Lovely Lucille (above) earned over $300,000 on the track, and had less than an hour under saddle at the time when we did this photo shoot. She handled it all in style.

Horse Rescue United's founder Anouk Busch was born in the Netherlands, where she had Olympic aspirations. When her talented jumper Black Minx had health problems and was unable to compete, her focus switched to an unlikely direction: Standardbred harness racing. She immigrated to the United States in 1997, got her trainer's license, and opened a stable in New Jersey. Her impressive stats speak for her competence as a trainer; however, more impressive is the work she has done to ensure that Standardbreds are placed in good homes when their racing careers are over. HRU trains Standardbreds for their new lives and careers utilizing a troupe of volunteers who ensure that the former harness racers learn what they need to know to fit into a new life. For more information, visit www.horserescueunited.org.

 Horses and Hope 2014 Calendar

Horse Rescue United is one of the many organizations featured in my 2014 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, the 2012 and 2013 Horses and Hope calendars featured stories and photos of hundreds of horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers everywhere, it raised thousands of dollars for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have two calendars' worth of experience to draw upon, the 2014 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.  

 

Please click here to reserve your copy now for November delivery 

And from now until November 18, 2013, "like" the Horses and Hope Calendar page on Facebook, and you're automatically entered in a random drawing to win a FREE 2014 calendar!

- Sarah Andrew

Horses and Hope: The Story of Slim Chance

Horses and Hope 2014 calendar preview: MAY! 

 

Chance is a seven-year-old gelding who ended up at the auction. His breed is unknown, but by the way he flies around the pasture, it’s thought that he’s a Thoroughbred. Melissa Butensky saw his picture online and decided he was the one for her.  After a rocky start, Melissa made a plan: she took Chance back to the beginning of his training, and taught him all the things his previous handlers left out. He’s now a confident and fun mount for Melissa, and the two of them fly together.

 

"Slim Chance. That’s what I thought the odds were that I’d ever have my own horse. As a girl, I tried to convince my parents to keep a horse in our one-car garage and harvest hay from the lawn. That didn’t work, so I rode whenever I could and enjoyed even challenging horses. 

 One morning in May, I was sipping coffee and looking at the Camelot horses on Facebook, hoping to offer a comment or anything that might help. Then I saw him - hip #348, a thin, nameless gray who had trust issues and didn’t like the bit. 

Chance at auction (mis-numbered 344- he was actually Hip 348)

With well-trained horses running through every week, what were his chances of getting out of there safely? Slim at best.

It was at that moment that I lost my mind. No magic fairy was ever going to show up with a gift horse, and looking at pictures was not going to save a life. Life is too short; I just had to make it work. With the support of my wonderful husband and enthusiastic boys, #348 became mine.

 

Ours was not an easy journey. Chance wouldn’t stand still for anything. He would seem quiet when he was actually nervous, and would act nervous when he was just being bossy.

After a year of struggling, I was afraid I’d never be able to ride him, but the sale loomed large and I could not give up on him.

 Expert trainer Jeane DeVries taught me to recognize the difference between scared and obstinate, and gave me the tools and skills I needed to work with him. 

 Today, Chance is a different horse – curious, willing, energetic, funny, & a bit of a nosey rascal. Every milestone we reach together is a thrill to me." - owner Melissa Butensky

Whether Chance races around the pasture at liberty of floats across the arena under saddle with Melissa, it is clear that he is relaxed, settled, and comfortable. With hours of patient work, Melissa unlocked his potential and has helped him to become a lovely riding horse. She had no timeline, no deadline, and no expectations, and Chance rewarded her patience. It is a joy to see the two of them out on the trails or just spending time together at the barn. Every horse should be so lucky to have a human who not only takes a "chance" but also works hard to understand him. - Sarah Andrew

     

 Horses and Hope 2014 Calendar

Chance is one of the many horses featured in my 2014 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, the 2012 and 2013 Horses and Hope calendars featured stories and photos of hundreds of horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers everywhere, it raised thousands of dollars for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have two calendars' worth of experience to draw upon, the 2014 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.  

Please click here to reserve your copy now for November delivery