Trail Closures

It seems that the bad economy is hitting everywhere and everything. Even Washington State Parks are not immune.

In poking around their website, it looks like there is a potential budget reduction of $23 million which means some parks might need to be mothballed (closed). For more information and to have your voice heard, check out their site.

Here's a snippet:

With our state and nation in a deep economic recession, the Governor and Legislature are faced with a budget challenge. Washington State Parks must do
its part in reducing expenditures in the 2009-11 budget to help meet the
challenge.The Governor's budget proposal, announced in December, was based on a revenue forecast that predicted a 5.7 billion revenue shortfall. The Governor’s
budget requires State Parks to take a 10 percent budget cut (approximately $10
million in general fund). More recently, the state’s revenue forecast was
predicted to have a revenue gap of more than $8 billion. As the Legislature
creates its budget for the Governor to sign in late spring, this greater
challenge may require State Parks to make even deeper expenditure reductions
that will affect parks and services. Legislators have asked State Parks to
prepare a scenario that would reduce the State Parks budget by approximately $23 million. The Legislature will adopt and the Governor will sign a final budget
into law in late spring, then the Commission will implement the final budget.

Public comment may be sent to pao@parks.wa.gov. All comment received from
the public will be shared with the Commission.

Horses for Free Foster

Want a horse but don't want to shell out big bucks for it? Royal Ridges has a couple great horses available for a free lease. These horses are already trained and just in need of a loving home where they will be ridden and cared for.

Check out the Royal Ridges website for more information.

http://www.royalridges.org/salehorses.html

Mustang Motiviation

I don't know how many of you had a chance to watch the Mustang Makeover at the Horse Expo last weekend, but let me tell you, it was inspiring!

I was lucky enough to watch on Saturday and was blown away by some of the horses and trainers. After 90 days, most of the horses could switch leads, had beautiful collection, could work cows, and one even laid down on command.

Hmmm .... I should be ashamed! Granted I'm not a trainer, but my goodness, I've had my horses for 5+ years and we're lucky to just now be working on leads and lead changes!

I find it motivating that these trainers were able to take wild horses and turn them into amazing mounts in such a short period of time.

Surely that means I should be able to get my already gentled (sometimes) horse to do some of the same things. Or, at the very least, to switch leads when asked!

Most of the trainers were from right here in the Northwest and the horses all came from BLM land in Oregon. At the end of the event, all the horses were sold and went to approved, loving homes.

I was humbled, inspired, and motivated watching this event. If you get a chance to watch an event like this in the future, I would highly recommend it.

Perhaps, as it did with me, it will inspire you to get down to the barn to work with your horse!

Article in Columbian

There was a pretty neat article in The Columbian about horse neglect in our economy. I mean, neat is relative I guess. Truthfully horse neglect is a sad fact but something we are seeing become more and more of an issue with the current economic situation.

As an aside, I think it's truly amazing what the local rescues are doing to support our equine community. Thank you!

http://www.columbian.com/article/20090322/NEWS02/703229948

If you would like to help, check the Organizations page for a couple of our very active local rescues.

"I Ride"

Someone forwarded this to me and I found it inspiring and so true. I thought I would post it here. I'm not sure who wrote it ... but would like to give credit where credit is due. If anyone knows who the author is, please let me know and I'll post it here.

I ride

That seems like such a simple statement. However, as many women who ride know, it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability.

I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.

The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness.' It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness.' It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride.

I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trailhead somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog, and I ride.

I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust. Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.

I consider the simple statement; I ride.

I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment.

Still I ride.

No matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt.

I ride.

And I feel better for doing so. The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the Prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.

I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch.. We haul 40ft rigs. We back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait, and doctor.

Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.

Now you are there.

I ride.