Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d6a67344e5441784d54493d0d0a&blogview=true

Horse Slaughter in the U.S.

This is such a touchy subject, but I want people to know how I feel.  I am very much a horse lover.  Our horses are more than pets, they are family, but in the end they are also LIVESTOCK.  I am more than relieved that the slaughter houses are once again legal in the U.S.  I am not ashamed to say we hauled two horses to a sale once, knowing they would likely go to slaughter.  They were in their upper 20's.  These horses had taught my husband and his sister so many things.  By the time I met them they were no longer rideable.  In fact, all they did was stay in one area.  To move was painful for them since they had arthritis.  We knew their time had come.  We took them to a sale barn very close to a slaughter facility.  Yes, I did cry when we left them.  And, I cried again when we received a check from the sale barn with the price per pound, as that meant they did go to slaughter.  If we had chosen not to take them to the sale barn we had 2 choices.  The first would have been to let them suffer til they died of natural causes.  The 2nd being euthanasia.

I have seen my share of horses put down.  Mostly due to bad luck.  None of them have been cheap.  My husband had a mare bred and raised her colt.  He was using Pokey for team roping.  Pokey was his baby.  he was an obnoxious hard headed horse, but his baby none the less.  Jas was out of town in the big truck.  I went out to do chores and found Pokey laying in the pen.  His right front leg obviously broken in two above the knee.  I had to make the call for the vet to come to put his baby down.  I had to call my husband and tell him I was putting his baby down.  Then I had to have somebody come dig the hole and bury him.  I am very lucky that we do have a place where we can bury large animals.  That day cost us $500.

While I couldn't have taken Pokey to a slaughter sale, and I wouldn't change how I put him down, there are many people that couldn't afford to do it that way.  I am not able to shoot my own horse.  I am also not able to just leave the body out for natural recycling above ground.  (BTW, if put down with euthanasia you must bury so you don't euthanize any predators of the horse's corpse)  And, without slaughter I have seen and heard about many horses being abandoned or worst of all, being hauled to Mexico or Canada in very tight quarters to be slaughtered there.

I do want to make it very clear that I am not in favor of slaughter being an option for bad animal owners or a solution to over breeding.  I also don't feel it promotes over breeding.  Another blog I read put her thoughts together on this subject too.  I think we have pretty similar views, not 100%, but close.  I think she was able to put it into words much more eloquently than I.  TS Quarter Horses

SkyJo's 1st + 2nd Little Britches Rodeos, Nov 25 + 26 2011

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, VIDEO STYLE

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WHEN A 5 YEAR OLD AND A 22 YEAR OLD LAZY HORSE RUN BARRELS YOU GET MORE PICTURES!

Psstt, Briez--you aren't supposed to look at Grandma--look where you are going!

Mixbook.com Rocks!

I saw a coupon code to create a free 11x8.5 photo book at Mixbook last week on a deals blog I frequent.  I immediately started to create one for Sky with all the Rodeo Bible Camp pictures I had taken.  The website got so overwhelmed with business that everything locked up.  They were so kind!  They had us submit our project info and gave us a code for finishing our books for free.  (But only if you had started it before their time limit ran out)  I completed it.  Edited it.  And ordered it.  I thought I would show it to my husband last night and realized somehow one page ended up with 2 layouts and was a raging mess!  I went to the help button and chose Live Chat help.  I explained the problem.  She let me edit it again and they are REPRINTING my book!!!  I think Sky will LOVE this! (and I may love it a bit too)  I couldn't wait to share, so here is a link to our book !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WHEN TWO 7 YEAR OLDS BECOME ONE








1ST BARREL



 





2ND BARREL

 



ROUNDED 3RD BARREL AND ON HER WAY HOME



WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WHITE TRASH EDITION

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT OUR HOUSE ON FREE DUMP DAY.  IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SOME ITEMS DID NOT MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE AND HAD TO BE LOADED MULTIPLE TIMES.  AND IT SHOULD BE KNOWN, WE BROUGHT BACK OTHER PEOPLE'S GARBAGE TOO. (parts to fix a tricycle...)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Rodeo Bible Camp

Last week my daughter Sky got to attend Rodeo Bible Camp.  A huge thank you to Hi Plains Fellowship of Christian Cowboys!  They did an amazing job with these kids.  I think I heard 108 kids registered and there were over 100 helpers too!  So much fun!  The last day at the noon chapel time Lane Frost's parents were there to speak.  They handed out Lane Frost New Testaments to all the campers too.  My daughter learned so much about goat tying and about Jesus!  We will make a point to attend each year.  We live close enough that I don't have to sleep down there too, which makes it more fun for Mom only!

Here is the slideshow of pictures from last week.  At the end are pictures of some decorating I may have done to celebrate the birth of my friends' first baby.  A girl, in case the obvious escapes you ;) 

Sneak preview:

GRRRR, can't make it embed here, so here is just a link to the album!  https://picasaweb.google.com/102880120168712750690/Jun202011?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3wmouNp-izTA&feat=directlink

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

This Girl. This girl is 5 years old TODAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Briezy Mae!!!  I love you more than words can possibly describe!  I do feel obligated to mention that as much as I love  you, you are also the very reason that you will never be a big sister ;)  Ornery is a mild word for you.  It's also one of the best parts of you!  Thank you so much for making me smile each and every day.  You have no fear.  (Except for sleeping in your room)  We never know what you will say.  You never miss anything.  And then take every opportunity to use all info to your advantage, and our chagrin.  I am so blessed to have you!!!

*note, I was limited to pictures I had on my work computer, as my home wireless network has crashed