Breakfast With Mama - part 5

By Kathy Johnson, Executive Director, MHP

part 4   part 3   part 2   part 1

The Dawn Horse

Every morning when I neared the stables, I saw the horses, all standing outside their runs, all facing the same direction, all looking toward the east. Every day, together, in silence, they watched the sunrise. I met Mama in the round pen as the sun came up. I was the center and Mama circled me, the red horse of the Navajo dawn, hooves like flint, carnelian coat glinting. "Why the round pen?" I was asked. Horses, as circular thinkers, rarely moved in straight lines in the wild. And any other arena, paddock or pen, had corners, corners where Mama felt trapped, or, well, cornered. On the circle Mama moved forward when frightened. In movement, she found rhythm and in rhythm relaxation. I heard the horse's song in the beat of the hooves, a steady tick-tock tempo, the round pen like the face of a clock. Circles were natural to Mama, and hypnotic to all horses. Over 2000 years ago, ancient Romans discovered the magic of the circle for horses, the size of circle that every horse found most comfortable. It became the center ring of the circus (Greek for circle or ring). Later, the same circle became that of the longe line and the round pen.

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2010 Foals Arrive at MHP

They showed up at 5:30am, May 22 and are happy to be off the trailer! Click here to check out the pictures.

Three Foals Headed for Slaughter
Find Sanctuary at Medicine Horse Program

We got an urgent phone call Thursday afternoon. Three foals were headed for slaughter in Mexico, and none of the horse rescues had room to take them.

Thanks to the quick action of Spring Creek Horse Rescue, Snowy River Animal Rescue, and the amazing volunteers and staff of Medicine Horse Program, three plain bay foals arrived at Medicine Horse Program Saturday around 6:00pm.

Because of the economy, thousands of pregnant mares across America are being "dumped." These are the Dump Horses of 2010. Sometimes they end up in an empty field or an empty horse trailer, sometimes on open space and sometimes at auctions, to be sent for slaughter. When the mares drop their foals, they are all put on the killer trucks, bound for the slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada.

These three babies have traveled across the US, starting in Michigan, jammed together like cattle in a semi-truck with 90 horses.

The killer buyer stops at each auction, and picks up babies for a few dollars. They are sorted by age and color. The younger the foal, the more tender the meat, as veal varies from beef. The dark foals have a consistency of hide, so they serve two purposes: their carcasses for human consumption, and their hides for purses and belts. These three bay foals were headed for a purse factory in Mexico.

The little filly is part Arab. She was so sweet that the truck driver stowed her away in his trailer tack room, so she would not go on the killer truck. She rode in the tack room for some time, and was kind enough not to use the sheets on the bed.

The big filly, who looks like a Morgan, was still nursing on her mother at the auction. In the chaos of hundreds of frantic horses, they were separated. The mother went on the killer truck and the filly on the truck going to the purse factory. The filly threw herself on the ground and had to be prodded to move.

The Snowy River driver, Rope, chose the colt to save because he stuck his head out the slats of the truck and blew kisses to whoever would look his way. The driver nick-named him Lovebug, but I think we will call this big, strong colt Rope, in honor of the man who saved him.

Other rescues were too full to take these foals, so they called on us to help. Because this was an unplanned, emergency rescue, we are now calling on you for help. We need volunteers to help in the barn and the office while staff focuses on making these babies well. We need feed: Equine Junior. We need wormer: Ivermectin gold. We need yearling and weanling safety halters. We need feed buckets for them. We need grooming kits and tools. We need monetary donations for their shots, gelding and vet care. And most of all, we need your positive thoughts and prayers that these HopeFoals of 2010 can survive against the odds.

A Few Openings Left in Our Summer Camps This Year!

Session 3: August 2-6. Elementary Camp for beginning and intermediate riders. A few opening left. Campers must be at least 8 years old.

Fee: $395 Proceeds to Benefit Medicine Horse Program. Session 1 only: $316. Horse boarding $10/day for those bringing their own horses. $100 deposit required. For questions email kathy@medicinehorse.org or call 720-406-7630. Click here for the registration form.

Our Mission and Our Programs

Medicine Horse Program enhances the mental health and life skills of youth, adults, families, and groups through therapeutic interaction with horses.

Medicine Horse Program fulfills our values and beliefs through five core youth programs:

HopeFoal Project™: This award-winning class partners rescued Premarin foals with depressed and anxious teens. The teens work with trained therapists and horse handlers to help gentle the foals. In the process, both foal and teen are healed.

Healing With Horses™: In collaboration with Hospice of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, this 2006 NOVA Health and Human Services award-winning class helps children deal with issues of grief associated with the loss of a loved one.

Just Say Whoa™: This class, in partnership with Boulder BEST program and others, is designed for truant teens and repeat juvenile offenders. Through interaction with horses and therapists, the class helps teens confront their complex lives.

Equus Integration Project™: This growth and learning class breals down barriers among diverse populations, building the communication and leadership skills of non-English-speaking teens.

EquineAbility™: Through horse activities, creative expression and body movement, this EAP program addresses the psychological, emotional and social aspects of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Scholarships for all of the core programs are available.

HopeFoal Project™ Featured on ABC World News

Reporter Erin Hayes and ABC camera crews filmed for two days at Medicine Horse, focusing on the HopeFoal Project™. The program was featured on the national news. To see the clip, click on the ABC logo. The HopeFoals have been proudly sponsored by Mychelle Dermeceuticals for over three years.