Welcome to Equine Kneads!

This page is dedicated to Skip and Commando for teaching me
          Love, Respect and Discipline

 

            For making me realize the depth of a soul and how to achieve success

                              Also, for my Friends & Family for believing in me!

 

To Live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.  -Th Campbell

 If tears could build a stairway, And memories were a lane, I would walk right
up to Heaven To bring you home again. No farewell's were spoken, No time for
goodbye, You were gone before I knew it, And only God knows why. My heart
still aches in sadness, And secret tears will flow, What is meant to me to lose
you, No one will ever know. -author unknown

 

Skip a Hi Time  "Skip"    1979-2006
Thank you for WONDERFUL memories!

 

                     Skip and Commando enjoying their retirement!!

 

 

Where to Bury a Horse

If you bury her in this spot, the secret of which you must already have,

She will come to you when you call;

Come to you over the far, dim pastures of death,

And though you ride other living horses through life,

They shall not shy at her, nor resent her coming.

For she is yours and she belongs there.

 

People may scoff at you,

Who see no lightest blade of grass bent by her footfall,

Who hear no nicker pitched to fine for insensitive ears.
People who may never really love a horse.

Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from them,

And which is well worth knowing.

The one place to bury a horse is in the heart of her master.

 

~Author Unknown~

 J.Command-Ho 1974-2004  
                       Thank you for a LIFETIME of memories!

  In retirement, at a Hunter Pace at the USET

 

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened
                       -Anatole France

HORSES LIFE REQUEST

 

Choose my parents well
my life depends on my quality                                                                                   

When I am born, spend time with me
my life depends on your handling.

When I am ready to break,be kind,yet firm
my life depends on your training.

When you ride me, be wise,don't ask too much,
or take me somewhere unsafe,
my life 
depends on your decisions

When I am no longer useful, be kind and take
              care of me.

Don't run me thru a sale because I'm old 
               or crippled.

I did not choose my life, my age, or how I was used.

          My end depends on your kindness.

 

REST IN PEACE
 Jazz crossed the Rainbow Bridge on October 16th
He developed a coffin bone infection from chronic laminitis
as a result of Cushings Disease
He was able to graze and walk around the yard prior to crossing!
He was a mentor and role model teaching many people how to massage and brought awareness to horse slaughter.
Because of Jazz, many horses were rescued from the Kill Pen.
He was truly an angel and will be missed.

My Gifted Choir "Jazz"  He was rescued out of a killer pen in South Jersey. Due to his unsoundess issues, he cannot be ridden. He loves his massages and is an asset to the Program. With LOTS of reactive spots, new therapists have an opportunity to identify reactive spots!

 

 

 

                  

The practice of kindness towards helpless creatures is a sign of development to the higher reaches of intelligence & sympathy.                       ~Rev George Laughton~

 

  

 

 

Life

It's not how many times your heart beats

It's how many moments that take your breath away

Rest in Peace Katie
9-1-2011

She will be forever missed.  Katie was very dear and a special mare.

To the world you are  just one more rescue person. 
To a rescued pet, you  are the world.

Her full story & pics on facebook
Equine Kneads Colleen McDonald

FIRST LADY KATIE 

   

   
always in pink!!!

June 2011

more pink...lol

 

Remember me not with tearful eyes........but instead with an abounding heart.

Should you choose to fill my stall, feel no guilt.  you have not betrayed me. Love another as you always loved me, and they too will love you as I always have.

 

You Tube Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iWZkV6X0B4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPZDWCv8aE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmlXOaAVcx4

CONGRATULATIONS TO GABBY & KATIE (again:)
They placed 3rd out of 15 in their pattern class
and
5th out of 15 in Pleasure!!!
WAY TO GO!

CONGRATULATIONS GABBY!! SHE IS KATIE'S NEW MOM:)!!

And....they WON their first Pleasure Class on May 21, 2011!!!

 https://silverarrowpro.zenfolio.com/p669873380/h234aa1c1#h234aa1c1

https://silverarrowpro.zenfolio.com/p663455369/h12886fdc#hb692f7

https://silverarrowpro.zenfolio.com/p663455369/h1fb16c93#h1fb16c93

And....we will miss her jumping talent
Katie jumped the fence again!!!


beat me to the barn:)

 

 

 

Don't Cry For The Horses     By Susan Humphrey

                                                                                 

    They were ours as a gift, but never to keep,   
As they close their eyes forever to sleep.
Their spirits unbound,
On silver wings they fly.
A million white horses,
Against the blue sky.
Look up into heaven,
You'll see them above.
The horses we lost,
The horses we loved.
Manes and tails flowing,
As they gallop through time,
They were never yours- they were never mine.
Don't cry for the horses,
They'll be back some day.
When our time is gone,
They will show us the way.
Do you hear that soft nicker?
Close to your ear?
Don't cry for the horses,
Love the ones that are here.
             

 

God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it's because God wants to jump.

Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it's His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see them off gracefully.
OK, perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful.

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle - or a computer - a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we've made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many 'types' of horses as there are people - which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday - but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in 'drive.'

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences...if it suits him.

It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion, in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse 'does all the work', you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whis per our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals...Some of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it's not just about horses - it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, or a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals bring us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.

Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion.

In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place. 

 

 Rest in Peace Mini
2001-2008

Mini was a sweet soul who enjoyed 17 years with the Equine Kneads family! Always purring and happy to meet everyone....she always had a 'smile' on her face and loved life..
Due to complications of old age a tough decision was made...
She had dignity, love & respect and even was purring until her final breath..
These pictures were taken the morning she passed

Her sweet & kind nature will be greatly missed!

  

 

Rest in Peace Mindy
Crossed the Rainbow Bridge
April 23, 2009

 She was known for her sweet & silly nature. And...she accompanied many horse rescues which she loved! Mindy was quite the traveler and popular at many horse events.

      

 

 

 

 

 

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
when their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
is a place where beloved creatures find rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
til The Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed.
Their bodies have healed with strength imbued.

They trot through the grass without even a care,
til one day they whinny and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes sharp and alert.
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the herd.

For just at that second, there's no room for remorse.
As they see each other...one person...one horse.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past
The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart
has turned to joy once more in each heart.
They nuzzle with a love that will last forever.
And then, side-by-side, they cross over...together.

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