Story About Little Skipper

Skipper, One of Our Rescue Stories

It was fate when Skipper, a older gray horse in her late twenties, was rescued from a local horse auction that catered to slaughter buyers.  At the time of the auction Jennifer, her owner, was readying herself for college. She had quit riding the horse many years back and was too busy to make sure someone was keeping Little Skipper fed and cared for.  It took two years for her to decide, with her mother’s help, that Little Skipper needed to go to the auction. Lisa from A Ranch Horse could not let this under fed horse go to an early fate in Mexico. Little Skipper only sold for $90. and the only person bidding against Lisa was the slaughter buyer. Little Skipper was thin and unkept but jumped right into the trailer for a changed life. Over the next few months the little mare passed all the exercise drills, veterinary examinations, environment and behavioral tests and horse profiles with flying colors, something, according to Lisa, only about three percent of horses reviewed can do. She still had on ideal how special this little rescue horse would soon be.

Lisa still remembers the day  Little Skipper came to the facility located in New Caney, Texas.  “the mare still had a look, a sparkle in her eye.  She was definitely special.  Her eyes seemed so kind, as if she was asking, ‘How can I help and where is the feed?’” it took us a few months for us to see this horses real talent. A real children’s horse.

In hippotherapy a child and horse work together with the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced therapist.  Riding a horse moves the rider’s pelvis, legs and trunk in a rhythmic and repetitive way.  The horse’s walk provides the rider with essential sensory input that simulates the human gait.  With children who suffer from muscular disorders, the horse’s body warmth reduces muscle spasms and increases the child’s hip and leg flexibility.  The child’s nervous system assimilates the information this movement provides, resulting in many significant, sometimes amazing, sensory and motor gains.  A regular program of hippotherapy gives children notable improvements in mobility, strength, function and coordination.  There is no machine, no human, and no team that can offer the same benefits.  Only a horse suited for this type of activity will work. And Little Skipper was about to do what the medical community could not do.

This was what Terri Jones read in the local horse magazine article about A Ranch Horse.  Her daughter, five-year-old Megan, was born with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and was asthmatic.  She had already had brain surgery to repair a malformation.  Her immobility left her dependent on her family to dress her, brush her hair and teeth, and feed her.  Numerous medications and surgeries partly decreased her muscle spasms.  The casts on her arms were intended to one day increase her mobility.  In the meantime, she was unable to play and run like other little girls.  Terri hoped that A Ranch Horse could help Megan and after a short talk with Lisa, plans were made for Little Skipper and Megan to meet in June 2002.

The perfect horse for a little girl with this condition is a little horse and Little Skipper was that horse.  A special bond developed between Megan and Little Skipper that started with their first ride.  Megan loved the power and freedom that riding Little Skipper gave her and the horse loved Megan’s gentle pats and kisses on her muzzle. this was attention Little Skipper had not seen in many years.  Megan experienced a new relaxed and happy feeling that followed each hippotherapy session.  It lasted all day and helped her sleep through the night.  After Megan’s first ride on Little Skipper, Terri noticed an immediate difference in her daughter’s body.  “When I carried her into the barn [for her first session, her legs were so tense that] she could hardly get her legs around my waist.  After her hippotherapy session, her legs were so loose, she had no problem getting them around my waist.”  In time, other problems also diminished.  If Megan sat facing forward on Little Skipper to steer (hippotherapy uses lots of positions), it didn’t bother her so much to separate her legs.  The typical painfulness of Megan’s physical therapy for tight and spastic muscles virtually disappeared.  In place of the hunched over little girl who sat miserably looking down and complaining of how tight she was, a tiny, giggling sprite was sitting up, pulling her shoulders back, and lifting her chin to see between Little Skippers ears.  Megan was in control of on area of her life, even if that control was only steering a small horse, and she loved it.

As the weeks of hippotherapy proceeded, new activities were added to Megan’s therapy.  Little Skipper accepted without complaint the tasks that Megan’s therapists devised to increase her reaching; Megan hung toy rings over Little Skipper’s ears; she tugged on her mane and tail.  Next Megan lay on her stomach while riding.  Little Skipper did not mind being bumped in the flanks; she gave no irritable head tosses.  Little Skipper enjoyed her routine with Megan and may even have understood in some way that Megan needed her to be quiet, consistent and strong.  Megan enjoyed her rides on Little Skipper and the new positions.  The once shy little girl was shy no more.  She rallied others to cheer for her and made requests that they find her even more challenging riding positions.  The new challenges brought new successes for Megan.

It has been almost three years since Megan began riding Little Skipper.  Her confidence fills the air each time she is in the riding arena.  The planned surgeries to help release hip and leg muscles that both doctors and therapists had thought were inevitable have been canceled.  As long as she has little Skipper, her hips and leg muscles are better than any surgery could make them.  Before she started riding, Megan’s long fatigued days led to sleepless nights, which led to much higher muscle tone, which led to more fatigue:  an unending cycle.  Because she sleeps better on the days she rides, her muscle tone is lower, more normal, the following day.  She has more normal cycles of rest and alertness.

Before Little Skipper, Megan had no interest in, much less time for, hobbies.  Her life was an endless cycle of therapies.  Since Little Skipper, she envelops herself in horses.  She reads about horses, colors pictures of horses, watches any movie with horses, and has real friends who also love horses.  Her new friends are children she has met at A Ranch Horse, and she is comforted by this.  She calls them on the phone, plays with them on the website face book, and talks with them endlessly about how much they love horses.  She has a normal little girl’s life and she has hope for her future. All from a $90. horse that no one wanted.

The older girls in therapeutic riding do positions on their horses that she has not yet tried.  They are role models for her.  She watches them and wants to ride like they do.  Megan is herself a role model for younger children with cerebral palsy.  Their dreams grow because she gives them hope.  With hippotherapy they all have a future that was not possible before.

As for Little Skipper, at twenty-some years, she is an old girl now, even for therapeutic riding.  But as long as she seems to enjoy it and as long as her body can handle it, she will patiently carry children on her gray back, her gentle nature, and her perfect size and gait making her the ideal therapeutic horse.

After 15 years working with horses and people we have been lucky enough to been involved in many aspects of horse rescue. Many of these horses that are passed over for more “perfect” animals have a place on this earth where they are needed and loved. The very horse someone has abandoned could be a star in someone else’s life. We have a horse facility in Trinity, Texas donated to horse rescue and helping people reach their personal dreams. If you would like to see our rescue horses please click here. If you know someone who could benefit from this program please contact me direct at 281-744-2197.

A Horse, Horror, Dog Story

A Horse/horror/Dog story

For many years at the horse stables I have owned a pug. Milo is my personal dog and for 2 and a half years he has gone everywhere with me. We could write a whole story about Milo and he even has his own website, but this is not a story about Milo. One day recently I came up with the idea that I wanted to breed pugs, and Milo could use a friend. Besides more love is just more love, Right. So after a quick check on craigslist it was not hard to find a female pug for sale, same age as Milo.  And after a few short emails a young lady was very excited that her female was “so swet and perfect for Milo!”
We agreed to meet at a dog park I had never heard of, no wonder it was 70 miles from our location, and it was 5:00 pm Houston traffic. After several attempts to find this place and several attempts to just give up and drive home, ( I had never gotten her phone number), we finally found the dog park. By this time I was frazzled but got out and was ready to meet me new sweet little girl. Once she pulled up with the dog, I was excited, she was just like Milo, same size and almost same color. She seemed a bit excited to be at the dog park and I chalked to up to being left in the apartment all day. After a short time at the park we gave the young lady the agreed upon amount and loaded our new little girl. Funny the young lady brought every thing this dog owned. Every box of food, every dish and coat and toy. And the little girl had the biggest smile, never a tear shed as she was pulling out.
Well what started as a great idea quickly turned into a nightmare. This pug was absolutely nothing like my precious Milo. And once we started handling her, we quickly found out she really knew almost nothing. I started to make jokes about how big the girls smile was when she drove off. The more I joked the worse the dog acted. When this dog shook its self, a cloud of the thickest longest hair I had ever seen came flying off and got on everything. Milo has never shed or had hair like that. The more time I spent with the dog I started wondering how this girl took this dog anywhere with her. And as each hour went by the dog seemed to get worse and worse. How could this lady send this insane dog with me, this dog knows nothing. She is absolutely nothing like Milo and I actually wanted to take this demon dog back to her. Hell at this point just keep the money!

Well then it occurred to me that every week we are sending horses to new homes and people are getting to interact with their horse on their terms. I started realizing that our horses may be going to folks that may have a total different expectation of what and how this new horses is “supposed to act”. The difference between this 20 pound, “out of control pug” and a thousand pound horse could be more than intimidating. We would never send a horse out of our facility with “Issues”, if we knew. We will always disclose what we do know about every horse and would never want a customer to feel like we had “saddled them with a bad pug!”
If you get a horse to your location and find that this new horse is “Absolutely nothing like Expected” Please call me and lets see if we can fix this. In almost every single case I will not be able to refund your money, no exceptions, But I will offer you a chance to trade the horse for another animal that will be more suitable for your needs. I do not think this will fix every problem, but I do think if I personally had an option I would drive all the way back to the other side of town and give this lady back her crazy acting dog and take anything but this dog, “Got a girls bike or a tennis racket?”
All the joking aside, I plan to do my best with the new pug and between the Dog Whisper Show, prayer and a Valium for me I will get her at least manageable. I now realize I had unrealistic expectations of how the new dog was supposed to act. Since all animals are different you can never know how a horse or dog will work out. I did not like the feeling of getting something that I was expecting to be just like my perfect little boy. Realistic or not, sometimes open options can make a bad situation better.
I am offering a way to trade out a horse that may not act like you expected. I will help you get a horse that at least acts like you expected him to act. Call me calmly, and with in a reasonable amount of time after a sale, and I will do my best. Now, anyone want to buy a sweet 2 year old pug…?  Cheap? Call me please….I will throw in all her toys…..text meee…..

Our Riding Test

Our Ride Test

I have been asked by may folks what kind of test we put our horses through before we sell them. Well, I finally wrote down the test the best I could and below are the listed items we put the horse through. Understand that the list gets progressively harder the further you go down the list. Many horses do not get a check at every point, since for instance many horses do not rope. The list was written down for the sake of seeing a horses strengths and realistically look at the horses talents and skills. The top of the list starts with items that are hard to see on video or not as visible with one video.

1.) Does this horse crib?

2.) Does this have a bad habit or a horse vice?

3.) Catch Horse

4.) Halter Horse- touch top of head

5.) Load in Trailer

6.) Brush all over

7.) Pick up all feet

8.) Over all good manners

9.) Work on feet by farrier with no issues

10.) Stand to saddle & Bridle

11.) Stand to Mount

12.) Mount from mounting block

13.) Stand after mounting

14.) Mounting if the rider is poor at mounting

15.) get off on wrong side

16.) Walk / lope / Trot

17.) Stop

18.) stayed tied to for hours

19.) Good with Children

20.) What Kind of Bit

21.) Open & Shut Gates

22.) Ride Bareback

23.) Ride to the mailbox and get the check

24.) Ride Double

25.) ride alone away from the barn

26.) Move off while slapping leg

27.) ride on loose rein in the open

28.) Back Up

29.) scray things placed next to face

30.) Spook if Scared

31.) Spin Rope from Saddle

32.) Stand Up in Saddle

33. Do the poles quietly

34.) Easy trail Ride with cars

35.) Ride without Bridle

36.) Drag Rope around horses heels

37.) Work Cattle

38.) Rope some heads or heels

39.) Jump a small jump

40.) Carry Flag

41.)  Fireworks

42.)  Drive you home after a night at the sallon

43.)  Go To Jury Duty in my place and vote not guilty

This list is a work in progress and the items may move up or down. We are also taking suggestions on items we may have missed. All of our horses have to go through this testing process. For more information on our sales horses please visit our site by clicking here. Our main office can be reached at 281-744-2197

Horse Values Even in Drought and Depressed Market

We have had several recent e-mails and phone calls from Texas horse owners worried about the condition of the horse market. Almost like a perfect storm, the Texas horse industry is facing several storm fronts coming at once, with no end in site. I have personally seen craigslist ads where the horses are very cheap or even free. Just like a stock market or bank panic, the folks selling their horses have no reason to panic. I will tell you that things are not as dismal as they may seem.

Texas horse owners are facing a drought throughout the state for the last 10 months. This has made hay, square bales and round bales, a very scarce commodity. Square bale prices at feed stores are at an all time high and round bales are very hard to even locate. Another factor that affects horse values was the fact that horses had a value by the pound. The meat markets in the United States were recently totally shut down, forcing the whole cruel circus across the border to Mexico. This drove horse prices down drastically and horse cruelty levels to an all time high. The third troubling factor for many horse owners across Texas is the condition of the national economy. In many years past, Texas tends to escape economic ups and downs, this was not one of those years. Many Texas horse owners and families just do not have the same monthly budget for family entertainment. Money is somewhat short at the worse time- while hay is scarce and selling for top dollar.

I have personally called on several of those cheaper horses advertised on craigslist and found most do not ride well, or have some medical issues. A good broke riding horse is still a valuable creature that is hard to find. Here are ten reasons why a good broke, trustworthy, riding horse will always have a high value, even in a perceived depressed market.

1.) Lets address the hay issue first. There is still hay to be found and purchased at a fair price. The Houston area is one of the largest shipping hubs in the country. Every morning thousands of 18 wheel trucks head out, loaded with commerce. Once on location and unloaded many trucks back haul hay from regions where they have been unaffected by the drought. Also many hay producers irrigate their crop so the drought affected them very little. And please do not forget, the fall and winter season is simply 90 days away and rain will return to Texas and next years hay supply will be back to normal.

2.) Every year their is a group of using horses that creep up to a un-magic age. Once a good using horse reaches 17-19 years old the age starts showing. By 20 years of age most horses have to be retired from continuous use. A new group of two year old’s come into maturity each year with the potential to replace these good horses that are growing older. These up and comers have many years of training lying ahead of them.

3.) Horses that are used are always suestable to injury. put one horse in a pen by himself and come back the next day- he could be standing there with a metal gate wrapped around both ack legs, with no possible explanation for how this could have happened. Injured horses have to be retired until they totally recover. Your new safe riding horse is always one injury away from being retired and in need of a replacement. And just think if you left this same horse in the same pen but there where 4 other horses, imagine what could happen!

4.) Horses that are registered always have a higher value than a grade horse. Most of the major horse associations, like the AQHA, have huge incentive programs that are given to the owners of the top stallions. This builds in a professionalism that is hard to match. Many AQHA farms receive a check from the association for six figures, every year.

5.) For many folks, horses are their personal direct connection to our western heritage. It is not hard to find many people who consider their horse and horsemanship to be close to religion. Also many people have a connection to horses due to a parent or grand parent, owning horses makes them feel closer to their childhood. Owning a good riding horse will always be valuable to this group of horse owners..

6.) In our modern times horses are used to teach young folks their first big adult responsibility or job. 4-H groups have always had very successful horse programs for youth to join and be involved in. each year a new group of broke horses are needed for the next group of students. Owning a horse and treating him correctly will teach anyone to be responsible and a little hard work never hurts.

7.) A good broke horse can always be used to make money. lesson horses, therapeutic horse and trail riding horses are just a few horse groups that make profit for their owners every month. a good broke using horse will always be valuable to these owner groups.

8.) Lets face facts,  when you know how to safely ride, and own a safe horse that can be ridden anywhere, Horseback riding is a lot of fun that few activities cam match.

9.) Horses are very majestic animals and many people love and own them and have no desire to climb on their back, or to use them in any activity. For these folks just owning a horse is a thrill and they are cared for like a child. these folks love having a horse in their life. Go ask one of these owners how much their horse is worth.

10.)  The last reason a good broke horse will always be worth its money and hold its values is that many horses are actually used to work. Every day on ranches and farms horses are still used to move cattle, check fences and just any odd job that takes alot of muscle. This group of horses actually pulls its weight and makes the ranch money. Once these horses are offered for sale they usually command the highest price just due to their everyday calmness and usability. Typically these are horses anyone can ride. Calm, gentle, and broke for ranch work, that is a valuable animal.

The horse industry in Texas will turn around very soon. Texans will be back at work and the economy will move up and on. The horses that have been sold off and sent to slaughter will be gone and the horse values will go up drastically. Do not worry about the value of your good using horse, its money in the bank. A good broke riding horse will always have a high value in the horse world. Droughts will come and go, with out adverse long term affects. Texas horse owners need not worry about their good using horses, they are still worth the money and the investment.

About the Author:  Robbie Jones has operated Texas Horse.org for over 12 years and is also currently manager of aRanchHorse.com in Houston Texas. Robbie has been buying and selling horses for the last 25 years. To visit his main website Please Click Here. Robbie Jones is also the editor of Texas Horse Report,  Stop Horse Abuse,  Horse Articles.info,  Free Horse.info, and Horse Link List.com. main Office Phone number is 281-744-2197

The Truth About Texas Prison Horses

The Truth About Texas Prison Horses

This information is not official but is based upon word of mouth of people that have worked with the prison horses for years. There are many myths and wrong information involving these horses, we hope to bring you the correct information and hopefuly the truth about these desirable mounts..

The Texas prison system controls over 150,000 acres (about 200 square miles) and operates the largest horse and cattle herds in the entire state (more than 10,000 head of cattle and around 1,800 horses). This is an Argi. system that grows larger every year with no end in sight.

Inmates are used to work the vegetable fields and the correctional officers use horses to help guard the inmates. The field Captain and Major  there and many guards are used that do not have a squad, all on horseback This system has been used for 60 or more years and horses are a main part.

Almost all the horses used as working horses are born and bred in the prison system. They use mostly quarter horses and often cross out to draft breeds for size. Most geldings don’t have papers and almost all prison horses are sold without papers, just a coggins.  In the old days many horses that were in the system just” Disappeared” due to theft by employees. Now every horse is carefully tracked and records kept.

At one time horses that were moved out of the agriculture system were sold in the “good old boy system.” A few people with connections bought the horses and sold them as they saw fit. Many ended up at the slaughter house in Dallas. The public outcry put an end to that practice in the state of Texas, but many still end up on the plates of European restaurants to this day. Enough people complained about not getting an opportunity to purchase prison horses and now all horses leaving the system must go to auction so everyone has an opportunity to buy a prison horse. The demand for these horses has grown over the years and the prices have risen to match.  These are not cheap horses no matter where they are sold and it is not uncommon for a 26 year old gelding to bring $1200 to $1400 just buying him by the pound. And typically most Prison Horses weight as much as 1400 pounds.  The system has an occasional high-end sale in Navasota and a few sales a year where the rest of the horses are sold but there has not been one of these sales for several years.

Most working string guard horses have saddle stains, white marks on the withers, where the saddles have scarred them after daily use. If you find a prison horse without saddle stains it’s probably a brood mare that isn’t broke and does not ride at all.

Why are horses sold? Some are mares that don’t produce what they are looking for. Some are older and some are slightly lame. An 18 year old prison horse that has probably worked every week for 16 years may have a little touch of arthritis or some soreness. This is like a pro football player that has old injuries that might slow him down some but he still has the experience and ability that a team will pay him millions to play on Sunday. Even with his little problems he still wins. These older geldings are perfect for the inexperienced or young riders that aren’t going to run a horse to death but need an experienced and safe ride. We value a slightly off prison horse that has years of experience and will take care of a beginner rider. We evaluate each horse carefully and will give you our honest opinion of their condition. You may ask a vet for their opinion but expect to find at least some minor problems with the older ones.

Some inmates are selected to help care, break and train the horses. It’s considered a good job so the inmates do the best they can to stay on the job. There is zero tolerance on abuse. Horses are not permitted to be hit and you can tell when you handle them. The horses are considered State Property and are very well cared for. The horses get great care from A&M and are part of their teaching curricular for over 50 years. No medical expense is spared for the working horses or broodmares. Many guards move up in rank and change jobs and have fond memories of the horse they rode for 5 years straight.

There are two types of prison working horses. The guard horses are known for easy trailering, standing still while mounted for long periods of time, nice neck rein and a good handle. They spend hours each day with a guard on their back, standing under a shade tree. They usually have smooth and slow easy gaits. They are usually ridden slow wherever they go, but will pick up the pace if an inmate is escaping. The others are used in the cattle operation and are a little quicker so they can work cattle. We usually pass on the quicker ones. We did find one mare that was a little quick but was so well trained that she is now a champion kid’s barrel racer.

Every prison horse we’ve seen is branded on the left shoulder with a star. Most horses have a single digit on the left shoulder that is the year of their birth. A “O” on the shoulder means the horse is either ten years old or 20 years old. It’s easy to tell between a 10 and 20 year old mouth so aging is usually simple. Some are branded on the left hip which means they are out of a Texas Prison horse stud. Some are also branded on the left butt which lists which unit it was born on. Branding was done at different locations by different districts, and so a true set system does not exist. We have seen horses with just the star brand and no other branding.. And I have also heard rumors of a state freeze brand sold on craigslist recently, so fakes maybe out there.

We just took in 7 of these unusual horses and have put each one through a riding evaluation. If you would like to see the horses for sale please click Here. For more information about prison horses please call Dustin at 281-673-5217

Don’t Overlook Old Horse

I had to say something about everyone being so concerned about buying an older horse. I moved here from Arizona just a month ago. I am relocating 2 of my horses out here from there soon. My oldest horse is a Registered Quarter Horse, is age is 47 and will be 48 years old April 22, 2011. Mr. Muscles has always had the very best of care and although his age is showing on him, he is still the very best horse that I have EVER had. As with any horse you need to make sure that they are healthy and keep up with their needs but, there should be NO fear of ever purchasing an older horse. They have the grace and wisdom that a younger horse does not!!  My other horse is a Registered Paint Mare named Tessa and she is 27 years old and in July will be 28. We still ride her. Don’t overlook the older horse.:)

By Guest Poster: Carol Green