May 13th, 2011

It was wonderful to see Nathalie and her friends from Oregon Episcopal School this week! Nathalie, as some of you might remember, is a high school student and author of a wonderful essay about Hytyme as well as the current plight of horses everywhere (see the earlier blog post to read her piece!). She and her friends groomed many of the horses who really needed some extra help getting rid of their winter fur.

Alex was out this week, working with Peanut Butter Boy. Peanut Butter Boy will always be a bit of a goofball, but he was sure doing well with Alex! She worked with him on longeing, saddling, and even introduced him to some small obstacles in the arena:

This week also brought some excellent weather--the first hints of summer! On Friday, Chuck was out to trim feet. And also on Friday, the Hytyme crowd held a barbecue at the barn. It was a beautiful day with lots of good company: Sam, Katie, Jim and Sherry, Adrienne and Amanda, Becca and Joey, Julie Hart, and Scott. (apologies to anyone I forgot to mention!) Hot dogs and hamburgers abound! We're hoping to do more barbecues as the summer progresses--perhaps with a TGIF theme! It was great to reconnect with everyone and enjoy the weather with such good company.

Also, congratulations to Julie Hart with the publication of her childrens' book, Miss Molly Mare! A bit of backstory: Julie adopted Fantasia, a thoroughbred mare, in 2007. Fantasia came from the feedlot in Yakima. When Julie and her daughters came to Hytyme to meet horses, they were drawn to Fantasia. Julie asked Jim if Fantasia was broke to ride, and, like most feedlot horses, her history was unknown. Fantasia seemed to really enjoy Julie and her daughters' company, so Julie lifted her kids on Fantasia's  back. Fantasia stood there peacefully, and so she sold herself. Julie changed Fantasia's name to Molly.

Molly's feet were bad when she came to Hytyme from the feedlot, but unfortunately, they got worse. She was put to sleep in 2009 after two wonderful years with Julie and her family. Those were, undoubtedly, the best years of Molly's life. The Harts have also adopted several Hytyme horses: Fifi, Malissa, and Celeste. Julie is one of the original volunteers--she's been a part of the rescue since things began, practically!

Her book, Miss Molly Mare is the story of Molly coming to safety after her previous life. Check the link for a look at the beautiful cover (including an awesome illustrated version of Jim!) : Miss Molly Mare cover

You can also check out Amazon or Barnes and Noble to get Julie's book!
Amazon page

And now for some other sad, but very pertinent news. Here is the link to an issue that Jim and Sherry are currently dealing with. Although our focus is on the horses, as always, we appreciate any advice our readers and supporters may have: Letter from Jim.

Until next time!