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!

May 10th, 2011

Hooray! One of our dearest equine residents, Delilah, was adopted today. Congratulations to Delilah and her new owners! First, a bit of history:

Delilah has basically spent her entire life at Hytyme. Her mother is Dakota, another horse who was recently adopted. Dakota is a Seattle Slew granddaughter. Delilah doesn't look much like her thoroughbred ancestors--she's a pale palomino. In the summers, Delilah has a golden sheen to her coat, but in the winter, she's white.

Delilah is one of those special horses. She is sweet, polite, and has been a volunteer favorite. She's about four years old--and her formative years have been spent with the Hytyme crew. She has gone through a lot of the groundwork basics with Kassi or other previous volunteers and trainers, but no one has really claimed Delilah as her project horse. She's been in need of a person of her own for some time!

So, although Delilah has recently become Boss's friend in the big field, we were thrilled when some people were interested in adopting her. They had a wonderful set up, and seemed like great folks.

So, we'll miss you, Delilah, but we know that you'll have a wonderful life with your new friends, Courtney and Matthew! We can't wait to hear about all the exciting adventures you will be going on together.

In other Hytyme news, two of our recently adopted horses have returned to the rescue. Any time an adoption doesn't work out, we are happy to take the horse back. Matching a horse and a person can be difficult--and life situations change, perhaps preventing an owner from caring for their horse. Spendy and Rose came back to Hytyme recently.

Rose is an Arabian mare who is very sweet (and happy to see the green grass!)

And Spendy is a Thoroughbred mare. She's also our recently departed Cash's mother. This picture is half of her and half of the incredible Mount Hood view in the background.

We did, however recently get this email from Rebel's adopter, Laurie:

"Dear Jim and the Hytyme volunteers,
Rebel is doing really well.  He's very sweet and "ee aws" when he hears my voice, even when he can't see me.   I've been riding him often and today he got a taste of harness training in the arena at the barn down the road.  The harness is a little big, but he did well ground driving and didn't seem to mind the blinkers (blinders?).  He's my hero!"

Love it! More to come soon!

May 9th, 2011

After the wonderful visit from the Oregon Trail Primary Academy, Jim recieved some very hearwarming documents. The students each wrote thank-you letters and made a book about their visit. Here is some of their work:

Cover Page

Kaya

Kauai

Soren

This story is written from Hope's point of view


Totaling 19 pages, these students all wrote letters and stories about their visit to Hytyme. What a great bunch of kids! We'll never forget their visit and gift! We love the stories, too, and we're glad that the class was able to visit the rescue. Maybe some of the horses will have to write responses...

In other news, Brooke and Vanessa, some of our younger volunteers, have started working with Hobbit and Snickers under Kassi's guidance. Both girls have been out mucking stalls for a few months, and we know they will learn a lot about horse training and groundwork with Kassi! Expect pictures soon!

April 30th, 2011

It's not raining! Nice weather in the forecast! Hooray!

About a week ago, many of the horses moved into the big pasture, their spring and summer quarters. About seven more horses are going out to the big field today. The space and pasture this pasture provides helps horses feel better after a long winter of mud. We'll post pictures every so often--you'll be able to see the transformation these horses go through each spring! Winter fur comes off, and their coats become shiny and dappled. Horses gain some weight. It's a neat process to observe each year!

Chino

Dallas, Marquis, Dreamer

Katie Mae

Shannon

Delilah and Boss

Peanut Butter Boy shows how he feels about blankets!

We'll show these every few weeks so you can see how our horses progress! Dallas (one of the bay horses pictures with Marquis and Dreamer above) has been inside all winter with an injury. She's been so happy to be out with her long-time friend Dreamer (and Marquis, of course!) and she's been running all over the place with the herd. She made it through the winter with flying colors, and we couldn't be happier.

When Jim was taking pictures, he went looking for Katie Mae. He didn't see her (and it's kind of hard to lose a 2,000 pound Percheron), but eventually found her inside the barn. She was laying down, and Jim spent some time with her, and brushed her, too. She definitely enjoyed the attention!

Kassi's back from her trip to a wedding in Kansas, and all the regular volunteers have been out. Michelle the Carrot Lady was out, doing her thing as usual:

A few days ago, it was really windy. Jim was fixing a loose panel on the roof of Barn #1. He went up on the roof to fix it, and while up there, fell through the hole where the panel used to be. Amazingly enough, he caught himself before falling all the way through and managed to get his toes onto a 2X4 above the sliding door. Also amazingly enough, he managed to get onto the supports and climb down. What luck! Katie came out while Jim was up in the rafters, and she was pretty amazed by his story. But just like falling off a horse, Jim made it back up onto the roof to fix the loose panel. Amazing!

In really exciting news, Brittany and Logan are engaged! Congratulations to the both of you!!!

April 27th, 2011

This week, some of our older friends have moved out to the Hytyme Trail to enjoy the grass there. For those of you who don't know, the big pasture is framed by a lovely fenced trail area. It's wide enough for Jim to drive his tractor through in the winter and deliver hay to the big field, and it's also wide enough for several horse and rider teams to take a stroll around the property. The trail winds its way into a forrested area, which makes it perfect for trail riding.

Anyway, Sue, Granny, Coal, and Rosa all hit the trail this week. The gates are open so they can come into Barn #2 to get hay and grain and shelter when they want to. Their pens open out onto the trail.

Rosa (donkey) and Coal make their way onto the trail

Smarty (buckskin) checks out his new neighbors



Sue, Granny, Coal, and Rosa--look at all that grass!

Alex and her sister Vanessa were out at the barn this week, and they worked with Marquis. Marquis is not a rescue horse; he has lived here for 20 years. He's a beautiful bay Arabian gelding. Years ago, he was trained in dressage, and he still remembers all his footwork, even today! look for upcoming videos on Marquis. He is one cool horse! Alex and Vanessa were amazed at how much he knew. Visitors may have seen Marquis inside Barn #2 this winter, but now he's out in the big field, enjoying the weather (when it's sunny!) with his harem.

The Estacada OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Team) used our arena for their drill team practice. Eight horses and riders were here and they all did great! They gave a donation to the rescue for the use of the arena--so thanks, Estacada OHSET! Here are some pictures of their ride:

Here's a shot of our driveway...needless to say, we can't wait for a long stretch of dry, warm weather...

Can winter be over already?