Wild Horses Need Our Help

If you can help please do, these beautiful horses are part of our history. We as Americans live in a throw-away society, but throwing away a living and breathing creation is not just. Please pass this on.

Dear Friends of Wild Horses,Sitting on the hillside last week watching the beauty of this very historicherd galloping across the prairie, tears came to my eyes to know that soonthese horses may face the last days of their lives unless WE CAN HELP.This herd, known as Wild Horse Annie's horses, will be removed next week.If ISPMB cannot take these horses, they will be sold at auction and willhead to the thriving Canadian Slaughter Market. Can you help us save theseextraordinary horses? THE STORY:These wild horses, originating near Virginia City, Nevada, are one of themost historic herds in the U.S. gaining notoriety in 1952 when Wild HorseAnnie pushed through the first law in Storey County to protect these wildhorses. By 1971 when Annie and ISPMB were successful in getting federallegislation to protect wild horses and burros, these horses were not coveredbecause they resided on state land. Human encroachment from residentialdevelopment now threatens the Virginia Range herd. In 2001, ISPMB took steps to save Annie's horses and placed 82 of them onthe Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in SD. Today the herd has grown to 300animals and the Tribe may soon lose their 22,000 acre ranch where the horsesroamed.We have only a week to seek funding so we can keep these horses from goingto slaughter. ISPMB has no financial reserves since we paid two times thenormal price for hay this past year trucking it in hundreds of milesenduring the worst drought in our history.Our goal is to find upwards to 200 qualified homes for the younger horsesand then keep the base herd of 100 animals. We will need to raise enough money to purchase $50,000 of hay for them forseveral months until homes are found for the majority of animals.HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:* Can you help us find qualified homes for the younger horses* Can you contribute http://ispmb. org/ or ISPMB- BOX 55- LANTRYSD-57636 If everyone on our E-mail list would contribute a minimum of $25 -we could raise enough funds to save these horses!* Can you do a fundraiser in your area to save "Annie's Virginia RangeHorses".* Can you pass our information on to all of your friends* Can you Sponsor the Virginia Range Herd ($5,000) and spend awonderful three day weekend with us and our herdsONLY WITH YOUR HELP CAN WE DO THIS! LET'S KEEP THEM RUNNING WILD AND FREE.Karen A. SussmanPresident, ISPMBPO Box 55Lantry, SD 57636-0055Tel: 605.964.6866Cell: 605.430.2088Saving America's Wild Horses and Burros since 1960www.ispmb.orgBecome a member of ISPMB today! http://www.ispmb.org .

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say ~ Ralph WaldoEmerson

Open Field Join-Up,,Almost

I was contacted by a local Doctor about his Two Year Old Filly. Doc had traded this two year old to a local trainer for a horse trailer. The problem was that this filly had no human contact since she was six months old and the trainer could not catch her.

Doc asked me to come look at the horse and see if I could help. She was a beautiful Tennessee Walking Horse and would come up with curiosity but when I would reach out for her she would back up just out of reach or hide behind another horse. I started to walk her down just to see how she would react. No interest in any contact what so ever.

Finally after about a half an hour I decided to separate her from the other horses. I was able to put the other horses up and keep her at bay. When she realized she was in the field alone she went nuts. Screaming and try to climb the gate.

I grabbed a rope and started to push her off the gate and into the field. Now that I had her in the open field I would push her by throwing the rope at her hind quarters. I would have to follow her and keep pushing for over an hour. Finally her inner ear was focused on me like a radar and she started a chewing motion with her mouth, I knew I had her and lightened up a little. It was hot, she and I were both tired and in need of water.

After a five minute break we started again. Same thing, ear focused and chewing of the mouth but I could never get her to bow or come to me no matter what.

Change of method. I roped her from the ground. As soon as the rope hit and went tight she took off burning my gloves. I would follow, Pick up the rope and try light pressure. Off she went. After about a half an hour she started to give in. I finally walked the length of the rope and got my hands on her for the first time. She was still very shy but did not run. After about five minutes I could rub her all over and was able to put the first halter on her of her life.

Once the halter was on I attached a lead rope, she still didn't run, but would not lead. I walked her in small circles bending her and forcing her to turn and follow my lead. She got comfortable but still would not move forward. Next move was to take a lounge whip and hold it behind me in my outside hand and as I would step forward I would flick her hind with the whip. She began to understand what I wanted and complied. By the time we were done I tossed the lead rope over her back and walk next to her. No matter where I went she stayed in step and at my side.

This was truely an exhilarating experience for me. I have accomplised similar in a round pen but never in an open field. I was blessed by this horse and am grateful for the experience.

El.

Professional Gamers

Professional gamers

By RACHEL ADAMS, The Daily NewsWednesday, August 22, 2007 1:04 PM CDT

Growing up, Elliot Holland and Chris Jefferies always envisioned their dream jobs simply: playing video games all day long.Honing their skills on games like Atari's “Pong” and Nintendo's “The Legend of Zelda,” the Bowling Green friends heard people say over and over again that their pipe dreams wouldn't come true - that, in the real world, no one gets paid to move fictional characters around a screen.That was before Holland, 23, and Jefferies, 21, were guaranteed a $30,000 contract, plus bonuses based on performance, to be “World of Warcraft” professionals for the Championship Gaming Series, a professional gaming league that aims to be the first of its kind to have salaried players. The duo, who call themselves “Ensane,” won the honor by placing third in a “World of Warcraft” arena match at BlizzCon, an early August event in Anaheim, Calif., by Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the game.“It is really exciting,” Holland said. “I do feel like we're pioneers in this field. ... We are really kind of paving the way for the whole industry.”Holland first started playing “World of Warcraft” - a massive multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG - three years ago, convincing Jefferies to join him a year later. When Blizzard introduced an “arena match” feature, allowing teams of players to fight other teams to the pixellated death, the roommates formed a paladin/warlock combination team and started practicing.The two play “all the time - too much, if you ask my mom,” Holland said. “We play every day, at least several hours a day. ... It's good to stay on top of our game.”Eventually, Blizzard began offering arena tournaments - where teams compete for cash prizes - for teams of five and three, Holland said, but not for pairs. A few months ago, however, a friend mentioned that the Championship Gaming Series planned to offer a tournament for “twos,” qualifying rounds for which were held online in America and Europe. Team Ensane placed in the top 70 teams in the United States, then moved up to the top eight, qualifying them for a trip to BlizzCon on Aug. 3 and 4.At BlizzCon, the winning teams competed against each other on computers hooked up to large screens that aired all the action, Holland said. He and Jefferies faced DnT, a team favored to win, in a round that drew gasps and cheers from the crowd with each move.“We gave them a pretty good run,” Holland said. “We got down to the wire at the end. It was pretty close, then one of their players pulled out a pretty clutch move. ... We definitely had the most exciting game there.”The two enjoyed the star treatment lavished upon them at the event - fans asked for their tips on gaming, they were issued “Pro Gamer” ID badges and received paid airfare and entry into BlizzCon.“On eBay, tickets for BlizzCon were selling for about $600, last-minute,” Jefferies said. “We had our own lounge as well.”The pair will fly to Los Angeles in November to play in the Championship Gaming Series World Championships, then in 2008 will be matched with one of eight teams across the nation. Previously, the teams were comprised of 10 members, each an expert on one of several different console video games, but next year the teams will expand to include two “World of Warcraft” experts - in one team's case, Holland and Jefferies. They're not sure yet which team they'll be assigned, but they do know one thing: Life with the Championship Gaming Series, while it may be fleeting, is going to be awesome.“Do what you enjoy - don't let someone tell you, you have to do something else,” Holland said. “There's always going to be a way. You can make things happen.”Both Holland and Jefferies say their families are proud of their accomplishments - but, as exciting as the prospect of getting paid to play video games is, they acknowledge the need for a backup plan. The duo plan to stay with the Championship Gaming Series as long as they can, but they know the deal may not last forever.“The best part is, you get to go for what you really want, and if you have a plan B, you're never going to be hurting for anything,” Jefferies said.

Wild Hogs

Wild Hogs was absolutely hysterical. I LMAO the entire movie. This is one for the library. Rent it, watch it and I know you will want to buy it.

300 was the Bomb

The movie 300 was by far one of the best inspirational movies of the year. An aginst all odds type of action , suspense, thriller. From start to finish this movie holds the viewers attention and causes you to revel in the commitment and dedication of a people that truly believe in their cause and are willing to die for what they believe in.

This movie does remind the thoughtful viewer that their are things in all of our lives, beliefs and convictions, that we ourselves are not standing up for. Stand up for yourself, your beliefs and don't let the masses dictate your convictins. Be a Spartan!!!!

El

First Bath

I have a new to me Mustang Mare that found great joy in rolling in the mud after a good rain earlier this week. Since she is White, ok Grey- there is no such thing as a white horse all horses that look white are actually Light Grey. That will start some contiversy.

She was a mess and had mud caked into her mane and tail. I decided to give her a bath. Oh Yeah that was bright. I cross tied her and got the hose and sprayer, when I let out the first steam of water she went staight up into the air and came down with legs spread. She completely froze.

Got her bathed and dried and groomed and turned her out, straight to the mud pit for a roll in the mud. Now my beautiful White Mare is redish-brown again. If she is happier that way who am I to tell her different.

Hey, Debbie are you out there.

Round Pen and Ground Work

I have always been one of those that just gets on the horse and rides it out until the horse gives in. I have always said I can ride as fast and as far as the horse wants to run. Well.......My body isn't what it used to be and I had to find a more body friendly way to start my horses. Thats when I found the Round Pen, Monty Roberts, John Lyons and Pat Perelli. Now I'm no fool, I believe in non-resistant training, I have seen it work in my round pen, I don't totally believe what these guys do at a seminar is what they do at home. However, consistent Ground Work has saved whats left of my body. Cicely is a nine year old Mustang mare adopted from the BLM and was taged as a problem horse. I believe she was too old to be taken from the wild. The first time I tried to approach her she charged me and tried to pen me against a stall gate, which I very quickly jumped over.

It took three weeks to get her used to me and to let me work with her. The very first time I worked her in the Round Pen she responded just as Monty Roberts said she would. I was so excited I pushed the Saddle on her and almost got trampled. I backed off worked the program taking it slow and easy. I let her show me how far she was ready to go. We worked three hours a day for three weeks. When felt comfortable enough to mount her, there was no resistance, no buck, no run just total trust.

Read the books and work the process and most of all take your time. This will save your body for later years.

Games for Lunch: SSX Blur

Games for Lunch: SSX Blur

Just Another Day In Paridise

Wow!!! What a weekend. The boys and I threw a hell of a party. We ran through 23 cases of Miller Lite and had two band playing into the night. Only one girl got sick and there were no fights. The party was validated when the Cops showed up, they were nice and left us to our party. A good time was had by all.