I love to read. Maybe it comes from being a schoolmarm's daughter. Perhaps it is a natural byproduct of having spent six of my childhood years in remote areas where television was (then) utterly unavailable.
I read in the tub .... my nose is usually buried in a book at the table ... and of course there is no better way to wrap up the day than being curled up in my double rocker by the fire with a good book.
Any top ten list of my favourite genres would have to include good suspense novels. Indeed, they have been responsible for more late nights than any gentleman of my acquaintance:)
Sometimes the truth can be more gripping than fiction. See the beautiful Appaloosa filly pictured above? Her name is Sophie and her story reads like a classic cliffhanger.
She was loaded on a meat truck and on her way to the meat market in Quebec. "She was the youngest and the smallest on the truck, extremely thin, was covered in rain rot, dehydrated, very frightened and very weak. She would have not likely survived the grueling transport to Quebec in her condition."
( the topic of why I only buy hamburger that comes from a local nova scotia farm is a sticky subject that would be sheer speculation to dwell on... sigh )
Lucky for Sophie, one of the members of the Maritime Horse Protection Society was able to make a deal with the truck driver for her. Even though he refused to offload her for less than he would get in Quebec, a price was agreed upon and Sophie began the long journey to recovery and adoption. ( click here to see how much better Sophie looked after a few months of good care )
My mother loved horses. She was raised on a farm on the island and in a different time and place would have gone on to become a veterinarian instead of a nurse.
So I know firsthand that it takes deep pockets to keep a horse properly. There are few phrases as misleading as the old adage, "healthy as a horse'. Even in competent experienced hands, healthy horses will require a level of vet care that would stagger most pet owners. And that is not counting farrier bills, fencing and all the other bits that are part and parcel of having a horse.
Unfortunately for horses, ignorance is NOT bliss. Lack of husbandry skills and/ or underestimating the resources required can do at least as much harm as deliberate neglect and cruelty, eh?
As well as rescuing, The Maritime Horse Protection Society have made education an important part of their mandate. They also lobby for improvements needed to protect horses under our own Animal Protection Act and for laws to protect horses being transported.
They have been around for almost twenty years now and are part of CANFACT (Canadian Farm Animal Care Trust ) In realspeak that also means that they can offer a tax receipt for any donations to support their work.
Of course they are always on the watch for horse experienced folk with a spare stall to foster ... but for all the rest of us ... they also have a neat sponsorship program. Folks can sponsor part or all of the six month fostering costs.
Who among us, when we were small, has not asked Santa for a pony or a horse? Horses helped shape human history and can still capture our hearts. WC Fields once said that 'Horse Sense is the thing that horses have that keep them from betting on people'
What time is it? It is always, always time to praise real horse sense when we find it!
Cassanove is available for adoption. Click here for more info
This is a picture of Annie when she first arrived. Click here to see how much better she looks two years later! Note .. Annie was adopted by one of the Society's members :)
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