Horsey Update ♥

The vet saw Sally today and it isn't looking good. It's an agressive cancer and the vet fears it may have already spread to her bone. He has taken some samples to send to an eye specialist and we are waiting on the reply. Fingers crossed for Sally, i'm praying that we can save her.

The vet also saw Sampy due to his random lameness that comes and goes. He has shocking hooves from years of neglect and will require shoes to help him. In time his wall will thicken up and we have put him on biotin supplement.

The vet also checked out our little orphan foal who we have named "Caesar", he said that Caesar is healthy and strong which is great news.

We also have 3 new rescue horses arriving ~ a broodmare and 5 week old foal that needs urgent surgery. He has servere carpul valgus and he will need a lateral periosteal strip and medial physeal bridge or screws, this all needs to be done before 6 weeks of age and will cost anywhere between $2000 and $5000. We have the vet booked into look at him and am hoping we can have something sorted out to help him. We will do our very best.
We also have a little mini pony mare who is in foal. She is due on the 16th of Feb but has nasty stifle lock and requires surgery to fix it.

I need to thank Cindy and Pete, Pricilla and Sandy and of course Carol for all of there help with these rescue horses ~ its amazing what we can achieve when we all work together.

I will post some photo's of all rescue horses after the weekend ~ we currently have 19 horses in care and have some ready for adoption but they will be posted in the horses for adoption section after the weekend. ♥

More about → Horsey Update ♥

Massive Thank You ♥

First of all I would like to thank Jo Frederiks for the amazing donation of an original painting worth $2000 for us to raffle next year. Jo is a visual artist who lives in Queensland and her Gallery Representations include, Baguette Gallery, Ascot, Percolator Gallery, Paddington and Watling St Gallery, Springwood. Jo is famous for her stunning paintings of horses and the painting she donated is of a beautiful Quarter Horse.

Thank you Jo from the bottom of my heart and from the rescue horses ~ it's people like you who make this journey so much easier. ♥

http://www.visualartist.info/visualartist/artist/?artistId=1974

Now a massive thank you to everyone who helped in the rescue of our last 4 horses. Yatala Produce for running around and finding me the products I needed, Pricilla, Sandy, Sarah, Cindy, Pete, Sydney Horse Transport, Michael Higgins Equine Vet, Louise Cosgrove Equine Vet and everyone who has shown support in these rescue missions. A massive thank you to Freya's new mummy who dropped of a bag of goodies today for the new rescues ~ I'm amazed at the amount of love and support from everyone. ♥


To everyone who has shown support towards our campaign ~ thank you.. We are still needing signed petitions so please go to the Campaign section of this website and download, have signed and send back to us. We are needing all of the help we can get.

"Together we can all make a difference"

We also have a new horse coming in ~ Max is a surrender who was very much loved. He has a Sarcoid on his nose and Louise Cosgrove will be treating him next Tuesday. I will post a big update on all 16 horses in care early next week.

More about → Massive Thank You ♥

Gonna Kick It Old School for a While...

Over the past week I have become obsessed with learning all I can about medium-format photography. I have grown quite disenchanted with the "art" created in this digital world. My Canon 5D Mark II sits on a shelf in my studio covered in dust. I can barely look at it without getting nauseous. This camera, and other HD cameras, are the reasons why kids just out of the film department at University of Whatever are heading out into the real world calling themselves Cinematographers and/or Photographers. An infant could take a good picture with the 5D! I like taking pictures but being able to do it without putting in the "work" just doesn't hold a lot of appeal anymore.

I cannot wait to start working with film again. Back in the day, I started learning how to get an exposure with several types of film cameras. The most satisfying was a Sears and Roebuck 16mm film camera I found at a thrift store for $17.00. Most of the footage I took was completely uninteresting but at least it looked good. My light meter worked! I finally learned how to work my light meter! Seeing film exposed at the levels you prepared for was quite a satisfying feeling.

Now that I learned how to incorporate strobes into studio and location lighting (many thanks to Melinda and Steph from Columbia College for this) I want to try my hand at syncing my ideas with 120 film, strobes, and an old has-been camera. Maybe this will also help me to slow down and be more thorough when it comes to creating art. I always tend to rush through things and that has rarely turned out well.

To this day, the best portrait I have ever done was on film. I was working as the Generator Operator on Step Up 2 and was able to sneak in an extra half hour after the rest of the crew wrapped in order to do some photos for a musician friend of mine. The Teamster said I had 30 minutes before he was driving away. I took 10 minutes to work with the Dimmer Board Operator to set the ambient light then took close to 15 minutes to set up the key light and some fill, metered everything, then spent less than five minutes shooting one roll of 35mm film. (You can tell I am a Technician by how little time I spent with the talent directing him in front of the lens.) By the way, a lot of the crew heard about what I was doing and stuck around, not to help but to watch. I felt the pressure and I was sweating...a lot.

Out of 24 pictures 3 were pretty good and one was spot on! The club setting and the talent looked amazing I just did not direct him very well. We nailed one tho! When I saw the pictures I was pretty embarrassed with the poor directing but the feeling of getting one that turned out album-cover worthy was something I never experienced with the digital format. It is time to go back to where it all started for me. I want to create on film.

My old buddy Nick Von Spaeth would be proud of me for this decision. Nick was a documentary film maker who worked on Star Wars: The Magic of Myth that was at the Air and Space Museum. He lived just outside of Oxford and always answered questions I had about filmmaking. All of our conversations took place before I even started working on films. Nick even gave me an old reel to reel editing table, but on the condition that I start working on projects shot on film. He hated seeing the rise of HD cameras. In one of our last conversations before he died he said something along the lines of: 'Your foundation must be film. Shoot on HD later when everyone else is but you have to learn how to shoot film first.' He was adamant on the verge of being angry when he said this and I always appreciated his candor with me.

Some frustrating times are a-comin'! Being precise and patient are foreign to me; however, I welcome the challenges. It would be so much easier just to smoke pot and keep shooting on the 5D, but I don't really dig the weed anymore. Shooting film will be a good hobby. Doing the research has been a lot of fun and I am really failing at being productive in the studio. Time for an affordable change of pace. Maybe I should buy 2 dinosaur cameras in case one gets thrown against the wall?

More about → Gonna Kick It Old School for a While...

A Death March.....

*All photo's and video in this slideshow were taken by Save A Horse Australia*

More about → A Death March.....

Our New Rescue ~ Orphan Colt

This little ‎7 week old orphan colt was rescued from the knackery. I'm not sure what happened to his mummy but he was orphaned. He wasn't a planned rescue, I had arranged to pick up Sally and got a call just before Sydney Horse Transport arrived about this little guy being all alone. I told them to load the little foal up and bring him home, he followed sally onto the truck and was trying to feed from her. I didn't know how old he was, what sex etc until he got home. But he is home now and safe, eating and drinking well and has settled in..

More about → Our New Rescue ~ Orphan Colt

Please Help us Give Sally a Second Chance

Mustang Sally is a paint mare who was sold through the Woodford sales with a growth on her eye. She was bought by Rathdowney Knackery and her old owner has informed me that she thought is was cancer but never had it tested. She said that the mare was "loopy" and "dangerous.. She arrived today and was very scared but settled down after her dinner and was eating carrots quitely.

Sally needs eye surgery to remove a massive growth from her eye lid and she will most probably lose her eye due to losing the eye lid. Horses need the lid to protect the eye, so without the eyelid, she will need to have her whole eye removed. We are having the growth tested to see what cancer (if any) we are dealing with.

Sally is a young mare and has her whole life ahead of her, she may also be infoal as she was running with a stallion. she deserves a second chance.

If you can help with Sally's surgery we are selling raffle tickets which are $2 each and we have 1st to 5th prize this means more people have a chance of winning some prizes.

We have all kinds of amazing things to win which includes Christmas gift certificates, gifts from cowbow concepts and horsey items.

If you would like to buy a raffle ticket please email saveahorseaustralia@hotmail.com

Will be drawn on the 15th of December ~ just in time for christmas.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for helping us give this mare a second chance at life.

*Please note that we are still in the process of applying for endorsement as a deductible gift recipient so we can not provide tax deductable receipts at this time ~ Save A Horse Australia 97 212 703 053*

More about → Please Help us Give Sally a Second Chance

Say NO to the inhumane capture and transportation of the Lake Gregory Brumby's from WA to QLD

Announcement made that WA Government decide that these horses will be sent to slaughter, transported from WA to Queensland.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/8386914/brumbies-to-be-sent-east-for-slaughter/

Government denies that it is a 'done deal'
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201011/s3076584.htm

Listen to WA Indigenous Affairs Minister Kim Hames on ABC stating he has employed Max Nunn who is a commercial CAMEL musterer, to "consult" on this issue - and visit the community where the horses are.

Please, we MUST ensure that NO live transport of our wild horses occur. Horse transport, particularly wild horse transport is brutal. Horses will have to be chased and herded into makeshift pens, and then dragged onto the trucks. Horses do not transport well in general, wild horses will buck and rear, and more than often suffer horrific injuries due to the terror and fear experienced - eye sockets ripped open, broken teeth, broken limbs.

The Minister has been consulting with various committee stakeholders about this issue as far back as June. Meeting minutes show an agreed decision that trucking or transporting the Horses would not be considered as it would be inhumane. The RSPCA decided not to vote on whether to cull or transport, but to be observers. The Minister is now simply exercising his right to decide, contrary to the democratic process of consultation and meeting outcomes.

As stated by Animals Australia ‘While the committee's role will be to make its recommendation on animal welfare grounds, the final decision will remain with the WA Government. In this tenuous situation it is therefore critical that the government continues to hear the voices of caring people who are appalled by the ill-conceived plan to cruelly exterminate these peaceful animals.'

The State Liberal Government lead by Premier Colin Barnett in W.A have an abhorrent record on Animal Welfare. This issue highlights their lack of sincere concern for the welfare of animals in this state. This Government continually sides with Industry and Profit, denying our animals their rights to basic welfare standards.

Note that is advised that the horses on this land will, once "removed", will simply make way for the 5000 + herd of cattle. This was confirmed in an e-mail reply from Russell Shaw, Department of Agriculture. The land in their opinion can only support one, and that will mean that even though cattle have a greater impact on the environment, the cattle will prevail as its dollars in the Governments kitty. It would appear that the plan is to remove horses and increase cattle and to continue to run the area as a cattle station. This was confirmed in an e-mail reply from Russell Shaw, Department of Agriculture, to a letter of protest.

If the management of these horses means the slaughter of some of the population, this MUST NOT happen in Queensland - the horses SHOULD NOT be transported.

Please email the Premier, The Minister for Indigenous Affairs and demand, with your voice and with your vote - that they do not back flip on their decision to NOT transport these animals to their slaughter and to find an agreeable solution to managing and controlling the population of our Wild Brumbies, in continued consultation with all stakeholders and with the agenda of the horses welfare, foremost!

Please also refer to this fantastic post by Animal Rights & Rescue Group with suggestions on alternatives to Managing the Brumby population and ideas for your letters: http://www.animalrights.org.au/news.php?id=56

Honourable Dr Kim Hames MB BS JP MLA

Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Indigenous Affairs
Address: 28th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower, 197 St Georges Terrace, PERTH WA 6000
Telephone: (08) 9222 8788
Fax: (08) 9222 8799
e-Mail: Minister.Hames@dpc.wa.gov.au

Honourable Colin Barnett MEc MLAPremier; Minister for State Development

Address: 24th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower, 197 St Georges Terrace PERTH WA 6000
Telephone: (08) 9222 9888
Fax: (08) 9322 1213
e-Mail: wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au

More about → Say NO to the inhumane capture and transportation of the Lake Gregory Brumby's from WA to QLD

Garth, Helix and Our New Mini Pony

On September the 3rd we adopted a mini pony "Garth" as a paddock mate for Helix who had his eye removed due to neglect. Helix was struggling with equine depression so we needed a mini pony fast. But Garth is now going back to the rescue that owns him for re-homing and we have another rescue mini in need of some love. Garth was a very timid little pony but with time he has gotten better. The new mini pony is arriving tomorrow and is also very timid and untrusting, but he will come good with love and affection.

Garth on Arrival

The day he arrived in his stable

Garth 3 weeks ago ~ very dirty

Garth 3 weeks ago ~ needing a good bath

The new mini ~ taken today

Helix on arrival

Helix after surgery

Helix now ~ needing a bath also

More about → Garth, Helix and Our New Mini Pony

Riding School Closing Down Auction ~ Burpengary

I often get emails and calls from people looking for quiet kids ponies and I don't often get quiet rescue horses suitable for kids come through but I have been told about this riding school auction so I thought I would share the information

Brian Munro's riding school in Burpengary is closing down and all horses will be auctioned without a reserve on the 12th of Dec.. Heaps of quite riding horses and ponies. There are over 30 horses/ponies and heaps of riding equipment. I have been told that NO HORSES will be sold before and all of them will be sold through the auction...


Sunday December 12th, 2010 at 10am. 138 Fountain Rd. Burpengary.

There will be a catalouge posted on the Town & Country website on the 1st of Dec http://www.townandcountryauctions.net/upcomingauctions.htm







.

More about → Riding School Closing Down Auction ~ Burpengary

New Rescue Mare

This mare went through the Woodford sales last weekend and I have bought her from Rathdowney knackery. She is only young with a growth on her eye the poor girl. She is arriving tomorrow and will be assessed by my vet but I’m pretty sure she will need surgery. I will keep everyone posted on her progress. I have been informed by her old owner that she was also running with a stallion and there is a possibility that she is in foal.

She is only young and there are many one eyed ponies who live normal happy lives. ♥♥ Massive thanks to ~ Pricilla (who I knew would cry one day and who did shed a few tears for this mare) ~ the amazing Gold Coast sisters ~ Sydney Horse Transport ~ Louise Cosgrove Equine Vet ~ Michael Higgins Equine Vet and everyone for your support ♥

More about → New Rescue Mare

Lake Gregory Brumby's

The Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Kim Hames has approved the mass round up of the Lake Gregory Brumbies, allegedly having them transported to Queensland to be killed for human consumption. I have been informed that even though he has stated that he is going to the Mulan Community to assess the situation, he has already arranged the helicopter and transporter for the job, which is meant to be taking place in Jan/Feb 2011.

The minister said that he needs to clean up the wild horse issue which he quoted as being bigger than “Ben Hur” he was also alleged to have quoted his opinion of Shirley Brown and Steven Yuman who are the Elders on the pastoral lease around Lake Gregory saying “They can’t handle it" and "no good to leave it up to them buggers.” This is lovely coming from the Minister of Indigenous affairs who was appointed in the interests of the Indigenous Western Australia.
We are currently fighting this in Parliament and we have much more information but I cannot post until we have information in writing.
Please support this campaign and voice your opinion to Kim Hames, it only takes a few minutes to send an email. Please keep them professional and to the point. Mass culling and transporting these horses across Australia for slaughter is inhumane and unjust, especially when there are people in Western Australia willing to teach Indigenous people how to train these amazing animals. This approval isn’t the answer.

Kim Hames ~ Indigenous Affairs
Address ~ 28th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower, 197 St Georges Tce, Perth WA 6000
Telephone ~ (08) 92228788
Fax ~(08) 92228799
Email ~ Minister.Hames@dpc.wa.gov.au
Internet ~ www.premier.wa.gov.au/Ministers/Kim-Hames

Colin Barnett ~ Premier, Minister for State Development
Address ~ 24th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower, 197 St Georges Tce, Perth WA 6000
Telephone ~ (08) 92229888
Fax ~ (08) 93221213
Email ~ wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au
Internet ~ www.premier.wa.gov.au/Ministers/colin-barnett

Actual photo of a Brumby at Lake Gregory

More about → Lake Gregory Brumby's

I am the worst boss I have ever had.

I need a good kick in the pants, not one that hurts but one that inspires. Sitting on the eastern edge of a Carolina mountaintop watching the sun rise out of the horizon would help. Hearing Kermit Ruffins play his horn at Vaughn's on a Thursday could be beneficial. Setting an anchor in the Dry Tortugas with Fort Jefferson in view might kickstart something in my brain. Then there is always Bermuda...Bermuda is always good for what ails you. Unfortunately, a road trip is a little out of the question right now. I am bonded to the home for a spell. At the moment, I can barely get up off the couch...

A trip to the gym is rather necessary, but after freezing my toes off in a scissor lift last night I am not much for going outside today, even if the walk is only a few blocks. Across the street from the gym is my studio. The dust is starting to gather once again.

The grocery list is sitting on the table right in front of me. I better get going before the line at the market grows to unbearable lengths. The pecan pies for the Ale House dinner are my responsibility and we are low on beer in the fridge.

I'm afraid if I go buy beer now I might have a couple. I did work last night so today could be considered a day off. How guilty would I feel if I took today off? Stuffing self-employed-vocational guilt away somewhere where I do not have to think about it is something I am very good at. Why am I worrying about all this at all? It is Thanksgiving Eve.

When it comes down to it I don't have to bake the pies until tomorrow, the gym is open tomorrow and the dogs have already been walked this morning. It might be all right to laze about today. I can go to the studio tomorrow. But I have pies to bake tomorrow...

No official call time today. It is up to me to fill today with productivity. I'll get back to you on that...  

More about → I am the worst boss I have ever had.

Gold Coast Horse ~ Website

This amazing new website has everything you could ever need in the Gold Coast Equine Community. From horse trainers to horse photographers it has everything. Please have a look at our link:

http://www.goldcoasthorse.com.au/Gold_Coast_Horse/Horse_Rehabilitation.html


Gold Coast Horse: http://www.goldcoasthorse.com.au/

More about → Gold Coast Horse ~ Website

New Herb Supplier

Marja Arabians ~ Herb Supplier ~ http://marjaarabians.com/index.php

Sonja from Marja Arabians has just come on board with S.A.H.A Horse Rescue and Sanctuary as our herb supplier. Not only does Sonja supply herbs but also vitamins, minerals, supplements and she blends her own mixes like Ulcer Mix. The prices are very reasonable and Sonja is very helpful. So if you are looking for herbs for your horses please contact Sonja.

Phone: 0413045534
Email:  marjaarabians@optusnet.com.au

More about → New Herb Supplier

How can this song still be on the charts?

I do not always keep a firm grasp of the English language but at least I put forth my best effort and attempt to adhere to the proper rules of usage. Frank Conroy, the former director of the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa stated that in contemporary writing all works needed to have a combination of four ingredients: meaning, sense, brevity, and clarity. Some exceptions are allowed and some rules are often broken without distraction, but there are limits. If I recall correctly, the limits especially apply when it comes to one's writing making sense. In the song "Like a G6", by the music group The Far East Movement, the envelope of the artistic license is pushed well beyond the edge of acceptability. I have a hard time grasping how the hook of the song makes any sense. However, I am obviously in the minority because the popularity of song kept it in the top ten on Itunes for quite some time. During the week of September 29, 2010, "Like a G6" even reached number one. The standards in our modern society are reaching some frightening lows.

Very few pop songs annoy me. I can keep the radio tuned to any station that plays pop music and suffer through the garbage to get to artists I can tolerate like Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, BOB, Taylor Swift (as long as she is not singing live), and even Justin Bieber. I don't necessarily like all of these artists but I can sit through one of their songs. "Like a G6" sends me into conniption fits from the first beat, then comes that annoying hook...

Poppin bottles in the ice like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard

Am I wrong? With lyrics like these how can this song still be on the charts?

When I think of a blizzard I think of frozen particles hitting the earth rather hastily. I'm afraid if the Far East Movement started popping their bottles on the ice in any way nearly associated with a blizzard-type effect the glass might shatter. Their blizzard-esque intent, figuratively, might have been to mean lots of bottles hitting the ice for all in attendance at the club. Whatever the implication of the writer might be, I have a difficult time accepting it. If they had changed "like" to "it's a"I would be able to somewhat tolerate the song, until I heard the next line.

I do not think there is anything more offensive than some skinny hipster chick trying to rap/sing a new word into the English language. "Slizzard" might be the dumbest attempt in the history of the arts. Other artist have been able to do so successfully. Snoop Dogg used his charm and talent as a rapper to bring his linguistically-pleasing creations into the mainstream. Plenty of times I tried to be hip twisting my fingers into awkward positions while answering {fo' shizzle my nizzle} to many questions over the years. Snoop Dogg has a gift of making words flow together in a way that sounds pleasing. The flow is phonetically pleasing as well. Dev Tailes' abilities are not even comparable to Snoops in her contribution to "Like a G6." However, she displays a strong business sense with her contribution to the song. The young lady probably won't have to worry about paying her bills for some time.

Maybe I am just old and getting grumpier. I am getting fed up with mainstream culture (meaning what is overly popular among the masses) influencing our society in a negative way. Yes, I love to be entertained by copious amounts of less-than-cerebral material in many genres of entertainment. This weekend I watched a few minutes of VH1 hoping to catch a glimpse of Katy Perry in her video for "Teenage Dream." I love that song; I love looking at her, but after four horrendous videos and an endless amount of commercials I could not wait any longer. I switched over to Lidia's Italy so I would maybe learn how to make a new pasta dish.

What I saw on VH1 made my eyes hurt. Hearing "Like a G6" when I'm driving makes my head hurt. Time to go back to vinyl for a while. This week I am going shopping for a turntable so I can listen to music that was created with care and attention to detail. I don't know what is scarier, how old I am getting or how bad contemporary music is? I will say this: Katy Perry was robbed last night for the Artist of the Year award on that award show last night, whichever one it was...

More about → How can this song still be on the charts?

June is looking for a new home

June is currently looking for a new forever home. Please see the "Horses for Adoption" section of this website for adoption details and information on June-Bug.

More about → June is looking for a new home

Woodford Horse Sale ~ 21st November 2010

Many of the horses in these photos are now at the knackery. A few of them were lucky enough to find a nice home.

More about → Woodford Horse Sale ~ 21st November 2010