May 30, 2011
Today I decided to start teaching Penny that the click means a treat is Coming. I made a mistake early on and gave her treats randomly as we were walking or when I saw her in her pen. I think I shouldn't have done that, but at the time, I wanted her to associate me with good things. Now, when she sees me, she automatically looks for the treat and pushes and shoves at me. When I give her the treat away from my body, she bites my palm. I don't think it's intentional, but I don't want her to get into the habit of doing this.
So I decided to treat Penny like a big horse and stood on the other side of the stall door in Cali's part of the shed. This created some problems because when Cali heard the click, she turned to me, wanting her own treat. So I asked her to wait, then clicked and treated her for waiting. I clicked and treated Penny quite a few times and in between, I clicked and treated Cali for waiting. I think that Cali got confused, though, and am going to find somewhere else Cali can be while I'm working with Penny. I don't want Cali to think that click doesn't equal treat, and I'm afraid that might happen if I continue to click and treat Penny, not her. I've heard of people who've trained multiple dogs at once,; how they do it is a mystery to me.
When Penny dropped treats, Cali would put her nose under the door and get what she could. Penny reached down, too, and Cali squealed at her. I think Cali is warning Penny away but am not really sure if that's the case. Hopefully, they'll tolerate each other someday. If not, I guess Cali won't have a friend like I envisioned.
As Penny was eating her hay this evening, I pattered, rubbed, and scratched her, talking quietly as I did so. Even when I touched behind her front legs, she didn't flinch. I guess she's getting used to me. I couldn't tell if her ears were back or not, but since she still kept eating, my assumption is that she wasn't too upset. I am so lucky to have these two amazing, smart horses! Now, if only I could figure out how to teach them to get along!
May 31, 2011
This morning, I had to use fly spray on both horses, as mosquitoes and flies have gotten horrible. Cali decided to protest, which means she saw the bottle in my hand, turned around, walked out of the then, turned back around, and walked into the shed, whereupon she let me spray her without any fuss. Why she does this, I haven't figured out. My guess is that she's simply telling me she's not happy about what I'm doing. Sometimes when I'm getting ready to brush her, she does this. It's funny, but I'm thinking I should listen to her and perhaps click and treat her for not doing it, if I can catch her not protesting about being sprayed, that is!
When Penny's turn came, I had to brush her first and so set the bottle of fly spray down on the floor. Penny let me brush her with no hassle. I suspect that's because I didn't even try to do her legs. When I finished brushing her, I walked over to where the bottle was and she put her nose on it. This is when I should have clicked and treated, but I wasn't prepared. Handler error! I exchanged the brush for the fly spray, let Penny sniff at it, then sprayed some in the air away from her face. She wasn't disturbed and didn't even flinch when I sprayed
her—except when I tried to do her legs and her tummy near her legs. Then she tried to kick and danced around some. I talked quietly to her, but her ears stayed pinned. If it hadn't been necessary to spray her, I would have just left her alone, but as it was, I didn't want her to get bitten by mosquitoes. She hasn't had all of her vaccines yet, and I don't want to take any chances. Bruce was outside, so I asked him to spray Penny while I talked to her and tried to soothe her. She wasn't happy about the procedure, but we were able to spray her down, at which point, I gave her some hay pellets. Of course, this is something we'll have to work on.
One of the things I really want Penny to learn is manners. I want her to understand that she'll only get a treat if she stands with her head far enough away that she can't mug me. This is something I didn't do with Cali, something I paid dearly for in the beginning.
When I went to Penny, she nickered at me and put her nose over the stall door. Cali was outside on the grass, so there was no interference, jealousy, or confusion from her, which meant I could focus exclusively on Penny.
First, I started clicking and treating from outside the stall, putting my hand down far enough that she had to lower her head to get the treat. A few minutes later, I decided to go into the stall and stand beside her. She stood on my left side, the side she'll learn is guide position, and tried to get at the cup of treats in my left hand. I raised my hand high enough that she couldn't touch the cup, and then Penny started mugging me, moving over to my right, nipping at my sleeves, nudging me with her nose. I didn't respond except to say "uh-uh." When she moved away and stood quietly for a second, I clicked and treated. It took several more times of this for her to get the concept that standing away from me gets the click and treat. I still don't know if she really understands. Time will tell, but I'm so excited because I feel like I'm getting somewhere with her.

May 28
Cali and Penny—another eventful day
This morning, I found that Penny had barely eaten any of her alfalfa and grass and chose instead to eat some of Cali's timothy hay which I had given her. It's a good sign because I'm changing her diet from sweet feed and alfalfa and grass mix to timothy hay and Purina Horse Chow and Strategy 100. Even though she's a yearling and needs lots of food, I figure she'll do fine on this diet, especially given that the grass is so rich right now. Penny decided that she really likes hay pellets, and since she won't touch her sweet feed or the Purina grain, I was happy to hand feed her some hay pellets. She's funny about it because she tries to take a lot into her mouth, then drops some on the floor and eats it. I'm happy that she's eating a little but wish she'd eat more. She still worries me a bit, especially since she doesn't drink enough water.
Penny and Cali are still separated and will stay that way for another week or so. I want them to get used to each other before I try again to put them in the same area.
Penny was very good about letting me take off her blanket this morning and stood quietly beside me even thghgh all I was doing was petting her and talking quietly to her. She didn't try to move away, and when I left and returned to her, she nickered at me and put her head up far enough that I could pet her over the half door separating her from Cali. I really wanted to groom her, as both she and Cali are unbelievably muddy, but that will have to wait until she's a bit more relaxed around me because I don't want to have to tie her up to gffoom her. I'd prefer not to have to tie her up for any reason, so I'll work slowly with her at grooming, picking up feet, etc.
In the evening, I decided that both horses needed a walk, and I cajoled a friend into coming with me. Because Cali is obviously jealous of Penny, I took Cali and worked her while my friend took Penny. She stayed behind us so that Cali would be in the lead. The only problem was, Penny was afraid of Cali and kept pinning her ears and showing the whites of her eyes. My friend told me that Penny started walking behind her, which made me worry that Penny would no longer want to walk, that she'd be afraid now.
After some time, I let my friend take Cali and I took Penny, instructing Joann to walk quite a distance ahead of us. Penny calmed right down, and her ears went forward. Where before she had refused to go faster than a very slow walk, now she trotted beside me, ears forward and curious. I could tell she was enjoying herself and quite eager to continue. Even when we passed a woman walking her dog, Penny was only curious, not afraid at all. As long as Cali was well ahead of us, she was fine. Note to self: Cali and Penny should not walk together until they have adjusted to each other.
I took Penny back home after we had walked for about forty-five minutes, and then it was time to take Cali on an excursion. After all, I owed Cali and wanted her to know that she is and always will be my girl.
We walked for quite some time, and Cali enjoyed herself, even though I refused to let her have grass. Granted, it was past her dinner that, but she was working and knew that grass was off limits with working girls. I have to admit that when grass was at face level, Cali would snatch a bite as we were walking. I couldn't really catch her at it because she didn't even pause as she grabbed a mouthful. My friend started telling me when we were coming up on tall grass so that I could remind Cali to leave it when I knew that temptation lay just ahead. Like the good horse she is, she ignored the grass, though I suspect from the way she turned her head slightly that she was staring longingly at it. The grass is very gree right now, which undoubtedly makes it hard to resist.
When we came to curbs, Cali always stopped at them, then crossed right to the other curb as she was supposed to do. But there was an incident where she crossed and then veered into the road, confused about where to go. At first, I couldn't figure out what was going on and thought that Cali just wasn't doing her job. Why couldn't she find the curb? What was her issue?
My friend told me exactly where to go, and then we stopped to reconoiter. Neither of us could figure out what was going on for a moment, and then my friend finally figured it out. She said that Cali couldn't find a curb where one should be and was looking for it, so she veered to find it.
I turned around and made Cali cross twice more;, this time, she crossed the street and found the sidewalk without any difficulty. I wanted her to find a spot where I could figure out where I was, and she did. I have to be careful, though, because I won't always have a friend to tell me what's going on.
In many places, there were no sidewalks, so Cali and I had to walk in the street. The whole time, Cali had her ears pinned, and she started trotting, obviously looking for the next sidewalk, and finding it, she immediately took me straight there. My smart girl knows enough to understand that being in the road can be dangerous.
Once, after we crossed a street, we went across a ditch, whereupon Cali stopped to show me the decline, then the incline. My good girl. And when we came across a manhole, she took me around it rather than showing it to me as she does with most other things. Apparently, her feet are small enough that she could have gotten one stuck in it.
As we were walking past some bushes, I got hit in the face with some ovhanging branches. Immediately, I stopped, pulled one down, and asked Cali to touch it with her nose. Then I turned around and walked her past them again. This time, she took me around them, and subsequent overhead obstacles were no problem at all. I think Cali just had to be reminded that she has to look out for things that wouldn't be hazardous to her but might to me.
At one point, there were steps leading up to a road. I wanted to tffy them and see what Cali would do. She has become good at going up flights of stairs. Going down, however, is another matter entirely. As I thought would happen, Cali did not hesitate to take the steps, though she was good at not rushing as she used to do. I didn't want to take the road where the steps lead, so we turned back around and I asked Cali to try going down. The steps were spaced far enough apart that Cali was able to go down without much difficulty. Still, she was not happy about it and laid her ears back a bit. Encouragement and clicking and treating helped, and we made it down without any unfavorable incident, which proves to me that Cali can do just about anything I ask if it's safe, even if she is nervous.
The more we walked, the happier Cali became. I thought she'd get tired after an hour and a half of walking, but she didn't. By the time we finished, she was still ready to go, and I felt bad about putting her in her pen, even though it was because I needed to feed both her and Penny.
Today was a productive day for the horses and I. Penny learned that she could trot along at my side if Cali wasn't around, and Cali got lots of work and a refresher in a few things. Things keep getting better and better. How blessed I am!
May 29
This morning, I decided to try to groom Penny. I had groomed Cali and put on her new fly sheet, and it was time that Penny got beautified for her fly sheet as well. Unfortunately, the fly sheet doesn't fit her. She's a lot smaller than I thought, but the experience of grooming her and putting on the sheet taught me a little more about Penny.
Penny doesn't mind being gromed. She ate while I groomed her. Apparently, she likes Cali's timothy hay more than her alfalfa and mixed grass hay, so that's wonderful. Anyhow, her mane and forelock were no problem to groom at all. Neither were her back and sides. Even her tummy was fine—until I got to just behind her front legs. Then she turned and tried to bite me. I soothed her for a moment, scratching her neck and waiting until I felt her ears go forward. Then I gently touched her behind her front leg, still scratching with the other hand. Against my cheek, I could feel one of her ears go forward, and then I stopped touching her legs. I did this a few more times, and she relaxed more. I'm a little worried about how she'll deal with the farrier, but I guess farriers are used to this kind of thing. Hopefully, Penny will be okay, or at least not completely terrified when she gets her feet done. I know that she had her feet trimmed about two months ago, so it's not completely foreign to her. However, I'm not sure exactly how she reacted or what happened between her and the farrier. What I'm going to do is work with her and see if I can get her used to being touched on the legs and then see where we go from there. I'm sure it'll take some time, but I think that with some clicker training and a lot of love and patience, she'll be fine.
Late in the afternoon, I took Cali for a walk. As usual, she did her fantastic job quite happily and did not want to return to the yard. My friend came over to help me walk Penny, and I had her hold Cali that I could get Penny out. In order to get Penny out of the pen, I had to take her through Cali's side of the shed and then out of the gate. To avoid any problems between the two girls, I had Joann hold Cali while I went in and got Penny. I kept telling Cali to wait as I took Penny out, but she still pulled to get to Penny. Getting Penny out wasn't such a simple feat, either. There are plastic strips which Bruce tacked up to keep wind out of the shed, and they flap a great deal. Unless the horse sees that it's a way out, and unless it's not afraid of the flapping, it's a little daunting to walk out of the shed. Penny was nervous about going through, as she had been the other times I'd taken her out. Even when I parted the sheets and showed her there was a way out, she was still nervous, possibly because of the noise. I don't know, but at least she decided to walk through when she saw that I was doing it.
Here's another fascinating thing Penny has started doing. When there's an obstacle directly in our path, Penny touches it with her nose. I'm not making this up, I swear! Maybe she's just exploring it. I don't know. Whatever the cause, she touched her nose to things like a bucket, a tree, and the latch to the gate. The latch might be because Cali always shows me where the latch is when I come to get her. I can't say what's going on, but it's intriguing.
Our walk was uneventful, at least in the beginning. But there were storms in the forecast, and a tornado watch had been issued, even though we hadn't yet seen storm clouds. Joann and I decided to stay only a block away from home so that we could get back if it started raining. Well, the sky started to darken, and I suggested we head for home. Joann agreed. Apparently, we didn't do it soon enough, though. After she heard a clap of thunder, Penny got nervous and ended up biting at me. She started hurrying, and I just told her quietly that everything was okay. I know she was scared, so I wasn't really annoyed, though it had hurt. Little horse teeth do hurt, by the way.
After we got back, I fed both horses despite the fact that it was too early, simply because I wasn't sure when the storms would begin. It's a good thing I did, too, because for quite some time, we had some severe weather. The tornado watch turned into a warning, and the sirens blared for quite awhile. I was out with Cali and Penny when they started, so I hurried to give both of them some hay and then headed inside.
This evening, I went back out to check on the horses. Both were fine. I gave them both some hay pellets and petted them for a bit. Penny has started really enjoying the pellets and keeps searching for them when I have my treat bag with me. I guess she's telling me it's really time for some clicker training! Another good thing is that she's started to eat the Purina Horse Chow. I hand fed her some hay pellets and some Horse Chow, and then I put some in her dish. She went right to work.
While I was visiting both horses, I decided to stand between both of them so that they could touch noses. I wanted to see what would happen if I held both halters and had only half the door open so that neither horse could really get to the other. Well, Cali squealed once. Penny did a lot of chewing. I don't really know what that means. Then, for about thirty seconds, they just stood nose to nose, neither of them moving a muscle. It was then that Cali did something I have NEVER seen her do. She peed in the shed! Since we've moved to East Lansing, she has never peed in the shed, as she prefers to do it outside. At my parents' home in Dearborn, she was shut in the shed and used shavings for peeing and pooping, but here, she uses the shed as a run-in, so I don't have any idea why she did this. Interpretations, anyone?
Well, it looks like my life is definitely not going to be boring, and I'll be too busy to whine about much. Taking care of two horses, even two minis, is a lot of work, and stableboys are hard to find, not to mention you actually have to pay them. Starving students don't have the luxury of real money.

Cali and Penny

May 27

Yesterday, my new yearling filly, Penny, arrived. I was so excited ! I
could hardly stand it. My plan is to try to train this little filly
and see if she can become someone's guide, or, God forbid, if
something happened to Cali, she might become my guide. I know, I know,
I haven't ever trained a guide, and Cali and I haven't been a team for
too long. Still, I think I'm up for the challenge. Even if Penny
doesn't become a guide, she could still do some other work, such as
helping someone in a wheelchair or something else equally important.
I'm pretty inexperienced in some ways, but I know enough about Cali
and therefore horses, to say that I'm sure I can do this. Of course,
I'll need some help along the way. Hence, the myriad questions I'll be
posing to lists I'm on, but questions are good. Learning is good.
First, let me give a little description of Penny and her lineage, as I
find it fascinating. Penny's full name is IPO's Pennystock. Her
father, IPO, is a three-time national AMHR champion and is in the Amhr
hall of fame, and her grandfather is also a national champion. Her
mother is a granddaughter of Buckarooo, a famous little stallion.
Penny is a liver chestnut, which I have learned means she is a
chocolate brown all over, including her mane and tail. Although Penny
is beautifully proportioned, she wouldn't win in halter shows because
her coloring isn't striking. Of course, I don't mind and think she's
adorable. She has an Arab face, I think, and is very fine-boned. The
breeder estimates that she'll be about Cali's size, and although Cali
is probably the largest guide horse, I don't think Penny's size will
be a problem.
When I first met Penny at a mini expo nearly two weeks ago, I wasn't
intending to buy a mini, I swear! My only interest was to look at tack
for minis and to see babies and moms. Penny's breeder, Max White, was
showing one of his mares and had brought along two mares and their
foals, two precious little ones that will be a little bigger than
Cali. We were about to leave when Max mentioned that he had a little
yearling filly if we were interested in seeing her. Now, who could
pass up the chance to see another little mini? I know Claudia, the
friend I live with, and I sure couldn't, so we went out to see her.
Max told me matter-of-factly that Penny was a little skittish and that
she probably wouldn't let us handle her but that he'd try to see if
she'd be cooperative. She didn't resist when he went to get her. This
sounds really weird, but as soon as I touched her, I just knew she was
mine. There was nothing else to be said. Max warned me that Penny
wouldn't let me walk her on a lead rope and that in fact, she was
always out on pasture and handled only for vet visits, but when I
asked if I could take her lead rope, he relented. This little horse
just walked with me as if we'd been doing it forever! It was amazing.
Bystanders commented on it, and I was thrilled. There was a connection
between us that I can't explain. It was like the connection I felt the
first time Dolores brought Cali over and she walked out of the trailer
and lined right up to me. I just knew this was meant to be.
Anyhow, I digress. Back to my story about Penny's arrival yesterday.
When Penny arrived, I took her halter and stood outside with her for a
while. Whenever a car went by, she would turn and look, her ears would
go back, then forward. She was also interested in her reflection in
the Explorer parked in the driveway. She nickered at the little horse
she saw, and I laughed at her.
I took Penny into the yard for a while and just stood with her while
she relaxed a bit and had some grass. I checked to see where she would
and wouldn't let me touch her. Her face, back, chest, and tummy are
all fine, but her legs are off limits, apparently. That was the only
time she tried to kick me. Because it was raining out, I took out
Cali's old raincoat, one that I'd bought and didn't fit her, and put
it on Penny. It fits her perfectly. What I don't like about it is that
you have to put it over the animal's head before you can fasten it, so
if an animal is at all nervous, you have a problem. Also, it's a tight
fit on a mini, even a little one like Penny. She did fantastically,
though, as I encouraged her the whole way and was careful to make it
as quick at possible. I inadvertently leaned against her a few times,
and she was fine with that. Now, this is a horse that hadn't even been
taught to lead, so I was astonished at just what she'd tolerate.
Then I made the mistake of introducing Penny to Cali. They had met at
the expo, but of course, that was on neutral territory, so all that
happened was a little squealing on Cali's part and a lot of ignoring
on Penny's. When I put Penny into Cali's pen, there was quite a
commotion. Cali kept chasing Penny round and round, and when Penny
tried to escape by running into the shed, miss Cali followed her.
Penny kept whinny and ran out again. I heard a lot of crashing around,
like Cali had kicked the wall of the shed. At this point, I decided to
intervene. I know horses have to work things out, but Cali was
protecting her turf, which meant that she wouldn't take kindly to
Penny's intrusion. So I went into the pen and took Cali out. Penny had
had a stressful day and hadn't pooped at all since she'd arrived, and
I wanted her to get a chance to poop, pee, and maybe eat and drink a
little. Cali came with me, and she got a bath, as she'd gotten muddy
from running around so much. Her area is a morass right now, due to
all the rain we've been having, and I wanted to take her into the
house and keep her occupied for a few hours so that Penny would have
some time to herself. Although Bruce, Claudia's husband, has built an
extension on the shed and partitioned it for the two girls, they
wouldn't be separated, as they'd have the ability to go into the shed
or out if they so chose. That's why I decided that Cali had to come
and stay in the house for a while.
Cali was patient while she got her bath, even though the hot water
wasn't on and it was pretty chilly out. Then I took her inside. At
first, she wouldn't listen to anyone. She pushed past everyone, turned
away when she was called, and generally made a nuissance of herself.
Then I walked over to her, took her halter, and said firmly, "That's
enough, Cali. You may be the boss in the shed, but here, you'll be a
good girl and do what I say." Right away, she calmed down.
I took her into my room and worked on some basic obedience like
coming, touching my hand, lining up, and finding a chair. Then I asked
her to wait, and for the next hour or so, she was wonderful. She just
stood patiently by while I worked. I will say this for the umteenth
time: Cal is an amazing, brilliant little horse!
By the time I went out with Cali, Bruce had partitioned the shed and
pen off so that each of the horses had a section of their own but
could touch aroses through the fence. Both had stalls, so they would
be out of the wind and rain, which made me happy. This is just a
temporary fix until Bruce can open up a larger section of the yard and
give the two horses more room. Hopefully, by that time, they'll get
along better. One can hope, right?
I fed both horses and noticed that Penny was shivering, but I thought
maybe it was due to nervousness. I jave her extra hay and let her be.
This morning, when I fed both horses, Penny was shivering. I think
it's because she was body clipped and the weather has been cooler than
normal. I took out a foal blanket that's heavier than a summer sheet
but not as heavy as a winter blanket, and after I put it on her, she
stopped shivering. I feel bad because I should have done this last
night. Sorry, Penny. I'll try to do better.

Penny didn't eat or drink much last night, which was really worrying,
so I decided to see if she'd try some of Cali's timothy hay pellets,
which I use as treats when we're out. Penny is on sweet feed and
alfalfa grass mix, which I don't think is good for minis, as they're
too high in sugar and protein. I'm going to wean Penny off of them and
get her on Cali's diet of Purina Horse Chow and timothy hay, but in
the meantime, she refused to eat her grain. I was really worried about
that because really, what horse will pass up sweet feed?
However, when I gave Penny some hay pellets, she had no problem eating
them. The funny thing is, she'll only take one at a time, chew it up,
and then touch my hand for more. I guess it won't be too hard to
ration her treats. I wonder if she'll be as motivated by food as Cali
is.
While I was out with Penny, I discovered that she really likes to be
scratched. I'm not sure how I'll introduce her to clicker training, if
maybe I'll use scratches instead of food at first or if that's unwise.
I don't know that food is really motivating to Penny, except for
grass, I think, so I'm going to have a little challenge on my hands.
This afternoon, a friend and I went walking. I took Penny along just
to get her used to being led and also to see new things in a
controlled, safe way. She was really interested in everything and
sometimes pinned her ears at new things, like barking dogs, but after
a moment, her ears would go forward and she'd just walk on. She really
isn't skittish at all, especially when I let her know that everything
is fine. I pretend that all these new things are just routine, and she
seems to pick up on my confidence. We didn't walk down busy streets,
so when a car was passing us by just before we were going to cross a
street, I had Penny stand, wait, and watch. She was concerned about
the car and her ears went back for a moment, but she didn't startle at
all. Instead, she just watched the car go by. I'm glad she's wary of
cars because that's going to be important WHEN she becomes a guide.
I also noticed that as we were walking, she was content to walk on my
left side and just a little behind me, but when I asked her to walk
beside me, she wanted to cut in front of my friend and lead. I had to
get her to walk beside me again, which didn't take me very long. It
pleased me that she wanted to be in the lead because I think this
bodes well for her future. You want a guide that is willing to make
some decisions, a guide that wants to lead the way, one that is
willing to accept directions but will also take the lead if need be.
This is how Cali is, and I think that's a major part of what makes her
such an awesome guide.
We only walked for a few blocks, but in that short time, Penny saw a
mom with her two little kids, one in a stroller, quite a few barking
dogs, tempting bushes and grass, and cars in driveways. We heard kids
playing, people running power tools, and a few cars coming from behind
us. While Penny was concerned at all this, she didn't startle even
once, which made me proud, as if I'd accomplished something.
Then we went to my friend's yard, which had a few interesting things
in it, including logs set in a circle with an opening at one end so
that it looks like a fort. I wanted to see what Penny would do if I
asked her to walk through that "doorway," and although she hesitated
and pinned her ears for a moment, she walked right through. Then we
went home, and she was allowed to relax. Granted, we were only out for
about half an hour, but I think she did an amazing job. Unless I'm
completely wrong (which is always possible and maybe even probable),
Penny seems very curious and definitely smart. Of fwhrse, for whatever
reason, she might not make it as a guide, but either way, she's a
marvelous little horse, and I've fallen in love with her.
When we returned, Cali was very upset. She kept marching around her
area, splattering herself with even more mud. Treats cured her of her
jealwhsy, though, and I hope the hugs and kisses contributed as well.
Penny is an awesome horse, but Cali is my baby. I want to do them both
justice. It'll take a whole lot of work, time, and love, but I'm
willing to invest all that into both of them. One day, I hope to start
a foundation for people with disabilities who want an alternative to
service and guide dogs. Horses aren't for everyone, or even most
people, but people should have the opportunity and ability to choose.
I don't want others to have to save up for years for a horse as I did,
even though it makes me cherish Cali even more. Instead, I want horses
to someday become available to people just as guide dogs are. They're
much more work than a dog, but there are advantages to having a horse,
including their life span and the fact that horses, unlike many dogs,
aren't clingy. They're content to go out and graze when they're done
working. I like dogs and would get a German shepherd if I ever needed
a dog for some reason; however, a horse suits me better. So one day,
I hope to help others have the same choice I did. Again, a great deal
of time, effort, and money will have to be put into this, but I'm up
for the challenge. Life is about challenges, after all, and world,
bring them on!