Brigita's Blog: March 2009

Horses teach us many lessons.  Yes, they teach us how to ride and keep our balance so that we don't fall off, but they teach us much more than that.  Believe it or not, horses teach us many lessons that can be used in our daily lives. 

Here is a list of what horses teach us:

1 -  Responsibility - Horses, and any other animal, teaches us responsibility.  The horses rely on us to feed and water them, for daily routine care and grooming.  We also have to make sure that they stay healthy with routine veterinary care and annual immunizations along with regular deworming.  Their lives are in our hands.   

2 -  Respect - Horses and humans have to respect each other.  Horses are big animals and they know it.  If there is no respect from the horse, they will end up walking all over you.  You need to respect their space and in turn they will respect yours.  In all honesty, I wouldn't want a 1200 pound horse pushing me around.

3 -  Team work and partnership - In order to have a successful relationship with horses, you need to work together.  Horses like to please.  If you demand or try to control a horse, chances are good that a fight will evolve.  And once that happens, I think you all know who will win.  You and your horse are a team.  you both are to help each other out.

4 -  Finances - Horses are not cheap to maintain.  Since they are big animals, they require lots of space and lots of feed.  If you plan on riding, you also need tack (saddle and saddle pad, bridle, halter, etc.) which are not cheap. 

So you want to show your horse or trail ride him.  In that case you need a truck and trailer to get him to these places.  A truck alone runs into a lot of money not only in purchasing it, but also maintaining it. 

Hold on, we're not done yet.  Veterinary care comes into play, too.  The vet has to come out annually to give your horse a check up and immunizations.  What if a medical emergency occurs?  Emergency barn calls are not cheap. 

Then you have the farrier for trimming feet and shoes. 

You don't have your own farm?  Well, boarding is a big expense.  Even self care at other facilities run into money.

There are many more expenses.  As you can see, horses are a big expense.  Therefore, you need to learn to budget yourself.  Good way to learn how to budget, save money and cut expenses without cutting quality of care.

5 -  Patience - Horses are like little children.  You need to have patience with them.  They don't speak the English language so it takes time to teach them so they understand what you are asking of them.

6 - Communication - As a follow up to patience, you need to learn how to communicate with an animal that does not know how to speak your language.  You need to learn how to speak horse.

7-  Caring - Without our care, the horse cannot survive.

8 -  Leadership - Here's an important lesson.  Horses have a pecking order in the herd.  There is one horse that is the leader, then you have the next one down and right on down the totem pole to the bottom horse.  When working with horses, the human needs to establish leadership with the horses.  The whole relationship hinges on the human being the leader of the herd.  If the human does not take the role of a leader, then the horse most certainly will. 

As you can see, all these lessons that horses teach us are used in our daily lives.  We can all learn from the horses.

The next time you deal with a client, just think of these lessons to help you through.  Have the patience and respect for the client.  Work with them as a team and care about them.  The reason they came to you is because they need your help and knowledge.  So take the leadership role and take responsibility for yourself.  If anything goes wrong, don't place the blame on others.  With being in business for yourself, you need to learn to budget your finances and learn to save for bad times.

I came across this post by Charles McDonald with a very important message of a scam going around.  I thought it was well worth passing on to warn as many as possible about it.  With the current economy as it is, many scams are being sent to obtain personal information.  Read on before you fall prey to it:

It's March 17th, which means it is St. Patrick's Day.  It is a day that everyone turns Irish and we see green everywhere.

Not only do we see people wearing green and green beer, but usually, this time of year you also begin to see the green grass starting to come up, the buds of trees starting to show some green and the early flower bulbs showing their heads through the ground. 

To many, St. Patrick's Day marks the start of spring.  Some, who have the facilities, start planting their seeds for their gardens.  This way, when the weather remains warm, the young little seedlings will be ready to be planted in the ground. 

Others will plant onions, garlic, peas and any other cool weather vegetable in their gardens. 

This time of year, farmers also start getting the land ready for planting their crops.  You know it is spring when you can smell the fertilizer on the fields.

As you can see, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many different ways with green in mind.  Why not take some time out today and begin planning some green for around your house.  It will help landscape your home to make it look more appealing, maybe even supply some food for your household and possibly even our furry and flying little friends outdoors.  It will benefit us all.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Here's a 4 leaf clover to spread a little luck o' the Irish to everyone.

Long awaited spring is around the corner for many of us in the Northern tier of the country.  We are all anxious to get out to ride that first gorgeous day and allow our horses to graze the lovely green grass.  But, is your horse ready? 

A large number of us are not fortunate enough to keep our horses where there is an indoor arena available to ride in during the winter months.  Our horses tend to have that time off from being ridden, they just eat, and poop, and eat, and poop, and eat, and poop, oh and sleep, and eat, and poop, . . . while we just keep throwing hay to them and clean up after them.  Well, you know the routine. 

Since the horses have been laid up for the winter, they are probably out of condition at this point.  So how do we bring them back into condition?  One word: slowly.

The first time you take your horse out for a ride, make it a short workout and mainly at a walk.  You can do a little bit of a trot in between.  When you see him breathing heavily, you have overworked him.  Each time you ride him, add a little bit more trot to the workout.  Remember, he is out of shape and needs to get back to work slowly.  We do the same.  Would you go out and run a marathon without getting into shape first?  Of course not.  It's the same for your horse. 

Another thing to be careful with is the lush spring grass coming in.  Spring grass to a horse is like candy to a child.  Not having it all winter, he will crave it and therefore, eat to his heart's content.  Not good.  If he's allowed to do this he will most certainly colic because his digestive system is not used to it.

Grass needs to be introduced to the horse slowly, just like work.  Let the horse out for about an hour, at first, for a few days.  Then increase the time to maybe 1 1/2 hours for a few days, then 2 hours, etc.  Once he is used to the grass, you can leave him in the pasture to graze to his heart's content. 

Spring is almost here and we are all waiting for that nice spring day to ride our horses.  So, remember to take care of your horse.  If you overdo it that first day, he may sustain an injury that will lay him up for the rest of the riding season.  Don't rush things and you will enjoy riding during the spring, summer and fall and maybe even part of the winter.

Happy riding!!

I came across this post by Kristin Johnston that I thought was worth sharing.  It is very touching and oh so true.

Enjoy!

Ahhhhhhhh!  I can see and hear spring coming!

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Nazareth, PA today.  So, for my lunch break, I decided to take a walk around town and enjoy the sunshine.  It was still chilly, so I had to wear my winter jacket, but I couldn't resist the sunshine.

As I was strolling through town, I noticed that the lawns were starting to turn green.  Looking up at the trees, some of the trees have set buds already and are ready to bloom as soon as it gets warm enough.

As I walked down the residential section of Nazareth, I noticed some color in front of the houses.  The flowers were popping their heads through the ground, getting ready to bloom. 

Then, walking down one of the quiet neighborhoods, I heard the birds singing their songs.  Plus, the squirrels were running around chasing each other.  It seems like they all are feeling spring in the air. 

My husband and I have gotten things ready for the birds for spring.  We have our bird feeder out and placing our birdhouses in the trees for the birds to start building their homes.  (Do you think we should charge rent?  Or maybe place a for sale sign out for the birds to see?)

Anyway, my husband is building a few more bird houses so that the birds have a nice comfy home in which to raise their families.

I love spring!  It's such a lovely time of year when everything starts to come to life and new life begins.

Here's a joke that I want to share to end the week with:

A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer.

After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf.  He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, because I don't believe you are over 21. "

The  robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him.  At this point, the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk.

The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the Scotch in the bag.

The robber then ran from the store with his loot.

The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license.  They arrested the robber 2 hours later.

 

Have a great weekend!

We have all heard what the media has been printing about the real estate market.  All doom and gloom, right? 

Here is an exagerated excerpt from a news story depicting a "devastating, horrendous injury" (courtesy of the Lehigh Valley Horse Council):

Just before the presidential innaugural parade was set to begin in the nation's capital, alarming news came over The Humane Society of the United States' radio:  "Horse hit by truck at 4th and Pennsylvania."

When the emergency report of an injured horse was sounded, equine ambulances rushed to the aid of Mouse, a 10-year-old Appaloosa horse who had suffered a visibly mangled leg and multiple lacerations. 

When responders arrived on site, they found a bloody scene:  Mouse was lying on the ground with his hindquarters suspended in the air and his rear leg caught in the front grill of a heavy-duty truck. 

Incredibly, the vet was able to stabilize the horse before he was loaded onto the ambulance and transported to the Prince George's County Equestrian Center. 

"When the HSUS first came upon the scene, things were looking dire for Mouse.  I did not think he would survive," said the senior director of Emergency Services at the HSUS.  "Twelve men and women labored for nearly 2 hours to untangle Mouse's leg so that he could be transported for further treatment.  It is an immense relief to know that this horse is expected to recover from his life-threatening injuries."

Now, here is the truth to the story:

According to the horse's rider, the extrication took 30 minutes or less.

A small pool of blood was on the ground.

The on-site vet's initial evaluation of the horse's injury was alarming but unfounded.

The horse was sedated, bandaged and he walked onto the trailer.

He was taken to his own vet, about 70 miles away.

Except for a few stitches, he is fine.

This is a TRUE story.  How many discrepencies can you find?  You decide for yourself about the reporting of the media.  The evidence is right in front of you.

The Lehigh Valley was highly rated in a trade magazine that covers corporate real estate and economic development as a place for businesses to relocate.

The Lehigh Valley (the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area) placed 4th of Site Selection magazine's top ten list in the country with populations between 200,000 and 1 million people.  A total of 29 corporate projects were completed last year.

According to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., by being named as a top spot for business expansions and relocations in a corporate industry magazine, the Lehigh Valley will gain exposure as a destination for companies.  The corporation works to attract businesses to the Valley and retain existing ones.

The magazine counted new facilities and expansions that either required at least $1 million in new investment, 20,000 square feet of new construction or created at least 50 jobs.  Government, education, retail and residential construction projects were not considered.

Driving through the Lehigh Valley, this is all quite evident, seeing construction of new businesses in many parts of the region. 

The interest for businesses in the Lehigh Valley remains strong.