From Dust Bunnies to Marsh Rabbits

In three weeks my two fillies that were born this summer sill be old enough to wean. Yesterday, for the first time in their lives they had a day of rain. Best of all it is likely to continue raining from much of this week.

It is too early to suggest that this drought is broken, but it gives hope.

Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye

Rebecca took this photo during the inspection tour of the Corolla and Shackleford herds. This stallion was sunning himself in an opening in the live oaks. It was windy and he could not hear our approach or catch wind of us. We were as surprised as he was when we found ourselves in each other's company. He snorted and indignantly trotted off.

Not quite two years later he was found dead. He had been shot from such close range that the wadding of the shotgun shell was deep in his neck. This November will be four years since he was killed in the wild and no one has yet been charged, despite the large rewards offered for information leading to the apprehension of the shooter.

About 2% of the adult wild Corolla stallions died when that trigger was pulled. That is how close we are to the brink of extinction of what might be the oldest and rarest distinct genetic grouping of horses in America. There are none to loose. We have no excess horses. We have no surplus.

Over the years some of these horses were adopted and some mares from Corolla most certainly are in the possession of those who are interested in the preservation of these horses. I have not been able to obtain a list of adopters so they could be directly contacted and informed of the offsite breeding program and the availability of Corolla and a Shackleford stallions to breed to those mares at no cost.

This is one more reminder that this opportunity exists. If any of you have a Corolla
mare and would like to participate in the offsite breeding program next spring please get in touch with us.

Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye

Rebecca took this photo during the inspection tour of the Corolla and Shackleford herds. This stallion was sunning himself in an opening in the live oaks. It was windy and he could not hear our approach or catch wind of us. We were as surprised as he was when we found ourselves in each other's company. He snorted and indignantly trotted off.

Not quite two years later he was found dead. He had been shot from such close range that the wadding of the shotgun shell was deep in his neck. This November will be four years since he was killed in the wild and no one has yet been charged, despite the large rewards offered for information leading to the apprehension of the shooter.

About 2% of the adult wild Corolla stallions died when that trigger was pulled. That is how close we are to the brink of extinction of what might be the oldest and rarest distinct genetic grouping of horses in America. There are none to loose. We have no excess horses. We have no surplus.

Over the years some of these horses were adopted and some mares from Corolla most certainly are in the possession of those who are interested in the preservation of these horses. I have not been able to obtain a list of adopters so they could be directly contacted and informed of the offsite breeding program and the availability of Corolla and a Shackleford stallions to breed to those mares at no cost.

This is one more reminder that this opportunity exists. If any of you have a Corolla
mare and would like to participate in the offsite breeding program next spring please get in touch with us.

Putting Pain to Sleep

I am a prosecutor when I am not in the horse lot. I was asked yesterday how I can find time to be with the horses and my riders with a job as demanding as being a prosecutor.

I find myself spending so much time with my horses, not in spite of my job, but because of my job. The week began with several molestation cases, violent car jacking, robbery and assault cases and a new case involving the death of a most innocent victim. Being a prosecutor is an easy job if one wants to simply join in the chorus of the howls of the ignorant and seek to "give them the maximum sentence" in every case. I am primarily a prosecutor in juvenile court. It is my duty to seek more than mere punishment. Any fool can do that. My major task is to prevent crime by dealing with the defendant's problems that are often at the root of the criminal behavior.

I was not raised like other people. Over the years my parents had over 150 foster children and I have a dozen younger adopted siblings. We are all products of our experiences. All too often, being raised in a loving, supportive home does not afford one with sufficient experiences to have any understanding of those raised in torture chambers of abuse and neglect.

Dealing with that lack of understanding is sometimes more frustrating than dealing with the crime itself. I must admit that I have, on occasion, wanted to give such people a glimpse into the Hell that serves as childhood for many kids in every community in this nation.

When such parents complain indignantly about the child who stole their child's newest expensive electronic toy, I find it difficult to contain myself as they haughtily declare that their child would never do anything as depraved as stealing an Ipod. I want so badly to point out that their child had not been molested for ten of its twelve years on this earth and that if the tables were turned their child might not be doing so well.

In any event, the week began as set out above and it is ending with the following:

1. A Troop of 13 Boy Scouts is camping out at the Little Horse and earning their equine merit badges plus everything else that I can stuff into their heads. Corolla preservation, natural horse care, natural hoof care, and natural horsemanship have been the focus of their weekend. Late yesterday, they watched as Stands With a Fist was given a solid round pen and despooking session which concluded with a calm young mare softly walking around the round pen with Lydia firmly in the saddle.

2. Hannah and Caleb returning from a ride with their faces as animated as cartoon characters. They experienced something that I do not see in court--joy.

3. Little Hannah standing before the Scouts, who towered above her, as she presented a succinct explanation of some of the training techniques that we use.

4. Christian demonstrating perfect cantering form on his horse One Bull, a horse that Christian trained himself.

5. Lea demonstrating round pen work on Stands With a Fist and giving the Scouts a chance to see a horse make a real connection with a person in the round pen.

6. Rylee, Lydia, and Emily assisting with the riding instruction portion of the program.

7. Bill, recently returned from a lengthy saddle making program demonstrating the saddle that he made and explaining the parts of the saddle to the Scouts.

8. Emily F. and Andrew proudly showing off their new horse.

9. Parents of riders working on repair projects and keeping us supplied with cold water in the 95 degree Fall weather.

10. Watching as the entire group of Scouts took turns riding Croatoan, Samson, and Porter, three wild Corollas, one a stallion, all gentle enough for complete novices to ride.

No bad dreams last night. No thoughts of court. Only sleep. Deep, painless sleep. Ironic indeed that being a juvenile prosecutor helps me spend more time with my horses by forcing me to do so --to put pain to sleep.

A Distinction to Earn

A good horse is its own reward, but a good horse is the result of first rate horsemanship. I have decided to create one formal awards program for my riders to recognize those who have achieved first rate horsemanship. As I developed the criteria for this award I had to consider what I think it takes to be a complete horseman. It takes a wide range of skills and a wealth of knowledge. There will be no time, or age, limit on earning the Mill Swamp Master Horsemanship Award.

To become a Mill Swamp Master Horseman a rider must:

take a very active role in the starting of a colt or wild horse;
complete at least one 50 mile ride in one day;
give quality natural hoof trimmings to five different horses;
worm and give an injection to a horse;
give a 30 minute presentation on an aspect of mustang history, preservation, or genetics;
complete a ten mile night ride;
pass a written test on natural horse care and equine nutritional needs;
complete a fencing, construction, digging, or other project designed to increase safety, functionality, or aesthetics of a natural horse care facility;
demonstrate riding and all manner of horse control using lightness and what Dorrence called 'feel';
give a solid training session to a novice rider in my presence;
complete a reading list of several of the top works on natural horsemanship and natural horse care.

No work done prior to January 1, 2011 can be applied to the earning of this award. (e.g. "but I have already done a fifty mile ride.." will not count)

All of my riders that have ridden in our program for a few years are already horseman of distinction. This award will give the opportunity to quantify and formally recognize their skills.

(The shot above was taken during a fifty mile ride. Every horse on that ride was trained at Mill Swamp Indian Horses. Most of the training was done by kids 14 and younger when they began to start their horse.)