two gorgous seniors and a company I love!!

 

Late last week I had the pleasure of giving some business to a company I love: Whinny Warmers!  Long-time readers will remember a hard winter we had several years back when I worried and fretted over Salina's arthritic knees in the cold.

Late one night I sat fretting, thinking, if only there were leg warmers for horses! Lo and behold, I googled and there they were. Whinny Warmers! I ordered two cobalt blue pairs for Salina and hoped when they arrived they would actually work.

They arrived very quickly and they were gorgeous. I wanted to wear them myself! But we breezed through the learning curve of getting them on, and Salina immediately knew they were something good, so she cooperated completely. They worked perfectly and her stiffness during the cold winter months was much decreased.

Not only did the Whinny Warmers work, they turned out to be a durable, easy to take care of product. We have washed and dried the 4 whinny warmers many, many times. They have gotten muddy, caked with shavings and dirt, stretched, and generally have been very well used. And right now as I type they are clean and packed away for the summer, ready for another winter season. (although I am told the new Whinny Warmers are far superior to the pairs I ordered several years ago - frankly I don't see how, but I trust that they are - this company never stops working to make better products)

As if this weren't enough, shortly after I blogged about the Whinny Warmers those years back, with a photo of Salina wearing hers, I got an email from the owner of the company, thanking me for sharing the word about my satisfaction with their product. He also asked if I would send him the name and address of my favorite equine rescue so he could send a donation of Whinny Warmers in my name as a thank you.

I sent not one but two, asking that they pick whichever they preferred - and Whinny Warmers generously sent numerous pairs to both Primrose Sanctuary and the NC Equine Rescue League. I was incredibly impressed with the product, the customer service, and the generosity of a small company whose bottom line was helping horses and donkeys.

This year, this summer, we are having the worst flies I've ever seen. Our fly predators are doing the best they can, and even at its worst here on November Hill, it pales in comparison to what I've seen in other barns who don't use fly predators. BUT... it's bad enough that I decided I had to kick in with some extra protection for the horses.

We don't use chemical sprays. The herbal concentrate we use for mixing fly spray does a good job - it's not perfect, but normally we don't have that many flies so it works well.

Late last week I realized Salina was being harangued by flies on her lower legs. With her arthritic knees she doesn't stomp. She just bears it. I had gotten an email from Whinny Warmers a few months back about their new Summer Whinnies. I went online and ordered a complete set of 4 for Salina.

Within a few hours I had an email with the subject line: Billie!!!

It was Whinny Warmers. They had recognized my name when the order went through and were emailing to offer me the discount they'd offered way back in the spring - the email I'd read but forgotten - and even though that offer has come and gone, they offered to apply it anyway. When my order arrived this weekend, there was a second pair of Summer Whinnies enclosed! They said they appreciated my support in the early years of the company and wanted to say thank you.

This kind of attitude is why their company is thriving. Great products, great customer service, and a truly personal, genuinely caring attitude toward their customers - and the horses who ultimately use their products.

I'm happy to report that we put Salina's Summer Whinnies on for the first time yesterday. Once we got the first one on, and she felt the immediate relief, she lifted up the next two hooves before even being asked. We had to work a little to get the last one on - her right leg is always the hardest b/c lifting it means she is bearing the weight on her left knee - the most arthritic - but she continued working with us so we could get it on.

Last night I was in the barn and she looked like she had lost at least a decade of age. Between jiaogulan (I'll write about this later) and the Summer Whinnies, she's a brand new horse.

Cody will get his later today, and as soon as my budget allows, I'll order sets for every equine here. This is a terrific product. Check out the gorgeous Hanoverian seniors on November Hill! Salina, left, is 28 years old. Keil Bay is a spring chicken senior of 22.  He told me last night he wants his own Summer Whinnies - he always wanted to sport a little "flash."  :)  Redford donkey felt the photo was not complete without his handsome self there too...

Spalding's Official Response to the Schmersal reining video

I received the following email last week from Spalding:


Ms Hinton

I am sorry I am late with this e mail. I acknowledge I promised you an answer three days ago.

This matter is of great concern to us as well and we are trying to gather all the facts we can from various sources including FEI and the NRHA. We have also spoken with people other than Craig Schmersal who were at Malmo Sweden and at the practice arena when this session was happening.

In your last e mail you suggested that EPONA-TV had produced a letter stating Craig Schmersal had offerd to sue them contrary to what he told me.

The video on You Tube used text to offer a quote from Craig Schmersal. " If you post and try to damage my reputation as a true and fair horseman I will sue you."

When I read the editorial from EPONA-TV on your blog, they offer proof  by posting a letter from a attroney demanding cease and desist.

This may seem like splitting hairs but it seems to be a stretch to publish "I will sue you" quoting one person, and then offer as proof, a letter from that persons attorney that demanded cease and desist.

This is Spalding Labs position. You may post or quote if you choose.

Spalding Labs is waiting for a ruling from the FEI or the NRHA on this matter and will act based upon those findings.

Larry Garner



My response to this was to contact Epona TV to see if they had anything to say. It is my understanding that there is in fact evidence that Craig Schmersal not only threatened to sue, but said/wrote other things as well. As soon as this is published by Epona TV I will provide a link to their information.

As you can read from Mr. Garner's response, Spalding has not sent a form letter in response to my inquiry. Mr. Garner sent me several emails responding specifically to my concerns. He went even further and made several efforts to contact me by telephone to discuss the matter personally. This company obviously goes a great distance to respond to the concerns of its customers, and I do believe they have looked into the Schmersal incident.

Whether they come to the same conclusion that I have come to remains to be seen. There is still more information to be revealed, and I still suspect that Craig Schmersal has not in fact been honest with Spalding in his responses to their questions.

My bottom line is that I want to support companies who provide high quality equine products as well as excellent customer service. There is NO DOUBT in my experience that Spalding provides both.

However, I also want the companies who make their livings selling products for horses to stand behind the horse in one more important way: by ONLY sponsoring riders, trainers, farms, and organizations that treat all equines with the highest level of respect and kindness. Those who make money off horses imo have the most responsibility to treat them well. (I'm not excusing poor treatment of any horse anywhere, but if the horse is being used as a vehicle for gain, it is imo imperative that the horse is treated with the highest level of care and concern)

I am waiting for Epona's response and continue to ask that Spalding, Purina, and all the companies who sponsor Craig Schmersal take a long, hard look at what exactly they are endorsing. The horses deserve this.

the senior horse, 6: sweet moments

I'm not sure if this is a senior thing or just a November Hill farm thing. All our equines have sweet moments pretty much around the clock.

But somehow the moments seem sweeter as they get older, maybe because we know that as much as we wish they did, horses do not live forever, nor do they tend to leave at the exact moment we do, which would in some ways be the perfect ending for people and their long-time senior equine companions.

A couple of days ago I was in the barn. The pony stuck his head over the stall door at the exact moment I was walking behind Salina, who was definitely in pony range. She squealed and stomped her front leg at him, and the squeal and stomp, though not near me per se, caused me to exclaim "Whoa! I'm back here!"

I walked on to the end of the barn aisle doing whatever it was I was doing and within a few moments, Salina had come to where I was and turned so that she was looking me in the eye with her eye, and nuzzled my arm.

I've said before that Salina is incredibly telepathic, and I feel extremely attuned to her. But she is not what I would consider a particularly affectionate mare. She enjoys being groomed and pampered, and she often backs me up when I'm asking one of the geldings to do something. I feel like she and I are on the same wavelength almost all the time. But lately she seems intent on thanking me for things, and in this case, seeing if I was okay and apologizing for startling me.

She stood there until I put my arms around her neck and leaned my cheek against hers. "It's okay, girl. I know the pony was pushing the limit." She gave me another nuzzle and we spent a few moments communing.

The day after that, I had opened the stall door to do something for Keil Bay. He very much wanted to come out through the barn aisle and spend time in the barnyard but I was busy and said no. He got a little pushy - shoving the stall door as I tried to close it. I stopped and just looked at him over the stall door. I waited a moment and then said "Don't be so grumpy! You can come out. Just please be nice about it."

I opened the stall door and let him out, thinking he would saunter straight out to the grass. But he turned around carefully in the barn aisle, angling his big body between the stall door, the wheelbarrow, and me. He came up to me and just stood there, touching my arms and hands with his muzzle. He, too, positioned his head so he could look me right in the eye. I rubbed him under his forelock and we stood quietly for a minute. He waited for me to say "go on, Big Bay," before he went to graze.

As much as I love riding and feeling the beauty of lightness in the saddle, these sweet and tender moments when I'm having conversations that were initiated by the horses are my most favorite times.

It boggles my mind that there are people who believe that horses don't feel affection and attachment and that they will try anything to get their way.

I wish I could put everyone who doubts or doesn't believe into my body so they could know what happens between horses who are treated with kindness, care, and the deepest respect, and a woman who simply learned how to listen.

working on a new permanent page for companies who sponsor riders/trainers who use abusive methods with horses

I've decided to make it easier for readers to follow my ongoing research into the companies from which I purchase equine supplies, tack, feed, and various other items.

In the next week or two look for a new page here that will list the companies I use, companies I have corresponded with due to their sponsorship of abusive riders/trainers, and companies I have stopped using because of their continuing to sponsor people when abusive practices are pointed out to them.

Epona TV answers every possible question about the Craig Schmersal debacle

GO HERE to read the editorial.

And if you are Purina or Spalding, please read it and most especially click on the link they have provided to the Cease and Desist letter they received by Schmersal's attorney. Unless Craig has an attorney who acts on his behalf without his knowledge or permission, this is clear evidence that in fact Craig DID threaten legal action.

I have been told that Craig has denied having done so. If the video of Craig's riding alone is not enough to bring about a re-examination of company sponsorship, does the fact that he lies to you make any difference?

Epona TV's goal is to document what happens at the upper levels of equine sport. They did not target Craig Schmersal in particular - they simply aimed their cameras at what they recognized to be abusive riding.

My goal is to vote with my credit card, giving my business to companies that stand squarely on the side of the horse and of riders/trainers who use humane training methods, humane horse-keeping practices, and who sit on the horses' backs who win them fame and money in a kind, respectful fashion.

And my secondary goal is to make the information I uncover in my effort to do this available to anyone else in the world who wants to read it and do the same.

Spalding has promised me an official response on Monday. Purina has promised nothing, but I will ask them again if they would like to address this given Epona's editorial.