Colleen Kelly steps up for Parzival

Last week I saw an article about Parzival and his Olympic rider, Netherland's Adelinde Cornelissen, and her decision to pull Parzival from Olympic competition. The story at that time was that he had suffered an insect bite, had experienced severe swelling and fever, and had then been cleared by veterinarians for competition. But AC decided at the beginning of the ride that he was just not quite right - so she pulled up.  I immediately shared the article and praised her for being a gold medal rider - for doing the right thing for her horse.

Sadly what appeared to be a loving rider and partner standing up for her horse wasn't the entire story. As the drama unfolded photographs from the warm-up just prior to that short Olympic ride began to appear. In the photos Parzival had spur marks, nose pulled into chest, a wild pained eye, and a mouth so foamy white it looked like someone had fed him soap.

I continued reading and learned that AC is the rider who has repeatedly ridden horses in competition with bloody mouths. Her use of rollkur is well established and documented. 

Yes, I still think she did the right thing by stopping the Olympic ride. But to do so after a horse suffered a fever 24 hours earlier and after tacking up and warming up to compete (and the warm-up photos revealed how very hard she pushed him, not to mention the outright abuse he suffered from spurs and hyperflexion) is not the mark of a good rider. I had to post a retraction of my own words!

Since then the story has continued to unfold. Now it is being said that the Olympic veterinary record says he was examined and found to have a hairline fracture of the jaw. This is one of the things that can happen when using rollkur due to extreme hyperflexion of the head and neck. 

Questions began to be asked. Was there ever even an insect bite? A round of responses came out - the hairline fracture story was said to be a vicious rumor. 

I don't know what exactly went on with Parzival. It is clear he has been ridden harshly and with cruel methods for years. That AC rode him hard after either an insect bite or a hairline fracture or both to see what he could do in warm-up before pulling him from competition speaks in my mind to the worst kind of horsemanship. Treating him as a machine instead of a living, sentient being. 

Today, Colleen Kelly posted that she is tapping into her retirement income to personally sue AC for animal cruelty. You can read more here:

https://colleenkellyriderbiomechanics.com/2016/08/15/netherlands-adelinde-cornelissen-in-lawsuit-over-alleged-animal-cruelty-to-parzival-in-rio/

Her willingness to stand up for Parzival in what is sure to be a complicated, costly lawsuit is a reminder to us all. When we see cruelty to animals, even in the Olympics, where one would hope the utmost integrity would prevail, we have to stand up and speak out. Colleen Kelly has taken on this fight. Let's all vow to take on the fights for horses we see in our own communities. When we speak up for cruelty to animals, we're shining light on a dark shadow. Whether or not we fix things for that horse, we are educating everyone who sees. And eventually that will make a difference. 

Early morning, Cades Cove

We got up at 5:45 to get to Cades Cove by opening of the gate. (we were in the cove last night until dark!) The first thing we saw was the huge herd gallop in from the far pasture for breakfast. Seeing close to 50 horses gallop in, in small waves, was stunning and such a gift. We were able to identify the same small groups within the larger herd and we had to smile when the last straggler, a chestnut with a white stripe, meandered in until he realized he was truly the last one in sight and then he picked up a gallop and caught up with his herd.

There were bears, deer, crows, a few goldfinches, and one very sad dead coyote who we think had been hit by a car.

Cades Cove is such a wonderful place. It's been years since I was here and it's so nice going multiple times this trip. Mid-day, sunset, sunrise, and tonight we'll go again. 

feet in the river

Dear daughter and I are taking a long weekend pre-fall semester getaway in the Great Smokies. We're going to ground ourselves with rock, center ourselves with rushing water, and enjoy two of our favorite places on the planet, Cades Cove and Elkmont.

First thing we did upon arrival was stop and put feet in the river. See you on the other side. 

Santa Cruz: Natural Bridges State Beach

Back to travelogue posts for a bit. We spent some time on the beach our last full day in Santa Cruz. Everyone recommended Natural Bridges and it was lovely. The sky and water were so blue.

I love the gulls and how they lined up along the water's edge. 

And how they perched on the huge rock.

As a girl I read and loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I haven't read it since then and don't recall much about the writing style or the story itself, but it left me with a sensation that gets evoked whenever I'm close to gulls. I was very drawn to this one.

The beaches in North Carolina don't have these amazing rock formations and this one with the opening was mesmerizing. Watching the waves break through the opening was magical.

This looked very much like the doorway to another world to me. 

Leaving the beach I noted all the footprints criss-crossing and that too looked like something from a different place and time.

One of the best things about travel is seeing places that look different from those with which we're familiar. It reminds us how big the world is and how many things there are to see and experience. And what has become everyday to us fades as we see new and different things. It does something to our perspective, in good ways. 

November Hill farm journal, 15

Today after trimming hooves we took advantage of the cloudy sky and temps in the 70s to walk the entire perimeter of the 5.5 acres we hope to buy. We had a machete with us and once we got down our path and into the very back of our property we had to cut a path through the brush to get to the other side of the power cut.

I was down there last week but all the rain has created a huge growth spurt in the late summer plants. We climbed the hill to the other side and made our way through the border of trees that were left along the entire edge of the 5.5 acres. From this side it looks almost normal - though we could see light through that border for the first time since we have lived here. But on the other side it looked like a battlefield, or a mass murder. Tree stumps littered the entire area as far as the eye could see. Many smaller-trunked trees were taken down and left behind, their only crime being wood not valued or their proximity to the larger trees.

This forest was so thick before being cut the ground was pure mulch. Soft and cushiony, now strewn with branches and trees, chips of wood, and the tracks of the big cutting machines.

It was sad to see but we focused on the line that will be drawn and I busied myself walking what I hope will one day be our perimeter trail. There's a natural path that runs just on the other side of the tree border and I think it will be a nice hack on horseback or walk on foot.

It was further than we imagined along that straight line to the far edge of what we would own. Once we got to it we cut across the grassy area to the "near" side of forest that directly adjoins our current line. The walk from that furthest edge back to November Hill took a lot longer than we expected as well. It's a gorgeous woodland section of land, with huge old trees but plenty of room for walking. There's a rock outcropping along one side and on the other the fence that marks the 11-acre wood that is beside us. It too was cut (3 years ago, on the day Salina died) but now it has 10 and 12 foot trees already. I have a parallel dream of buying it too.

We have never walked that area before today and it was nice to see what might be ours - the little woodland path I made behind our back field would extend into a true nature trail if we get this parcel. There's a perfect spot for a little cottage too. 

Just as we crossed over the line onto November Hill I had a little sensation of ownership of the new parcel. I hope it's an omen of success in this venture. It makes me happy to think of November Hill growing and the November Hill deer herd having refuge no matter what might come to the larger tract of land. 

It felt so much bigger than what I've been thinking. I'm excited and happy we made this trek today.