My own pony! (sort of)

I'm sponsoring Gobie, one of the horses at HorseNet Horse Rescue, and today I got his sponsorship packet in the mail!



It was really well put together with a letter from the Executive Director, my donations to date, some information on the organization, a business card, and a photo of Gobie including his story:

"Gobie is a super cute 9yr brown/grey pony gelding.

He came to HorseNet from a horrible abuse case in WV. Gobie arrived with the rest of his herd of horses, they were malnourished, infected with parasites, and all had painfully over grown hooves. They had not been receiving proper care from their former owner for many months and their temperament and body condition showed it. They were basically wild horses. Gobie was one of the ones who turned around quickly. After much needed care and attention his health and behavior was complete different. He became a wonderful, loving boy.

Gobie is also a very comical boy, who is very willing to please and tease. He loves treats and a good scratch. He is enjoying his life in his herd of horses. This little man will make a great project for someone who can put the time and patience into training him.

Gobie has been with HorseNet since 2004 and is patiently awaiting his very own life long loving home."

I was sad to hear that he was part of an abuse case, but I was glad he made it to HorseNet. The description is totally fitting. And I was surprised to read that he's been at the rescue since 2004. That seems like forever!

At any rate, it was great hearing more about the pony I've been pining over for the last several months.

Krampusnacht

Just when you thought Halloween was over -- Krampusnacht is here!

The Krampus is an entity celebrated in central Europe (though primarily in Austria) who comes around on December 5th as a minion of Santa to torment children who have been naughty for the last year.

Read more about Krampusnacht.





On Krampusnacht young men dress up as the Krampus, creating their own wooden masks and costumes. They then rampage the streets with switches and chains, terrifying observers.




Pretty impressive, right? Who knew Christmas could be so sinister...

Pony Blankets

Thanks to the sudden onset of winter with extremely chilly temperatures, the horses at HorseNet Horse Rescue had to be blanketed. Some of them -- like my favorite, Gobie -- didn't need a blanket because they are healthy enough, and already super furry. But many of the rescue horses needed blankets because they didn't have their own furry warmth, or were sick, or skinny, or old.

But that meant we got to groom the horses, and fit them with blankets.

Robey wanted some attention, too. But he didn't need a blanket.

He was extremely nosy about the grooming box.

The girls, grooming one of the horses.

Everyone on the hill, some with blankets, some without. All happy!

It was a pretty mellow day at the horse barn. Maybe it was because it was so cold. Or maybe it's because they know Christmas is coming.

Sleeping and soaking up the sun.

I wonder if Santa will leave treats for the horses in these stockings?

Happy Holidays!

Thankful for Horses

I don't usually go to HorseNet Horse Rescue on Fridays, but today was a post-Thanksgiving volunteer meeting. Those of us who come out to volunteer don't always meet each other with those differing schedules, so this was a good time to say hey to fellow horse lovers.

It was also a good excuse to drag Sam out to show him what I'm up to on those Saturday mornings at the horse farm. He was a trooper! We walked out to one of the far pastures to bring some horses to be groomed before being ridden. He also got to meet Gobie.

Looking out for other horses while brushing Gobie.

We didn't go out to bring Gobie in, but he followed some other horses in to get some attention from us. He was as cute and endearing as ever. He's looking pretty woolly with this colder weather.

Adorable furry legs!

Sam and I walked the fence with one of the other volunteers to check to make sure there weren't any ways for the horses to get out. Although the weather was cold and cloudy, it was pretty out there.

Up on the hill.

The whole farm was getting decked out for the holidays. That means lights, garland, bows, and the whole works. It's looking pretty cute out there.


I'm grateful to be able to come out to the rescue and spend time with the horses and the dedicated volunteers.

I (heart) Gobie

There is one horse at HorseNet Horse Rescue that I'm particularly fond of. His name is Gobie and he's listed as a grade buckskin pony. A grade horse is basically the equivalent to a mutt dog -- their parentage is unknown and unidentifiable. Buckskin is a pretty "western" style horse color (as opposed to "english" -- the two dominant riding styles) but I'm pretty sure Gobie is actually Grullo (or grey dun) which is even MORE western and even more obscure. These things, coupled with the fact that he's a technically untrained, 9 year old pony, means that he's been with the rescue for a while.

I love love him to bits. He's got that mellow, but slightly mischievous disposition that I love in a horse. All the things that work against him in Maryland's horse culture makes me love him more. Plus, I think he's absolutely adorable.

I give you a celebration of Gobie:























That last picture is of Sam helping me groom Gobie. He doesn't know it yet, but we're going to have this pony if I have anything to say about it. :)

Ponies Ponies Ponies!! Part 4

Volunteering at HorseNet Horse Rescue continues to be awesome. It's satisfying both my desire to be around horses, my need for exercise (ha!) and my passion for nonprofit work.

It looks like I'll also soon be able to lend my social media expertise to the rescue. I'm excited!

Bear scratching an itch on a tree. See the video!

Design Blog

For class we had to create a design blog, so here it is:

http://www.designwithspine.com

Visit it for nerdy art and design oriented posts:



Stay here for personal posts about other junk, and expect some overlap :)