Square Peg Foundation

Twenty nine years ago, Precious Feathers was born on Lew and Jeanee Conner’s ranch.  Part of a long line of prized Quarter Horses revered for their versatility and solid minds.  She was raised in the Sacramento Valley and trained as a performance/working cow horse.  She went on to raise several babies and was known as a wonderful mother whose babies excelled in the show ring and as working and trail horses.  She taught several of the Conner’s grandchildren to ride.

September 11, 2006, Precious Feathers arrived at Square Peg Ranch with her best friend, Sugar.  Together they were the stars of the barn and the best horses for beginners.  Their patience and excellent training introduced hundreds of new riders to the wonders of horsemanship.

Feathers was quirky, she could never be tied and was always extremely girthy.  She had opinions and she shared them freely.  All of the male horses at the ranch fell in love with her even after her advanced age began to show.  She loved soft brushes and hated baths.  She could be gentle as a lamb with a beginner and yet she was the horse you wanted to be on when you needed to put the neighbors cows back in their pen.

She taught students until this past weekend and then developed a deep cough and a fever earlier this week.  She spent the last couple days of her life eating grass and visitng her favorite horses.  This afternoon she struggled to breathe and we surmised that she had a tremendous amount of fluid in her lungs.  When she started to stagger as she tried to walk, we knew that it was time.  Dr. Ashton Cloninger canceled dinner plans and was at the ranch just as the sun was going down over the hills.  She ate a bag of carrots and a bucket of grain while we stroked and petted her and told her that she would soon be galloping in green fields with her very best friend Sugar.

She was an exception to many of the Square Peg horses.  She had only two homes in her long life and in each home, she was loved, understood and cared for.  She had never had a major injury nor had she been homeless or gone hungry. We should celebrate a long and good life of a wonderful, kind and gentle little red mare.

I wrote a blog post when we lost Sugar in 2007.  Maybe it bears revisiting here.

Humbly,
joell

Tells us about the love of her life, a 16 year old Thoroughbred gelding named Cometa.

Standing there, still not believing it, I was grooming him for the first time. I still remember the day. It was the first day I meet Cometa. The horse I truly love.

It was a hot summer day, like ever summer is, and it was a Saturday. Cometa had come sometime during that week, but now, I, I got to get the chance to ride him. He is beautiful, with a shiny, soft, bay coat, black legs, and mane, and a star and snip on his face. But also the prettiest eyes, they, of course, are brown, but they are big and loving. And are outlined in black, looks like makeup, and goes out beyond his eyes, on the corner.

He may be a cribber, and always doing that, which causes him to have barely any front teeth, but I still love him with all my heart.

That day I rode him, I knew I would be riding him for a while. He is fun, and easy, but still challenging and makes you learn new things at the same time. I really enjoy going out on the trails with him. And he loves going out there too. But also going in the arena with him too. I have fun jumping, doing bareback, just riding, and playing polo with him=).

In October I had so much fun doing a polo clinic at Woodside Horse Park. And in the hitting cage on the wooden horse my friend Aidan and I named Woody. In the clinic it was so nice working with Wilbur. He is so nice and a good teacher. And before Cometa came to Square Pegs, he was with his previous owner Terri Casey. She owned two other horses as well, Sola and Mercedes. Both of them sweet horses as well. But Terri would play polo with them. So all three of them are really good polo horses.

I know this story doesn’t flow so well, but I don’t quite know how else to put it that I love Cometa and why. He is an amazing horse and I just love going on the weekends to visit and ride him. And I love leasing him. Thanks Square Pegs for giving me this opportunity to do this. Cause I love it, and don’t ever want to stop any time soon.

-Farris

Yesterday the rain finally moved in. It took its time and had us worried, although we did thoroughly enjoy the warm sunshine of last week. But the wet ground smelled so good as Greg hustled around and found blankets for everyone – except Daisy who refused to be caught in the pasture. Also, no blanket for Gigi who has a giant oozing sore in her shoulder (yuck).

Yesterday, we met the new boss at Hope Services. The fellas from Hope; Sean and Mike impressed him with their stall cleaning skills. The only brave soul to show up for a riding lesson in the rain was Lucas who loved getting a private lesson from Greg and a ride on the fantastic pony, Bob.

From the counseling center came a teen boy to “check us out.” He told his counselor that he liked horses and might like spending time at a ranch. When I showed him around, he wasn’t sure what to make of our little menagerie. But Tucker the hound dog insisted that the boy pet him, and eventually, he did. The boy told me that he had ridden a horse when he was six years old and he liked it. I hope he comes back. He seems like a gentle kid that needs some space to work through what his universe has sent his way to struggle through.
It looks like the rain will be with us for a few days. Maybe now I’ll be able to catch up on 100 emails, and phone calls, tax forms, letters and projects that have all been competing for my attention during the warm weather of last week.
If you are interested in helping out, email me at joell@squarepegfoundation.org We can use help with barn chores, fundraising, bookkeeping, teaching, grooming, community relations, special events and more.

Another day of perfect and warm sunshine here on the coast. Two weeks ago, our toes froze on a one hour trail ride and this week we ride in shirtsleeves and bathe our hot and sweaty horses afterward. I have spent some panicked moments thinking about drought and global warming and what a mess we have created in the environment, that Alaska is warmer this week than Alabama. But then I realized that griping about or hoping for different weather has never changed how or when the rains come. That wiser people than myself have tried to wish the rains to appear and failed. So I decided to get on my horse, head to the woods and enjoy the fantastic weather. Even better, I got to ride with good friends.

As we stand as a nation on the brink of so much uncertainty, as our toes dangle over the edge of the gorge of change and we veer from abject pessimism back to blind optimism, I know that whatever happens, I will know that I have guided 100’s of children through the beautiful forest on horseback and that they have known the joy and freedom that the experience can provide. And for today, this will have to be enough.

Tomorrow we embrace change, invoke history and move boldly forward as one nation. No matter how scared you are, no matter how you voted, you must keep your eyes open and your mind clear and participate in the democracy that our nation was built on. Not just by holding new leadership accountable for promises made, but by being a part of the solution. These crisis’ that we face will take innovation and a new way of thinking to untangle. It means the Square Pegs of the world will be called upon to find the answers that can’t be found in the round holes.

Peace out.

This poem was written by our good friend Lisa Ortiz while sitting in an airport in April 2007. She had just met Hank and I’d like to think that he was the inspiration. It’s a poem that touches me very deeply. I hope you will like it.

Horse
The way the heart is wrapped in blankets
and the world fell; Eden’s long gone
the remnant a weedy lawn at our ankles,
a gown we’ve removed in tatters,
a dream we decide
until a horse appears
not far away in a field
not faded or rusted or ancient.
This horse was coddled in stalls, kept from the eyes of mortals
hidden really like a God,
something they say can’t exist
glitter and prance, muscled with silk
legs in waves, winged hooves, exalted bones,
prairie lightning eyes, and they call that
a star or a blaze.
Oh, reach in your pocket for sugar an apple, a handful of oats,
Open your palm
and all that you’ve held,
the way you’ve asked for forgiveness
turns out redemption is this:
an animal neck that arches
untamed breath on your wrist.

Patience is Key

Every weekend I see Jill* running to our tack room with a smile stretching from ear to ear, her riding helmet resting on her head, and her eyes brimming with anticipation. Her legs transition to a walk as she approaches us and she begins to rattle off all the tasks she wants to accomplish during her lesson; graze the horses, braid ribbons into their tails, play in the arena, and feed buckets full of treats.

Jill resembles our other students in her appearance and demeanor, but when I see Jill my eyes brighten and I cannot wait to get her horseback riding lesson started. Jill took extraordinary steps to become the child who runs to me every weekend. Jill’s excitement and ambition allows me to see the how the companionship of horse can increase a person’s confidence and sense of self.

Teaching Jill challenged me. When I first met Jill she did not run to us with a smile, instead, she hid behind her mom with a looks of either apathy or fear. Although Jill longed to come out and show us her personality, her shyness, due to her autism, left her incapable of connecting with the rest of the world. When the barn was full of people or the lesson became too exciting, Jill would shut down. If I gave her instructions she seemed to ignore the problem even more. If I told her to turn her thumbs up they would turn down, or if I told her to keep her horse on the rail I would find them in the center of the arena. I could not find a way to teach Jill without scaring her. She had trouble communicating what was wrong and I was lucky to get a feeble mumble from her attempting to explain her feelings. She was shy and indecisive, but my teaching style was to push. Whenever I was with Jill I tried to make the lessons fun and exciting with lots of turns and trot work, but I found she would sit atop the horse frozen and terrified. Our attitudes and personalities clashed.

One day I realized Jill was not bound to become a Grand Prix show Jumper or even an old school cowgirl; her only desire was to interact with the horses. When I found my connection to Jill, our shared love for the well being of the animals, I was able to teach Jill on a different level. We spent the majority f the lesson grooming the horses until they sparkled from muzzle to rump. I saw the same sparkle in Jill’s eyes as she admired the results of her tender and nurturing brushing. During the lesson we worked on the comfort of the horse instead of focusing on the correct posting diagonal or canter lead. We chatted about the how the horses ear movements reflect their temper: ears back meant angry, ears forward meant happy, and ears opening toward the rider means you have their attention. As Jill began responding to the horses her riding skills developed right before my eyes. She is able to trot and steer her horse independently, plus she can ride the trot with no hands.

Jill opened my eyes to a world not fill with anger an ambition, but one that is serene and beautiful. Jill’s simplicity fueled my connection to the minds of the horses instead of their ability to carry me around on their backs. Jill’s strength and perseverance came from the horses that were always patient and willing, and Jill has inspired me to look to them for my own strength. The horses always look to me with love and kindness even when I doubt my importance. I am inspired to look to the horses for motivation and confidence..

* Name Changed