FOSH Has new Sport horse program!!

Greetings Fellow Horse Enthusiast:

Did you know that Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH), a non-profit organization, promotes the humane care, training and treatment of all gaited horses for the preservation of their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing?

Please enjoy your attached copy of our premiere magazine, The Sound Advocate, as an introduction to Friends of Sound Horses.  The Sound Advocate was designed as an exclusive resource for FOSH members and is the only gaited horse magazine in print worldwide covering information and issues of today’s gaited horses.  The excellent educational content draws enthusiasts of all gaited horse breeds and offers pin point marketing opportunities to reach the Sound Advocate’s dedicated, exclusive and loyal readers.

The new FOSH Gaited Sport Horse program launching this year is an exclusive venue designed by FOSH to recognize and honor the talents and abilities of all gaited horses.  This exciting program includes Gaited Distance, Gaited Equine Agility and Gaited Dressage. Please visit http://www.foshgaitedsporthorse.com/. 

FOSH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization actively engaged in the battle to end soring--the deliberate, cruel and abusive infliction of pain on the front legs or feet of a gaited horse, primarily Tennessee Walking Horses, to create an exaggerated, high stepping gait for the show ring. Soring has been against Federal Law since 1970.   FOSH supports flat shod or barefoot gaited horses and never endorses any event that permits stacked shoes, chains or action devices, nor mechanical, chemical or artificial means to modify the natural gaits of the horse. For more information please visit http://www.stopsoring.com/.

A robust set of resources is available through FOSH for the gaited horse enthusiast whose needs are often not addressed in mainstream media and clubs. For instance we provide licensed judges for venues that offer gaited horse shows or classes at all-breed shows and the Independent Judges Association (IJA) Rulebook that covers 15 gaited breeds.

We’re not all business!   We invite you to join us socially on Face Book or the FOSHFriends Yahoo Group for real time updates and to share your adventures with our community.  Let everyone know how you have fun with your special horse(s)!!  We even offer members a complimentary gait analysis of your gaited horse.

The Sound Advocate is distributed to members, shows, clinics, events and equine expos in the U.S. and abroad.  Twice a year, it is distributed electronically to over 20,000 horse enthusiasts during our outreach campaign.

Please forward this complimentary issue of the Sound Advocate to your favorite horse friends and associations.  This simple action will help us in our efforts to end soring and serve the gaited horse community. 

 http://www.fosh.info/private/rHQ5nm9T/SAJAN2013Web.pdf

   

Will you consider joining FOSH?  Visit us today at http://www.fosh.info/ and receive the Sound Advocate as one of your member benefits. Please forward this complimentary issue of the Sound Advocate to your favorite horse friends and associations.  This simple action will help us in our efforts to end soring and serve the gaited horse community. 

                                                                                    Teresa Bippen

                                                                                     President

P.S.  The Sound Advocate is published 6 times a year in both written and electronic formats.  For advertising rates and demographics, please contact Julie Tarnawski at julie_t@earthlink.net. 

Sissy using Tony as a pillow in the barn office

We are having a little bit more winter this year but still not enough snow yet to make up for our drought. Tony and Sissy  come with me each morning  to help me feed and do morning  tasks and love  romping in the snow and playing Frisbee in the barn arena when not working.

Dogs are such joyful company!

It is with a very sad heart to share long time friend  teacher , mentor from my childhood to adulthood Don Burt has passed.

http://www.gohorseshow.com/article/AQHA/AQHA/AQHA_Icon_and_Past_President_Don_Burt_Passes/38234

Don was one of my favorite judges to ride under as a child and who inspired me to pursue my 31 year career as a judge myself.

Don  helped me through every phase I went through from my stock horse years through my hunter/jumper phase and recall him laughing at me when I asked for help in stepping into that time. Next came my gaited horse era which again he was there with a smile to help me in judging,teaching judges and developing judging programs.
 Don was a true Horseman's  Horseman of a time when  you worked and worked hard for what you earned in your education, no paying ones way in, bullying or marketing into it. One had to have hard earned experience to gain your skills, your work and respect in the industry.
 Don was the go to Gentleman to learn from.

 Don Burt was one of my finest teachers I will miss and remember always with the greatest of respect. 

Forever grateful I am for his willingness to share his great knowledge with a puny little girl from the Midwest.

Liz

Very busy here getting  the year end repairs and ranch upgrades done with  fencing, all new gaits up and   slapped 25 gallons of fresh fence stain done so far.

 After dragging my body to the house tonight  found my Uncle Bill had sent another great photo of my Mother as a child. What a nice end to a productive day and week for that matter, just hope this body can move in the morning! 

It's Official!!

The ticket of Sissy & Tony of the "Kibble Party" won the Shades of Oak elections by a land slide beating out Pretty Boy Floyd & Perfectin Gold Stryke of the "Hay Party"

Seems the main deciding factors by ranch voters were the non wasteful standards of the Kibble Party to not  allow one plate or morsel of treat to go unattended and managed properly.

The lack of support for the hay party was due to their unbridled behaviors, with no seriousness in any matter what so ever and felt leaping, running and rearing in a wide open manner at all times with disregard for themselves or others was not received well by voters.

Liz

New Helpful hints video

Memories of younger days!

Old friend Leon with a couple of his young stock and myself astride Sunny Bright Eyes on Silverbrook Ranch Middlebrook, VA

It's sure been a long hot time here this year and putting in 12-14 hours days in the barn since winter but getting the training horses thinned down a little bit and some going home now since I will to be gone most of Sept. I'm trying for a little more time for my own horses before that happens and will get back at it the end of Sept.

I ran across this  old photo in my files and it brought back some great old memories of younger times . Leon and Sunny Bright Eyes are both gone now, Leon was a friend I would ride with to get miles and experience on all our young stock. Leon was a Vietnam vet and had lost a leg in that war and it never slowed him down that I know of except this day. He and both his horses went over backwards and down in a steep ravine, and when the dirt settled and got down to him, horses and Leon seemed to come out of it  just fine but Leons artificial leg was still in his stirrup so that had to be rescued once his gelding was caught and help him get that back on and off we went again. That adventure gave us many a chuckle he loved to tell about it for many years after.

We rode often at Silverbrook Ranch which was owned by Helen Kleberg Groves of the King Ranch, Texas and was 5000 acres of rolling VA hills  and she would let us take our horse there to work . Every year she had a big horse sale and cutting event we were invited too.  With many old well known names of the times most don't know of or heard of  these days like Buster Welsh, Calvin Allen and the list could go on forever.  I sure dreamed of owning a lot of the horses that were run through those sales, but that was a very poor living back then  being a female trainer but it was my choice and it sure taught a gal to be tough in that country. 

Sunny Bright Eyes was a Two Eyed Jack X Eternal Sun bred Quarter horse I  used for everything like Bubba,  cattle work, showed hunter pleasure, English pleasure, trail, reining , anything side saddle. We used to be invited to Frying Pan Park to do a side saddle reining demo as entertainment for the DC politicians  while they were wined and dined  as fund raising event  for the American Horse Protection Association. 

Good Friends and Great horses sure make time gone by  special!