COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 30, 2016
7A
You owe it to the
world to pursue
your weirdness
sional, visit a horse boarding
facility and a knowledgeable
“horse person”.
“Always wear a helmet when
riding,” insisted Joy. “I’ve only
fallen off once, but that’s all it
takes. Thankfully, I had my hel-
met on and it did its job well by
protecting my head.
Guaranteed! Horse health
problems are expensive! Before
buying or gifting a horse, have a
vet do a pre-check because they
may have an issue that you can’t
see or afford.
Horses are mammals, like us.
They experience heat and cold.
Yes, horses in the wild stand
under trees for shelter, but do-
mesticated horses need solid
shelters. One wall and a roof is
better and kinder than nothing.
Horses without protection from
the weather can develop rain rot
on their backs. Our horses needs
are respected so they have a barn
for shelter.”
Medicine Horse
“There is something about the
outside of a horse that is good
for the inside of a man.”
Winston S. Churchill
“
A few years ago,” said
Joy, “I was ill and unable
to work. My horses are my pas-
sion, but our family was fi nan-
cially slipping, so I offered to let
them go — the horses, that is!
Horses are expensive and a
lifetime commitment. They live
25-plus years. Monthly board-
ing costs $375-$1000, and our
two horses eat 1/2 a ton of hay a
month, adding another $300.
Horse hooves need trimming
every 8-9 weeks, and Dixie has
to have $90 shoes every two
months. So you can see why I
offered to sacrifi ce and sell them
for my family’s well being.
My husband, Dean, a kind and
understanding man, said, ‘NO.
Those horses keep you going.’
And they do. They are a pivot-
al part of my healing medicine.
He took over feeding and caring
for the horses — never once a
complaint.
When I walk to the barn my
pain decreases, my mood lifts
and I feel better and can do so
much more when I get to the
barn. When I go back to the
house, the pain comes back. Be-
ing near horses somehow trig-
gers my natural pain blocker.
My horses are an answered
prayer for a little girl who grew
up immersed in poverty, where
owning a horse was just a far-
away dream.
When I was 10 years old, I
promised myself that I would
own a horse. It took 30 years, but
I did it! I have now been a happy
horse keeper for 18 years.
I love everything about hors-
es: The way they smell (dirty
or clean), look, feel, and how I
feel near them. I love how they
nicker when they see me com-
ing. Nickering warms my heart,
clear to the bottoms of my feet.
It’s like cats purring that makes
your heart smile.
I also love grooming horses
Courtesy Photo
The hearts of Joy and Dixie, a 21-year-old Quarter horse,
are deeply bonded. During Joy’s healing, Dixie is Joy’s
“best medicine.”
and even enjoy scooping their
manure — it is such a good
workout.
Horses are herd animals and
need a companion horse or an-
other four-leg, grass-eating ani-
mal like a goat or sheep. That is
why we have two horses: Dixie,
a 21-year-old Quarter horse, and
Gabe, an 11-year-old Mustang.
Dixie arrived with her name, but
I named Gabe after Archangel
Gabriel because he has white
markings on each shoulder re-
sembling angel wings.
My horses have a game they
love! They toss their 100-pound
4X6 foot rubber-stall mats
around like playing cards. They
grab them between their teeth
and fl ing them around like noth-
ing — even dragging them out
of their stalls. I wish they would
fi nd a new game because I need
help dragging the mats back in
the stalls.”
A “Jolly Ball” was designed
for horses, but Joy’s won’t play
with it. They prefer their mats.
But when her dog spots their
ball, he steals it and plays with
it while she cleans out stalls.
“The thing I wish horses did
do is...poop in one spot!” laughs
Joy. “Manure mixes in with hay,
wasting it, and makes it harder
to clean up. It would be easier
to pick up their manure if they
could miraculously be trained
to do it in one location. I don’t
mind shoveling. It is great exer-
cise and you don’t’ need a gym
membership with hay and ma-
nure to shovel and toss daily.”
After 18 years, Joy is still pas-
sionate about horses and amazed
to have realized her seemingly
im-paws-ible childhood dream!
Tips
Before becoming a horse’s
life keeper, ask questions! Hors-
es, as kind, loving and wonder-
ful as horses are, they can be
dangerous! Consult a profes-
Pat in Chehalis, Washington
wrote, “Many songs and music
were inspired by horses. Listen
to the music’s beat and you can
clearly hear the rhythm of horse
hooves.
In America, as cowboys rode
the range they created songs to
the beat of their horse’s hooves.
In some songs/music, you can
hear the distinct beats of a trot,
a gentle lope, or a gallop which
adds another dimension to ani-
mals and the world of music.”
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BY NED HICKSON
News Media Corporation
A
s an Oregonian who spent several years living in Port-
landia, I feel the city’s unoffi cial mantra “Keep Port-
land Weird” is a noble pursuit. The world needs weird. Not
the current presidential candidates kind of weird, which is
like a Stephen-King-horror-novel-with-a-rabid-dog-and-ter-
rifying-clown kind of weird.
No, I’m talking about a less volatile, better coiffed and
more enjoyable kind of weirdness that helps us keep a fresh
perspective on daily life.
Albert Einstein, Edgar Alan Poe, Leonardo da Vinci, Lu-
cille Ball — all were geniuses in their own way who remind-
ed us to see the world with wonderment by unapologetically
pursuing their weirdness.
I‘m no genius. I‘m reminded of this every time I spend fi ve
minutes getting frustrated with the TV remote, then realize
it‘s the garage door opener — usually after the neighbor calls
to tell me our Labrador is repeatedly being knocked uncon-
scious. Though I‘m no genius, I do consider myself weird.
And so do others. Particularly my teenagers, who avoid eye
contact whenever we‘re in public because they‘re afraid I‘ll
do something weird that will embarrass them.
Or as they jokingly say, „DESTROY OUR LIVES!“
Ha! Ha!
Ok, maybe they‘re not joking.
The truth is, though they may feel being in the car with Dad
while he orders from the drive-thru in an Arnold Schwar-
zenegger voice could have a lasting impact on their reputa-
tions — or at the very least completely screw up our dinner
order — I believe the example of infusing random acts of
weirdness into daily life is an important one. That‘s because
being weird requires looking at a common situation in an
uncommon way. As a parent, there are few skills I want my
children to develop that are more important than the ability
to think unconventionally. It‘s that type of thinking that leads
to technological breakthroughs, builds self-confi dence and
develops problem-solving skills.
Not counting me and my TV remote, of course.
Being able to wield weirdness is like having Thor‘s mighty
hammer to smash negativity and the mundane. Although if
you think you‘re going to look as cool doing it, you‘re kid-
ding yourself. Regardless, it‘s an effective way of turning a
bad situation into a better situation; an unfortunate circum-
stance into a laughable moment; Kanye West into... another
laughable moment.
You get the idea.
The world is getting more plugged in and, coinciden-
tally, more stressed out. Weirdness is a necessary coping
mechanism that benefi ts everyone. So please do the respon-
sible thing by embracing your weirdness. Or even someone
else‘s.
But if they‘re part of the Portland Naked Bike Ride, I’d
have them put pants on fi rst.
(Ned is a syndicated columnist with News Media Corpo-
ration. His book, Humor at the Speed of Life, is available
online at Port Hole Publications, Amazon Books and Barnes
& Noble. Write to him at
nedhickson@icloud.com)
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