Mousemistres
From AlexBrownRacing
Contents |
Bio
I was born in Washington, DC in 1962, and grew up in northern Virginia. Back then we lived in a very rural area, and one of my fondest memories was exploring the surrounding country side. At that time we were surrounded by large farms and huge tracts of wooded areas. My dad was a nature buff and would take us hiking where he would point out various wildlife and signs of their presence, as well as native wildflowers and plants. I have also lived in south eastern TN, eastern WV, and now south eastern Ohio. I enjoy spending time with our pets (horses, dogs and cats), hiking, bird watching, identifying wildflowers, wildlife, gardening, reading, and horseback riding. I also enjoy helping homeless animals find new homes.
Horse experience
I have always loved and felt a deep connection with horses and other animals. My sister and I had ponies when we were kids, and we would ride for hours on nearby farms and woods. We were the typical horse crazy kids, reading every horse book we could get our hands on and collecting Breyer horse models. I am now 46 yrs old and still love horses as much if not more than ever (and I still have all my Breyer horse models). I also have the complete set of the Black Stallion series of books and dvds thanks to Amazon.com, LOL. My husband and I now reside on our 42 acre farm in beautiful south eastern Ohio, which we share with our horses, dogs and cats. I am an avid trail rider and enjoy riding the numerous local trails as well as those at nearby parks. I also enjoy starting and training my own horses using natural horsemanship techniques. While I love all horses, I am especially fond of the OTTBs, drafts and draft crosses. Our herd currently consists of several OTTBs, the first of which was adopted 10 years ago, 4 draft crosses, and a TN Walker. Youngest are the 2 PMU yearlings we adopted last year, oldest is a 23 yr old OTTB gelding who won approx $160K during his career.
FOB activities
I have met a lot of wonderful people through the ABR forum and network. The FOBs are truly amazing. I have also learned a great deal about the issue of horse slaughter and have formed a list of folks to which I regularly post information on this issue. It is shocking how many people, even horse people, are still unaware of the issue or have been mislead regarding the facts about why horse slaughter persists despite overwhelming opposition. Since becoming a member of ABR, I have also become much more active in the fight to end the slaughter of American horses, and to protect our wild mustangs. I think Barbaro is a true hero, not only for his courage in the face of great adversity, but for bringing a group of people together and inspiring them to accomplish great things.
FOB Network
I followed Barbaro's ups and downs during his career and subsequent to his injury, but did not know of the FOBs until several months after his death. A friend introduced me to the Alex Brown Racing forum after I told her I was looking for an OTTB to retrain and rehome. I later purchased Quiz Kid, who was racing at Mountaineer, as a private buyer when I learned that he was days away from a trip to Sugarcreek and no one else had expressed any interest in him. Since then I have actively helped to place and rehome several OTTBs, mostly from Mountaineer but also from Charlestown, WV and Lexington, KY. I have helped provide transport for horses to their new homes.
Questions from other FOBs
This this space available for FOBs to ask you questions. Answers can then be worked into the above content if appropriate.
Thanks for doing the wiki-page - it looks great! swedishkat
