September 2023 Issue

Page 46 September 2023 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Choose a one time charge of $20 to be added permanently to the mailing list, for an ongoing subscription via third class mail. OR have each issue sent to you first class for an annual fee of $35. You can pay by check, Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Simply complete and mail this form with payment to: East Coast Equestrian, P. O. Box 8412, Lancaster, PA 17604-8412 or order online at eastcoastequestrian.net  I would like an ongoing subscription via third class mail for $20.  Please send each issue first class for $35 per year.  Check for $________ is enclosed  Please bill my Visa/Mastercard/Discover Acct. #________________________________ Exp. Date ____________________ Name ______________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________ City ________________________________ State ___________ Zip ___________ Email ______________________________________________________________ Get East Coast Equestrian at home! East Coast Equestrian P.O. Box 8412, Lancaster, PA 17604-8412 (717) 509-9800 E-mail: PAEquest@aol.com www.eastcoastequestrian.net Published by Pennsylvania Equestrian, LLC Stephanie Shertzer Lawson, Editor and Publisher Contributors Marcella Peyre-Ferry, Suzanne Bush, Alicia Martin, Amy Worden, Lois Szymanski, Sylvia Sidesaddle Advertising/Production Manager Debbie Reid Advertising Sales Manager Phyllis Hurdleston Published 9 times a year. Submissions of articles, events and photos are welcome and should be received by the 10th of the month preceding publication. Please call (717) 509-9800 for advertising rates or visit www.eastcoastequestrian.net . We cannot accept copyrighted photos without permission from owner. You must have permission before reprinting anything from East Coast Equestrian. For permission please call (717) 509-9800 or email steph@eastcoastequestrian.net Dear Mal… A friend of mine, Joanie, recently lost her beloved horse. They had been wonderful partners on the trail and in the show ring for 15 years. It broke her heart when the horse suddenly died from what the veterinarian said was an aneurysm. One minute the horse was healthy and fine and the next minute he was dead. It was a traumatic and confusing time, but after a week of self-recrimination and doubt and confusion, Joanie finally accepted the reality that her horse had died and that his death was relatively painless. All of us at the barn tried to surround her with support, com- fort and care. Except one person, whom we all had thought was just a whack-o. He told Joanie that he wanted to help her, so he contacted a psychic who specializes in talking to horses. The psychic told him that Joanie’s horse was sad and in pain and…get this…angry with her for not noticing he was having difficulty before he died. He relayed this in- formation to Joanie, who just stared at him in disbelief. Fortunately, she has enough sense to know that this psychic had no clue about the horse, or his life before his untimely death. Still, it was another emotional jolt for my friend. Can you believe someone would do this?And the psychic?What is up with that? -Angry and Confused Dear Angry and Confused… Wow! Your friend certainly didn’t need any more emotional baggage to lug around, and this dude with his psychic (if there even is a psychic specializing in talking to dead horses) are a pair of jerks with all the compassion of a pile of manure. You and your friends did all the right things, rallying around Joanie and providing her with the kind of support that actually demon- strates friendship and compassion. The guy who took it upon himself to contact the psychic and then to relay the psychic’s babble is more than “just a whack-o.” He’s a toxic, unkind, selfish loser. You have to wonder what kind of person could witness Joanie’s loss and her sorrow and then callously tell her that her horse died in pain—and is still in pain and angry with her. Sadly, there are a lot of people whose narcissism and lack of empathy are barriers to normal human interaction. And the belief in the psychic? That’s a pool that I don’t even want to dip my toe into. Is it your job to help this person see what kind of damage he could have done—had Joanie been less sensible? Perhaps the one thing you could do is take him aside and tell him that the breaking news from his psychic was totally out of bounds. Explain to him that Joanie needed a hug, not a kick in the gut. Ask him if he could imagine what it would feel like if he had just suffered a terrible loss like Joanie had. Maybe he will listen. Maybe your reaching out to him will be the first time anyone ever tried to explain to him how his behavior affects others. I keep think- ing that each of us has the capacity to make the world better—one per- son at a time. Maybe you can help this guy become less of a whack-o and more of a humane being. Have a question for Mal? Email her at PAEquest@aol. com. Go ahead... Ask da Mare FREE Print subscribers get FREE classifieds! Print subscribers get FREE non-commercial classified ads! Just email your non-commercial (events, horses/trailers/tack for sale, boarding/lessons/training etc.) classified, 35 words or less to steph@eastcoast equestrian.net . Be sure to include your name and mailing address as it appears on your subscription label. (Not a print subscriber? Sign up online at eastcoastequestrian.net .) Classifieds can run in more than one issue but must be resubmitted each month. Deadline is the 12th of the month before publication. (Continued from page 32) EVENTS FARMS Making Strides H/J show at Breezy Run Farm, Church Hill, MD Sep- tember 30th featuring $350 & $500 Dover Saddlery Jumper Classics. Making Strides Show Series FB, web: www.breezyrunfarm.com . SADDLIN' UP for BREAST CANCER Trail Ride with lunch, silent auction, raffles, prizes, All Pinked Out Parade and Contest at the Tuckahoe Equestrian Center in Queen Ann, Md. Camping is available with reservations. All proceeds benefit The Red Devils. jacquiecowan@comcast.net / 410- 215-4979 / https://www.tuckahoe equestriancenter.com/events September 23rd, 2023 from 11am to 4pm. Last Chance Ranch Open House. 9 Beck Road Quakertown, PA 18951 Vendors, Tours, Kids Games. www.lastchanceranch.org ECHO (Equine Cones Hazards and Obstacles) annual Halloween Show, October 14, 2023. Oak Ridge Stables, Dover, PA. Riding, Driving, Longlining, Lead-line, In-hand. For more information, contact Pam Kister 717-779-4542, greyhorsestable@hotmail.com or ECHO on Facebook FOR RENT: 8 Stall Barn with finished loft in Pike County, PA. Easy highway access. Ideal for PA breeding or retirement activities. Phone/wifi included, you pay electric. Ample trailer parking. Please call (570) 906-1909. FARMS MISC. HORSES Boarding available Landenberg, PA Field Board $360/Stall Board $485. Professional staff, specializ- ing in senior/retired equines. 25 yr experience, references available. 610-368-3822 or 610-806-2230 text or call. Omega Horse Rescue located in Airville, PA has a variety of horses and ponies ready for their forever homes! Please visit our website to see pictures, videos and how you can help! www.omegahorserescue.com . Better than right off the track! The PTHA's Turning for Home, Inc. always has OTTBs that are properly rehabbed, retrained and ready for their new carteers. Find your next horse at www.turningforhome.org or call 215-808-7562. Join the Wilmington Hobby Horse Club! We’re a fun-loving group that mimics the movements of horseback riding. jumping and dressage with stick horses! We do birthday parties too! Follow us on Instagram WHHCDE and Facebook. ?s WHHCDE@GMAIL.COM Jump standards, holes drilled, 2 in decent shape, one needs some reinforcement and one needs new boards at bottom. They need paint. Picture available on re- quest. $50.00 OBO. Delivery extra from 19529. 484-862-8415 MISC. Carriage for Sale. Mill Run Sporting Phaeton, built in 1997, Single Horse Dressage/Cones, $4,000 OBO, Unicorn6855@ yahoo.com , 410-755-6855. Dressage at Devon has openings on the Committee and Management Teams for; Gift Shop Manager, Facilities Manager, Education Program Manager and Historian. Contact Anne Moss 610-316-4294. CATS: Barn homes in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, PA. are needed to give rescued strays a chance at life. Cats are neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated; delivered and acclimated. Fill out an application to adopt at StrayCatBlues.org or call 215-631-1851. Barn cats looking for jobs! Fully vetted, no fee, hard working cats. We deliver—PA, MD, DE, NJ. Contact us! (215) 219-8148 or info@forgottencats.org . FREE Classifieds for print subscribers! See this page for details. Not a print subscriber? Join the ongoing mailing list for just $20. Fill out the form below or visit eastcoastequestrian.net