Rest in Peace, Kelly's Raven Moon

Half-past midnight on Friday morning, and I'm sleepless.  Just can't shut my mind down enough to sleep, for some reason.  The snow plows just made their first south run down 28th Street, but I was awake well before that.  Some type of precipitation was falling about 10:15 tonight, but I couldn't tell if it was rain, slush, or snow falling.  The pavements were wet in the parking lot...  At 11, one could tell there was a trace of snow on the ground, and now the parking lot is white. I'd say less than half an inch has fallen, so I feel like the plows were not yet necessary.  Oh well.  Enough grumbling.
   No one had a winning lottery ticket last night, so the estimate for Saturday night's drawing is now $700 million - and lottery officials have said that if people start buying tickets like crazy, the jackpot total could reach $1 billion by the time of the draw.  I have purchased three more chances, while Beatrice bought two.  What one could do with that much money....  the thoughts are staggering.
   This past summer, during the 90th Annual Chincoteague Pony Penning, there was one sad event.  Soul Surfer, the chestnut yearling son of Surfer Dude and Surf Queen, was discovered to be in very poor condition.  Three weeks before, he had been fat, sassy and had a gleaming coat.  He was separated from the herd, and taken to a private barn for medical attention.  The colt was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, and as his condition worsened, with no recovery possible, he was put to sleep.  The fact that the island had lost his father, Surfer Dude, at the age of 23, five months earlier, made the loss harder.  This past year, Surfer Dude sired four foals - all of them Buy-Back ponies.  There were three fillies and one colt - two blacks, a chestnut, and Gingersnap (who looks like a bay at this point in time).  The eldest of the foals was the colt, pure black, who was born the morning of the Spring Round-Up - he couldn't keep up with the pace of the round-up, and was taken back to the Pens on the lap of a Fireman, who was sitting on the tailgate of a truck.  The colt's dam followed.  Next born was Surfer Princess, a chestnut filly - and full sister to Soul Surfer and Surfer's Riptide.  I'm not sure who came next, but the black filly, the daughter of Got Milk, and Gingersnap seem to be about the same age.  The black filly has a white face and two blue eyes.  She was named CLG Surfer Blue Moon.  The last foal sold at the Auction was # 61, an all black colt.  He was purchased as a Buy-Back, and was named Kelly's Raven Moon.  There were eleven Buy-back foals in 2015.  Now there are nine.
   We lost a gorgeous Buy-Back pinto filly to a horrendous accident in September.  She was grazing under a few trees, when a large limb fell.  It fell across her neck, just above her withers.  She died instantly.   It was a terrible loss.  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, the Pony Committee, and the fans of the ponies are still recovering from the loss of Dreamer's Faith.
  And it was just announced that we have lost another Buy-Back weanling.  Kelly's Raven Moon, the all black last-born son of Surfer Dude, has passed away.  It was noticed by members of the Pony Committee that Raven was not eating, and was not presenting his normal personality.  The attending Vet was called, and Raven was trailered to a private barn for testing and care.  He presented symptoms of colic and became extremely dehydrated.  His suffering became acute, and he was put to sleep.  The CVFC had the colt's body sent to another veterinarian to do the necropsy - not that Dr Cameron wouldn't do it - he was just too busy, with his partner on vacation.  It turned out that a congenital defect, Mecklen Diverticulitis, was the cause of Raven's death.  Normally, about four weeks before birth, a small pouch caused by the umbilical cord on the edge of the small intestine closes, or seals, itself off.  Raven's did not do this.  The remains of his umbilical cord continued to grow around his small intestines - and eventually cut any passage of food or liquid through his system.  
    I am so very sorry for the people who purchased both Dreamer's Faith and Kelly's Raven Moon.  No one could have foreseen their deaths....   It's just a very, very sad and somber time.

Broken Neck End of Dreamer's Faith

My final, I swear it, post regarding Dreamer's Faith, the $7,500 buy-back Chincoteague pony.  She was reported stolen on September 6 or 7, 2015.  A reward of over $2,300 was offered for information that helped catch the thieves and/or helped restore the pony to her rightful owners.  Her body was found on October 15,2015 inside the Carnival Grounds corral on Main Street.  Dr Charlie Cameron, DVM,  performed a necropsy on the filly's remains.   Her neck had been broken by a heavy blow.  As her body was found underneath a large limb, it is assumed that the branch fell, breaking her neck, and killing her instantly.  This has been extremely painful for members of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, and the members of the CVFC Pony Committee.  All of the fans of the ponies, and people who love them are understandably upset.
   Procedures have been implemented for nose-counts at each feeding time, and fence lines on Chincoteague will be walked daily.  No one wants this tragic accident to happen again.  And, having loved, and worked with horses for my entire life, I can honestly tell you that there are things that any conscientious owner can never prepare for.  Death is a natural occurrence, no matter how much we humans cry and fuss over it.
   I will treasure my photos of Dreamer's Faith, and I will always thank the greater being for sharing her with us, even if it was for a short time...

Fence Lines and Dreamer's Faith

OK.   I'm a little bit more composed, and a tad calmer, than I was yesterday when I posted the bare-bones story about Dreamer's Faith being found.  I am not a person who enjoys being angry and upset, and I do not like feeling those emotions strongly.  I will continue to give updates about the weanling's life and untimely death as I receive reliable information.
    Faith's body was found yesterday morning, by a maintenance worker, in the corral at the Carnival Grounds on Main Street on Chincoteague Island.  She was positively identified by her microchip.  Roe Terry, spokesman for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, was visibly shaken as he made the announcement yesterday.  Apparently Dreamer's Faith, who was reported stolen from the corral on Main Street, never left the corral at all.
  She was last seen and photographed on Saturday, September 5th, 2015.  She wasn't seen again until yesterday morning, October 15.  The area in which her remains were found is bounded by a chain link fence, and there are quite a few trees and a lot of heavy underbrush in the area.  The CVFC had an emergency meeting last night, and is expected to have a prepared statement early this afternoon.  I don't know if Roe will be available for questions or not.
    ***********
  This greatly upset me.  There was a great deal of anger aimed at the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company this past Pony Penning, when a yearling buy back colt, Soul Surfer, was discovered to have intestinal cancer, and was euthanized to prevent further suffering.  Soul Surfer was a son of Surfer Dude and Surf Queen, was a full brother to Surfer's Riptide, and was the darling of the buy back foals in 2014.  He looked to be in excellent health up until the 4th of July weekend - I have photos of him then, round, fat, sassy, and starting to muscle up.   Three weeks later, because of the intestinal lymphoma, he had lost 300 pounds in weight, his coat was dull, he had diarrhea, his hind legs moved stiffly.  Dr Charlie Cameron, the on-call DVM, did not like the way Soul Surfer looked, nor his demeanor.  I spoke with him prior to the colt being taken away in the pony ambulance, and he told me he suspected intestinal lymphoma.  The blood tests proved his suspicions to be correct, and when the colt had another seriously debilitating bout of diarrhea, the decision was made to put him down.
   Now we have what I call a true fiasco with the fate of Dreamer's Faith.  The poor girl.  What happened to her? ....  There are so many things that can happen to, and/or kill a young horse.  Up until a year ago, I would have said there were no poisonous snakes on Chincoteague; thanks to all the building and use of fill dirt on the island, I can no longer say that with any certainty.  Cotton mouths and rattlers have been seen, killed, and reported.   Was she bitten by a snake?  Did she colic?  Was she frightened (or playing) and did she put a hoof through the chain link fence?  If she put her hoof through the fence, did she then panic and break her leg?  Did she die from stress trauma?  Did she die from thirst and starvation, hung up in the fence?  Did a heavy limb fall from a tree, and hit just the right spot to crush her skull, or break her neck? What about the reports of the two men in the white Chevy dually with horse trailer attached?  Did they try to grab her, see her go into the fence, break her leg in fright, and just leave her there to die?  There are just so many possible scenarios....
    I remember with great loss the death of one of our colts in Florida - a pure bred Arabian.  He was 9 months old, and he was out in pasture with the other youngsters - weanlings, yearlings, two- and three-year-olds - that we weren't yet riding.  One of the neighbors had called and told us about a hot-air balloon that had landed in their pasture, next to our fence line.  The balloonist was having problems with his burner - and it was making a heck of a noise, huge hissing sounds.  Upon returning to the farm that afternoon, we found that Romeo, our Arab colt, had been so frightened by the gas burner hissing that he had run through a wooden fence.  He impaled himself on a broken board.  And he died without any comforting person nearby.  I hated all hot-air balloons and their owner/operators for a great many years.
  *************
   I have only one question for the CVFC and the Pony Committee:  Why did you not walk the entire fence line when Dreamer's Faith was declared missing - and why isn't it done every day at the corral?

   We walked, drove, or rode the entire fence line of of farm in Florida each day - there were 79 acres, fenced into 6 pastures, plus the barn area.  Why is this NOT done for the small area of the Carnival Grounds corral?  (I know and understand why this cannot be done on Assateague Island.)

  My sincere condolences to the Beer family, who purchased Dreamer's Faith as a buy back pony on July 30, 2015.   Such a terribly swift ending to such sweet dreams....

Dreamer's Faith Found - Deceased

This is going to be short and painful folks.  The body of Dreamer's Faith, the missing Chincoteague pony weanling, has been found.  She was positively identified by her microchip.  Had she been a Kentucky thoroughbred, the cause of death would have been listed as "a paddock accident."  Suffice to say that fans of the Chincoteague ponies, and the people who donated $7,500 to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company for the right to name her, are devastated.  We mourn her death, and, especially the manner of her passing.  She has joined the huge pony herd across the Rainbow Bridge...    This is a photo I took of her in the South Holding Pen on Assateague:

Rest in peace, Faith.

Where Is Dreamer's Faith?

She was stolen on, or the day before, Labor Day (7 September 2015).  Two men took her away from her family.  She's a little girl, alone, lonely, and greatly missed.  Is she still alive?  Is she being fed what she needs?  Is she being handled and taught her manners?  Has she already been killed to feed people in Europe and Asia, or is she starving to death in some back alley, desperately wanting food, water, fresh air and freedom?  No one knows. - Except, maybe the two men who took her from her family, and from her home.
   She's a very pretty little girl - a Chincoteague pony, born this past spring.  She is the daughter of Dreamer's Gift and Courtney's Boy.  She was born wild and free on the island of Assateague in the state of Virginia.  Faith was made much of during Pony Penning week because of her unusual markings - and she was one of the foals chosen as a "buy back" by the Pony Committee of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, for breeding purposes, because of her bloodlines and her different markings.  Faith was only four or five months old when she was stolen last month.  She had received a freeze brand reading 15 on her left hip, since that is the year of her birth.
   She was with her sire, Courtney's Boy, several friends of her own age who were also "buy back" foals, and a few mares with foals whose new owners are due to pick them up next weekend, during the Fall Round-up.  This particular small group of horses/ponies were being kept on the CVFC's Carnival Ground corral on Main Street, on Chincoteague.  Two men with a white Chevrolet dually truck and a white horse trailer were seen trying to separate Faith from the rest of the ponies.  No one who saw the men in the corral thought it was strange; our Salt Water Cowboys visit frequently, as does our veterinarian.
   This is the first time in the 90 year history of the Fire Department's owning and selling of the ponies, made famous by Marguerite Henry's Newberry Award winning book Misty of Chincoteague, that a pony has been stolen from either Assateague or Chincoteague Island.  I hope it is the last.  The filly's markings are impossible to mistake.  She is a red (or chestnut) paint.  She has four high white stockings, and the left fore goes up to her elbow.  On her right side is an odd puddle of white that has a chestnut heart shape behind her withers and on her backbone.  On her left side, on her neck, withers, and shoulder is a bird in flight - or a cross made of clouds being blown by the wind.  She has a small star above her wide-set brown eyes in the shape of a backwards comma or apostrophe.  And she has that 15 freeze brand on her left hip.
   There is a REWARD offered.   She is stolen property, and her theft is a felony, considering what was donated to the CVFC for the right to name her.  If you see her, hear about her, or hear about any young horse or pony being kept hidden, please contact your local law enforcement agency - police or sheriff.  The local contact for the Chincoteague Police Department is Corporal Tyler Greenly and his phone number is (757) 336-3155.
   Here are photos of Dreamer's Faith, at one day old, and at 4 months old:

Dreamer's Faith, one day old

 

 Dreamer's Faith, four months old

In this photo, you can see the rectangle on her left hip where the 15 freeze brand was applied.

Football, Blood Moon Eclipse, Faith Still Missing

Boulder is warm, but a little cloudy this morning.  I'm still a little shell-shocked from this weekend's football - both collegiate and professional, though.  I figured the South Carolina Gamecocks would bounce back and win this week; I did not think that Florida would be able to defeat Tennessee, as they did; and I was amazed by the CU Buffs shutting out Nicholls State.  I was thrilled that the Broncos won in Detroit last night - but the other pro teams I cheer for lost.  And, on the happy and sad list is that Ben Roethlisberger's knee injury will keep him from playing for 4 to 6 weeks; I wanted it to be a career-ending injury.  A multiple rapist shouldn't be a 'worshiped' NFL quarterback, period.
   The full eclipse of the super blood moon was a fantastic sight.  We went up Flagstaff Mountain and parked at one of the eastern overlooks to observe the occurrence.  It was gorgeous!

Dreamer's Faith, and the people who stole her, are still in an unknown, undiscovered place.  Saturday the Chincoteague Pony 4-H Club raised another $634.+ to add to the reward for the stolen filly.  The reward is now over $2,100 for information that leads to the return of the filly, and/or the arrest of the miscreants who stole her.

   Dreamer's Faith is a 5 to 6 month old chestnut paint filly.  She has a freeze brand on her left hip that plainly reads "15" and she has a very easily distinguished coat pattern.  She has a chestnut head and face with a backwards apostrophe white star on her forehead, above and between her eyes.  She has four white stockings - well above her knees and hocks.  On her right side, just behind her withers is a chestnut heart surrounded by white, that extends to her croup.  On her left shoulder and neck is a white marking that can be seen as a dove in flight, or a wind-blown cross.  Her forelock and mane are chestnut until her withers, with the last few inches being white.  Her tail is mainly chestnut, with a small white strip near the base on the left side.  She is stolen property.  She is missed by her owners and fans.  She was removed from Chincoteague Island, Virginia on September 6 or 7, in a white horse trailer pulled by a white Chevy dually truck.  Please keep your eyes open for this much-loved and missing filly. (See previous post on B's Critter Sitter Blog for photos.)

White Truck & Trailer Sought in Dreamer's Faith Theft

Questioning locals and tourists, the Chincoteague Police Department has determined that a full size white Chevy pick-up truck with dual tires that had a white horse trailer attached was most probably the vehicle tandem used in the theft of Dreamer's Faith.  On the 6th or 7th of September, two men were observed trying to catch a foal at the Main Street Carnival Ground corral.  The white Chevy dually truck and trailer were also seen, as well as a parked electric golf cart.   Late in the afternoon on Labor Day, the 7th, it was noted that the chestnut and white paint filly, named Dreamer's Faith, was no longer with the other ponies in the corral.  Her theft has been covered by television stations, newspapers, on my blog, and on Facebook.   Over 808,000 views have been made on the Facebook site.  I have sent information and photos of the stolen filly to equine veterinarians in Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, and Wyoming.  Faith is easily identifiable by the number 15 freeze brand on her left hip.  These freeze brands are placed only on ponies that are to be kept on Assateague Island in the herds belonging to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
   Please keep spreading the word that Dreamer's Faith is stolen and there is a reward (now $1,500) offered.

Wandering

We had mostly cloudy skies yesterday, but the temperatures were still in the 80s.  Beatrice and I went down to Golden on Monday and had lunch with our friend Carol at Bob's Atomic Burgers on Ford Street.  We were a little early, so we explored the town and saw a few places we hadn't been before - like the campus of the Colorado School of Mines.  The food was pretty good - the best burger I've had in Golden, actually.  We sat under an umbrella on Ford Street and ate and drank and talked for more than three hours.  We had fun, and drew a lot of attention, I'm afraid - just because we were laughing so much.
  Yesterday, we tried out Doug's Day Diner, a new place here in Boulder - they are only open from 6 am until 2 pm, serving breakfast the whole time, as well as burgers, chicken and fries for lunch.  Beatrice was disappointed that they didn't have waffles, so she ordered "Granny's Hotcakes."  I had the "Hillbilly" breakfast - three eggs, biscuit and gravy, home fries and meat (I had the bacon).  We were astounded by the serving sizes.  Bea's coffee was great, and came in an over-sized mug; my diet soda was 30 ounces - both with never-ending refills.  Bea's  two pancakes were larger than a dinner plates, light and fluffy, and with her choices of butter, syrup, and several kinds of jellies and jams (for only $6!)    My Hillbilly breakfast covered a huge platter - big enough to serve a 24-pound turkey on.  We both left with more than half our food in carry-out boxes...  and for only $20!  The waiter was also the manager, and she said she's waiting for two waffle griddles to be delivered - one for regular waffles, the other for gluten-free (we do live in Boulder, after all).
   Then we traveled up Lee Hill Drive and up to Gold Hill.  I took Beatrice to see Carter Lake was was very aghast at how low the water level is.  She had never been there before, and was amazed by the size of the lake, and by the red clay and rocks that, now, ring the lake for 1/8 to 1/4 mile all around, thanks to the drought.  I hadn't been to Carter Lake in eight years, and I was amazed at the receding of the water level.
   Headed over to the Loveland Outlet stores, as Beatrice really wanted to see them - how many and what brands.  We were both disappointed there - more than half of the stores are empty, and several have been converted into churches.  We went into the Levi's store, Dress Barn, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Makers, a kitchen supply store, and a nice arts and crafts shop named "Artsy."  I got a few pages of craft specialty papers there.  I'm not quite sure what the different stores in Loveland thought about the weather, but only Artsy had their air-conditioning turned on.  All the other stores did not have their HVAC systems running at all - and they were extremely warm.  In a way, we were glad that there were so few stores to visit, as we were uncomfortable inside them....
   Oh, well....  Beatrice is back to work today, and I am, also.  Hump day for most worker's but Bea's Monday - and I was last "off"  August.  My next day "off" will be 3 October - and I plan on watching college football!
   No word yet on the stolen Chincoteague filly named Dreamer's Faith.  She has been posted on the NetPosse, a website for stolen horses.  I hope she is found soon.  The latest round of notes and Twitter about her say: Keep the Faith!  -  in her being found and returned; not as an encouragement for the thief.  I'm ready to personally hang him/her (the thief), myself.

Updates

First, Dreamer's Faith is still missing from Chincoteague.  Since her theft, the thief has had enough time to have her seen by an equine veterinarian, and to have all of her vaccinations and blood tests (needed for transportation across state lines and national borders) performed, and to get the necessary paperwork.  Of course, Dr Cameron, the veterinarian for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, as already done those things.  Since I live in Colorado, I have sent notifications about the theft of Dreamer's Faith to all the local television stations, as well as to 40 equine veterinary practitioners, and have asked them to spread the news with other vets.  The information includes a description, five photos, and information about whom to contact at the Chincoteague Police Department and/or the CVFC.  Since I have yet to find my dUSB camera cord, I don't know which of three buy-back foals Faith was; the three sold for $6,000, $7,500, and $10,000 each.   -   And I'm still reeling from the chutzpah it took to steal her from the Main Street Carnival Grounds corral. This is the first time it's happened since the Firemen took over the Pony Sale 90 years ago.....
   We've had cooler nights here in Colorado, and the CU Buffs showed they drive and courage by winning the Rocky Mountain Showdown in over-time last night.  The Gators managed to win in an ugly game against Kentucky, and the Georgia Bulldogs devastated the Gamecocks.  The Gators will have to become a much better team to be able to defeat the Dawgs this year.
   I've seen lots of local wildlife in the past few days - a doe with twin fawns is staying nearby, and the numbers of rabbits is amazing.  The squirrels are also feeling very frisky.  I miss our fox population; when the coyotes moved in, the fox were either killed, or they moved on.  *sigh*  I really liked the fox, but I don't much like the coyotes.  Fall birds are starting to appear, too, which is a nice change.  Our robins disappear for only a few months and they are still in residence.
   I hope your Sunday is peaceful and relaxing.

Island Views and Chincoteague Ponies

Surfer's Blue Moon and Beach Bunny

Surfer Princess

Dreamer's Faith, Raven Moon and Surfer's Blue Moon

Assateague Island (Md) egret tree

Assateague Island, Maryland

Drum fisherman releasing an unharmed butterfly ray on Assateague Island