Welcome to the Draft Horse Journal Online!
The
Draft Horse Journal invites you to explore the online version
of
our
magazine,
the world's
foremost
heavy horse & mule publication. This big quarterly, approximately
200 pages per issue, has been serving the trade since 1964.
We intend our web site to be the online counterpart of the
magazine. If it has to do with draft horses, you'll find
it here. Make this your "Draft Horse Home" on the
web.
God's Gentle Giants
by Karen L. Kirsch
published in The Draft Horse
Journal, Autumn 2008
Behind tall fences topped with razor wire, tidy buildings and acres of lush lawns barely soften the hard reality of incarceration at Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility in Massillon, Ohio. At any time the maximum security detention center is a temporary "home" to about 300 boys between the ages of 12 and 21 who have committed crimes ranging from felony 1 through 5. It’s easy for ordinary people to ignore places like this. Out of sight, out of mind ... but Lisa and Mike Randazzo are far from ordinary.
Each week they reach out to those behind the tall fences with a unique program using draft horses which have been rescued from abuse, neglect or in many cases, death. The young men and these horses often have much in common. Just as the horses' scars heal, a sort of healing also happens with the boys who interact with the animals.
The arrival of the Randazzo pickup, trailer and volunteer crew is anxiously awaited. A dozen or so very polite young men, most dressed in white t-shirts and black pants rush forward to meet the entourage. A few wear bright blue shirts indicating they have earned mentor status in the horse program–a distinction they wear with great pride. Mike, Lisa and their helpers are welcomed with big smiles and hugs.
In order for as many as possible to take part in the program, sessions are limited to two hours for three weeks during which the boys are introduced to grooming, harnessing, riding and driving the horses. It isn’t much time, but it’s obvious that every minute is precious to the kids who have come to know and love the horses and the volunteers.
In 2007, Lisa presented Indian River’s superintendent, Beth Oprisch, with her proposal to use horses to minister to the school's residents. The success of the program has exceeded everyone’s expectations. While animals are often used therapeutically in correctional facilities, previous efforts at Indian River had less than stellar results.
Jim Darnell, a unit administrator speaks from experience. “There was a greyhound program, but they paired the dogs with mental cases and that was bad for everyone, especially the dogs,” he recalls solemnly shaking his head.
A Quarter Horse program followed and, while it was promising and the boys enjoyed the horses, the constantly-fluctuating student population led to its premature demise. “The program used journaling to monitor the effectiveness of interaction with the horses, but as kids left the school the presenters were unable to collect consistent long-term data,” he explains. The round pen that was left behind when that project ended didn’t go unused for long.
When Lisa approached the school with her agenda, the administration eagerly agreed to give it a try. “We couldn’t be happier," beams Beth Oprisch. "The kids really respond to this.”
Facilities like Indian River face enormous challenges as they strive to maintain a safe, secure and humane environment while developing skills necessary for their charges to become good citizens upon release. One reason this program has proven so effective may be because the rehabilitated horses exemplify the potential of previously-damaged lives... [Read
More]
Suggestion From Your Rural Veterinarian
© Baxter
Black, DVM
published in The Draft Horse Journal, Autumn 2008
The number of rural animal veterinarians is diminishing rapidly nationwide. So if you still have one, it would be beneficial to know how to get the most from the one you have.
Recently I read an article by a rural DVM entitled “Before you Call the Vet.” In the interest of expanding on his suggestions, I will try to clear up and remove any confusion you might have.
Suggestion #1 -“If you have no intention of paying for your vet’s services, do not call.”
On the surface, this seems self-explanatory. But to be more specific it definitely includes the spotted owl that flew into your picture window, the neighbor’s dog you hit with the truck trying to drive him off your sheep and the National Park buffalo that was wounded by a deer hunter in your backyard.
Suggestion #2 - “Do not call your veterinarian if what you want is illegal.”
Say you have been quarantined by the State or Federal Livestock Department for Brucellosis, tuberculosis, B.S.E., scabies, having poor facilities, or misplacing your last veterinary bill, you may be thinking of asking your vet to fudge the test results. A simple little thing, no one would know, you’d tip him 50 or 60 bucks, maybe promise to give him the hide off your next slipped calf. And, although the offer of the hide sounds tempting, don’t bother. When veterinarians take their state boards, they have to promise to be honest.
Suggestion #3 - “Always capture and identify the animal in question before calling the doctor.”
Capture means in something smaller than 40 acres. "She’s the one over by that scrub oak, Doc. The one just left of the red cow, or is that the mule? Anyway, she’s the solid black one, no, wait a minute … Phil, which cow did you say had the lump on her jaw?"
Suggestion #4 - “Avoid blanket treatments – not all downer cows have milk fever, not all lame cows have footrot.”
No amount of calcium/dextrose solution I.V. will cause a cow that has been hit by a feed truck, to stand and walk away! And no formaldehyde footbath or tetracycline injection will cure the steer that limps till you pull the nail out of his hoof.
The doctor’s article included many more useful tips on how to better use your rural veterinarian, but it all boils down to this: Take care of your local vet. Treat him like visiting royalty. Pay him like you do your bookie. Remember his (or her) birthday, share your pheasant, quail, sweet corn, homemade cookies or 4-H pig sausage. And it’s always nice to offer to co-sign his note for his house, his car or his bass boat. Because remember, he can always desert you for a comfortable cat and dog practice in someplace like Orlando or Cabo San Lucas!
|
