enlightened horsemanship through touch

As hurricane season gets into full swing, Hawaii is hoping for some to serve a glancing blow. These islands desperately need rain. We are experiencing the worst drought in the nation, with wildfires running rampant on Maui and the threat of fires all over the other islands. Farmers are going broke, and livestock are thirsty. If only we could drink salt water.

Shaniah the ballerina (oops, her tutu is riding up!)

Yet hurricane season coincides with the rainy season in Haiti, and this spells disaster for the millions of people displaced by the earthquake there. Forbidden to go and help with the relief effort by my surgeon, all I can do is spend my evenings knitting Comfort Dolls in the hopes that receiving a small possession will bring some comfort to a child in need.

little girl

I’ve had a few promises of dolls, but not enough to make my desired goal of 50 by the end of summer. To spur you all along, I’m posting photos of the ones I’ve made thus far. Well, actually, I gave away a couple to a small girl who lives near me. I made her a replica of her family, with her as a ballerina. Each one took two evenings watching Netflix movies. they aren’t hard to make. Maybe seeing how they look and how quickly they knit up will encourage any of you reading to try making one.

daddy--he has a bowtie

The need in Haiti has not gone away.

little boy

It starts with a story . And continues with evidence and details.

Horseback riders should wear helmets. Wearing helmets saves lives.

To promote helmet safety and make it easier for all riders to get a safe helmet and fit it correctly, Riders 4 Helmets.com is sponsoring a National Helmet Safety Day on July 10, 2010. The goal of the Riders4Helmets© campaign and the National Helmet Awareness Day is simple: to get more equestrians wearing helmets, regardless of discipline or degree of expertise.

Special discounts on helmets by selected manufacturers will be available this day from participating retailers. Thus far, Troxel and Charles Owen have agreed to offer discounts.The riders4helmets.com website will feature a full list of retailers participating in this promotion prior to the July 10 event.

They will also host an educational event in Lexington, KY to promote helmet awareness. Details on this event will also be published on their site.

Contact lwhite@freedomhealthllc.com if you would like to host your own event at your barn/facility to mark this occasion. Riders4helmets will assist you with this by providing graphics, etc. for promotion of your event.

Visit Riders4Helmets on Facebook and click on the invitation to join the celebration. You can also invite your friends. Let’s make this a national day to remember. It WILL save lives.

Not really. Well, sort of. I used that title to get your attention. This really has zip to do with horses or horsemanship.

The past few weeks have been super slow here at EHTT. A few things explain this: I’ve been busy burning bridges; I’m preparing for a long trip to Virginia to help my daughter with the first of her hip replacements; I’ve been working on some new professional projects; and I’ve been trying to find a way to get to Haiti. I haven’t told anyone about this. Not even my best friend! I assumed my family and friends would tell me I was crazy for wanting to go, so mum was the word.

There are still a few possibilities for me after the hip surgeries, and I’m tracking them. In the meantime, I’m wondering if any of you feel as powerless in the face of the recent natural and man-made disasters as I do. I understand (intellectually that is) that we actually are powerless, and acceptance of this fact is essential. Yet action can accompany acceptance. It’s better than wringing your hands or being angry.

I have been thinking about what I can do while helping with the surgeries and waiting to track down these volunteering opportunities. It all comes down to knitting! I know. Sounds crazy, right?

My friend Donna has been knitting Comfort Dolls for charity for a long time. These cute little dolls can be made quickly with almost no skill, a little yarn and a lot of humor. It might give as much comfort to knit and send a doll as it would be to receive one. So many children who had little to begin with have lost everything. I know. You are going to say, “a lame little doll cannot provide what a child really needs. A child needs food, water, shelter, medical care, love.” And these things are being delivered, slowly. We can’t all go and help. But we can do little things with love.

comfort dolls

Before she began a large scale project organizing the knitting and delivery of these Comfort Dolls, Donna had not knitted a single stitch. If you knit, or even if you don’t know how to knit, you can do this. Learn to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. These are the three essential knitting skills. A six-year-old child can master them in a half hour, and I can do them, so you know it’s easy. And it’s fun.

they are soft, sweet, light and nearly indestructible

So here’s what I propose. For all you knitters and non-knitters alike, I’d like to start a Horseman’s Comfort Doll Project for Haiti. I know it’s spring. The winter was hard, and this makes the spring even more appealing. Everyone wants to maximize time outdoors. We may think we don’t have time to sit around like grandma kitting. I’m willing to bet, however, that everyone spends at least a half hour each day sitting in front of the TV, reading a book, or parked on the porch with a glass of tea. This time can be used to knit. The tactile pleasure of handling delicious yarn, added to the knowledge that you are giving a gift, cannot be underestimated.

I’m hoping to collect a modest number of Comfort Dolls, or any similar hand-knitted toy by the end of the summer. Modest. I’d like to collect 50.

I’m going to make this easy. Below you will find links to basic instruction for knitting, purchase of necessary materials, Comfort Doll patterns, and more. I’ve also included a crochet pattern for those of you who have mastered this impossible skill. When you have finished a doll or the number of dolls you pledge, you can send them to me, postage paid. I will forward them on to Haiti.

If you even think you might like to try to knit a Comfort Doll, or know someone who can, please comment here. It would be comforting to me to get pledges for 50 dolls as soon as possible. I know there are equestrian knitters out there. I’d like to hear from you. If you don’t want to make a public pledge, contact me via my contact form. I can’t wait to hear from you.

THE FOLLOWING LINKS WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO COMPLETE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT

Comfort Doll Pattern

Crocheted Comfort Doll Pattern

Felted Crocheted Comfort Doll Pattern

Lion Brand Yarn will ship you appropriate yarn for the project.

Knit Picks sells exquisite, inexpensive knitting and crochet needles. You can also buy them at your local yarn store or big box or craft store.

RELATED LINKS
The Comfort Doll Project at Big Yarn Mama
Stashbusting for Charity
Knitting for Charity
NightMair Creative (Donna Mair’s MySpace page)
The Comfort Doll Project on Blogspot

TOMORROW’S POST: HOW-TO VIDEOS FOR THE NEEDLE NOVICE

PreveNile West Nile Vaccine Recalled. If you have vaccine on your fridge shelf, an order placed, or an appointment scheduled, check to see that it’s another manufacturer’s product. Then, I suggest doing a little research.

PLEASE CROSSPOST WIDELY TO ALL HORSE AND ANIMAL RESCUE CONTACTS

These horses were removed from pasture on April 17th 2010 in Fort Valley, Virginia – (In the vicinity of Front Royal)

This is Maybelline - named for the circular black shading around her left eye.

She is an 8yo Paint mare – 16.2 hh.
She has a brand on her right hip – VC.

She has three high white socks, and a large blaze, a dorsal stripe but no “tiger striping”.

She is branded AWS (American Warmblood Society) on her left hip.
The two mares had breakfast on the 17th of April, were turned out to their pasture, and owners Kirby and Clare Hill went to work. When they arrived home that evening, the gate was open, and the mares were just GONE.

One other horse person in the area had some fence cut through the day before, and their horses let loose. Clare and Kirby were thinking that was what happened, until no hoofprints could be found anywhere around the property. The way things are situated – tire tracks/trailer tracks would not be evident near the open gate.

Clare doesn’t know if it was someone who let the horses out, and then someone else took a shine to them when they showed up…or if they were just taken. It could be that the first “set loose” situation was supposed to be a theft – but the horses didn’t cooperate – and Kirby and Clare’s mares were a second (and succesful) attempt.

Both mares are very well socialized, well mannered, and people oriented. Both mares are English trained, though the paint mare had western training as a youngster out West.

What horse person isn’t into dogs and cats? Just in case you’re interested and happen to have the radio on, listen to this:

Listen to Linda online April 4 at 6:00 CST! Join Linda Tellington-Jones on Sunday, April 4, 2010 as a special guest on The Pet Playground – hosted by Sage Lewis, The Creature Teacher and Tellington TTouch Practitioner Level 3. This entertaining and educational call-in show is for pets and the people who love them. Find out why your pets act the way they do and how to help them (and you) create a happier, healthier, more balanced life together. April 4 from 6:00-7:00 PM, Central Standard Time Call in with your pet questions: 952-946-6205 Not in Minnesota or just want to hear the discussion? Listen live online at: www.am950ktnf.com. (Use 55117 as the zip code.) Learn more about The Pet Playground Learn more about Sage: www.DancingPorcupine.com For More Information: www.TTouch.com · 866-4-TTouch · info@TTouch.com

The Buddha, A Film by David Grubin premiers April 7, 2010 at 8 p.m. EST (check local listings) on PBS.

This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life.

Two-thousand-five-hundred years ago in northern India, Prince Siddhartha left his palace where he had spent twenty-nine years indulging in pleasures. He was determined to comprehend the nature of human suffering. After a grueling spiritual quest that lasted six years, he at last attained enlightenment meditating under a fig tree. He became the Buddha, the “awakened one,” and devoted the rest of his life to teaching the way to enlightenment that he himself had found, giving birth to one of the world’s great religions.

On Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. ET, PBS will bring to life Siddhartha and his journey in THE BUDDHA, a two-hour documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin.

“Buddhism is growing more and more popular in America,” said David Grubin. “But the Buddha himself remains a mysterious, exotic figure, the founder of a religion in a different key. The Buddha never claimed to be God, or his emissary on earth. He said only that in a world of unavoidable pain and suffering, he had found a serenity which others could find too. In our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion, the Buddha’s teachings have particular relevance.”

The film, narrated by actor Richard Gere, is undertaken in conjunction with Asia Society Museum, which has organized an exhibition entitled Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art, the first-ever exhibition examining artistic production inspired by sacred sites and the practice of Buddhist pilgrimage in Asia.

young woman prays | courtesy www.pbs.org

Grubin, who directed the critically acclaimed series of films on American presidents including “LBJ,” “FDR” and “Truman” as well as other award-winning series such as THE JEWISH AMERICANS, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE BRAIN and NAPOLEON, tells the story of the Buddha through ancient artwork that depicts the various stages of Siddhartha’s journey, contemporary animation that vividly portrays the legends surrounding the Buddha and contemporary footage of northern India, where many of the religious rituals from the Buddha’s time are still practiced today.

Experts on the Buddha, representing a variety of disciplines, relate the key episodes of the Buddha’s life and reflect on what his journey means for us today. They include His Holiness the Dalai Lama; poets Jane Hirshfield and W.S. Merwin; scholars Robert Thurman, Kevin Trainor and Dr. Max Moerman; astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan; and psychiatrist Mark Epstein, as well as practicing Buddhist monastics.

“By continuing our exploration of the world’s religions, we are delighted to participate in broadening people’s understanding of Buddhism today with David Grubin’s moving portrait of the life of the Buddha,” said John F. Wilson, PBS senior vice president and chief TV programming executive. “This film exposes not just the man, but also his rich teachings, which we hope will spark a larger conversation about religion and spirituality.”

The website has a lot of interesting information on it. My favorite is a map and timeline: http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/timemap/section/events-buddhas-life/

There is a video excerpt, but I can’t embed it. Go have a look!

In association with my ongoing series on the ahimsa vow, aka “do no harm,” I am offering prizes to participants of the Horsemans’ Manifesto Workshop. Silicone bracelets and repositionable stickers with the logo, as well as small round buttons (as seen above) will be sent to those who would like one.

This subject is important in that what we create together might have considerable impact on a number of developing documents in the equine welfare world. The input of many thoughtful horse people is essential.

With that in mind, discussion and differing opinions are welcome. Your participation is vital and much appreciated.

After you have commented, send me your preference (no PO boxes, please) along with your mailing address by visiting my contact page. Your contact information will not be shared.

Look! Down there near the bottom of my right hand sidebar! There’s a wee widget called Social Vibe. It’s pretty cool because all you have to do is click on it and answer a simple question to donate to a really good cause. I’ve chosen WATER as my charity because I believe most good things spring from Mother Nature’s magical clear elixir. And it’s positively criminal that it would be EASY for so many people in need to have safe water to drink. They do not. Just as many of us worry about ensuring safe and plentiful water for our horses, there are mothers out there who cannot do the same for their children. Imagine going to sleep at night and not knowing.

One click. One click a day, one click a week, one click a month. That’s all it takes.

WATER has a great idea this month, though I’m a little late to the game in promoting it. September babies, those with birthdays in September, are being urged to forego birthday gifts in lieu of donations that make safe, clean water available to those in need.

photo courtesy Social Vibe

From the Social Vibe site:

In addition to choosing charity: water as your Cause on SocialVibe, we are encouraging all September babies to give up their birthday gifts this year and instead ask for your friends and family to donate your age in dollars using their new and improved fundraising website, so you can help provide millions of people with safe, clean water.

Here’s how you can get started:

1. Watch the short video at
2. Click Start Fundraising Now to get your page on the new website! This year, with our new website, 100% of your donations will be tracked directly to the projects they funded.
This is a great campaign by an innovative, creative, and generous group of people. Become a part of the movement, because giving the gift of clean water is so much more rewarding than getting yet another sweater, anyway!

Watch the video below for more information. And then, please, click on my widget. Not just today, but tomorrow too. And the next day.

Get clicking!

Edited to add: Sorry folks. I removed the Social Vibe widget because the folks who run the thing (not WATER), make it tough to give because the choice of sponsors is limited. I’m looking into how I can address this in a way that lets me help without selling my soul to consumerism.

Kim

(Jan 3, 2010)