Celebrating the 234th Glorious 4th of July
Posted by admin in Boarding Stables on July 4th, 2010
Best wishes to all for a happy Independence Day as the United States of America celebrates, for the 234th time, our Declaration of Independence from tyranny, government dictated and controlled monopolies, oppressive taxation, and lack of representation of the citizens in a Parliment manipulated by elites and special interests who “know better” how to rule and what is best for the populace. By commemorating that fateful day, when 13 delegations of patriots pledged their fortunes, their lives, and their sacred honors to the self-evident truths that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we rededicate the mission of mankind’s greatest effort at peaceful co-existence and rejection of privilege in favor of merit.
Revisionists have assaulted the facts of those carefully worded paragraphs, that on a single page laid a foundation for men and women of many races to enlarge an ongoing struggle against their king and country into a full-blown war that was much a civil war as a rebellion. They have omitted the women and the non-white men who were honored during our first hundred years for their patriotism, heroism, personal sacrifice, wisdom, and character, to paint a false picture that only greedy, immoral old white men of privilege founded America, and thus their vision of a government of laws rather than men was irrelevant, corrupt, and exclusionary. These “scholars” want to convince our children and “hyphenated” Americans that our Founding Fathers, the Declaration, and the Constitution are so flawed that they should be discarded in favor of “new” or “progressive” or ”global” means of ordering society, trade, and justice. With that loss of the truth comes tyranny, uncannily similar to the yoke we threw off more than two centuries ago. So let’s dust off the memory of those people and those days, for their examples are instructive, and their gifts to us endure as a flame easily rekindled.
Before throwing out the finest human charters for liberty and government created in 5,000 years, defended with the blood, honor and reason of thousands of brave and honorable men and women for 234 years, we could ask two simple questions of the folks who consider themselves better than our Founders. Where is your superior competing Charter, that has been tested in the course of human events and triumphed, that we might read it for ourselves? Was it written by leaders accomplished as well as learned, and held in great esteem by people of all faiths and walks of life at home and abroad during their lifetimes, as our American charters were? If so, produce that document, and if not, stand aside as America annually rededicates our hearts, our blood, our treasure, to the principles for which we stand: one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
So let’s celebrate the day when the most important liberating document in human history was ratified by some treasonous American subjects of the British crown. In doing so, let’s rediscover a few of patriots who are practically unknown today, but were famous for most of our history, and used to be taught in our schools. Patriots who played roles leading to or following the Declaration’s signing. Since there are so many, and our overall focus here is horse-related, I’ve chosen mostly those whose contributions were aided, at important times, by our fleet hooved friends.
Commemorative painting of Paul Revere's midnight ride.
Many Americans know of the midnight ride of Paul Revere crying “The British are coming!” Some have even read or heard Longfellow’s poem about his trip. Few know that Revere was only one of a dozen couriers that night, and made part of the trip by boat. Riding further, and travelling entirely on horseback that night, on the Westward route, was William Dawes, a nearly as notable New England patriot. Riding North to Exeter was Wentworth Cheswell, a New England schoolmaster and well-respected patriot who served in numerous public capacities before and after the war. He was among “men of rank and position” who served under Colonel John Langdon in Langdon’s Company of Light Horse Volunteers, to bolster the Continental Army at the Saratoga campaign. By the way, he was a free African American from New Hampshire, who was the son of a respected free African American New Hampshire carpenter and builder.
Caesar Rodney's Ride to Vote for the Declaration of Independence commemorated on the reverse of the U.S. Delaware quarter.
Another critical overnight ride was involved for a member of the Delaware delegation to the Continental Congress. Caesar Rodney was in Dover attending to Loyalist activity in Sussex County when he received word from Thomas McKean that he and George Read were deadlocked on the vote for independence. Notified by a mounted courier from John Adams of that deadlock, Rodney rode eighty miles through a thunderstorm on the night of July 1, 1776. He arrived dramatically in Philadelphia “in his boots and spurs” on July 2, just as the voting was beginning. Part of Rodney’s famous ride may have made in a carriage. He voted with McKean and thereby allowed Delaware to join eleven other states in voting in favor of the resolution of independence. Two days later thehe wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved, and Rodney signed the parchment copy on August 2. Read eventually signed as well. Delaware’s participation was critical for hesitant states that required an ”all or nothing” scenario.
James Amistead and General Lafayette
Let’s remember James Armistead Lafayette, the American spy who provided General Washington with critical information about General Lord Cornwallis’ plans and thus contributing to the Continental victory at Yorktown. James Armistead Lafayette was an African American patriot who was a friend of General Lafayette, and emancipated by the Virginia State Legislature for his service. He lived and farmed and raised his family in Virginia following the war for independence, and was eventually also awarded a pension by Virginia.
As American horsepeople, let’s remember the role of the American horses. Initially, neither the British nor the Continentals incorporated light, much less heavy cavalry into their doctrines. For the British and their Hessians, the logistics of providing and equipping and expeditionary cavalry were intense.
Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee
For the Continentals, the problem was the expense, and providing forage and farriery for the artillery, supply drayage, and officer and courier mounts was problematic enough when soliders over-wintering did not have pants, shoes, or food. Nevertheless, with typical American “can do” zeal, patriots organized themselves into units, and mounted, trained, equipped, and provisioned themselves without Congressional funds, in some cases for the duration of the six year conflict. Probably the most famous of the Continental cavalry units was Lee’s Legion, dragoons commanded by Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee of Virginia. It was Henry Lee who delivered the beautiful eulogy for President George Washington’s funeral, including the famous line, “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” One of Henry Lee’s sons was to acquit himself with character and honor in the American Civil War: General Robert E. Lee, as did his own sons, Robert as a cavalry officer. African Americans served with distinction in cavalry regiments from virtually every colony/state during the American Revolution, the majority as free citizens.
A dragoon of Lee's Legion, American Revolutionary light cavalry.
Another famous and effective cavalry officer was General Anthony Walton White of New Jersey, who began by leading the 4th (Moylan’s Horse), and then the 1st Continental Light Dragoons. By personally absorbing the debts and paying for the necessities of his men and officers at the end of the war, General White expended his entire fortune, bankrupting himself.
Let’s remember the zeal of privates in the army, and navy of the American Revolution, who likewise risked all, and sacrificed much, to win our freedom, as did the women and children left at home to tend and defend the farms, tanneries, shops and schools. They too, are Founding Fathers and Mothers of this noble and enduring experiment in human freedom.
Often overlooked, the nascent American navy consisted mostly of privateers, like the Royal Louise. On board was a 14-15 year old enlisted sailor, an African American born free in Philadelphia, named James Forten. Obscure at the time, Forten rose through his own initiative and brilliance to be one of the wealthiest men in America and his prominence enabled him to be a highly effective abolisionist as well as advocate of women’s rights.
Happy Birthday, America, and thank you, America’s horses, for having partnered with us through the centuries, suffered and endured with us, and soared to magnificent heigh ts with us. As we remember, as we clear away the brush from the trail back in time, we find you there with us, our noble companion. May you always be a part of America’s destiny, lending us your strength, your heart, and your sure-footed endurance.
Recommended Related Reading:
Happy Birthday General Washington
Posted by admin in Horse Business, Joyous Horse, Military Veterans and Horses on February 23rd, 2010
- Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington, 1775, reviews his troops astride Blueskin, sired by Ranger of out Lindsay’s Arabian
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Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington, 1775, reviews his troops astride Blueskin, Half-Arabian sired by Ranger out of Lindsay’s Arabian
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George Washington (born February 22, 1732 [Old Style Date February 11, 1731]-died December 14, 1799) served as the first President of the United States of America from 1789 to 1797 (two terms) and as the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. He presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787 because of general dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation. He was the first recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.
George Washington earned the appellation “The Father of Our Country” by the actions of his life, rather than his words. He was not a great orator, though some of his comments have been preserved as famous quotes because of their timeless wisdom. Rather, Washington was a man of principled action, whose ambition for himself and his fellow Americans enabled him to risk his all, and he was one of the wealthiest men in Virginia, for a future of Liberty and Opportunity for All. A man of great privilege he was prepared to die shamed in a hangman’s noose, if not bravely in battle, and impoverish his family, for an ideal that he personally had little to gain by achieving.
Following the end of the war in 1783, King George III asked what Washington would do next. Told of rumors that he’d return to his farm, the king said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” Washington did return to private life and retired to his plantation at Mount Vernon.
A great leader of men, Washington understood how to survive the present circumstances, which, during the Revolution, were desperate times indeed, while preparing for success - the ultimate victory of Liberty over Tyranny, and the fragile confederation of States for which much blood was shed and treasure spent.
He was also a respected horseman, and breeder, and is credited with developing the early American mule. Tall and impressive on the ground and in the saddle, President Washington was an iconic hero to a mostly rural population throughout the struggling nation, and his great war horses were celebrities in an age when the newspaper illustrated by drawings prevailed. To date, no president has matched his popularity at the ballot box or in office, or in retirement - not Abraham Lincoln, not either of the Roosevelts, not JFK, not Reagan, and not Obama.
Washington was not tempted by offers of unbridled power by his subordinates following the victory of his Continental Army, when his men were particularly peeved with the Continental Congress, and later he refused to serve a third term as president. He was expected to win 90% of the vote of a fractured and acrimonious electorate - again. Perhaps one of his best traits was the ability to maintain an exemplary character of integrity and humility, while being fiercely ambitious in all aspects of his life, personally, professionally, and politically. Since he succeeded in both great adversity and great prosperity, lessons in running a successful farm as well as a successful life and political career abound in the biography of the man who was “First in war, first in peace, and first in the heart’s of his countrymen,” as his eulogist, Henry (Lighthorse Harry) Lee rightly said.
George Washington astride his Arabian war horse, Nelson.
The first Commander-in-Chief’s great war horses retired to Mount Vernon, living out their days in pampered luxury, a far cry from the hardships of winter encampments, hard marches, and the fearful crack and boom of the cannons and reports of the muskets. Visited by European dignitaries and common veterans of the Revolution, Nelson and Blueskin were Washington’s friends, and loyal reminders of past hardships, victories, and near-run adventures. When he came out of retirement, to assume the Presidency, the old partners from the campaign marches and battlefields went with him to Philadelphia.
When the President visited a town, he dismounted his carriage a mile before it, and mounted Nelson. Bestride the beloved and steady grey, Washington, who never shook hands, paused quietly so the crowd of citizens and their children could stroke the neck of the famous steed. A bit of theater, a bit of working the audience, by a savvy politician, the cynic will note. But, in the annals of true Statesmanship, the partnership of Washington and his war horses, captured on numerous canvases for all time, is there for horsemen and horsewomen some two hundred and thirty years later to see. They loved and trusted each other in danger, in work, and in peace. The United States of America, led to victory by them, loved and trusted them in our darkest hour, in our daily work, and in our triumphant peace. Both Old Nelson and Blueskin are buried at Mount Vernon.
Mr. John Hunter, an English visitor to Mt. Vernon in 1785, in a letter to a friend makes the following reference to the horses of George Washington:
“When dinner was over, we visited the General’s stables, saw his magnificent horses, among them “Old Nelson,” now twenty-two years of age, that carried the General almost always during the war. “Blueskin,” another fine old horse, next to him, had that honor. They had heard the roaring of many a cannon in their time. “Blueskin” was not the favorite on account of his not standing fire so well as venerable “Old Nelson.” The General makes no manner of use of them now. He keeps them in a nice stable, where they feed away at their ease for their past services.”
Today is a day for American horsepeople to rededicate their passions for horses and America to the same principles that our first Commander-in-Chief, and first President, George Washington embodied. Take courage from his strength of purpose and vision. Have compassion and empathy, but do not waver in your resolve. At all times, Do The Right Thing, especially when it is the Hard Thing to Do. Prepare for the worst, so that you, your family, and your horses, survive difficult times. Plan and strive for the best, so that when the dawn breaks, and the clouds part, you ride into the sunshine confident, capable, equipped and energized to succeed. As the heirs of a great Statesman and leader we revere and the world admires, American horse people need to dust off the legacy of the Father of Our Country, and live it. If he is relegated to a footnote in our revisionist school textbooks, let him grow large in our hearts and minds. If the mantra of group-think and academia is to deride the lessons of history, and strive for a ”fundamental transformation of America” rather than a rediscovery, rededication, and renewal of America, resist that oppression with the truth of horsemanship. Horses do not lie, and do not allow people to beguile them with words that do not match the language of actions. Remember the lesson of Equus: actions speak louder than words. Apply what you know as a horseperson to the issues and challenges of today, and the trail before you will emerge from the tangled woods that conceal the enemy, just as the strategy to prevail did for Washington. If you seek “a man on a white horse” to “save the day,” and solve the problems that beseige us, pause a moment. As free men and women, as families, as horsepeople, as business owners, and as a nation, look first to your horse, then see yourself reflected in his giant eye. That is where you will find a hero, an ordinary person who stands fast to the truth, and first principles, and rises to extraordinary feats. That is where you will find strength of character.
In Washington’s view, there is no place in a free society for royalty and its privilege, and there is no place for Congressionally defined and tax-payer supported “socially disadvantaged groups.” He would not have endorsed the concept of “entitlements.” There are only people created equal, who are endowed not by an artificially constructed state, but by their Creator, with the unalienable right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Washington fought for equal beginnings, not equal outcomes; results were the work of the free individuals who seized or squandered their opportunities, who voluntarily cooperated with one another, and used the initiative and creativity of their own hearts, minds, and resources to make positive changes. Presiding over the Continental Congress to draft the Constitution, this ultimate statesman conducted the first effective Future Search without taking a course on how to hold effective meetings, or how to get divergent groups to “think globally and act locally” to solve a problem. (Perhaps the pro and anti slaughter factions could study how the Continental Congress worked things out so well?) Upholding the rule of law, rejecting the rule of men, Washington crushed the armed Whiskey Rebellion of liquor tax protesters in Pennsylvania during his administration by mobilizing troops, and leading them himself. He is the only sitting president ever to lead troops personally. When Washington arrived in Western Pennsylvania, the rebels melted away before him. His militia managed to round up 20 prisoners to make examples of. Yes, the President, as a large producer of whiskey, had to pay the odious tax Congress approved to pay off the national debt for the Revolutionary War. But yes, the big producers paid a lower rate than the small farmers who used whiskey as a barter good, which was probably the first instance of preferential treatment by Congress of themselves and their friends. And no, the tax on producers of whiskey and carriages didn’t succeed in paying down the debt, since the tax was only marginally collected, nor in improving “social discipline” as Hamilton hoped, and was repealed in 1803. It did, however, make the territorial non-states of Kentucky and Tennessee, outside the reach of the federal government and its hated tax, veritable beehives of distilleries, creating what is known ever since as “Bourbon.” The “law of unintended consequences” has been proven when it comes to tax schemes since practically “Day One.” What would Washington think of there even being an Internal Revenue Service, much less the IRS announcing the hiring of 100 more agents to investigate non-profit charities last year, during their worst year financially since the FDR Era?
President George Washington, August, 1794 leads the first federal militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania.
The job of President was no easier politically or administratively then than now. Taxes seldom do what they are supposed to, national debt is always a problem, protecting against the self-dealing and influence of mere humans in government was, and remains, one of the goals of the Constitution. Despite trying the vanquished rebels for treason for their attacks on people and property, President Washington pardoned the condemned and fined the bulk of the poor farmer Revolutionary veterans a few shillings and sent them home.
Not just on February 22nd each year, but whenever adversity looms, whenever tyranny threatens our freedoms, our horses, or our property, look to Washington. Astride Nelson, or Blueskin, out of the past, and into the future, he is resolutely leading the way still.
Happy birthday Mr. President. And thank you, Nelson and Blueskin, for carrying him, and America’s promise, on your strong and steady backs, to become the champion of Freedom to the world.
For more about America’s great war horses, past and present, including President Washington’s, visit the Military Horses page of our website. For help designing an event to showcase the importance of the horse in American history to promote your stable, Contact Us.
America Saves Week | HandsOn Network
Posted by admin in Boarding Stables on February 20th, 2010
America Saves Week | HandsOn Network
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Valentines, Presidents, and a Look Ahead
Posted by admin in Boarding Stables on February 13th, 2010
A Brush for the Lead: New York "Flyers" on the Snow. Lithographie de Currier & Ives, 1867
Many of us see February as a month to “coast” a little. In January we closed the books on the prior year, did our month-end, Q4, and year-end taxes, and updated our business and marketing plans. We’re not quite due for Spring horse shows, Spring break, and that big annual fundraiser for our favorite horse non-profit.
With the exception of my friends in the Arabian Horse community who are heading to the Scottsdale All Arabian Horse Show, many stable operators are busy keeping toes, fingers and noses warm while taking care of blizzard-bound horses.
But once the chores are done, and you’ve hand-walked those horses up and down the barn aisle for some much needed exercise, it’s time to visit your creative muse as well as your computer and phone. Marketing, whether to existing clients or prospective ones, is something you can do in all weather, and need to do continuously. February is a great month for marketing your horse business.
Why February?
Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day - a great time to market lesson package gift certificates, and special items for beloved pet partners. Christmas and birthdays are not the only time to give gift certificates, and your special “Valentine” package promotion, delivered in a red envelope, would be a unique and thoughtful gift, usable at a time convenient to the recipient.
President’s Day
General George Washington prays at Valley Forge
President’s Day - Well, our republic should still honor George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s actual birthdays, February 22nd and February 11th respectively, but a single day will have to do. President’s Day provides an opportunity to showcase the special role of America’s horses in changing the course of history. It’s a great time to host a school field trip, scout activity, or a farm open house in many parts of the country. 
An educational and fun age-appropriate handout for your visitors should include your farm’s contact information. It could have a tag line mentioning a Spring clinic, or summer camp for which you are taking reservations now.
A Look Ahead
Speaking of summer camp, now is the time to start advertising. February is when many camp and summer activities directories go to press, and online services update listings. During the poor economy, parents are cutting back on many discretionary luxuries for children, but camp is one of the last to go. Many parents have fond memories of camp themselves, besides valuing its benefits. Others will use a week or two of horseback riding camp to fulfill the dreams of children, who cannot afford to provide regular lessons or lease a horse the rest of the year. For them, camp can be an affordable alternative until the economy improves.
If you’re going to advertise your camp, you will want to review and update its curriculum, budget, and pricing before you do so. Plus, it may be time to streamline the registration process, and find other modern ways to add value and set your camp apart from the competition.
Hmmm. Don’t stay too long in the office with that hot chocolate. The horses get hungry again in a few hours, and visiting them may give you lots of good ideas.
For help with any aspect of planning, marketing or delivering a top-drawer profitable Summer Horsemanship Camp, Contact Us, or visit the Del Camino Equestrian Equine Business Solutions resources page for Special Events Management and Marketing
Relief for Horse Owning Taxpayers Being Considered
Posted by admin in Boarding Stables, Equine Non-Profits, Joyous Horse, Military Veterans and Horses, Political Action, Retirement, Senior Care, Senior Care, Trail Riding on October 19th, 2009
Boys learn valuable life skills while having fun with horse friends.
H.R. 3501: Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act was introduced July 31st in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-MI. It would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction, up to $3,500 per year, for pet care expenses (including veterinary care). It has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, the first step in the legislative process.
You can read the full text of the bill here. It is brilliantly written. Only one page long, in simple plain English language, it is readable by anyone with an elementary education, no law degree or day or two of study by experts is required.
Should the bill pass, a milestone for horses, and their beneficial relationship with people, would be achieved. This bill is especially significant to anyone who provides therapeutic, educational, organizational team building, life skills coaching, visiting nursing homes, or other services to the public with horses. Even if those horses do not meet the definition of a “pet” under the bill, because they are engaged in a for-profit or non-profit business enterprise, it paves the way for the future acceptance and support of equine-assisted activities by individual referrers, private companies, and government agencies.
This is because its main justification is:
The Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63 percent of United States households own a pet.
(2) The Human-Animal Bond has been shown to have positive effects upon people’s emotional and physical well-being.
This recognition of the value of The Human-Animal Bond to human welfare by the United States Congress is important.
Under the bill’s definition of “pet”, a private family horse qualifies. Tens of thousands of families struggling to provide adequate care to their horses and dogs today would receive relief, provided they still have incomes subject to taxes.
The bill recognizes that an animal may be an integral dependent in a family, and that the cost of its care and veterinary expense can be substantial, but that purchasing that feed, shoeing, and veterinary care contributes to the economy and should be freed of taxation just as food and medical care, preventive and therapeutic, for human family members still is.
If you are involved in Horse Rescue, doubtless this bill, if enacted, could make a huge difference in the number of desperate, loving owners who are turning to you for help in these difficult economic times.
Service animals, since they are not actively engaged in a business, would also qualify as “pets”, a significant help to the finances of persons with special needs whose lives are improved by service dogs and horses.
If you agree, and think this is important, please contact your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to Co-Sponsor the bill. This is the smartest, most direct, simplest, relief to millions of American families, horses, dogs, cats, and other pets anyone has proposed since animal welfare of any kind appeared on the national awareness scene. If passed by the House and Senate, this bill could become law effective January 1, 2010. That would not be one day too soon.
Bonus Benefit to All Taxpayers:
The CDC reports that pet ownership contributes to human health, reducing the need for government (taxpayer) health care services. Specifically, companion animals have been shown to decrease several conditions that plague modern citizens and cost individuals and the government billions of dollars annually to combat, such as high blood pressure, high bad Cholesterol levels. and high Triglyceride levels, as well as feelings of loneliness that lead to numerous expensive physical and social problems.
Promoting the human-animal bond, like promoting healthy recreation and healthy eating habits, can reduce spiraling public and private medical costs. Enabling people to spend their earnings on their animals rather than taxing them to subsidize government booklets and PSAs on healthy lifestyles is a step toward empowering citizens to make wise choices rather than depend on public assistance.
