magazine june 2010

Michelle Anthony

Our Buckle Bunny Encore...

the art of horses….Susan Lei Brown

A True Story...Laura LeighA True Story...Laura LeighA True Story...Laura LeighA True Story...Laura Leigh

A New Direction

Publisher Equine Angle unique marketing & PR

Advertising EMK online 818 642 4764

Editor & Creative Director Calamity Cate Crismani

Cover/Pictorial Photographer Anne Felipe

Contributing Photographers Susan Lei Burns Laura Leigh

Contributing Writers Laura Leigh Jason Neff Cate Crismani VIVO LOS MUSTANGS! SUBCRIBE TODAY

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www.truecowboymagazine.com

Heard roun’ the

waterin’ trough

Well, we have come a long way, again,

in the fight to save the wild free-

roaming mustang since Wild Horse

Annie.

Its been tough, disappointing,

exhilarating and worth all the time,

effort and money it takes to save them

and keep them free-roaming.

And all the work, all the pressure on

the BLM, DOI and President Obama is

beginning to pay off...we hope.

They are willing to listen and to take

management plans and programs from

the sanctuary leaders such as Neda

DeMayo. By now you know she has

saddled up with a RANCHER to move

the 1900 captured horses of the Calico

Herd to a cattle ranch in Nevada.

I say before we start with the rebuttals

and counterpoints, we acknowledge this

step forward by the BLM, Bob Abbey

and Ken Salazar.

There’s an expression that comes to

mind, “Keep your friends close and

your enemies closer”. In this case, the

“enemy”, may very well become a

friend….handle with care.

Vivo Los Mustangs!

Besos & rockets.

Calamity

“Please take a moment now to go to this site and donate “Please take a moment now to go to this site and donate “Please take a moment now to go to this site and donate “Please take a moment now to go to this site and donate to OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org to OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org to OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org to OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.

FEATURES

10 A New Direction for the BLM

12 the art of horses...Susan Lei Burns

22 A True Story….Laura Leigh

27 A New Direction for Return to Freedom

32 Our June Buckle Bunny Encore….Michelle Anthony

40 JOCK, the movie...Jason Neff

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A New Direction for the BLM A New Direction for the BLM A New Direction for the BLM A New Direction for the BLM Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey announced that the agency is taking the Federal Wild Horse and Burro Program in an unprecedented new direction, and is seeking in-depth public comment on a Strategy Development Document implementing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s Wild Horse and Burro Initiative. “It’s a new day, and we need a fresh look at the Wild Horse and Burro Program,” Abbey said. “As part of this effort, we want all those with an interest in wild horses and burros and their public

lands to consider our initial ideas and offer their own.”

The BLM will consider the public’s input as it prepares a long-term strategy for the management of America’s wild horses and bur-ros. The BLM’s strategy will be presented in a detailed report to

Congress later this year.

“When Secretary Salazar announced his Wild Horse and Burro Initiative last October, we contacted the independent and impartial U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution. We asked them to take a detailed look at how the BLM could best engage the public in creating a new strategic plan for the program,” Abbey said. “We requested the Institute’s assistance with this effort for two reasons: to let people know that we are committed to working with all stakeholders in a transparent manner, and to encourage an open,

positive dialogue with the public.”

The Institute partnered with the BLM in preparing a detailed as-sessment and plan for public outreach and engagement around a new strategy for the program. The BLM used the Institute’s report to develop its Wild Horse and Burro Strategy Development

Document.

Abbey said that as part of its new strategy, certain topics and op-tions will be off the table, including the euthanasia of healthy ex-cess animals or their sale without limitation to protect the animals from slaughter. He said other difficult topics and even some contro-versial options will be up for discussion. Among them: implementation of a comprehensive animal welfare program; the potential reintroduction of wild horses or burros into herd areas where they currently don’t exist; increased use of fertility control or other methods to slow population growth; opportunities to make more forage available for wild horse and burro use; the establish-ment of preserves to care for unadopted wild horses; the designa-tion of selected wild horses and burros as treasured herds; opportu-nities to place more excess animals into private care; and continued emphasis on science and research to ensure the BLM is using the best available science to manage our wild horse and burro herds

now and in the future.

Abbey clarified that the BLM will move forward with scheduled gathers in the near term. “These gather operations are being care-fully analyzed, engaging the public in the planning process.” Abbey added, “Based on the best information the BLM currently has, without these gathers the land will suffer, wildlife will suffer, and ultimately, the horses will suffer. While these gathers are necessary in 2010, the BLM will simultaneously be listening to and working with those offering other constructive options to fulfilling our man-

dates.”

To gather feedback, the Strategy Development Document outlines specific areas where the BLM is seeking public input over a 60-day comment period. To ensure input from the broadest number of stakeholders, the BLM is using ePlanning. To access the document and provide the BLM with feedback, select this link.

go to page 30

the art of horses... Susan Lei Burns Fifteen years ago on a dark, cold, early morning, Susan Burns found herself sitting on the dirt ground of a roping arena in Tucson, Arizona, camera poised, ready to catch some cutting horse action. She had just moved from New York City to Colorado, so this early morning discom-fort was all new for her as a participant in the Arizona Highways Photo Workshops. She waited, impatiently. Suddenly, dusk came filtering through the frosty sage and sajuaros, accompanied by thundering hooves of horse and steer kicking up dust. She has been photographing horses and all things western ever since. And ironically, that same ranch where she first went as a participant will be where she will lead her own workshop this fall.

Since that serendipitous morning, Burns has been traveling the world with her camera, captivated especially by indigenous cultures and wild-life in Africa; but it is the image of the running horse in the wide-open plains of the American west that inspires her most.

"There is something magical about observing a horse that is free to roam, unencumbered by saddles, bridles and rider... and if I can capture that essence of complete and unadulterated freedom that a running horse represents, I am quite moved." Over the years, Susan has trav-eled throughout her home state of Colorado, and to Wyoming, Mon-tana, New Mexico and Utah.... off the beaten track, to BLM preserves where descendants of the old Spanish mustangs still run, unfettered by the onslaught of human encroachment. Lately, however, these herds are being culled, rounded up for adoption or displacement... and the story of broken herds or mothers frantically searching for their offspring... is a heart-wrenching drama that few can bear witness.

Copyright 2009 Susan Lei Burns. All rights reserved.

Burns studied fine art photography at the Art Institute of Chicago and became proficient in developing fine art prints in the traditional dark-room. She hopes that through her photographs, along with the docu-mentation of countless concerned citizens and organizations currently rallying to the cause of one of America’s last, remaining heritages, the

mustang... to instill a collective consciousness about the urgent need to preserve our wild horses and open lands.

Although her work has largely been through private commissions for ranches and resorts, she is focusing lately on a multi-media approach to presenting images of the West, and her latest venture is a workshop partnership with renowned fine art photographer, teacher and Nik Team Leader, Bobbie Goodrich. Their new company THE WEST...REDEFINED, is based in Santa Fe, and takes participants on various ranch and locations in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, the Camargue, and Zambia for photo shoots and bootcamps in digital post-production. Their "Out of Santa FeWorkshops” will also conduct begin-ner, intermediate and advanced workshops in photography, post-production and videography starting this fall. Her workshop website is www.thewestredefined.com.

www.ahdf.org

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

The Let Em Run Foundation is a non-profit

organization in partnership with government,

businesses and the community committed to the

protection and preservation of the wild mustang

and the heritage of the American West.

Call 775~847~4777 www.letemrun.org 501(c)3

It is well after midnight as I fi-nally sit down to collect my thoughts of the day. So many emails to answer, documents to prepare, data to log and hundreds of photographs to sort through. For the last couple of months I’ve been living out of my duffle bag, again. Visits to the areas where our wild horses still run free and the places they are held awaiting whatever fate man may determine for them have been both a blessing and heartache.

The absolute peace experienced as I watch a herd of wild horses graze is inde-scribable. The band stallion watches over his family as he carefully chooses their path. In the Spring, there are new moth-ers standing watch over napping foals that awake to nurse and play with their siblings. Peace and harmony.

Until my camera lens scans the horizon.

Evidence of mans “management” shows itself with ever increasing adamancies. Fence lines left up year round by cattle ranchers break up the range. Natural gas and oil extraction and their pipelines exist like suburban communities with permit signs like mailboxes. You can find broken beer bottles in the most remote regions.

There is nothing harmonious about this encroachment.

A True Story By Laura Leigh

“Multiple use” has the ever-changing definition that appears to mean “priority management”. With our wild horses being left out of the “fair

share” intended by Congress in 1971.

My travels took me back to visit the horses I watched gathered from the Calico Complex in Nevada last winter. As I walked through the alleys I recognized so many that I had not seen since the last time I visited the Broken Arrow in Fallon. All of the youngsters had grown into beautiful curious yearlings. The fillies were an absolute joy to interact with as, both curious and bored, they approached me. If you’re patient, you can “hear” their invitation for con-tact. One sweet young girl let me touch her face, her neck

and scratch her rump.

I was reunited with General the 25-year-old band stallion I saw captured. Just hours after he was gath-ered he approached me and “spoke” to me for the first time. He is level headed and strong, a true example of a band stallion. Last January he introduced me to his companion Commander and his own son, True. Commander had received an injury to his face during the gather that was healing and left him with an odd bump . Sweet True greeted me with a willingness to be approached and touched.

Yet these interactions were mingled with the overwhelming number of horses in that facility gathered by the stroke of a pen and the whirl of a helicopter. All of the horses had been removed from an area where the pro-jected number for the roundup could not be met.

This month horses from that gather begin their journey further into mans world. Some will be adopted and others will face all the uncertainties of

sale authority and long term holding.

As I was in Nevada going to various meetings with BLM personnel, some of the horses were moved to the Palomino Valley Center for the internet adoption scheduled in July. This move was not supposed to take place while I was there. I quickly jumped in the truck and headed over. General, Commander and True were among the horses the BLM has placed into the adoption event. Even though both General and

Commander are over 11 and normally sale authority, the BLM now feels they can get more for them in a competi-tive bid on the internet be-cause I gave them a name.

The same applies to all the older stallions we have named: Lightning, Tomahawk and Redman all await this competitive bid even though normally they would be sold for $25 each with title trans-ferred immediately through sale authority.

I rushed to check on the condition of the horses. All of the stallions were in a small pen together and agitated by their proximity to the traffic in and out of the facility. And sweet little True was injured! My heart raced. Blood trails led from a gash in his foreleg down onto his hoof and pastern. He had a small puncture on his right rear leg and blood on his left rear. Yet he let me kiss his muzzle.

I attempted to alert the weekend manager and was met with “We know who you are” and “Yeah, we know, he put up quite a fight.” It took six days before the vet saw True.

My heart aches for all of our horses and burros that once knew that place of harmony, wild and free.

Laura Leigh is currently Project Manager for Herd Watch. To find out more about Herd Watch go to: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/

index.php/news-events-a-media/news/wild-horse-issues/342-herdwatch

Return to Freedom, a California-based wild horse sanctuary, has partnered with the Soldier Meadows Ranch and Lodge north of Gerlach, Nevada, to offer the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a plan to return as many as 1,700 recently-captured wild horses from the Calico Mountains Complex to their home range.

The horses were captured between December 2009 and February 2010 in one of the BLM's largest and most controversial helicopter roundups in years. The proposal offers a cost-

effective alternative to the BLM's current plan to transfer most of the mustangs to Midwestern holding facilities, where stallions will be gelded and family bands will be permanently separated. The plan also includes a pilot program for on-the-range management of the wild horses in this northwestern Nevada area.

"What we are proposing is not another sanctuary, but a new direction for the management of wild horses that keeps them on the range and saves millions of tax dollars. This historic partner-ship with a local rancher expands options for the preservation of natural habitat, wildlife and wild horse herds," said Neda DeMayo, Founder of Return to Freedom. "We are hopeful that the BLM will accept our proposal for a pilot program to maintain healthy herds on healthy ranges in the historically unique and beautiful Calico Mountains Complex in Nevada."

A New Direction A New Direction A New Direction A New Direction for Return to Freedomfor Return to Freedomfor Return to Freedomfor Return to Freedom

Under the proposal submitted last month to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, the BLM could transfer many of the horses to the private lands at Soldier Meadows Ranch while range improvements -- including repair of critical water sources -- are implemented. Horses could be released back onto the range as the improvements are completed.

Long-term management of the 379,000-acres of complex that are encompassed by the Soldier Meadows Grazing Allotment would focus on strategies to maintain the horses on the range, avoiding the traumatic and costly captures, removals and steep off-the-range holding costs. In 2008, the BLM asked the public and advocacy groups to participate in creative solutions to the problems the agency faces in its Wild Horse and Burro Program. Return to Freedom and Soldier Meadows Ranch are answering that call. "We can make a real difference in the whole area by repairing water sources and creating a habitat that is conducive to all the wildlife in this beautiful area," said Jim Kudrna, owner and operator of Soldier Meadows Ranch and Lodge. "By partnering with us on this innovative plan the BLM can show the American public that it is interested in solving this problem instead of continuing to put expensive Band-Aids on wild horse management issues." Mr. Kudrna observed. Soldier Meadows Ranch and Lodge, acquired by Kudrna Nevada, LLC in 2005 and managed by Jim and Kathy Kudrna, consists of nearly 10,000 acres of private property, a year-round Lodge and Visitor Center and the Soldier Meadows Allotment which is comprised of approximately 379,000 acres of Multiple Use Public Lands administered by the BLM and currently used for cattle grazing and wild horses. go to page 53

2010 BLM GATHER SCHEDULE This gather schedule is subject to change

State, Agency, Herd Management Area Complex,

Start Date End Date # Planned Gathered,

# Planned Removed species

NV BLM Calico Mt Complex 1/28/09 2/28/09 3186 2806 Horses

CONCLUDED...1,922 CAPTURED…39 DEAD

UT BLM Confusion 1/15/10 1/21/10 200 185 Horses POSTPONED

CA FS McGavin Peak 1/24/10 1/29/10 20 20 Horses

NV BLM Eagle (WC/DLC) 2/7/10 2/20/10 727 643 Horses POSTPONED

CO BLM West Douglas HA 2/21/10 2/28/10 60 60 Horses

AZ BLM Cibola-Trigo 3/4/10 3/10/10 90 90 Burros

NV BLM Hickison 3/2/10 3/15/10 92 75 Burros

AZ BLM Alamo 3/11/10 3/14/10 35 35 Burros

AZ BLM Black Mountain 3/15/10 3/20/10 100 100 Burros

NM BLM Bordo 6/1/10 6/10/10 147 147 Horses

NV BLM Owyhee 7/1/10 7/18/10 620 520 Horses

OR BLM Stinking Water 7/1/10 7/6/10 100 60 Horses

OR BLM Cold Springs 7/11/10 7/16/10 156 81 Horses

NV BLM Moria 7/20/10 7/22/10 72 72 Horses

UT BLM Winter Ridge HA 7/18/10 7/24/10 200 200 Horses

UT BLM Hill Creek HA 7/25/10 7/31/10 250 250 Horses

NV BLM Lahontan 8/1/10 9/30/10 68 58 Horses

NM FS Jicarilla 200 200 Horses

CO BLM Piceance/East Douglas HMA 8/6/10 8/16/10 280 240 Horses

CA FS Devils Garden 8/18/10 8/24/10 200 200 Horses

UT BLM Frisco 9/1/10 9/3/10 100 70 Horses

UT BLM Conger 9/4/10 9/8/10 110 80 Horses

CA BLM Twin Peaks 8/3/10 9/14/10 156 135 Burros

CA BLM Twin Peaks 8/3/10 9/14/10 1000 649 Horses

CA BLM Buckhorn 8/3/10 9/14/10 596 536 Horses

NV BLM Antelope 8/20/10 9/20/10 932 746 Horses

NV BLM Rock Creek 9/22/10 9/30/10 527 427 Horses

OR FS Murders Creek 9/22/10 9/28/10 100 100 Horses

Winter 8387 6972 Summer 6131 5071

TOTAL: 14,518 12,043

from page 11

The BLM estimates that more than 38,000 wild horses and burros roam BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states. Another 35,000 wild horses and burros are fed and cared for at short-term corrals and long-term pastures. Costs for the program, particularly those for animals in holding fa-cilities, have risen dramatically in the last several years. In fiscal year 2009, for example, approximately $29 million, or about 70 percent of the total wild horse and burro program budget of $40.6 million, was spent on animals held in corrals

and pastures.

To learn more, go to www.blm.gov

Buckle Bunny encore...

Michelle Anthony

Back by popular demand, our July 2009 Buckle Bunny, Michelle Anthony. Since that time, Ms. Anthony has continued to support the mustang cause and effort to preserve them in the wild and never misses an opportunity to tell others about their plight to remain free-roaming, wild horses. A descendent of Susan B. Anthony, Michelle is aware of the necessity to step up for what she believes in. “My American heritage, love of horses and the Old West compels me to take a stand to save our mustangs. These mighty horses are a part of all our history and the current treatment of them is a sin.”, says Michelle, “Our country, and the world, is drenched with the blood of genocide through the ages and now, the same horrors are happening to our wild mustangs, horses and burros. We cannot let this happen” Since our last visit, Michelle has been modeling for Fila Sports-wear and is the stunning “icon” for trueCOWBOYmagazine’s Apple iPhone app attracting so much attention the app is ranked in the Top 20 app downloads in the US Apple Store. Along with being an accomplished equestrian, Michelle is also a racehorse owner and takes an active role in placing her horses in new homes once they have finished their racing careers. A very necessary action these days. Our encore pictorial of our popular June Buckle Bunny, Ms. Michelle Anthony. Our gratitude, your viewing pleasure!

Shot on Location at Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue

Lancaster, California www.wildhorserescue.org

Photographer: Anne Felipe

Styling & creative direction: Cate Crismani

In 1968, horse racing was the most popular American sport, attracting more attendance than professional football, baseball, or auto racing. It was a sport with a long history, many traditions, and a policy that precluded women from becoming professional jockeys. They were considered “the weaker sex.” According to Nick Jemas, managing director of the Jockey Club, “They’re not strong enough to be good riders. They’ll freeze. They’ll panic. ” Another trainer commented, “…all women are like housewives – if you watch a woman at a stoplight, she’s the slowest one to accelerate

because her reflexes aren’t as good as a man’s.”

Comments like these didn’t stop petite, 103 lb, Olympic Equestrienne, Kathy Kusner, from taking the Maryland State Racing Commission to court on sexual discrimination charges. In victory, she opened the door to any woman who wanted a jockey’s license. The threatened male ego of the jockey colony boy-cotted, threw stones, and came up with every ex-cuse in the book to deter women from riding. But it was just a matter of time and in early 1969, the “Sport of Kings” became fair game for

either gender.

The first several months of 1969 saw about a dozen women – Penny Ann Early, Diane Crump, Barbara Jo Rubin, Tuesdee Testa, Sandy Schleiffers, Robyn Smith, Patty Barton, and Mary Bacon among them – jump into the game and take Kusner’s lead. They snapped on their helmets and never looked back. Mostly male patrons flocked in record numbers to get a first hand glimpse of the “jockettes.” (The slang term was derived from “kitchenette” and referenced a woman’s place in the kitchen.) Comment like, “Go home

and do the dishes” were common amongst spectators.

Kathy Kusner

Penny Ann Early

JOCKJOCKJOCKJOCK,,,, the moviethe moviethe moviethe movie Directed by: Jason Neff

Nevertheless, the media loved the new jockeys. They made appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Johnny Carson, and The Today Show. Feature arti-cles about them helped sell newspapers and maga-zines. But, like other pioneering female athletes, jockeys also had difficulty winning respect. Sports-writers routinely focused on women jockey’s hair length, eye color, and body shape instead of ability. At press conferences, female jockeys were asked per-sonal questions, like, “Do you have plans for getting

married?” instead of questions related to racing. According to Mary Jo Festle, author of “Playing Nice: Politics and Apologies in Women’s

Sports,” women were constantly reminded that they were doing something unusual. “Female athletes often walked a fine line trying not to act too tough because then they’d be seen as ‘masculine’ and disapproved of; on the other hand, if they behaved too apologetically and ‘too feminine,’ they risked not being taken seriously as jockeys. So some acted just like male jockeys (including taking part in fist fights) while others adopted extra-feminine strat-egy, such as asking for a kiss from the owner after a

win.”

In 1970, when Diane Crump mounted Fathom in the prestigious Kentucky Derby it became quite evident that “jockettes” were a force to be taken seriously. But it still wasn’t easy. The women faced all the chal-lenges of their male counterparts: practicing, travel-ing, making weight, winning, losing, and then some. They had the media limelight to deal with and needed to hustle twice as hard for mounts. Male trainers and owners, the gate keepers to getting more mounts, still weren’t convinced and made it difficult for many to be successful. By 1971, more than half of the original twenty-eight female jocks had quit. New ones donned the colors and soon their ranks grew to nearly 70, but about half of them rode less than twenty races a year, mak-ing it hard for some to call it a career. Again, it was their passion for com-petitive riding that propelled them, not the fruits of their labors. Women only won 501 of the tens of thousands of races run in ‘71, with each jockey earning an average salary of less than $1,500 dollars that year. She’s the

only woman to win either.

Diane Crump

Barbara Jo Rubin

The top female jock made just under $20,000.

As the years passed, the women’s insatiable competitive desires continued to trump their financial ones. Their passion also led many to endure extraordinary physical pain. Mary Bacon, for instance, broke over 50 bones in her body from various spills and once spent eight days in a coma. Afterward, she walked with a limp and doctor’s say suf-fered brain damage. Julie Krone sustained fractured ribs, a shattered ankle, three com-pressed vertebrae, a contusion to her heart and two broken hands in one fall. But she, like countless others, climbed right back in the sad-dle to once again feel the rush of what it's like to cross the finish line in front. So, what prompted Kathy Kusner, Diane Crump, Barbara Jo Rubin and the other pioneer female jocks to challenge the male domi-nation of racing when they did? After all, decades earlier Wantha Davis, Lillian Jenkins and Betty Bowdle successfully rode against men at lesser tracks called bush meets or county fairs. The answer lies in

the social transformations taking place in the United States at the time.

The 1960’s gave rise to the black civil rights and women’s liberation movements. Minorities and women were demanding increased power, respect, and equal opportunity. The growing popularity of television played a role as well. Barbara Jo Rubin commented, "I saw Liz Taylor in National Velvet on TV, and from that time on I had my heart set on riding horses." In the film, then 13-year-old Liz Taylor, cut off her long hair to pose as a male so that she could ride in the prestigious Grand National; thus fueling the belief and desire that young girls can

accomplish their dreams.

And accomplish their dreams they did. Forty years later, women jockeys have come a long way - several have riden in the Kentucky Derby to many having won more than 1,000 races in their career. Patricia Cooksey made over 2,100 trips to the winner circle, while Julie Krone has won over 3,700 races including The Belmont Stakes (a

Triple Crown Race) and The Breeders Cup.

Mary Bacon

Triple Crown Race) and The Breeders Cup.

In 2006, just over 200 women jocks won more than 2,800 races with the top female earning just under $450,000. On June 24, 2007, Emma-Jayne Wilson won the Queen’s Plate, Canada’s equivalent to the Kentucky Derby,

the first time a woman jockey has the won the event in it’s 148 year history.

Female jockey’s have since convinced the likes of Jockey Club Managing Director, Nick Jemas, that they are a competitive force that’s here to stay: “Times change and people change and the resentment faded, little by little,”

he explains. “Only a damn fool wouldn’t change his mind.”

The skepticism has all but subsided. It’s now believed women jocks' ability to win has noth-ing to do with their gender. Some say women riders have a better sense of balance, lighter touch, and communicate better with the horse. The old excuse that women aren’t strong enough just doesn’t cut it anymore. The uniqueness of thoroughbred racing depends heavily on the horse’s performance making it

neither an individual nor a team sport.

The United States was the first country to allow women to ride profession-ally against men. Shortly thereafter, a wave of other countries like England, France, Australia, South Africa, Italy, and Japan followed, giving women around the world the opportunity to professionally ride racehorses. As for the pioneers who blazed the way, Author Mary Jo Festle contends: “The pressure on female jockeys was intense. They felt they had to be perfect and that any mistake they made would be fatal – not only to themselves but to other and future women jockeys. They believed, with good reason, that to be considered effective jockeys they had to perform not equal to but better than male jockeys. They overcame discrimination by ignoring it and their rou-tine acceptance of injury and dismissal of fear illustrate not only their cour-age, but also their passion for the sport. That passion lured a number of these women away from other careers, and it spurs most to say that they hope to continue in a horse related career after they no longer can be jock-eys. Their lives and identities are almost wholly subsumed in racing, and

they do not see this as a sacrifice.” For more info visit:

www.jockthemovie.com

Sandy Schleiffers

Compton Junior Posse Doubles Down Mayisha Akbar, Founder and President of the Compton Junior Posse in California knows how to throw a party. And with

good reason!

This year, for the first time, “My” was able to award her “kids” two college scholar- ships with the help of her friends and especially the work done by Autumn Burke, who was instrumental in securing $200,000 in scholarship grants. In turn, these scholarships are awarded to the CJP youngster who maintains a high grade average, along with good horsemanship skills, training and care of their horses.

Will Simpson, Gold Olympic Medalist/Jumping and Charlotte Bredahl, Olympic Bronze Medalist /Dressage, continue to dedicate their talents, skill and leadership to the hardworking, hard-riding kids of the CJP.

The room was filled with comraderie, pride and accom-plishment as the guests celebrated Mayisha’s success and continued support of the CJP’s kids. And danced the night away! For more info, to make a donation or to reach Ms. Akbar visit www.comptonjuniorposse.org

Autumn Burke, Mayisha Akbar

& Bruce Smith, NFL Hall of Famer

Compton Junior Posse Doubles Down

Get Chia LLC 1-877.322.CHIA (2442) ~ www.EquineChia.com

Betting on Caroline By Calamity Cate

What are the odds of a woman who rescues thoroughbred race-horses after their careers are over to have the name “BETTS”?

One in a million? Maybe. And if I was a gambling person I would’ve hit the jackpot when I met Caroling Betts. Because that is exactly what she, her staff and her non-profit organization, Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue, does.

The Thoroughbred Racing Industry is ranked near the top of the totem pole for breeding hundreds of thousands of thoroughbreds every year. Some never make it to the racetrack and breakdown in training, some get there but just don’t quite get there and some show nothing at all from the start. What happens to them?

Slaughter, for human consumption overseas.

Caroline Betts works her hoofies to the quick to save these beautiful, well-bred, well confirmed horses before that final destination. Through retraining and compassion done at the SCTBRescue ranch up north, a majority of these horses go on to very successful jumping or dressage careers. Or simply becomes a pleasure horse and companion for someone.

It’s a daunting task, it’s a heart-wrenching situation, and it takes a person as strong and dedicated as Betts to get it done. Betts, and her staff, held a fundraiser a Hollywood Park on May 22 to raise funds, awareness and to have fun! You can bet it was a first class afternoon and a big success!

For more info, make a donation or join the mailing list visit:

www.sctbrescue.org

Continued from page 27

The Lodge and wild horse preserve at Soldier Meadows Ranch would be operated by Return to Freedom with the participation of other organizations for educational programs, eco-tourism and volun-tourism to engage the public directly with this historical area. Return to Freedom Sanctuary, incorporated in 1997, is dedicated to preserving the freedom, diversity and habitat of America's wild horses through sanctuary, education and conservation. RTF has rescued and relocated approximately 1,000 horses over the past decade, and manages intact bands representing various strains of America’s wild horse herds at its 310-acre sanctuary in Santa Barbara County.

To learn more or to make a donation visit

www.returntofreedom.org Copies of the proposal are available upon request.

www.returntofreedom.org

A percentage of sales

proceeds will be donated to

the International Society

for the Preservation of

Mustangs and Burros.

www.ispmb.org

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