Born and Raised, Yet Sometimes Ashamed

I was born and raised in Arkansas and I love it. Honestly couldn't have asked for a better place to grow up - except maybe on the East Coast where eventing is a bit more prominent, but hey, what can I expect from non-equine parents, so I'm happy with Arkansas! What gets me is the dumb people in Arkansas...

I'm going to take a page out Fugly's book and pretty much just let it all loose on these people...

This picture was taken from Jasper, Arkansas's own Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, where you and your family can come and have the western experience!
Um...if the western experience includes three children riding one horse, none of them wearing helmets, then NO THANK YOU! Do people not even care about their children anymore? WTF?! I am not even a huge purist when it comes to helmets and safety (though I am a Pony Club Graduate thank you), I can usually turn my head and keep my mouth closed when I see questionable or semi-dumbass things. But COME ON PEOPLE! This is just begging for trouble. Or death. Or permanent brain damage. Or other horrible things...agh!!! This is NOT cute!!! The only way to make this "cute" would be to make it a fake merry-go round horse at the mall - stack your kids up on that and take a picture, that would be a cute picture!
PS - you can go on their site and check out their "great project" pony for sale for $450...oh dear...



Now these two photos are from the same site of Walk That Walk Ranch in Berryville, AR. The first photo - yes the one of the horse rearing - is the picture representing where the "Training Fees" are paid. Yes, because a rearing horse on the beach is what we all want. No thank you. By the way, do I need to remind some of you that 'aren't from around here' that there is no beach in Arkansas, none what so ever. This means that this intelligent trainer went on a freakin' vacation to show off her rearing horse.


This photo is taken from where you sign up for a kids' summer camp. I think if I were a parent I would have no problem at all letting my kid sit out on this "wonderful opportunity." If this isn't a lawsuit waiting to happen then I don't know what is! Now I'm no lawyer, but putting somebody else's kid up on a pony, without a helmet or basic instruction on how a horse balances, and then letting them leap across a pretty good size creek just doesn't sound overly liability safe to me!!! Once again, I'm sorry, I don't think this is cute! To me: A.) any camp pony should be schooled/dead headed enough to WALK through a shallow creek like this one; B.) any child/person riding a horse over something that they may potentially jump should be able to stay out of the horse's back and at least attempt to keep with it; and C.) any dumbass camp who uses this as their promotional picture for their camp deserves what is coming to them, a big fat lawsuit!
Oh, and at this ranch they must take the Scientology outlook on birth...

"Foals born to this music are bright, bold and energetic. Mares give birth much easier with no evidence of distress or fear...even the maiden mares. No breeding farm should be without equine music by Janet Marlow."

Watch out, this one is going to get an "oh dear," as well! Now, once again, I'm not a purist when it comes to all the natural stuff and make things as natural for a domestic horse as possible, but come on now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure there are not speakers installed in the rocks out where all the mustangs and wild horses have given birth for centuries. I think the music is probably more to keep the people in check...kind of a musical Prozac!