Snippets: Mid-Summer Edition
☆ July 12, 2016
How do you deal with authority?
subquestion a) if you don’t agree with it?
subquestion b) if it seems you have no choice? (ie, noncompliance results in personal harm)
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Someone stole Kota’s tail. Can you even believe that? Stealing horse tails is an actual thing – for braided horsehair hat bands and headstalls. The thing that pisses me off is that I would have freely given a partial, considerate harvest of pieces of all my horses’ tails had the thief asked – but whoever did this stole all of Kota’s tail, which means Kota can’t swish away flies. And Kota used to be so friendly and fearless and whatever happened during the theft made him head shy. What is wrong with people?
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I was in the center of a bovine love pile last night. I was lying against Fiona’s massive, warm shoulder and Roxy and Sid came over to smoosh on top of me. There’s no therapy like cow therapy.
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Einstein, bringing it again and always:
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
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Found in my files: Leila & Pixie, about an hour after Pixie’s birth, May 2016
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July 12th, 2016 @ 8:51 am
Tail stealing? People are unbelievable. I just can’t even . . .
The bovine love pile sounds divine. It’s like a much larger version of when the dogs pile on me wherever I lie down. :)
July 12th, 2016 @ 9:07 am
This makes my heart sad. I’ve seen horses, petted and even been given a ride on some, but I really don’t know much about them. I do know it is good for them to be able to swish flies away. I hate to imagine the uncomfortableness of not being able to do so.
Is there any way to braid hair or string in? Something like a horse tail weave?
I am happy for your good parts of farmily life. Thank you for sharing.
May the good continue to lighten the bad.
July 12th, 2016 @ 9:21 am
It will grow back won’t it? I was wondering about a weave in the meantime as well. Sometimes I think an asteroid would be a good thing for this planet if only it would land on the A holes.
July 12th, 2016 @ 9:54 am
Poor Kota – what jerks. I hope Haha’s suggestion of a tail weave could work?
Sending all good vibes Kota’s way and hope he can feel the love.
July 12th, 2016 @ 9:58 am
Do you ever get nervous about the cows squishing you accidentally? I know they’re pretty big and you’re pretty small! When I was in Thailand hanging out with elephants for a day, one of them put his head in my lap while begging for food, and it was cute for about 0.4 seconds until I felt the weight of his head (his tusk was resting on my leg, so the weight was all focused on one point) and realized that if he really rested his head down, my femur might be crushed. Luckily a mahout was nearby and told the elephant to pick his head up, but it’s made me a bit more circumspect about being around large animals. Do you ever worry about this with the cows? Or do they listen to you if you need them to adjust?
July 12th, 2016 @ 10:36 am
Hi Shreve!
I question authority every single time, then according to my own compass-I either agree or disagree. If I disagree, I ignore authority in a subtle way. Or I fight for my rights! Depends on the situation. In general, I don’t like authority. Could stem from a past life? ;)
I’m so sorry about Kota’s tail! I thought you lived in the boonies! Had no idea that there was a demand for horsetail hair! Crazy! I wanna make Kota a fake tail somehow! Maybe give him flower essences to release the emotional stress from his system from the incident.
Really enjoy all your animal stories! Thanks for sharing! Take Care!
July 12th, 2016 @ 10:42 am
Poor Kota. My heart aches. What is wrong with people?
Will Kota’s tail grow back?
Aren’t you worried you’ll get squished by the cows? I think getting therapy from the cows would be wonderful.
Your farmily is magical. Thank you for sharing.
July 12th, 2016 @ 11:37 am
Cow pile sounds divine! Too bad a selfie didn’t (or couldn’t happen) to entertain the rest of us.
As to Kota’s tail…..no words.
How do I deal with authority? Hmmm. I am frequently called a scoff-law because I tend to go with the intent and not the letter of the law.
When I disagree, I try to change it. Failing that, I try to find a work-around that keeps me out of jail, but also allows me to live by my own moral compass. I am not always successful at making both happen, and its an internal conflict.
I’d love to hear what you are dealing with there.
July 12th, 2016 @ 11:44 am
How do the crazy people steal a horse tail? Please don’t tell me they cut off their tails. I really don’t understand what is wrong with some people.
July 12th, 2016 @ 11:59 am
So disturbed by this, I went out and found this. Emailed it to Shreve.
Hopefully just the hair was cut off, and not the actual tail! A horses tail is made up of the dock (muscles, skin, bone) and the hair grows out of that. MTG, a liquid conditioner/hair growth stimulator works great to increase the speed of hair regrowth. You can also braid the horses tail, wrap it with vet wrap or a tail bag, and glue/tape/staple long pieces of baling twine to the bottom of the wrap. Then, your horse almost has a tail extension! Make sure you don’t wrap the dock or actual tail, as it can damage the nerves and blood flow if wrapped too tight.
Tail “Extension”: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVUHEB6M_Ho/T-…
July 12th, 2016 @ 2:11 pm
This post, and its comments, are just outstanding. That itty bitty coyote, those little calves and mommas — that blonde lady beyond compare — have initiated a philosophical movement that the world greatly needs!
July 12th, 2016 @ 2:25 pm
OMG, what jerks! Hopefully, their customers ask if the horse hair was obtained ethically…
And speaking of jerks, authority for the sake of authority usually rubs me the wrong way. There are some controls that are worthwhile, but over-controlling needs to be fought every step of the way. The authority I can live with, I do; any I can’t, I try to get out from under. I’m not always successful, therefore, not always happy.
July 12th, 2016 @ 2:59 pm
Thanks for the love and rage, y’all.
To answer Qs:
They cut all the hair off, which is 75% of a horse’s tail, not the bone part. It will grow back. I love the weave idea, I will experiment!
I don’t worry about getting squished by cows! :) At least not when they’re lying down. Getting squished against a corral panel or wall when they’re up and walking is a more likely danger, and speaking of tails, I think cows’ tails can be quite dangerous – if they flick their tail and it hits you in the face, it HURTS SO MUCH. I wouldn’t want a big cow’s body on top of me, but that’s easy to avoid and their heads in my lap are wonderful. Calves are little enough to lean and lay on me without issues.
July 12th, 2016 @ 3:03 pm
OMG! Poor Kota! The longer I live among humans, the more I despair of the world ever being a better place for all.
I can only hope by “stolen,” you don’t mean actually amputated. I’m sick enough just thinking of the hair being cut/shaved/pulled…. I can only hope the hair will grow back – quickly!
I have no words for the guilty culprits, but they deserve an appropriate punishment, such as a thorough scalping.
Sending loving and healing thoughts to Kota.
Theresa
July 12th, 2016 @ 3:21 pm
It’s lovely to have the trust of animals on that level. I would also wonder if there can be a hair extension for Kota’s tail. Poor little guy. I hope there is maybe a hair extension maybe for his tail?
Authority as I understand it in and of itself can be a good and necessary thing when governed with true justice, wisdom and fairness. As it is now, I see it as a male construct designed and used to maintain enormous privilege and legally sanctioning horrific acts against those who would protest. No surprise that violence and harm are the consequences of “poking the bear.” It would be fair to say I have issues with authority.
July 12th, 2016 @ 3:24 pm
I should have read my comment before posting, sorry about the tail extension repeat!
July 12th, 2016 @ 5:20 pm
I too didn’t realize “tail stealing” happened. I try hard to keep my mind in a positive place. Occasionally I need to loosen the reins a little and imagine appropriate karmic justice. In this case, maybe appendage amputation followed by bot fly infestation.
I like the idea of a tail extension–please post if you try this.
I hope Kota will recover from this soon.
July 12th, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
Horse tail stealing is a BIG no no especially in the summer with all the flies buzzing around. At the rescue ranch we have a couple of burros that flies love their legs to chew on. The back ends are taken care of with their tails but the front end we have knee socks and in one case cotton pj’s on the male burro. He was embrassed at first & I’m sure he doesn’t like the “look” but it keeps his legs from open sores.
July 12th, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
OMG, never heard of ‘tail stealing.’ Reaffirming my comments to my husband lately -‘I don’t understand people.’ Hope Kota will be okay.
July 12th, 2016 @ 6:33 pm
I have never heard of stealing a horse’s tail!! The poor horse. He must be very docile to let someone cut his tail off. I just can’t believe people.
July 12th, 2016 @ 7:40 pm
I’ve been told I have a problem with authority. At least that’s what they told me at my last job. I have a problem with authority when they act in a disrespectful manner. I think you have to give respect to receive it. People in positions of authority have to be especially aware of this.
This world is so at odds. I can’t understand why. I have to be able to look in the mirror and know I did my best.
Blessings to you and the farmily.
July 12th, 2016 @ 8:02 pm
I love the Einstein quote. Could you give me the source? Thanks.
July 12th, 2016 @ 9:10 pm
You need a guard dog.
Can Chloe and/or Charlie sleep outside? or do they kind of welcome any riff-raff with wag tail amiability?
Get a goose to hang with the horsies. They don’t take crap from anybody.
July 13th, 2016 @ 4:41 am
I am furious. I have tears in my eyes. I cannot believe that anyone would be so disgusting, heartless and cruel to an animal. I will never ever understand those sort of people. I hope you reported it to the police and warned all your neighbors. Is there anything you can do to prevent it in the future? I would be afraid that they would come back in a year (I am guessing that is about how long for his tail to grow back.) I am sending him lots of hugs, kisses, hay and prayers for peace. Once again, people suck.
July 13th, 2016 @ 4:43 am
12. Maryanne – ethically…. Isn’t that sort of subjective? I would assume that hideous person would say, “OH YES! No horse was harmed!” I doubt that they would ever say, “Well, I did traumatize a horse as I wacked it off him in the middle of the night!”
July 13th, 2016 @ 4:47 am
Authority – well, a lot depends on from whom is it coming from. Cops – comply. (Though I have only had to deal with cops for traffic reasons). Boss (at work) – respectfully voice my opinion and see if there can be a compromise. Else, comply. Other situations, I take one on one. Is there intelligence behind the request/demand? Does it cause harm? etc.
July 13th, 2016 @ 6:25 am
This enrages me. . . if you ever find out who did this, send me a email and I will be out there faster than your head can spin to beat the living shit out of them.
July 13th, 2016 @ 6:55 am
Words can’t begin to convey my anger and disgust dislike of such POS!! Any chance of finding who did this and what consequences to be faced? Maybe someone selling on line? (Didn’t they hang people back in the day for such offenses?) Hope with your love and gentle hands he can overcome the trauma.
Authority….pick your battles carefully; if your in the right stand your ground or they’ll walk over you again and again.
Would love to be in a clutter of cows…or horses, or… sounds quite relaxing
July 13th, 2016 @ 7:50 am
I question authority all the time. I have spent time in jail because of it (not for long, and it was a long time ago and not relevant to my holding a license as a real estate agent).
Really sad to hear about Kota’s tail and his shyness — sounds like some asshat roughed him up in order to steal his tail. Like I needed another reason to think that people are idiots.
A cow pile sounds lovely! I’d love to see a pic of that. Love your farmily, love the Einstein quote (he thought of the Theory of Relativity while he was riding his bike — perfect!), and l look forward to meeting you IRL next month.
July 13th, 2016 @ 8:58 am
Re: Kota’s tail.
No words. Really. But horses have memory, and hopefully it won’t be repeated. He might have walked up to say hi the first time, but he won’t the next.
Re: Authority
I have issues w/stupidity masquerading as authority. Which seems to happen often.
Being female with ten years of military service behind her, i also have issues with authority when it attempts to ‘put me in my place’, which, unfortunately, seems to happen with other women in the workplace. As soon as they hear i was military it’s like a ‘i’m badder then you’ switch goes off.
I used to tiptoe around it, now i just call it out. As subtly as the action is, i respond in kind. It’s a dance i detest, but one i’ve managed to learn.
July 13th, 2016 @ 9:17 am
I don’t question authority as a rule, but then again I’ve never been in a situation where it’s been a problem. In general I go with the flow……….
So sad about Kota’s tail. I hate when animals are picked on. Horse hair/extensions can be expensive – someone knew what they were doing. Hopefully karma sets in sooner rather than later!
July 13th, 2016 @ 10:04 am
As I sit here in crowded crazy Los Angeles, it completely BLOWS MY MIND that your horse’s tail hair was stolen!!! Way out there in the boonies and your stuff is still NOT safe from desperate idiots. It’s too much, Geezus!
As for authority. We need it to keep some kind of law and order, I suppose. But abuse or stupidity of it makes me pissed off. Then I avoid.
July 13th, 2016 @ 11:53 am
So sorry to hear about Kota being abused like that. Human beings can be seriously effed up at times.
Thanks for the Einstein quote. It made me think of this one by Stephen J. Gould:
“We cannot win this battle to save environments and ecosystems without forging new bonds between nature and ourselves, for we will not fight to save what we do not love.”
July 13th, 2016 @ 12:51 pm
I love the Einstein quote, thank you! “a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness” Perfect!
Poor Kota. People grow their hair overnight via weaves, there has to be something similar you could create for a horse, especially if you have any hair left to work with. Perhaps sharing some from all of your horses would be enough to make a tail? FYI, trail/game cams are awesome deterrents. Some people just suck.
Authority…I am usually so calmly logical, not unlike Spock, and that helps me here. I think it depends on who or what is asserting authority, and if it’s a battle I feel is worthy. There are many battles that truly aren’t if you look at the biggest picture. But if noncompliance results in personal harm and you still don’t agree with it? I’d really have to know more details to give a thoughtful response as it seems common sense should rule here.
July 13th, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
oh sweet kota! my heart aches at thieves disturbing him. and i am sick at the thought of a horse not having a tail to swish the flies. hope you can rig something up to help. love that you will try. you are a good woman, shreve.
July 13th, 2016 @ 2:35 pm
Good grief. What an asshat whoever cut Kota’s tail was. I imagine you WILL find out who did this dastardly deed: then it will be time to consider what to do. I favor a direct swat to the back of the head with a shovel. Or perhaps sticking a full sticky fly paper trap on the criminal nose and mouth? Goodness. WHERE IS MY COMPASSION TODAY. Maybe it got used up last night at midnight when there was what seemed to be a prolonged gun fight up here. Will send drops, in any case.
And authority and me? WAAAAY beyond oil and water. Unless it is being properly exercised, then it’s totally fine and makes things easier. When dealing with he other kind though,(aside from making me virtually unemployable) I have cultivated a scrupulous politeness and a British oriented way of expressing my true opinion in a roundabout way in challenging situations: so that the person who is throwing their authority around on me doesn’t realize I’ve told them to stuff it until much later. *sigh* I’m sure you will devise a brilliant tail substitute!!! We’ll need pictures of course….
July 14th, 2016 @ 1:25 am
Einstein’s quote for Roger:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A00E3DD173EE63ABC4151DFB5668389669EDE
You’ll find it towards the end of page two.
This quote actually opened up the written part of my Masters thesis :-) It ends with “….Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.” Such a lovely quote.
What a horrible shame about Kota’s tail. I really hope a wave of sorts is able to be fashioned while it grows back. Bad karma will follow the thief who did that.
July 14th, 2016 @ 1:26 am
(that was supposed to be *weave* up there…)
July 14th, 2016 @ 2:33 am
i find it harder and harder to contain my anger about the horrific things that people do. it all makes me so mad it takes all of my energy just to contain my attitude so i will not go bat shit crazy.
i have a boss who lied to me about something important recently. he never apologizes or owns his mistakes. i can’t even look at him, or be in the same room as him. i am hopeful my anger will not cost me my job. so in being honest, most of my response to all of this crazy shit going on in our world is fear.
with so many people spinning out of control lately i worry and wonder if one day it will be my time to do the same. for now i am just simmering and now and then i do a little primal scream therapy into my pillow to let it out.
July 14th, 2016 @ 3:21 am
That is totally disgusting. Poor Kota. You’d think people who know horses would know better. Plus you are way out in the boonies and this must have been done at night. They probably put a bag over his head.
I’m thinking teenagers. Or some slime that are selling these bands on eBay or the local swap meet. Any way to know if there are a rash of thefts going on around you?
Was it reported and is there any way to monitor the local swap meet? You might do an eBay search for a seller from your local area. You’d be surprised how stupid people can be. The police got some laptops stolen from a local school back exactly that way. And the stupid thing was they were all engraved with the school district name and logo.
I hope a weave is possible.
Is there anything that can be done to prevent it happening again? Because there is a good chance if they got one tail they’ll come back for another if they think they can get away with it.
I don’t have a problem with authority. I have a problem with stupidity. I can be very vocal in pointing out the stupidity, incompetence or disorganization of authority. Today I fought the USPS and I’m not done. I’ll be mailing letters to every federal congressperson for the state of California.
BTW my GoFundMe package arrived today. I got my lovely scarf and had forgotten about what else was coming. Love the Ranger bag, the note cards (thank you so much for including Ricardo) and a horse shoe. I’ve downloaded my screen saver already.
July 14th, 2016 @ 10:00 am
There are fake tails that people use in the show ring, but they do require some hair to be braided into and I am not at all sure of how they would hold up against 24/7 fly swatting. Also–expensive!
Perhaps you could create a fake tail for him out of pieces of old sheet braided into what is left of his tail? I assume they just chopped it off at the end of his tailbone and did not bother with the sides? I have a lycra tail bag that is in three pieces to braid up the tail with…something like that might work if you only do the braid part way and tie it off with the tails hanging.
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tough-1-wild-lycra-braid-in-tail-bag/E006563/
Poor kiddo. What a terrible thing to do to a horse–let alone during fly season!
For the person above who asked if tails grow back–yes, they will, but the rule of thumb is that it takes about a year for a tail to grow from root to ground.
July 14th, 2016 @ 2:04 pm
Tail stealing? That’s criminal. Humans are selfish assholes. Sorry for your horse…
July 15th, 2016 @ 12:38 am
I found this tutorial for replacing Kota’s tail (depending on how much is left) using vet tape and hay twine.
http://myhorseforum.com/threads/putting-up-a-tail-with-a-baling-twine-swatter.260344/
I think this is something you can easily do.
I hope you are keeping the rest of the horses safe as these thieves will come back sooner or later. I’ve been reading of a rash of thefts the last few years all around the western states and even in Canada and the U.K.
I also read that cows, goats, sheep and even pigs will often munch on a horse’s tail and it can even look like it was cut off. But I suspect that takes quite a while and you would have noticed his tail getting shorter and thinner every day.
If the braiding doesn’t work perhaps we can have a GoFundMe for Kota. I found a place that has therapeutic replacement tails for $90.
http://www.newhorsetails.com/Therapeutic.html
That seems a bit steep so I’d try the vet tape and hay twine first.
If you’d like to try a three tube tail bag, I can sew one out of lycra for you. I found some directions online. I can even include a some fly swatter fringe on the bottom ends.
July 15th, 2016 @ 8:18 am
Ohhh poor Kota!!! I’m sooo sorry Kota I hope you will come back to your normal loving self! I want to hurt this thief badly! But man the cow pile sounds so devine and I wish I was in the middle of one right now!
July 17th, 2016 @ 3:48 pm
To challenge authority, I make a counter argument. If authority doesn’t feel right, it is usually because there is a flaw in the initial argument. Find it, destroy it, and set out the plan for the right thing to do.
July 18th, 2016 @ 11:02 am
“Well, I destroyed another creature’s trust and security in the process, but have you seen my awesome HAT BAND?” *Guitar riff*
July 19th, 2016 @ 11:17 am
You should start offering bovine therapy. I bet people from Missoula and Bozeman would pay big bucks for that. Or, how about using Daisy as a bovine muse? http://stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com/?p=611
July 19th, 2016 @ 11:36 pm
questioning authority when I can’t.
God, grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
and get a radar detector.
July 23rd, 2016 @ 6:13 pm
you are so very cool