Introducing Katy Pistole And her beloved Scooter Beautiful Brokenness Ministries Katy working with Freya Why are horses important? Believe me, I’ve asked myself this question many times. Now that we have cars, who really needs a 1,200+ lbs. pet? A big animal means big messes. Not just that, but how about owning a pet that could hurt you inadvertently? How smart is that? But even as we spit out the excuses as fast as they pop into our head, the flip side is well…..dull. And as the Bilbo-Baggins-inside-of-each-one-of-us says, “I think I am quite ready for another adventure.” Anyone who’s ever been in the company of a beautiful horse knows the longing to reach out and touch it, to talk with it, to move beyond admiration to interaction. But the attraction truly goes beyond admiration. There is a God built-in uniqueness to the design of the horse. People ask, “Is there anything to Equine Therapy?” The answer is a firm ‘yes.’ Horses help men. There is a saying that the “outside of a horse is [...]

Yes, this is pretty bad rain rot The other side too! I hope this post will help everyone who has had to deal with rain rot. Freya came with a small case of rain rot that quickly blossomed into a more serious infection. Rain rot is caused by a bacterium known as Dermatophilus congolensis. It's a bacteria that lives on their skin all the time, but given wet conditions, it can spread and cause lesions on the horse's back. Belgians are more prone to rain rot because of their thick coat. In talking with Renee Krider, Freya's previous owner, she may have picked up the rain rot while training. In preparation for training under saddle, Renee desensitized her to a saddle blanket, which may have passed on more of the bacteria to her. On the evening Freya came to live at WSS, she stood outside all night long in the rain. Within a week, she had broken out all over with sores. Because its winter, giving her a bath with medicated shampoo was not an option. But we had to [...]

Freya taking her first breaths Belle - heavy with her foal Freya- a horse arrives in the world (part 2) As written by Renee Krider- Freya’s dam- Belle, was a good mother, but I saw little grooming and licking- basic bonding behaviors. As a result, Freya learned to focus very quickly on her human caretakers and friends. For that reason, she was touched and loved on daily. Freya became the great curiousity of family, friends, and neighbors. Some people drove or walked past the pasture often to see her and interact with her. My mother lives on the farm and was 92 when Freya was born. 2022 was the first year my mother was living on the farm alone after my father had gone on to his reward. I saw how this big baby created something for her to focus on daily and talk about with people she met. I thanked the Lord often for the joy and excitement Freya gave my mother daily. Another horse in my pasture, Windsong, my elderly Appaloosa/Arabian mare, became a grandma to Freya. They all, [...]

Freya standing for the first time John and family petting Freya during WSS Winter Retreat Freya- a horse arrives in the world (part 1) As written by Renee Krider from the events of March 22, 2022- As I remember the birth experience of our big foal, Freya and God's provision-  This all started when my husband and I bought a twelve year old Belgian mare to pull a sled to gather maple sap for our maple syrup business. We were looking forward to having an old fashion experience for our visitors of gathering sap by dumping buckets into a horse drawn sled with a dumping container. About December I mentioned to Jack, my husband that I thought this Amish raised mare, Belle, may be carrying a foal. A blood test revealed my suspicions were in fact correct. The problem was a blood test does not provide the due date. I read everything trying to remember all the signs of a previous foaling now almost fifty years ago. Noting that the veterinarian said he very much doubted it [...]