ALove4Horses.com » Animal Cruelty Leads to Mass Deaths of Horses in Lassen County CA http://alove4horses.com Helping horse business owners Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:22:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://alove4horses.com http://aLove4Horses.com/wp-content/mbp-favicon/favicon.ico ALove4Horses.com Animal Cruelty Leads to Mass Deaths of Horses in Lassen County CA http://alove4horses.com/animal-cruelty-mass-deaths-horses-in-lassen-county-ca/ http://alove4horses.com/animal-cruelty-mass-deaths-horses-in-lassen-county-ca/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:36:16 +0000 Joni http://alove4horses.com/?p=2737

This was emailed to me today by Beth Decaprio of The Grace Foundation in California:

Hi, I am writing to you today on behalf of The Grace Foundation of Northern California. We are trying to spread the word about a horrific animal cruelty case that we have been working with. This man has been accused of killing over 25 horses living on his property, Whispering Pines, and neglecting and starving over 50 more. Our rescue took in the over 50 survivors when the bank foreclosed on his property, but now that hes has filed for bankruptcy, if he wins the cases the remaining horses will be returned to him as no animal cruelty charges have been filed against him yet. Our goal is to raise awareness of this case, hopefully to a national level, in the hope of preventing future cases like this one. Below is the entire story of this case. Please read the story and consider helping us protect and care for these helpless horses by posting the story on your blog along with a link to our video and our website so your readers will be able to find out how they can help with this case. Thank you for your time.

Please Help End a Horrific Case of Animal Cruelty

This is a story of extreme animal cruelty involving over one hundred horses. Twenty-five of these horses were found dead above ground, with dozens more presumed dead in mass burial sites or “bone pits,” as the owner of the horses has openly admitted.
The story began when cell tower workers that were working adjacent to the property known as “Whispering Pines stables” in Lassen County, CA witnessed a dead dog tied to a tree and many horses dead and dying at the property. These workers had full view of the surviving members of this emaciated herd. The fifty plus starving horses were foraging for food around the corpses of their babies, mothers and friends.
Animal control made contact with Dwight Bennett the owner of Whispering Pines and Mr. Bennett confirmed that he owned the horses at Whispering Pines.

While Mr. Bennett has never denied that dozens of horses were dead and dying on his property and under his care, he has maintained that someone was poisoning the horses. A standard necropsy, performed on any one of the horses that had died could have confirmed or denied the presence of poison but animal control never investigated further.

In April 2011 Mr. Bennett agreed to give Lassen County animal control ownership of twenty of the most severely emaciated horses on his property and two dogs. The Grace Foundation of Northern California was contacted to help with the case and was asked by Lassen County to provide the care for these horses. The Grace Foundation of Northern California brought in their team of experts, including Julie McBride, a licensed therapist who assists with hoarding and cruelty cases, and Dr. Michael W. Russell a veterinarian that specializes in large animal Veterinary care.

The neglect was documented by The Grace Foundation experts. Videos and photos of twenty-three of the dead horses were taken and reports from both Dr. Russell and Ms. McBride clearly stated their professional opinion that all of the animals should be removed from the property.
The Grace Foundation of Northern California took possession of all twenty horses and agreed to cover the majority of the costs for the twenty horses care. The Grace Foundation of Northern California was assured that if they helped with building the case that Lassen would pursue criminal charges and get the rest of the horses removed from Mr. Bennett’s care.
After months of waiting for justice to be served and the person (Dwight A. Bennett) responsible for the deaths of more than 25 horses and the abuse and neglect of over 50 additional horses, to be held accountable, The Grace Foundation of Northern California was absolutely devastated to learn (through a reliable source) that the Lassen County District Attorney, Robert (Bob) Burns, had indicated that for the time being he had NO plans to file charges against Bennett.

While The Grace Foundation of Northern California appreciates and respects the difficult jobs our government officials have been assigned to, they also believe that it is our responsibility to be a voice for our most innocent, even when it may not make us popular with some.

Thankfully, most of the time our system works like it should, but there are many instances when the system becomes “out of order.” When this happens, it is the responsibility of those who have witnessed the break down in the system, to point it out and help get it back on track. This is one of those cases. As it happens, the break in the system did not only affect the animals that were being harmed. Bennett also had two foster children placed into his care. Many of you must be wondering how this could happen? How could this be? That is what The Grace Foundation of Northern California wanted to know, as it certainly appeared our judicial system seemed to have truly failed.

In the kind of plot-twist that would strike moviegoers as implausible, The Grace Foundation of Northern California started to understand just how far back the break in the system seems to be, and just how deep it truly runs. They were shocked to find out that the breech in the system began over three years ago, when calls started coming in to the Lassen County Animal Control regarding potential animal cruelty at Whispering Pines. And that the calls appeared to go unanswered. Maybe it was due to the horses not being in AS bad of condition at that point in time? OR perhaps it was because a Lassen County Animal Control Officer named Judy Waelsch owned and kept a horse at Whispering Pines? That horse was one of the first horses that came to Grace through Whispering Pines in April, which Bennett had surrendered. Ms. Waelsch has since recued herself from this case and the case is now being handled by the Assistant Director of Public Works, Lassen County.

While all of this was going on and 25+ horses were lying dead in the yard of Mr. Bennett’s home, 2 foster children (first a teenage girl, then a teenage boy) were placed in his “care” and as records show in his bankruptcy papers, the foster child is Mr. Bennett’s only source of income.

The Grace Foundation of Northern California knows that sometimes animal cruelty is not taken serious, but they were shocked to think “the break” could affect innocent foster children that are at the mercy of our governing system to keep them safe. Surely, anyone placing children in this man’s care would have visited his home and would have clearly seen the dead horses lying in plain sight of the entrance to the Whispering Pines property? If they missed the dead horses, they absolutely would have had to interview the people living in the dilapidated trailers that litter the property?

The Grace Foundation of Northern California’s shock turned to horror, as they learned that the answer for this breech may have to do with the fact that Mr. Bennett’s son-in-law works for the agency responsible for placement of foster children in Lassen County.

All of the time this was going on, the Whispering Pines property was being foreclosed upon. The foreclosure, which is all too familiar to many of us and is typically a very sad and unfortunate sign of the times, actually became THE “saving grace” for the 36 horses that were still alive on the property! All this, was happening while Lassen County was supposedly about to press charges against Bennett.

A court appointed “Receiver” of the property, which included the 36 living horses, turned out to be the living angel that the horses so desperately needed. Vicki Lozano and her daughter began feeding the Whispering Pines horses 12 bales of hay each day – morning and evening – in July. The horses were finally safe…at least that is what The Grace Foundation of Northern California believed when they were asked to take possession of the remaining horses in August.

Yet, with everything in life, if a break is not properly fixed, the weakness gives way and a catastrophic event can occur . . . that is where this case is today.

Before the State’s ruling on Mr. Bennett’s property could be finalized once and for all, Mr. Bennett filed for bankruptcy during the 11th hour, halting the foreclosure and freezing his assets. Without any animal cruelty charges having EVER been filed against Mr. Bennett by Lassen County Animal Control, he was free to claim that the horses (that had somehow managed to live through his abuse and neglect), were now his only assets! Unbelievably so, Mr. Bennett put a valuation of $195,000 on the horses and made them part of his estate. In addition, this has also left Mr. Bennett free to get more animals and foster more children. All the while, Mr. Bennett openly admits that he does not have the resources to care for the horses – his assets – if he were to get them back! And there is a possibility that this COULD occur, if this blatant wrong is not corrected, and justice does not prevail.

These thirty-six horses now must be held in “protective custody” for an indefinite amount of time as Mr. Bennett’s bankruptcy case goes through the courts. This puts the last 36 surviving horses in danger, but this also will effect the lives of the pregnant mares and the at least 18 confirmed unborn foals, that have somehow miraculously survived this ordeal! (An additional 11 mares may also be pregnant, but that has not yet been confirmed.)

The Grace Foundation of Northern California is now left to carry the financial burden for these horses. The situation became direr when blood tests performed on the female horses revealed that eighteen of the mares are over 45 days pregnant. An additional 11 mares may also be pregnant, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Had Lassen County upheld the California State Law regarding animal cruelty none of this would be happening. The Grace Foundation of Northern California would have been able to move forward with placing these horses in permanent homes and our system of government would have insured that a man responsible for the death of dozens of animals could not harm anymore innocent victims.

The Grace Foundation of Northern California has never felt so determined to see that a case does not just become another tragically sad case of animal cruelty. It is, however, bigger than them and they cannot do it on their own.

That is why The Grace Foundation of Northern California is pleading with each and every one of you to PLEASE help us with this case, in whatever way you possibly can.

Below please find a link an article that ran in the local newspaper, The Lassen Times, a link to a video about three of the horses involved in this case, as well as a link to The Grace Foundation of Northern California’s website.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ0jZbkVgdM&feature=youtu.be

The Grace Foundation website: www.thegracefoundationofnorcal.org

– end —

I found the following info about this issue online…

Justice for Animals – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Animals/142646019168086

Please help bring horse murderer to justice – http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=13547.15

Grace Foundation and the latest victims of the economic downturn | Ride Magazine

Please take the time to take action and ask for justice for all these poor horses that suffered and died at the hands of this man.

Please re-tweet: #AnimalCruelty Leads to Mass Deaths of #Horses in Lassen County CA http://alove4horses.com/?p=2737 Pls RT

]]> http://alove4horses.com/animal-cruelty-mass-deaths-horses-in-lassen-county-ca/feed/ 0 Secretariat a new Walt Disney movie release http://alove4horses.com/secretariat-a-new-walt-disney-movie-release/ http://alove4horses.com/secretariat-a-new-walt-disney-movie-release/#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:41:45 +0000 Joni http://alove4horses.com/?p=662

"Secretariat," the new Walt Disney movie based on the remarkable true story of the horse that won The Triple Crown in 1973.

In theaters October 8! Starring Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and James Cromwell. Watch the movie trailer.

]]> horse news Secretariat a new Walt Disney movie release

Secretariat – Walt Disney Movie

secretariat movie Secretariat a new Walt Disney movie release

Secretariat - the new movie by Walt Disney

SECRETARIAT
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Website and Mobile Site: Disney.com/Secretariat
Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/Secretariat
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/SecretariatFilm

Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
U.S. Release Date: October 8, 2010

Cast: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, James Cromwell, Kevin
Connolly, Nelsan Ellis, Dylan Baker, Margo Martindale, Otto Thorwarth, Fred Dalton Thompson, AJ Michalka and Scott Glenn
Director: Randall Wallace
Producers: Gordon Gray & Mark Ciardi
Executive Producers: Bill Johnson, Mike Rich
Written by: Mike Rich
Suggested by the book: “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion” by William Nack

Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

Notes:
• In 1973, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting race records that still stand today in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.
• Penny Chenery, now 88, was an integral resource in the making of the film. She appears as an extra in one of the film’s scenes.
• In 1973, Secretariat graced the covers of three magazines the same week: Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated.
• Director Randall Wallace, whose directorial credits include “We Were Soldiers,” is the Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-nominated screenwriter of “Braveheart.”
• In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a 33-cent postage stamp with Secretariat’s image.

Against all odds, housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane)—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—navigates the male-dominated horse-racing business, ultimately taking Secretariat on a spectacular journey to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time.

At this link, you’ll find all kinds of cool pictures from the film: http://media-file.net/10/secretariat/

For video clips, including the trailer and behind the scenes featurettes, please check out: http://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyMovieTrailers

Secretariat a new Walt Disney movie release
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]]> http://alove4horses.com/secretariat-a-new-walt-disney-movie-release/feed/ 1 Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse http://alove4horses.com/horse-teleseminars-the-path-of-the-horse/ http://alove4horses.com/horse-teleseminars-the-path-of-the-horse/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:24:31 +0000 Joni http://aLove4Horses.com/?p=181

The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Horses are not just for Christmas. Or Riding? How one Woman's Search for the Truth Heralds a New Dawn in Horse Consciousness A new DVD and Teleseminar Series look at how we are treating horses today and discover that perhaps we are not as enlightened as we think we are. The truth is not always easy to accept but the result of one woman's efforts challenge us to make a change.]]> horse news Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse

The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Horses are not just for Christmas. Or Riding? How one Woman’s Search for the Truth Heralds a New Dawn in Horse Consciousness

A new DVD and Teleseminar Series look at how we are treating horses today and discover that perhaps we are not as enlightened as we think we are. The truth is not always easy to accept but the result of one woman’s efforts challenge us to make a change.

poth stormy Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse

Stormy May

http://www.thepathofthehorse.com – Change is today’s buzz-word thanks to Barack Obama and when documentary film maker Stormy May took a long, hard look at today’s horse world, she found that it flatters to deceive and is itself a prime candidate for change. After years of training horses, giving riding lessons and judging competitions, she realized that she and many others had gone off course. What had happened to the beauty, majesty and freedom of horses she had dreamt of as a child? Disillusioned and in need of answers, she sold her ranch, packed her cameras and set out on a journey of self-discovery around the world to find the truth.

What she discovered was at times quite shocking. She realized that the abuse handed out daily to horses is openly allowed and even encouraged. Had the values of our society become so out of alignment that this sort of behavior is considered normal?

She knew there had to be better, more compassionate ways of handling horses. There had to be people out there trailblazing the way to a new era in horsemanship. What indeed could we learn from the horses themselves and their society?

On her journey to discover these answers, she met enlightened horse people:

poth teachers Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse

The Teachers

  • Alexander Nevzorov from Russia – whose masterful work has led to the discovery of how to educate horses without bits, bridles or punishment
  • Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling – a German living in Denmark who teaches people to recognize the essential within themselves and the horses they work with
  • Linda Kohanov – a pioneer in equine assisted learning and therapy
  • Carolyn Resnick – a woman who learnt the equine code and found the secrets of acceptance into a herd of wild horses
  • Mark Rashid – a Colorado cowboy, popular author and clinician
  • Kim McElroy – visionary equine artist

    • Learn more about The Teachers of the The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series.

poth dvd Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse

The Path of the Horse DVD

The result is the documentary DVD “The Path of the Horse”, an expos√© of the horse world from an insider’s perspective, which has just been released to great acclaim. It is to the equine world what the blockbusting DVD “The Secret” is to metaphysics and self-development.

The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series

January sees the start of the “The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series“. Subtitled “Learn from today’s visionaries and teachers”, this series of 5 weekly, equine teleconference calls looks at the new paradigm in horsemanship and discusses the issues and solutions involved.

Never before have such noted horsemen and women from around the world been brought together. This is a rare opportunity for people to put their questions to today’s thought leaders and visionaries in the horse world. For more information, to sign up for the Series and to ask a question, visit: The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series

“They’ve carried us around on their backs for centuries, waiting for us to notice that they aren’t here just to help us evolve in terms of mastering nature and moving around the planet. They’re actually waiting for us to get to the point where we’re ready to evolve to a higher level of consciousness and awareness.” Linda Kohanov


Sign up for this exciting new horse teleseminar series TODAY!!

poth anna Horse Teleseminars: The Path of the Horse

Anna - Teacher

For additional information on the DVD and Series or to schedule an interview with any of the speakers, please contact Mark Mottershead via email (see below). The DVD and MP3 recordings of The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series can also be purchased from the website.

CONTACT:
Mark Mottershead, Producer
The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series
Tel: +49 240 679762 (GMT+1)
Cell: +49 1777 096209 (GMT+1)
info [at] thepathofthehorse . com (remove spaces and replace [at] with @)
http://www.thepathofthehorse.com

# # #

The Path of the Horse (Official Trailer)

Read The Path of the Horse film reviews

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/horse-teleseminars-the-path-of-the-horse/feed/ 1 Happy Halloween Ecard added http://alove4horses.com/happy-halloween-ecard-added/ http://alove4horses.com/happy-halloween-ecard-added/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:07:46 +0000 Joni http://aLove4Horses.com/?p=170

New Halloween ecard with black Friesian Horse Photo

]]> horse ecards Happy Halloween Ecard added

New Halloween ecard with black Friesian Horse Photo

halloween magic tn Happy Halloween Ecard added

I just created a new Halloween holiday greeting card from a gorgeous photo send to me of a magical black Friesian horse named, “Magi” owned by Terrilyn Boyer of Black Horse Dreams

I have also post a few nice Friesian Horse videos that I found posted on youtube below…

Horse Business Tip: Get moving and learn to make videos like these about your horses and horse business! Good videos sell horses or horse services.


Horse Video: Friesian Horses


Horse Video: Friesian Stallion Anne 340


Horse Video: Beautiful dancing Friesian Stallions in Germany


Horse Video: Friesian horse – lineart in the making

Hey, let me know if I missed a super special Friesian horse video that know about. Post a link to it in the comments below. Thanks!

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/happy-halloween-ecard-added/feed/ 1 Stolen Horse Statue $50,000 Reward http://alove4horses.com/stolen-horse-statue-50000-reward/ http://alove4horses.com/stolen-horse-statue-50000-reward/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:39:11 +0000 Joni http://aLove4Horses.com/?p=164

Someone stole a one ton, twelve foot bronze horse statue

That could not have been easy to do, but then it amazes me the amount of live horses that people steal too! These are not small items you can shove in a bag or even fit in the back of your van. You can read the full news article...
]]> horse news Stolen Horse Statue $50,000 Reward

Someone stole a one ton, twelve foot bronze horse statue

Stealing this one ton horse could not have been easy to do, but it is amazing the amount of live horses that people also steal! Stealing a horse is not like snatching a small item that you can shove in a bag or even fit in the back of your van. You can read the full news article — $50,000 reward offered for horse statue (sorry that page is gone now)

News Update: Arrest made in stolen horse statue case
Jul 20, 2008 … Police say a bronze horse statue stolen from a now-defunct New Jersey racetrack has been broken up and sold to a salvage yard for a fraction of its value. …

It is so sad that many people’s stolen horses end up sold for slaughter.

Please protect your horses, tack, and property

Stolen Horse International, Inc. ~ NetPosse.com Resource information for preventing theft and finding stolen/lost horses. Listing of current stolen horses online.

Horse security

Horse Identification Learn more about: Freeze Branding, Microchiping, Lip Tattooing, Hoof Branding, and Freeze Marking.

Horse-related security – protect your riding gear and horses from thieves The theft of horses and their expensive gear is an ever-present threat. Neil Clarkson looks at ways to deter would-be thieves and rustlers.

Debi & Idaho’s NetPosse Promo – video
Spreading the Word About NetPosse.com

Tribute to Horses Missing & Stolen – video
Music by NetPosse Friend Templeton Thompson

Tribute to Debi & Her Amazing Dedication – video
Birthday Video Showcasing Horse Recoveries

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/stolen-horse-statue-50000-reward/feed/ 4 Horse videos sell horses http://alove4horses.com/horse-videos-sell-horses/ http://alove4horses.com/horse-videos-sell-horses/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:29:08 +0000 Joni http://aLove4Horses.com/?p=160

Horse for sale videos increase sales

I just did a search on youtube.com for "Horse for Sale" and 6,300 horse videos pop up in the search results! That is a lot of 'horses for sale' videos on one site. One video received 72,447 views! People are using horse videos to market their horses. YouTube now receives twice the page views as Google -- people are finding and buying horses because of posted horse videos. Are you marketing your horses with video yet?]]> horse money Horse videos sell horses

Horse for sale videos increase sales

I just did a search on YouTube for “Horse for Sale” and 6,300 horse videos pop up in the search results! That is a lot of ‘horses for sale’ videos on one site. One video received 72,447 views! Since YouTube now receives twice the page views as Google my guess is that many people are finding and buying horses because of these posted horse videos. People are successfully selling horses using video — Are you?

In fact I bet that if you are just using still photos and text on your site or posted to one of the horses for sale listing sites that you are not exposing your horse to as many potential buyers as you possibly can. Marketing tests prove that video does a much better job of showing off your product and motiving a person to purchase. Videos have increased conversions by nearly 50 percent! Isn’t it time you start marketing your horse business with videos?

Why Video to Sell Horses?

When selling your horse on the web, quality videos are essential to provide potential horse buyers a clear idea of your horse’s form, movement, manners, and personalty. Good video production takes time and work, but properly made videos help sell horses in a completive marketplace and help you receive the top price for your horse.

The time to make videos of your horse is not when someone requests to view one. You should plan ahead and make the videos a major part of your marketing plan. In fact videos should be the most important part of your horse marketing.

It takes time and money to make DVD copies of the final videos to mail out to prospective customers that request them and some people request videos just because they enjoy watching videos of horses. You could charge a refundable deposit fee that covers the cost of the DVD and shipping.

Web videos

Post your horse videos online — instantly viewable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any computer on earth with an Internet connection. If you post them on sites like youtube and the other free video posting sites you don’t even have to worry about bandwidth costs either.


Increase sales with online video ads 2008

Video Equipment and Knowhow

Top of the line video equipment is not required to begin creating video for web display. In fact some people shoot decent video footage with their cell phones and digital cameras that have video options.

If you are on a tight budget and like small, simple to use video cameras then you should consider one of the Flip Video Cameras.


Review: Pure Digital Technologies’ Flip Video Camera


Videotaped with the Flip Video Camera

Of course if you have top dollar horses for sale and have a decent marketing budget, then I highly recommend having professional video shot by someone that specializes in horse video productions. Make sure to check references and view past client videos before making your selection of which video company to hire. Some professional horse photographers are now shooting video too. Does your local photographer shoot video? Find out!

What to Video

Your video presentation should cover important points of interest to a horse buyer. Some areas to consider videotaping are…

  • Under saddle or harnesses: dressage, jumping, cross country, reining, trail riding — whatever skills in whatever discipline your horse it trained for and good at.
  • Horse Show; include footage of any past trophies or ribbons.
  • In hand segments; include close-ups of the horse’s conformation without tack
  • Free Lunging, to show the horse’s true movement
  • Lunging: under your control with changes in gait and direction
  • Free Jumping
  • In hand Obedience: tacking up and untacking, leading
  • Horse care Obedience: vet visit, farrier, worming, shots, bathing, clipping, trailer loading, etc…

You don’t have to put everything in one long video. In fact is better if you make a few short videos that cover different areas — one showing the horse under saddle, one showing the horse’s ground manners, and one demonstrating the horses movements when free lunging or jumping. You want to cover enough in the videos to give someone a good overview of your horse’s training and abilities. This will help them feel confident in making an appointment to meet your horse or to even decide to purchase online just from the videos and reading your horse’s description (your sales copy). Specially if you offer a good guarantee or trail period. Don’t forget to have a good sales contract made and signed.

Make a video blog of your horse for sale and embed the videos into your blog or website pages. Update your site with new video clips as your horse learns more.

Audio Sales copy: the video sound track

Words

Write out all that you want to say in your video to make sure you cover all the selling features of your horse. You can add the voice over to the video (recommend) or talk while videotaping. Also put this the horse’s info on text on the page too.

Here is the sales copy for a horse for sale on the internet. Read it for ideas of what you may want to include in your audio and text for your horse for sale listing:

White Gelding Cepillo, this gelding is good on the street, trails, ring, and wherever else you want to ride. He does not spook at any of the parks nearby, not even with gun shots. My son is only 7 and he rides him anywhere. He is safe enough for him to ride around our neighborhood and in parades. Walks, Trots, Canters on commands. Neck reins or direct reins. Loads, clips, bathes, saddles with no problems. Safe for kids. Used to dogs, cats, goats, chickens, and OK to work with cows. He is 9 years old. He is dead broke and kid safe. This versatile horse is great for anyone to ride. No bad habits. No vices. Pretty Mover.

horse music cd Horse videos sell horses

Music

Music can deeply stir the emotions and you should take your time in its choice. You want the music in the video to add to the video, but not overpower the images. Uplifting and inspiring music that puts people in a good mood is best. Consider songs about horses to really heighten the emotional response of equestrians. If you are not ready to make videos yet you consider make photo slide shows with music. Check out sites like Slide.com that allow you to make photo slide shows for free that you can embed into your web pages.

Youtube Videos of Horse for Sale


Sporthorse / Dressage horse for sale : Southside Flyer

Note that they added a title clip at the begging and the end of the video that shows their website address (URL). You should always mark your videos with your URL for videos posted on video sites or that someone may download.


Reining horse for sale

Also consider posting videos or a video slide show of photos of the horse’s dam and sir, specially if a top breeding sir.


Argentinus the Legend

Video Resources and Tips

Shooting Video to SELL the Horse! Good step by step article with photos with the info you need to know to get good videos of your horse for sale. Print it out as a blue print or check list.

Traffic Secrets 2.0 Watch this video to learn what cutting edge video creation is. High quality video with some fantastic effects — and some great free tips on how to get more people to view your site’s content. A must see.

Making Money With Youtube Videos Video marketing tips

Make Money on Youtube by Uploading Your Video Tips on including your live clickable link back to your website from your youtube videos.

5 Ways to Make Money on YouTube NOW! Tips on posting videos to youtube and making some cash. Watch this with your horse business in mind and I bet you come up with some great ideas of your own.

How to get stinkin’ RICH on YouTube!!! Video posting tips – short videos, tag the videos right, allow video replies.

Best Way To Increase Website Conversions Again watch this video with your horse business in mind. What can you do to get people to want to return to your horse site again and again – maybe tell them you will be posting updated videos of the horses for sale as their training progresses.

How to learn to make video…

Stomper Vision – How web video will transform YOUR online business Watch the video case studies of how video improves sale conversations.

Make it easier for people to pay you

You can make it easier for people buying your horse to pay you by taking payments (or the purchase deposit) online through PayPal. You can add a buy-it-button under your video clip. I am seeing more off line businesses (like veterinarians) offering this payment option. I believe your horse buying clients would appreciate the convince too.

You can even set up payments over time with PayPal’s subscription payments.

When you make it easier for people to pay their bills you are more likely to see you money and faster too. PayPaloffers a fast, affordable and convenient online payment service for businesses of all sizes.

If you have had luck with selling horses with videos please leave a comment below and let us know about it. Thanks!

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/horse-videos-sell-horses/feed/ 27 Stacy Westfall Success Secrets http://alove4horses.com/stacy-westfalls-success-secrets/ http://alove4horses.com/stacy-westfalls-success-secrets/#comments Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:28:45 +0000 Joni http://alove4horses.com/blog/stacy-westfalls-success-secrets/

List of success factors that has made Stacy Westfall the bareback / bridleless reining Queen

]]> horse money Stacy Westfall Success Secrets

What’s Stacy’s success factors that has made her the bareback / bridleless reining Queen?

Stacy Westfall, the champion reiner, is in equestrian news, on TV, and people are searching for her on the web. I attribute her equestrian success to her goal magnifying actions, a few of which I will expose here so you can follow her lead and ride your equestrian dreams to greater heights.

But first a little introduction on Stacy and reining…

Stacy’s Accomplishments

In 2003 Stacy Westfall won the National Reining Horse Association Freestyle reining competition riding with with no bridle, not even a neck rope. For two years Stacy was undefeated in major freestyle reining competitions and in 2006 she won twice while riding bareback and bridleless.

Stacy Westfall, the first women contestant, competed and won the 2006 Road to the Horse Colt Starting Challenge and the sold out crowd loved her. The 2006 Road to the Horse DVD with Stacy is now completely sold out! Many horse people feel Stacy’s relationship with her horse is inspiring, beautiful, and total amazing.

Reining

Reining developed from the moves a ranch horse had to perform as part its regular cow horse duties. The American Quarter Horse dominates the reining field, but any horse can be trained to rein. Reining is is one of the world’s fastest growing horse sports and is growing in popularity around the world becoming a rising star in the horse industry.

A winning reining horse must be trained to a very high degree in its controlled movements. It has to go forward, stop, turn, spin, and back all to soft cues given by its rider. Only obedient, supple, and relaxed horses make it to the top. Reining is a partnership effort between an well trained horse and rider. The rider must be able to guide the horse and control his every maneuver from spins, sliding stops, to cantering. Reining is not the easiest horse discipline to train a horse well for.

Freestyle Reining

Freestyle reining is similar to freestyle dressage in that the riders are allowed to create their own patterns with some required movements, and choreograph them to music in a way that entertains and show off the horse and rider’s skills. Some freestyle reining competitions also allow the riders to ride bareback (without a saddle), or without a bridle, which increases the difficulty.

Stacy is the first women to win in the freestyle reining competition at Quarter Horse Congress. She is a NRHA champion freestyle reiner and 2006 Road to the Horse Champion that trains her own horses.

Horse Training

Stacy Westfall uses natural horse training methods she learned on her own and through other horse trainers to start her young horses. She and her training partner, husband Jesses own and operate the Westfall Training Center. She is also a mother of three young boys which makes her equestrian accomplishments even more astounding.

Horse Back Riding

Stacy started riding ‘Misty’, a Shetland Pony that was trained to rear on command. She trained her first colt at the age of fourteen. Like most horse crazy girls while growing up she rode any horse she could get her hands on.

Read more about about reining champion Stacy Westfall on her website www.westfallhorsemanship.

Stacy Westfall’s Blueprint to Success

Now on to Stacy’s Success Secrets and what you can learn as an equestrian and horse business owner to improve your chances of success.

Stacy has consistently taken actions that have lead her closer and closer to her goals. There did you catch the first success secret? ACTION! The repetition of the right actions is the golden key, knowing exactly what you want, planing the steps, then taking action on those steps time and time again. The power is in taking consistent action!

Since this blog is specially for horse business owners I will talk here about the actions Stacy has taken to build her equine business. If you want to learn her horse riding and horse training secrets then visit her site and buy her horse training DVDs and check her event calendar.

Equestrian Business Marketing Strategies

I discovered these marketing strategies Stacy is employing…

  • Professional Help

    • She has a beautifully made and easy to use website that’s obviously professionally designed. People like to buy products and services from companies that look successful and professional.

    You can not be expected to know everything so hire experts in areas where it really matters – like your business website creation and marketing. This is one of your best business investments. Your site has to do more than just look good, people have to be able to find what they are looking for fast and easy on it too – good usability!

    I see too many horse businesses with websites that look like their child made it, and there is no excuse for this when you can have a professional looking website up in minutes with a free blog at WordPress or Blogger. But I do recommend that you go with WordPress on your own domain site. What first impression does your website say about your equine business?

  • Quality products

    • Stacy sells Horse Training DVDs, Pocket Reference Cards, Rope halters, and Horse Lead Ropes on her site. If you have a horse boarding business you can sell some horse health and care products to your clients. You business’ long-term success involves selling quality products or services that meet the needs and desires of your customers. Don’t sell anything you would not be willing to purchase and use.

  • Events Calendar

    • Her events page is more stuffed than a Clydesdale’s hay net! What a schedule! Dates, locations, and links to event websites. Do you put on any events? If not, why not, consider a few events that you can hold and then post them on your site. You don’t have to do it alone, you can join forces with other horse businesses or a charity to put on an event and make sure to get a few commercial sponsors.

  • Media Gallery

    • You can find links to photos, videos, and article files on this page. But strangely missing is a link to her Press Release page where she should have posted the stories about her that have been published in the past and new press releases for current use. Maybe the press releases are posted on another page of her site that I missed. But don’t you miss adding Press Releases to your horse business site.

    Don’t know how to write a Press Release?

    I signed up for the Joan Stewart’s The Publicity Hound® Newsletter to learn more about business promotion. Horse business owners can get thousands of dollars in free publicity by following her tips, tricks and tools. Joan is a former newspaper editor, a small business owner, AND she was tapped by Entrepreneur.com as its public relations expert. Click here to read all the columns she wrote for Entrepreneur.com and check out her educational tools for business owners.

    Short videos posted on your site and other video sites like YouTube can also help your business in multiple ways acting as sales brochures, and customer educational tools. The Road to the Horse website http://www.roadtothehorse.com does have a nice Media page http://www.roadtothehorse.com/media.shtml you can check out. They have past news articles posted and articles and hi-res photos and the Road to the Horse logo images for print use. This is another nicely designed website you can lasso web design ideas from.

    Learn about what videos can do for your business. Hey it is 2008 and more and more people are watching videos online on a daily basis, so start making and posting videos for your business! One of Stacy’s reining videos has received more than 100,000 views!

  • Newsletter

    • News from Westfall Horsemanship http://www.westfallhorsemanship.com/index.php?page=newsletter

    Too many horse business really miss show ribbon on this marketing strategy. It is so important to collect the names and email addresses of your site visitors and have a way to stay in contact with them. Most people will not buy from you on the first contact – in fact it takes many contacts before most people make a purchasing decision.

  • Members Only Content (Build a community)

    • You can sign up for, “The Herd” her members site for training tips and a weekly contests where you can win some of her Westfall products. Master mind and come up with your own membership site.

  • FAQ Page

    • On Stacy’s site you will find a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page where you can find the answers to common questions on company location, horse training by Stacy, her products, clinics, apprenticeship course, and about her horse Roxy. In fact that page goes on and on stuffed full with more interesting info about Stacy, her company, and her products.

    Not enough business sites add a FAQ page and it can be so helpful to your site visitors and help you gain more sales. Study Stacy’s FAQ page and start designing your own. It will save you time in the long run. One reason people search the Internet is because they are looking to research products. Give them the info they are looking for.

  • Valuable Content

    • Content comes in many different forms from articles, videos, photos, case studies, press releases, FAQ page, product reviews, testimonials, to resource information and links. Keep value in mind when adding these.

  • Contact Page

    • A contact form also helps stop you from receiving so much email SPAM when you post your email online. Full contact info and a contact page help build trust and confidence in your business.

  • Belief

    • Last but not least, she believes in herself and is willing to take chances. You can see this by the actions she has taken. Stacy wouldn’t have attempted any of the actions that has helped her become a success if she didn’t believe that the chance of success was possible in the first place. But guess what, taking the right action steps helps you strengthen your belief as you build on one tiny success after another.

Summary

Success came to Stacy because she believed in her goal, made a plan and worked her plan. Taking consistent action is the key! She hired professional people when she needed help in areas beyond her expertise. Her website is well designed and has many of the items that helps build a business.

Are you ready to follow her lead? Study her site and work on yours. Get educated in marketing and design your own marketing plan. Then take action!

Another article on Stacy: Stacy Westfall First Woman Competitor at Road to the Horse

Stacey Westfall Bridleless Bareback Reining YouTube Video:


Stacy Westfall YouTube Video Search results – 65 Videos Listed!

You should also read my past post: Seven marketing boo-boos costing you business

P.S. Visit Stacy’s website to study it and take notes, then let me know what you plan to take from it to better your horse site. Please leave a comment below.

Resources for Business Building:

Note from Joni: A few of the links on this page are to my affiliate sites. I only affiliate with sites that I feel give real value and will benefit my readers.

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/stacy-westfalls-success-secrets/feed/ 3 Marketing with blogs http://alove4horses.com/marketing-with-blogs/ http://alove4horses.com/marketing-with-blogs/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:42:45 +0000 Joni http://alove4horses.com/blog/marketing-with-blogs/

Why a blog is good for your horse business

]]> horse money Marketing with blogs

Why a blog is good for your horse business

Blogging is good for your equine business, because it is an easy to use marketing tool to help you spread the news about what you do and why people should care. But you need to use this marketing tool correctly in order to received the most benefit from it.

I searched for a few videos for you to view on blogging for business…

Many horse people now seem to see the need to have their business on the web but are a bit slow on seeing the advantage of an interactive blog site over a static brochure style site. So here are a few videos on why blog for your business:

Why Blog; youtube Video: Blogs in Plain English

Business Blog vs. Normal Website

Everything You Need To Know About Blogging (in 4 Minutes or less)

A few videos on how to blog better:

Are You Still Blogging On Blogger? youtube Video

Blogging Blunders – #1: Not Having Your Own Domain Name; youtube Video

Blogging Blunders – #2: Not Having a Tightly Focused Niche; youtube Video

RSS Feeds; what’s that?

You should also learn about RSS feeds too!

Video: RSS in Plain English

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]]> http://alove4horses.com/marketing-with-blogs/feed/ 8 Horses artist; horses that paint http://alove4horses.com/horses-artist-horses-that-paint/ http://alove4horses.com/horses-artist-horses-that-paint/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:19:26 +0000 Joni http://alove4horses.com/blog/horses-artist-horses-that-paint/ Artist with hooves and whinnies hold brushes and create paintings

Horses are know for running and jumping, but now there are a few that have taken up painting. They hold the paintbrush in their mouth and nod and swing their head while applying paint to canvas or paper. I bet some of these horse artist have sold more paintings than some human artist.

Horse business owners take note that the owners of these horse painters know how to get publicity; publicity equals more sales. Check out the PR news on Romeo and Juliet – newspapers, web sites, blogs, horse magazines to bird magazines. What does your horse or horse business do that is a bit different – news worthy ? – well get the news out with press releases and blog postings!

Meet the four horses that paint…

  1. Cholla, a mustang artist. Cholla has a full page feature in the new Ripley’s Book, ‘The Remarkable Revealed’, release date 8/7/07.

    Video showing Cholla running in the snow and then painting.

  2. Romeo & Juliet, two adorable gaited Paso Fino horses. They are now featured in their own children’s book, “Home Sweet Home with Romeo & Juliet“.
  3. and now DaVinci, the new paint horse art student!

Horse Videos


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