|
|
Bruce Logan
Horsemanship Clinic at Pegasus Ranch
|
|
|
The Pegasus Project proudly announces that we will be hosting horseman Bruce Logan on June 23rd, 24th, and 25th at the Pegasus ranch in Murchison, Texas. Bruce will be offering horsemanship instruction in private lesson format. Participants may book one-hour time slots at the cost of $200/slot. Each student is limited to no more than two slots per day. You can book just one slot, or up to six slots over the course of the weekend. Auditors are welcome to attend at a cost of $30/person/day. The clinic will run from 8am until 5pm each day with a one hour lunch break at noon. Those riding with Bruce are welcome to audit the remaining clinic at no additional charge. Outdoor pens for your horses will also be provided at no added cost.
Bruce Logan is an exceptional horseman with a lifetime of experiences starting colts in the United States and abroad and developing performance horses in Cutting and Working Cow Horse disciplines. He credits his success to putting the horse first and adjusting to fit each individual horse's needs. In his clinic, you will learn fundamentals to help you communicate more effectively with your horse, and Bruce will encourage you to give your horsemanship purpose. To review Bruce's bio, click here: Bruce Logan
The DeCanios have a long-term relationship with Bruce and are thrilled to host him at the Pegasus ranch. Bruce has trained several of the Pegasus rescue horses including Elvis, Sundance, Dooley, Susie, Georgia, Geronimo, Hannah, Gus, Ernest, and Little Bear. Bruce also trained Allyson's personal horse Gaits. Doc, Allyson's superstar Quarter Horse was a gift from Bruce. Doc served as a once-in-a-lifetime horse for Bruce before Bruce graciously retired him to Allyson's care. We firmly believe that Bruce is one of the best colt starters and horse developers around, which is why we entrusted the initial care of the Phoenix Herd to him.
Don't miss your chance to ride with this great horseman. For more information or to sign up for the clinic, click here: Bruce Logan Clinic
|
|
|
~Gus~
The Rebirth of a Marvelous Mule
|
|
| Allyson DeCanio delivers Gus to his new home |
We love each animal that enters the Pegasus gates. But every now and then, one comes along that is so special, he grabs our heart strings and doesn't let go. Gus is one of those.
In January 2015, we rescued Gus from an Oklahoma kill-pen, just one day prior to his trip to the slaughterhouse. This big, handsome mule was spotted by an animal advocate who knew of Allyson DeCanio's love for mules. She tearfully pleaded for Pegasus to save him from his terrible, impending fate. She saw Gus as confused and sad but felt that he had the heart of a lion beneath his troubled exterior. We sprang into action, paid his ransom, and Gus was transported to our ranch within 3 days.
Upon arrival, Gus was indeed sad and confused. He was also terribly defensive. It was clear that his life experiences with humans had not been positive. Our vet was able to examine and vaccinate him, and he diagnosed an ulceration to one of Gus' eyeballs. This injury required topical medication twice per day. For the first few days, Gus was not a willing participant in his recovery plan! He would lower his shoulder and threaten Allyson whenever she entered the pen. But with patience, kindness and understanding, he quickly came around. Mules are smart, and once Gus realized that Allyson was offering a gentle hand, he eagerly began to meet her at the gate. His eye healed, he settled in with new pasture mates, and then we began his training.
We soon discovered that Gus was broke to ride, but his training had been poor. He was pushy, full of brace, and couldn't stand still for saddling or bridling. As a 12-year-old, it was going to take some time to uninstall the bad training and reinstall the good stuff. Also, the trust he had developed for Allyson was not translating to others. No one else could catch him, and he often threatened those providing his care. He needed lots of time for his soul to heal. All those negative feelings did not develop in a day, and he was not letting them go easily.
In November 2016, we decided to send Gus to Bruce Logan. Since Bruce has a way with troubled horses, we were certain he could get through to our troubled mule. Bruce kept Gus for four months, and during that time, Gus thrived under Bruce's consistent, kind methods. He began to figure out that doing it Bruce's way was easy, and that all the resistance he was offering made his life more difficult. Also, Bruce's young daughter, Lyra, had a soft spot for Gus because, according to her, he had "sad eyes." She spent a lot of time loving on him and giving him treats. Gus began to trust Bruce and Lyra the same way he trusted Allyson. When Gus returned to Pegasus in March 2017, he was a changed mule. For the first time, he liked attention from everyone. Suddenly, ALL humans were OK. Perhaps the love of an innocent child was all he needed to finally let his past go.
|
|
| Gus with his adopter, Renee Risinger |
Pegasus supporter, Renee Risinger, had been watching Gus for a while in hopes that he would bond with her. She worked with Bruce and Gus during his clinic at the Pegasus ranch in March 2017. We knew immediately that the pairing was perfect. Gus quickly took to Renee, and by April, she finalized her adoption of him. Gus is no longer resistant and pushy. His kind spirit has emerged, and he seeks out rather than avoids human contact. He has proven to be an awesome trail mule, and he is soft and confident under saddle.
|
|
| Gus is kind and gentle enough for children |
Gus now shares his life with Pegasus rescue horse, Cheyenne, who was adopted by Renee's partner, Shara Gose. (Coincidentally, Cheyenne came from the same Oklahoma kill-pen as Gus.) Gus and Cheyenne are thriving under the loving, watchful eyes of Renee and Shara. Gus runs to the gate to greet them when they arrive home each day. Our hearts overflow with joy and pride to know that we saved this beautiful soul and allowed the true Gus to be reborn.
|
|
| Cheyenne and Gus with Shara Gose and Pegasus ranch manager, Chelsea Hopson |
Gus is just one example of the many neglected, abused and abandoned horses, donkeys and mules we encounter in our daily work. Every animal deserves a chance to reach its fullest potential, and thanks to your generosity, we get to offer this chance to a fortunate few. We are so grateful to adopters like Renee and Shara for offering these precious animals their very own happily-ever-afters!
|
|
| Gus is one of Allyson's all-time favorites |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
A Note from Allyson
Help A Horse Day
On April 22nd, we opened the
ranch gates for our annual Wings Over Pegasus aviation extravaganza! For the past three years, we have paired this event with the ASPCA's "Help a Horse Day" contest to compete with horse rescues from around the country to win up to $25,000 in grant money. This month-long celebration provides us an opportunity to promote the work we do, raise money, and heighten awareness of the plight of at-risk horses in our community. Despite the unseasonably cold and windy weather,
Wings Over Pegasus
was a big success!
Based upon past attendance and the annual growth of this event, we were expecting more than 800 people. While the weather kept many of you home, 400 die-hards braved the elements and came on out. Crazy winds kept many of the planes grounded, but our guests enjoyed pony rides, paint-a-horse, and of course Pegasito in his kissing booth. Helicopters and a few planes were able to give rides to the daring, but the highlight of the day was Stephen Covington's airshow in "The Raptor." He thrilled the crowd with his breath-taking, low-altitude, high-energy performance.
Despite the disappointing turnout, we raised $17,871 at Wings Over Pegasus alone.(Much of that was in sweatshirt sales!) Our grand total of cash raised throughout the month of April exceeded $62,200. This figure includes event sponsors, designated donations, raffle ticket sales, and funds raised for Pegasus by VCA Advanced Animal Care Hospitals in the amount of $8300! In addition, a sponsor donated a John Deere Gator, and we gained more than a dozen new volunteers. 2017 was our most successful Help A Horse Day campaign to date.
We attribute much of this success to our media blitz, our generous sponsors, and our always fantastic volunteers. Also, despite the challenges of putting on an event of this magnitude, we continued to do the work. During our month-long Help a Horse campaign, 5 horses were adopted, 2 more adoptions will be finalized next week, and several more horses have applications pending.
We love "Help A Horse Day." This contest pushes us to be braver . . . to reach higher . . . and dream bigger. Our efforts were rewarded with $10,000 grants in 2015 and 2016. If we are fortunate enough to win grant funds from the ASPCA this year, every penny shall go to support the 36 rescue horses currently on the ranch, 30 of whom are in training. The encouragement we feel from all of you gives us the courage to continue this important and difficult mission. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Allyson DeCanio
President, The Pegasus Project
|
|
|
|
June 18 - Open House
June 23, 24, 25 - Bruce Logan Horsemanship Clinic
September 14 - North Texas Giving Day
October 8 - Open House
November 4 - Ride for a Rescue
December 3 - Open House
|
|
|
PEGASUS PARTNERS
Thursday, May 25th
5:30 pm
DeCanios' Front Porch
Pegasus Ranch
(maybe a bonfire too)
Monthly, fun,
information-packed meetings for
Pegasus supporters at various locations throughout the year. All Pegasus Partners at the $25/month level and higher are Happy Hour members. Membership includes a car decal, a Pegasus hat or t-shirt, a Pegasus logo wine glass and an open invitation
to every meeting!
Discuss the latest Pegasus news and connect with other like-minded horse fans. (Your wine glass is free, but the wine isn't! We know how much you drink!)
Click here to join:
|
DO YOU LOVE
WHAT WE DO? BECOME A PEGASUS PARTNER!
Did you know Pegasus relies entirely on private donations? Our regular monthly donors, known as
Pegasus Partners
, are our most treasured assets. For as little as $10/month you can help provide us with a predictable source of income at a much lower cost than any other fundraising method.
While we are very
appreciative of
one-time donations, the monthly donations of our Pegasus Partners
allow us to plan ahead.
Our ability to save these helpless horses, donkeys and mules depends on YOUR donations!
We cannot do this without you! Please consider making a monthly donation so we may continue to rescue horses that have no future without us.
Click here to join:
PEGASUS PARTNERS
|
|
