Filmmaker: Mara LeGrand filming wild horses.

I began making the film about America’s wild horses in June of 2009.  What began as a story about Pancho a mustang colt adopted by Claude Steelman, turned into an odyssey of greater proportions than I imagined. Once I was exposed, educated and informed about what is happening to America’s wild horses and the real injustice behind their management I couldn’t  just make an adoption story.  Some adoptions and rescues of these horses needs to happen and it sure seemed like a redemption story for mustangs when I was a new comer to the issues.  But wild horses do not easily turn into a domesticated, reliable riding horse so they  need to be in the hands of capable horse whisperers who respect them and understand that most of them likely suffer from PTSD and although they may turn out to like you, because they have such big loving hearts, it doesn’t mean they want you to ride them.   An estimated 90% of these horses that are adopted end up not meeting the riding expectations of the person who adopts them.  Then guess what happens to them?  They are taken to the sale barn and many end up in the slaughter pipe line.  It’s hard to know where to start telling this story , let alone where to end it.   The best place for a wild horse is to be left free-roaming on the open range.  Birth control measures can be implemented, water issues mitigated, private livestock REMOVED from the range and most importantly land restored to the wild horses that was lawfully given them in 1971 should be returned.  A STOP to brutal helicopter round ups should be called for immediately and think tanks, forums and unbiased advocacy groups should be formed to figure out new and sustainable solutions for America’s wild horses.

Captured, Frightened Wild Horses.

There are currently an estimated 40,000 wild horses in crowded holding facilities, resembling POW camps.  Out on the range, less than 30, 000 wild horses still run free, that is until one of the daily scheduled helicopter round ups, ends everything they know and love.   The wild horse management program is entirely about biases, distorted knowledge, pandering to special interest groups, politics of the most corrupt kind and an attitude of dominion whose only destination can be destruction of all that is beautiful, natural and filled with innocence and truth.  Half truths or down right lies abound in this arena of those who convince themselves what they’re doing…. “is best for the horses.”   I made a film to encourage an audience to dig deeper and not fall for the propaganda spun by those whose main objective is to GET RID OF AMERICA’S FREE ROAMING WILD HORSES.   Every problem they (the BLM) states as reasons for removing wild horses and burros from the range,   can be traced to bad, irresponsible, cavalier, pandering – and likely their personal profiteering instead of true management of public resources, public lands and America’s public horses.  I encourage people to ask more questions and demand progress toward sustainable solutions for the wild horses . Change can be implemented immediately.   I feel the heart break of orphan children when I see the broken – spirit in the eyes of these horses. The horse’s eyes offer a mirror to our own souls.  Is callous indifference where we’re bound?

Double Feature - Two Films on Stewardship by Mara LeGrand

If you’re anywhere near Moab on May  4th don’t miss this double feature of two of Mara LeGrand’s films with an eye on stewardship of the earth, it’s resources and it’s critters.   Open to see the poster and we invite you to pass it forward. Mara LeGrand will do a Q & A after each film and Jonathan Ratner of Western Watersheds is a key note presenter about water on public land in southern Utah. This combo was a hit in Durango and is sure to be again.  Contact Mara if you’d like to host a similar event in your community.

Art as Perks on Indie - Go Go campaign coming soon.

Names of Artists and their links coming soon.  Meanwhile mark your calendars for the May 7th launch.  Together we all make the world better for the wild horses.

Know that you helped bring awareness to millions by supporting this film.

Wild Horses In Winds of Change, brings awareness and motivation to help the cause of the wild horse.  Now that it is going to be aired on National PBS it’s message will reach at least 20 million viewers.

I have increasing debt on this film and appreciate help to get it paid and recover some costs of making the film.  It has taken me 3 years of more than full time- unpaid  work and over $40,000  to get to this National PBS programming opportunity.  I hope many of you see the film’s power to reach the masses as a worthy endeavor to support.   The film will motivate people to find horse causes to help: without exception, viewers will want to choose what organization to get involved with.  In addition to a direct call to action for wild horses it calls upon all of us to be responsible and compassionate stewards of all of nature and it’s creatures.  I crafted the film to be like a  messenger – to raise awareness and stimulate action.   I am most grateful if you can offer your support so this film can  keep  moving forward as an agent for awareness and change.

Here’s How You Can Help:

1) Direct financial “gifts” to the film.  This is a way of helping the cause of the mustang by knowing you helped raise awareness and call to action millions more to the cause of the wild horse.  Write checks to Skydancer Productions – Mail to P.O. Box 2146, Durango CO 81303

Oraganize a Digital Campfire: Bring Community together as you show this film.

2) Set up well-organized, well – marketed screenings of the film.  These  can be anywhere from barns, indoor or outdoor arenas, indie theaters or other town venues.  Costs for venue rental space or projectors should be paid for by  local sponsors.  The new PBS version of the film is only 25 min. long so it ideally suited for a panel/ key-note speaker – audience interaction afterwards.

The screening can stand alone – charging just a ticket cost or having a local sponsor cover the costs of at least $10.00 per person.

Or it can be an event filled with much more activity: food, band, other films, silent auction, mustang appreciation and so on, consequently raising the ticket price.  See

3) Purchasing large quantities of the DVD as an incentive  or thank you gift or to distribute through your organizations and in your community.

4) Fill at request forms at your local libraries and ask they consider purchasing a screening license and showing the film in your community. Library Journal reviewed it as: ‘Beautifully rendered and very persuasive…”

5)  Social Media Networking.  Spread word of the film:  film screening opportunities and DVDs available.

6) Encourage purchase/ screening of both Skydancer Productions films for 2 for $30.00.  Heart & Soil is about stewardship and sustainability through local farming while Wild Horses In  Winds of Change is about the need for stewardship and compassion through the lens of the wild horse.

7) Underwriting opportunity – is coming to an end by the end.  Deadline is  March 14. 2012.    This 15 second slide and Voice Over would come at the end of the film and provide exposure to the potential of 20 million viewers – repeatedly over a four year period of time. The exposure includes all of the U.S affiliates including U.S Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  This opportunity is $15,000 for 15 seconds, just a fraction of advertising costs or even direct PBS underwriting.

Help open doors for more distribution avenues in the U.S. and abroad.

9) Ask T.V. channels to program it and pay a programming fee.

10) Recommend or write grants that would support the film being shown to communities everywhere.  Follow the film with local presenters to provide more information about particular groups and initiatives.  Showing the film and involving the community is a  great tool to elicit more local support for “local” efforts.

11) If you don’t feel like you can help, please consider asking someone you know who might be able to.  The film was made with the power of “one” but as we all know – “one” is not sustainable.  We need all of us.

Learn more about Lone Star Duke at www.whisperingpinesminiaturehorses.com

Thank you to all for a successful film event in Durango.  Even though it was a stormy night the theater’s 200 seats were filled.  There were many points of view represented in the audience, making for some lively debate among attendees.  The over-all feed back about the  film was a frustration in the lack of solutions presented.  I have tried to address some of that in the re-cut version now in Prep for  PBS National Programming.

Stopping the method wild horses are rounded up and removing private cattle from public lands

would provide some breathing space “if” sustainable management for wild horse herds was WANTED.  The key is – if BLM decreed all 12 million cattle off the range tomorrow, the range and resources would begin to recover.  However, there would be another type of land grab for america’s “public land” resources.  Recently I was told that a Chinese Mining venture has leased land from the BLM for their mining ventures.  The entire system of public lands management is like a gigantic real estate firm.  They pedal “our” resources without our permission or even our collective vote.    The wild horses are the scape goats for everything the BLM does wrong but driving their action is the greed and consumption of it’s people. If we want the wild horses to “simply live”  I think we have to not only rally for immediate change in the wild horse program but we also need to examine our own attitudes of biases and greed, food preference and resource use. There are so many pressing issues facing all horses today.  Many people in the horse industry  want slaughter plants to open again in this country – not because they don’t like horses, but because they want horses to equate to money for them and they know money for commodities is about supply and demand.   I compare it to the housing market these days.  Generally most areas are over-built, with more houses than buyers. If we think about the housing market, like horse people do their industry, then why not burn down the existing houses so we can create an industry for new ones?  Interesting there is one letter different houses/ horses. Horses are a container ,like a dwelling place or a house, for the soul of the human to retreat into.  The therapeutic value of horses is expanding as people tap into their healing nature and find them to be comforting companions even in their dreams.   People in many industries,  now  have to wait it out – and find other ways to make a living until the market recovers.   I think we have to be positive and involved, because if we are involved with someone or something, we more likely have understanding and respect for it.

It’s time to respect the horses we have and on all levels consider sustainability  for their future and ours.  The human path is inseparably linked with the horses and as Chief Seattle says: “What we do to the horses, we also do to ourselves.”

The importance of Companionship!

Mark Mottershead of Horse Conscious Magazine called in from the U.K. on a teleconference with questions to Jonathan Ratner of Western Watersheds and Mara LeGrand: filmmaker of  Wild Horses In Winds of Change.

I was thrilled to be included in the conversation but I especially loved “listening and learning”. Be sure to scroll down to the link  posted below.   I found myself in a keen listening mode as I sat in front of my computer with my filmmaker head set on.    I want to include every voice and every bit of information I hear in my films ~but alas I only have 25 minutes to explain to the world why they want to care about america’s wild horses.

Now with an opportunity to perform some surgery on the film to ready it for National PBS, I have the chance to add and subtract, re-structure and tweak the tone, slightly.  So once again, I ponder what are the most important points to cover? What will motivate the viewers to get involved with dollars, hands and hearts? What should I be careful not to say? What numbers should I believe? How do I reach both the minds and hearts of viewers?  And how on earth do I cover such a complex topic in 25 minutes?   I can’t of course cover the topic – but National broadcast for this film is a  golden opportunity to bring  the crises facing america’s wild horses into the homes of millions.

Before I write any line of narration for my film I tend to pause and consider if this is the message the horses would like to convey.   It’s not hard for anyone to imagine that if a wild horse could speak our language -what they’d have to say.  I believe they wouldn’t pit one side of the fence against the other, instead they’d encourage an open range of dialogue and a sharing of resources. They’d chime in on the importance of bio-diversity and how necessary it is for the sustainability of all wild lands and wild life. They’d wonder how their very being as a free roaming survivor conjures up so much love and respect  from some yet sheer prejudice and hatred among others?  They’d question why people believe the myths that they aren’t native to this land even though bones of their ancestors are found with the most ancient mammoths of this continent. They wonder why humans require more than basics to be happy and fulfilled?  I imagine they’d want me to convey in the film – a statement about the beauty and benefits of living simply.   I have invited the voices of the horses into my psyche on this journey and I have requested with all sincerity that their energy fuels the progress for this film.   I’ve felt myself as the captive horse, separated from my family and free roaming life, subject to a prison of war camp, with no hope for a future beyond the fence and stale straw I’m thrown.  I’ve been the mare, guarding my foal, wanting to play with  her in the land of the free – but in the pen, there’s no where to go and nothing for me to teach her.  I wonder how anyone could turn their backs on these magnificent animals who by nature have simple goals and untroubled souls?

As I sit in front of my Mac gazing out the window into the quiet falling of Colorado snow, I feel a sense of warmth knowing that I’m among not only the energy of the horses who in every sense of the word, accompany  humans towards it’s next great frontier,  and that I am also in the carriage of courageous, educated, heart- centered companions. I am as always overwhelmed with the magnitude of the issue, yet  grateful my hand  is free to help. http://horseconscious.s3.amazonaws.com/MemberCalls/HC_Member_Calls/20120212-WildHorses.mp3

Be one with the healing energy of the horses. Feel the heartbeat of the earth next to yours. Surrender to nature’s gift of intuition. Transform your life in an enchanted land.

Liz Mitten Ryan, of Equinisty in B.C. Canada offers a week long retreat for the PBS fundraising drive for Wild Horses In Winds of Change.

100% of the retreat value goes to cover costs involved in meeting PBS National Broadcast Programming requirements.  Open this link and feel yourself in the healing energy of Liz and her horses.

http://www.equinisity.com/press_release_02_2012.html

This offer from Liz at Equinisity is called a  “reserve- donation” .  As much as it exemplifies graciousness it is an example of how by helping one another we help – big causes. 

My big cause for this campaign drive is to make the “cut” for National PBS Broadcast for Wild Horses In Winds of Change, in a timely  and effective manner.  I’ll be making some changes to the film not only to fit PBS specs but also to – edit the film to have “broad audience” appeal. 

It has always been my mission that this film made specifically to help the wild horses would bring awareness and a call to action to  the world.  This National PBS opportunity is a giant leap in that direction.

I welcome your offerings  to this campaign drive and/ or  contact me if you’d like to be an official underwriter that reaches PBS audiences of 20 Million plus.

I am forever grateful to Liz Mitten Ryan for helping kick off this campaign.

http://www.equinisity.com/press_release_02_2012.html

White Horse by Phyllis Stapler donation to silent auction in Durango on Feb. 19.

You’ll want to come with your checkbooks or cash to take part in our silent auction.  We do not accept Credit cards.

Phyllis Stapler’s “White Horse” is one of fine art pieces available at our  silent auction.  Joe Toledo – “First Snow Run,” a water color of 3 horses running in – - snow.

“White Horse:  A stylized paintings of animals and plants. Simplified forms silhouetted against monochromatic backgrounds with mysterious connotations and engaging formal …see more at www.phyllisstapler.com

In addition to the many books reviewed below we have others:  Carol Walker’s “Wild Hoofbeats” and Cloud Foundation 2012 Calendar. PaintedHillsPublishing.com

Off the topic of horses but on the topic of understanding ourselves in relation to the cosmos is “Venus Star Rising” a brilliant astrology book by Arielle Guttman, www.VenusStarRising.com.

“Essential Oils For Animals ” by Nayana Morag www.OffTheLeashPress.com

We have donations of DVDS, CDS from Templeton Thompason. templetonthompson.com
Silver Horse pendants from Durango’s own “Cowgirs” &  “Cowboy Trading.”  An Alabaster Howling Coyote from Lanka Blue, Diamond Elixers by Sharon Walker, and lodging stays you dream of in Santa Fe, Telluride and Durango’s own Rochester Hotel.  Four Leaves Winery who recently opened at 528 Main in Durango has offered a whole parties worth of Gift Certificate.  www.fourleaves.com   Appaloosa Trading Company offered a pocket knife with a horse carved into it.  We have a fun/ carpet bag worth $100.00 from Eureka Dan’s and Gift Cards to many of Durango’s great restaurants and lavish gift baskets from Nature’s Oasis, Natural Grocers, Telluride Gift Baskets, Pets and Paws, and a traveling Doggie bed from Creature Comforts.

Our silent auction includes many wonderful Gift Certificate Offerings from Natural Healing modalites: Massage, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Foto Facials, Beauty Care, and Animal Communication sessions.  Maria’s bookshop has offered a copy of Deanne Stillman’s book “Mustang”  adding to a collection of books about horses and pets you might otherwise never know about.  By just reading the book reviews below, you’ll get an education.

DENISE LEE BRANCO, Award-Winning Author
Silver Medal – 2011 Living Now Book Awards
(animals/pets/livestock category)
Please visit: http://www.HorseAtTheCornerPost.com

Horse at the Corner Post: Our Divine Journey

Available at www.horseatthecornerpost.com    Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

I have been blessed with many animal friends in my life, but you were unique. I had a connection with you since your wobbly foal legs held you up and until your aged arthritic legs no longer allowed you to stand. ~ Denise Lee Branco

In the award-winning Horse at the Corner Post, Denise Lee Branco writes straight from the heart about her deep, lifelong connection to her quarter horse, Freedom.

At an outsider’s first glance, there may have been nothing special about this particular foal. Yet, Branco and Freedom connected almost immediately, soul to soul. Sharing hugs, playing racing games alongside the fence, and winning 2^nd Place in a Kindergarten Western Pleasure Class, the two youngsters formed a powerful relationship. All that changed as Branco neared college age and her uncle took a fancy to the horse. Thinking Freedom would have a great temporary home, Branco let him go, only to discover some years later that he had been sold.

What ultimately takes place is an astonishing tribute, not only to the profound relationship between a girl and her horse, but also to the deep support of a family that understood this bond and cared enough to see it through.

The strength of this book lies in Branco’s skilled and honest storytelling.  The reader is there every step of the way, reminded of the animals that may have graced their own life.

Branco’s hope in writing about Freedom is that it will encourage animal adoption. This inspired family reading achieves all of that and more.

Denise Lee Branco spent her childhood on a California ranch, befriending all the furry and feathered residents there. From reading horse books to competing in western shows and gymkhanas, Denise has always felt horses are a part of her identity. She hopes Horses at the Corner Post will encourage animal adoption.

Ride from the Heart DVD,   The Art of Communication By Jenny Rolfe,

Cracking Media 50 minutes – $37.00

To purchase on-line, go to: http://www.spanishdressagehorses.com  Also available on Amazon Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

Training is about connection with our horse with love, harmony and respect. The more we understand the ways of the horse, the more we understand our own feelings. As a result we can live in more harmony – not only with our horse – but with ourselves. ~ Jenny Rolfe

U.K. riding instructor Jenny Rolfe teaches innovative techniques of core breathing to connect with the horse and help the rider to find harmony in body, mind and spirit. Now these techniques are available in progressive and well-organized detail on the DVD Ride from the Heart.

Rolfe’s principles are based in dressage, but applicable to all forms of riding.  She demonstrates with her Iberian stallions using liberty work, not only as a training aid, but also as a warm-up, re-establishing connection on the ground prior to riding. The object is calm, assertive leadership, and total empathy between horse and handler.

The DVD includes common training tips such as not pulling on a horse’s head when leading. There are also excellent demonstrations of Rolfe’s exercise system to improve the rider’s body awareness. Exercises, loosely based on Tai Chi, are done in standing positions. The rider is then soft and relaxed when mounted, and thus the horse is as well. Most athletes already use such techniques prior to competition, but not much has been offered on DVD for the equestrian.

Instructors will value this DVD as a teaching tool for all levels, but it additionally offers fresh perspectives on position and groundwork. It is really for anyone who wants to help their horse become a more confident athlete and simply create a better ride.

Jenny Rolfe’s clients come from all over the world and include those professionally involved with horses, among them BHS trainers, physiotherapists and natural horsemanship instructors. She is also an artist and author of the book Ride from the Heart and her upcoming 2012 release Breathe Life Into Your Riding.

NELL WALTON-The Bone Trail Review 

The Bone Trail

Nell Walton

Nell Walton, Soft Cover, 2010, $13.95 U.S.ISBN: 978-1-45649-90799
Available from Amazon

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

On the afternoon of the last day of Lindy Abraham’s life, she stood leaning against an old Jeep Cherokee, once red, now faded to kind of a dusky umber, rapping her heel impatiently against a tire. She waited in the Nevada desert in the middle of June; it was hot, and her peach colored cotton tank top stuck unpleasantly in the hollow between her narrow shoulders. ~ Nell Walton

In The Bone Trail, Nell Walton hooks the reader from the very start.  We can feel the unrelenting heat and isolation of the desert, and the vulnerability of those who venture there. I was immediately drawn into this exciting story about the disappearance of two wild horse advocates – mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one.

Walton’s book is inspired by the true-life events with which many horse lovers are familiar – the brutal helicopter roundups of wild mustangs off U.S. public lands, hearing of them being run to exhaustion into long-term warehousing facilities, where many face illness and death. But, there is more to this story, something far worse, and investigative journalist Kate Wyndham is determined to the discover the truth, even at great personal risk.

Every single character in this novel is lively and engaging – from the cold-blooded mining security staff to the Shoshone Reservation inhabitants to the stonewalling local police. Before we know it, we are following Kate’s terrifying trail, gripped with fear and sickened by the possible outcome.

This is one of those books the reader hopes will never end. Rumor has it that Walton is working on a sequel and there is no doubt readers will be lined up to get their hands on it.

Nell Walton is a journalist and the founder of the online equestrian news magazine, The AllHorses Post (www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost). She lives with her husband and four horses (including two mustangs) in East Tennessee.

Tales of an Animal Communicator Master Teachers by Nancy A. Kaiser, Soft Cover, 2011, $16.95Also available as an e-book

ISBN: 9-781-61364-586-4, Available on Amazon or http://www.nancykaiseranimalcommunicator.com

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

My hope for this book is that its characters and their tales will cause you to view your own animals with new eyes and with a new perspective about their significance to your life. Remember, they’ve answered your soul’s cries for help. So why not let them help?

~ Nancy A. Kaiser

In this first book of a series, Nancy A. Kaiser draws on her extensive experience to share her personal journey and anecdotes about the animals she has encountered along the way.  The result is a spiritually uplifting book that inspires all who truly care about animals or are drawn to the world of interspecies communication.

Kaiser had imaginary conversations with animals as a child. In her adult work as a veterinary assistant, the animals she treated helped her realize that telepathic communicating was possible. She was guided to experiences that would develop her abilities and lead her to embrace her destiny – to help heal the human-animal bond.

We are introduced to Love, an exceptional filly born with curvature of the spine. Although she couldn’t stay on earth for long, Love’s story is one of unlimited possibility. Ongoing paths to transformation are provided by the myriad of Kaiser’s dogs and cats. There are other horses – Squiggles and her first foal, Dash, who later needed two surgeries, and Stormy, who offers powerful lessons of his own during training. Each chapter leaves a lasting impact on the reader’s heart.

Kaiser’s writing style is clear and compassionate. She includes vivid descriptions of her communications with animals – conversations that reveal their love, their fears, and their preferences. There is a companion CD or MP3 download to the book, entitled Gifts From the Universe, which contains the two releasing processes that form the final chapter of the book. While the circumstances of Kaiser’s life form a fascinating backdrop for these tales, it is the animals themselves who are the real stars.  They provide perspective and true partnership, if their humans are willing to receive what they offer to teach. Reading this book is the place to start that exploration. It will definitely introduce fresh dimensions for animal lovers everywhere.

Ground Manners, A Novel

Cynthia-DErrico-Ground-Manner

By Cynthia D’Errico,Soft Cover, 2011, $19.99, Hard Cover, 2011, $24.99

ISBN: 978-1-4568-2394-8

Available at: www.groundmannersnovel.com or on Amazon

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

Learning that horses were butchered for meat left many people feeling raw and lied to, like suddenly finding out that your neighbour had barbecued your retriever or microwaved your cat. Like so many others, Yanne was clearly unaware that, whether for meat or other reasons, horses were slaughtered at all. ~ Part Three, Chapter Four, p. 116

Ground Manners. A Novel is an innovative synthesis of adventure, romance and animal advocacy. Cynthia D’Errico has produced a compelling tale based on true stories about Canada’s horse slaughter industry, the dangers of continuing to ignore coastline erosion, and which features an especially intriguing thread on how le Canadien became both Quebec’s heritage breed and the National Horse of Canada.

Through the thoughts of Ausencia, a slaughter-bound polo horse, the opening pages introduce us to the horse refuge run by animal communicator Skye Spahro and her daughter on Isle-Saint-Jean- Baptiste. The Institute of Nature Communications, like many horse rescues across the country,  is dedicated to the care and rehoming of abused horses, including the rescue of those slated for slaughter.

The horses narrate a good part of the story as D’Errico performs skillful shifts from the human to the animal point of view. These shifts are reminiscent of those in other classics like Babe and Black Beauty, with that same brilliant seamlessness that keeps the reader fully engaged.  The character of each horse is carefully delineated so that when Ulric, the eternally calm Belgian draft says: “I don’t like the look of things, Tessa,” his ominous tone ushers the reader into the darkness of the book’s last half.The themes in this book require the reader to confront the moral dilemmas often present in horse ownership and attempt to expand the reader’s vision of horses.  Yet the darkness is never overdone.

The storyline is simultaneously about love, heroes and hope for lasting change in our treatment of animals and the planet – indeed of the very ground we walk on. D’Errico’s writing style intimately involves readers in the lives of her characters, human and animal, in such a way that their world becomes difficult to leave as the book nears its gripping finale.

Ground Manners is the tale that horse lovers have waited for, but also essential reading for anyone intent on creating a more harmonious relationship with our planet. It will definitely raise public consciousness and is sure to spark debate.  A former ESL teacher and business editor, Cynthia has always felt a special empathy toward horses with whom she was raised. She continues to promote animals’ rights to live in whatever is left of their natural environments free of cruelty and neglect. Visit Cynthia at www.groundmannersnovel.com or on her Blog at: www.cynthiaderrico.com

Ask Your Animal, Resolving Behavioral Issues, Through Intuitive Communication

Marta Williams, Foreword by Vanessa Williams, New World Library, 2008, Soft Cover, $14.95, ISBN: 978-1-57731-609-1   Available at www.martawilliams.com  or on Amazon

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton

Like almost everyone else in the world. I started out believing that being able to communicate intuitively with animals was pure science fiction.  ~ Marta Williams

Around the world, people are starting to see how communication with other species enhances all life. Whether you want to enrich your relationship with one pet or plan serious study of animal communication, Ask Your Animal will deeply inspire your direction.

Prior to becoming an animal communicator, Marta Williams worked as a wildlife biologist and environmental scientist. Intrigued by the idea of intuitive communication with animals, she set out to learn all that she could about the subject, a path which led her to become a full-time animal communicator.

Ask Your Animal outlines the author’s insightful approaches to more rewarding relationships with animals. Williams believes these are skills we can all cultivate. Woven throughout the book are heartfelt anecdotes of the myriad ways people have tapped into the information animals offer to us. Pet lovers will recognize these situations – from the horse that won’t trailer load to the rescue dog that attacks other animals to the cat that refuses food when her owner is away. Each section includes simple instructions designed to help resolve the challenge and nurture confidence in the apprentice animal communicator. Williams encourages readers to listen, gain fresh perspectives, and discover creative new paths to success. Included are tools to calm a distressed animal, resolve negative behavior, such as jumping up on people or digging, eliminate aggression, and teach a hypersensitive or fearful animal to accept and even enjoy being handled.

There is an entire chapter devoted to using intuition to find a lost animal and another on coping with death, two situations that owners find particularly distressing. One of the more unique features of the book is the final chapter, focused on new ways of relating to the wild creatures with which we share the planet.

Ask Your Animal is a vital resource deserving of a permanent spot on the bookshelf.  No animal lover will be the same after reading it.

Marta Williams, author of Learning Their Language and Beyond Words, lives in Northern California and travels internationally to lecture and teach. She consults by phone and email with people and their animals throughout the world. Visit Marta at: www.martawilliams.com.

Wild Horses In Winds of Change Film

 Screening Event  on Feb. 19, 2012

6 – 9 P.M at Durango Arts Center, Dur.CO.

This film artfully inspires new alternatives, while it calls on us to look at ourselves and our deeper values. It is designed to generate public interest and education for conservation of nature and wild life, it dispels myths that prevail about america’s wild horses and calls upon humanity to be guardians of the natural world as it makes clear the complex issues facing america’s wild horse population.

Clay Sullwold D.C. Cafe of Life

Lights, Action, Projector - and a real good time.

Tickets available at www.durangoarts.org on-line and at the ticket office.  Tickets can also be purchased during office hours at Cafe of Life, 925 Hwy 3 Durango.  $21.00 includes three hours of live music, dinner, film, speakers and cool stuff to bid on and learn about.  Limited seating so get your tickets SOON.

Enjoy the Reception from 6- 7 with Lisa Blue Trio http://www.lisabluesongs.com

Lisa Blue Trio Performs from 6- 7. for the reception at DAC, FE 19th.

The band will provide music for the reception and dinner of  vegetarian Paella cooked on site will be  provided by www.cafeoflifedurango.com/ Petra and Clay Sullwold, and Jay Komarak. Refreshments can be purchased at the cash bar at DAC. Visit sponsors tables and bid on many interesting items at our silent auction.

7PM – Introduction of the film by Master of Ceremonies, Tammy Sloan Smith,  followed by the film:

Wild Horses In Winds of Change

& a stimulating Q&A with filmmaker Mara LeGrand along with.

Key note speaker: Jonathan Ratner of

Western Watersheds project:

Jonathan Ratner: Western Watersheds Project: Key Note Speaker

” The Spider in the Web:  What’s really behind the situation for wild horses on America’s range land.”  www.westernwatersheds.org/

Join in what will be a lively and diverse discussion about sustainable solutions for wild horses and western resources.

    8:30 – 9:00  “Healing and Horses”

with guest presenters:

Dr’s. Clay & Petra Sullwold D.C’s

of Cafe of Life

As chiropractors for people and animals Dr.’s Clay and Petra Sullwold will share their hands on healing experiences and insights with horses. How horses heal us and how we can also heal horses.

Dr. Petra Sullwold Cafe of Life

http://www.cafeoflifedurango.com, www.equinenutrition.com, photonichealth.com,  thenaturalfeeder.com, mesacolorjobshop.com

Book your stay with one of our generous sponsors.

Mara LeGrand Director, Producer, Writer of Wild Horses in Winds of Change, interviews mustangs. She has lived in Durango Co for 20 years

Click on the  event flier and please SHARE it. 2012 Durango film event flier

For Press Information contact: Tami Graham.

http://tamigraham.com/presents.html

Would you like to donate to the silent auction?   We are looking for a broad range of items and services.  We’ll have fine art, photography, lithographs, books ( especially animal related books), jewelry, gift basket for people and humans , calendars, animal specialty items, antiques, and services.

Please send notification of your interest in sponsorship or silent auction donation to skydancerfilms@gmail.com. We will post your item and your link to give you more exposure.

www.skydancerpoductions.net

Contact skydancerfilms@gmail.com to donate, sponsor or for more information.

This film has been selected for National PBS broadcast distribution.  Closed captioning and other tweaks are required which requires additional funding.  What  a great opportunity to raise awareness, find sustainable solutions  and broaden horizons of hope for wild horses.  Contact Mara  if you’d like to be an underwriter for this finesse’ for PBS.  Your organization or business contact will be exposed to 20 million viewers nation wide for a two – four  year period of time.

We encourage you to support our sponsors.  They are generous and have great products to offer.  If you come to Durango make your reservation with The Rochester Hotel.  Tell them you’re here for the wild horse film.

http://www.durangotelegraph.com/index.cfm/second-section/breaking-the-herd-mentality/

 http://durangoherald.com/article/20120216/NEWS06/702169957/-1/News

Partnering for a better future for all.

Partnering for our collective future.