BY JNFERRIGNO

      Those who frequent VHR chat, and even VP may know the name, Jim. He’s our very own mischievous Puck in disguise. What some may not know is that this trickster has a softer side, for the four legged and furry kind.

      A few years ago, this tree trimmer was out cutting limbs, and accidentally cut a squirrel nest down, “I didn’t see it at first, and when I got down out of the bucket and got on the ground I heard something screaming a lil, so I went looking for it, and I ended up finding the female squirrel, she still had her eyes closed and no fur on her, so I gathered some leafs and part of her nest that was on the ground and put it inside my hard hat .”
      A couple years later, Jim was working at another site when a brave baby boy squirrel decided he was going to sit on his shoulder, “[guess] he smelled the female squirrel on me and thought I was a safe person, and couldn’t get him off, so brought him home and raised him too, he was still pretty young...only peed on my head maybe two or three times.”
      While some may have chosen to rehabilitate the young squirrels, once they bond to a human they aren’t really wild any more and it could be dangerous to release them. Jim did think about it at first, but he’s really a big softy “it was at night when she opened her eyes, she crawled out of the box that was beside my bed and got up on my chest , scared me at first cause I didn’t know what it was , but after I found out it was her, she climbed back on my chest and went to sleep, and eh, I couldn’t just release her back out into the wild.”
      “When she was a baby, I called the vets all around and got online to see what others feed their squirrel, so I went to Wal-Mart and got some cat’s milk and fed her with a little baby bottle.” Aside from hand feeding the baby squirrels, he also made a Squirrel Room, filled with strong branches they could climb on. When they got older, Jim started feeding them all sorts of things, from your typical nuts and fruits, to your M&M’s and coffee, “[I] have no choice, be drinking something and they would just come up and take them a drink of it.” It’s clear here who really rules the house (sugar raging squirrels looking for a caffeine fix!).
      After talking with Jim quite a while about his squirrels, I’ve come to see them as extremely social animals, probably even more sociable than my pet rats. “They act like kids. If you raise your voice with them, they know they are in trouble and then sometimes they'll suck up to you, try to get on your good side again, but they love to play and sleep. And they are so funny to see when they are playing. They get on you and love on you, sometimes they will jump around when they are happy and wanting to play. Both my squirrels [would groom me].”

      Unfortunately in 2006, both squirrels got sick at the same time and Rocky, the female, didn’t pull through, “I searched online, I couldn’t find anything. The vet gave us some meds and didn’t charge us. The male ended up getting better, the female didn’t. She got so bad she [could] hardly walk, or drink anything , had to put something to drink in like an eye dropper and give it to her like that. The vets didn’t even know [what they had].” Sadly, no vet in the area had experience with squirrels, but they never did charge Jim anything when he took them in. Don’t you wish all vets were that generous?
      His male was never neutered, and he did try to mate with Rocky a few times, but she’d always turn around and slap him, “guess she had a headache.” Had she lived longer they may have reared a litter together. But that’s alright, since Jim has a yard full of squirrels he entertains.
      “When Rocky was little, she got in my shirt pocket one day and we went to Wal-Mart. Some girls screamed, some girls said ‘awww cute’, we used to put them on a [harness] and take them out for walks, people would look at me like I was crazy.” One of their favorite past times, was taking car rides with Jim. The two squirrels would lay on his dash board and catch some sun.
      Aside from keeping his sneaky female from chewing his cords, one of the most challenging aspects of raising a squirrel was dealing with their heightened aggression in winter time. “They become real protective over their food and will bite you if you get too close to where they hide [it].” One day his little boy got tired of Jim trying to steal all his food, and decided he was going to pack up and head out into the big bad world. He had disappeared for a whole day, and came back scared to death that evening. Apparently dad neglected to tell him that the real world wasn’t filled with M&M’s and Mello Yellow.

BY ALIAS

Virtual Horse Ranch is home to many breeds Native to Ireland or descended from Irish horses. Many of these breeds are not so well known to the players and some are hardly bothered with. For this month I was asked to write a bit about the different Irish horses in our world.       Irish Sport Horses, known as Irish Draught Sports Horse in the United States, or Irish Hunters are the direct cross of an Irish Draught and the Thoroughbred. Connemara blood can be found in some of the mares of the breed. This horse is also used for the police force in Britain and Ireland. Traditionally, the horses were bred for all purposes including transportation, working the land, and riding of course. It soon became apparent that these horses would become great eventers. Its natural athletic abilities and talent in the Jumping events meant that people began breeding this horse for other events. They are great for Show Jumping, Eventing, Foxhunting, and in some cases are used in Endurance races.       They are characterized by an attractive head with a sometimes convex or Roman Nose profile. Their necks are slightly arched with a long sloping shoulder, a deep but not overly broad chest, a short compact back and a muscular croup with powerful hindquarters. The croup is often sloping and long, a trait that comes from the Irish Draught, which improves its jumping abilities. Their heights range from 15-17 hands.       Irish Draughts, which brought along the Irish Sports, are the national horse breed of Ireland which was developed mainly for farm use. Today they are a popular cross with Warm bloods or Thoroughbreds producing the ISH’s. The breed originated from the Irish Hobby, a small ambling horse with many similarities to the Sorraia horses of Northern Spain and Portugal. War horses brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasions were bred with the local stock and produced a good working horse. Stallions with Clydesdales and Thoroughbred blood were used on the local Draught mares in the 1800’s with a sprinkling of Connemara blood added to the ID’s of today. The breed was to be docile and strong, they were required to not only perform the farm work of pulling carts and ploughing, but they were also used as riding and hunt horses and during the Great European Wars, they were used as Army Artillery horses. They were bred to be economical to keep, surviving on grass and any boiled turnips, oats and bran left over from the cattle feed.       These horses have a wide forehead, with a slight Roman nose. Their shoulders should be clean cut, well defined withers and a neck set high and carried proudly. The chest should not be too broad or overly muscular. The legs are strong and firm, with generous hooves. The back is powerful and the girth is deep. The croup and buttocks are long and sloping, not short and rounded. 15.3-16.3 hands.       Irish Tinkers and Gypsy Vanners are actually the same breed! Who would have guessed? Vanner and Tinker are breed types in Ireland and not actually separate breeds. The Gypsy Vanner, Gypsy Horse (USA), Gypsy Cob (USA, UK), Coloured Cob (UK) or ‘Tinker Horse’ is a breed of horse which is usually of Tobiano coloring and has many draft horse characteristics. It’s commonly believed that these horses are derived from a combination of Shires, Clydesdales, Friesians, and Dales Ponies with their origins in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They were bred to be a wagon horse. They were also children’s riding horses because of their small size and docile temperaments. They have only been recognized as a breed since the 20th century because their bloodlines were kept secret and only family knew their breeding.

Gypsy Vanner stallion, at WillowWind Stables       These horses are characterized by abundant feathers starting at the cannon and flowing down over the hooves. The build is powerful and compact with a short neck and back. The Gypsy Cob is fairly large, standing between 14-17 hands. The chest is broad with well sprung ribs, the hips are heavy. They have short back, strong shoulders and the withers are rounded. The hair should be straight and silky, kinky hair is a fault in the breed. Legs should have heavy bone set and their hind legs should not be too straight. They must have excellent endurance, and be able to go long distances without tiring.       Another breed that has roots in Ireland is the all too common Thoroughbred. The breed is best known for its use in horse racing. They are considered to be a ‘hot-blooded’ horse, known for their agility, speed and spirit. TB’s are mainly used for racing but are also bred for other riding disciplines like Show Jumping, Combined Training, Dressage, Polo, and Fox Hunting. All TB’s can trace their bloodlines back to 3 foundation stallions and 74 foundation mares. Today they are a very versatile horse, used in many different areas, and are one of the most popular horses owned in the UK and United States.       Good quality Thoroughbreds have a well chiseled head on a long neck, high withers, a deep chest, a short back, good depth of hindquarters, a lean body and long legs. Hot-blooded horses are spirited and bold. TB’s in the Northern Hemisphere become a year older on January 1 each year, regardless of their real birth dates. Imagine having a foal born in the late winter! If your horse was born December 31 and was only 1 day old, it would be one year a day later if it was to be a race horse!       The Connemara is a pony breed originating in Ireland that is known for its athleticism, versatility and good disposition. The breed is made up by hardy, strong individuals. Some people believe that the Connemara developed from Scandinavian ponies that the Vikings first brought to Ireland. They are also thought to have come from the Irish Hobby, the now extinct breed established prior to the 13th century. The Spanish Andalusians bred into the stock when the galleons ran a-ground in Ireland they were set loose. For more strength and stamina, Arabian blood was added in the 1700’s. The Connemara is most known today for their abilities as a sporting pony. They are competitive in Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing with the stamina for Endurance riding. They are also shown in Harness or Carting.       Connemara’s are strong and sturdy with a short back and sloped, muscular croup. The hindquarters are powerful, supported by short, strong legs and hard feet with a good stride length. The breed has a fine head with small ears and an a slightly dished profile coming from the Arabian blood, set on a well arched neck. They are lively and eager with a trainable temperament. They are considered to have a good jumping ability. They can be anywhere from 12.2-15 hands by breed standards.       Whatever breed of Irish horse you are looking at, it seems to be standard that these horses are going to be easy keepers, great companions and hard workers. There is not faulting the breeding of horses that are versatile and strong from the Irish lands. Hopefully now, people can see these horses in a new light and become more interested in improving the breeds beyond what they are now and turning them into a more popular type of horse to own.

WRITTEN BY JNFERRIGNO, PHOTOS BY HOLLY BEST