This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
off,” she remembers. Finally they led the horse around with Caron on board until she fell asleep and quietly only then could she be lifted off the pony. The obsession continued and Caron bought, sold, and traded horses in her ongoing quest for the perfect horse . . . which finally materialized as Winnie.

Cancer Strikes

In 1995 Caron noticed that Winnie started having diffi- culty passing manure and he was acting lethargic. On care- ful inspection of his rectum there was swelling. Instantly she took him to UC Davis for a series of tests: Winnie had colon cancer with multiple tumors causing a blockage of the colon. In fact, Caron reports, “He had one tumor by his rectum the size of a nerf football!” Every vet they called in to examine him came to the same conclusion; Winnie was dying and nothing could be done. Dis- couraged and heart broken, she trailered Winnie home with a prescription of cimetidine (a.k.a. Tagamet). She knew this was not a cure and the drug would only prolong his life a little while longer. In order to not damage his liver and immune system, she tossed the prescrip- tion aside and decided she would take control of the situation herself.

Possible Cure

Caron and Daniel Haggerty with her Dutch Warmblood Winnie.

During the first few weeks on Winnie’s new holistic diet, Caron reports, “His body had to detoxify. Little by little his energy began to return, and the large tumor in his rectum started to decrease in size. In all it took about eight months and he was back to 100% with all the tumors gone. I began riding him again, and our lives got back to normal.”

Meanwhile, many of her friends were encouraging

Being a Certified Nutritionist Caron began searching for a way, some way to prevent the inevitable. Caron and Daniel had raised Great Dane show dogs in their California home and had discov- ered nutritional ways of improving health and performance in their own dogs. The word had spread. Clients began using the products they prepared in their home from organic foods. Worked for dogs; why not horses? She began more research and her final conclusion was that “certified organic food” was the highest quality, most unprocessed, holistic approach she should use for Winnie. With encouragement from Daniel, she began baking Winnie’s meals in her own kitchen. She was still boarding Winnie at the time, and she remembers bringing her home- made “Winnie treats” to him. Upon arrival, she recounts many of the other stabled horses nickering to her as she walked to Winnie’s stall – they could smell his home cooked meals and were hoping to dine with him!

“Every vet they called in to examine him came to the same conclusion; Winnie was dying and nothing could be done.”

her to launch a business selling her unique certified organic products. She discussed the idea with her husband, Daniel, and he enthusiastically agreed. He disappeared into his office for a couple of hours and returned with a name and a logo - another career launched. Years of continuing research and experimentation helped Winnie live ten more years and still compete winning numerous trophies throughout the nation including a special equitation medal that was buried with Caron’s father.

New Venture

Although Daniel and Caron spent many successful years in the real estate and mortgage business in California having 106 branches at their peak, neither felt really fulfilled. Dan explains, “We were making a lot of money, but no one ever seemed happy – no matter what we did for them. We hated to answer the phone.” They were still in the mortgage biz when Caron started baking horse

cookies. They used their home oven and the oven of Caron’s father who lived nearby. “Now, when our phone rings we can’t wait to answer it,” says Caron. “It is almost always someone with a tearful and happy story about how our products have helped their beloved horse or dog.” Testimonials come in almost daily, according to Dan.

Or it might be a new order. Toward the end of the first year of full time “cookie business” they had almost exhausted their funds. They even struggled to make payroll on a regular basis. But then the magic happened. All of their eighteen- hour days started to pay off. “The business exploded,” according to Dan. They have been writing black ink ever since. Business doubled and doubled again and is still grow- ing. Sixty to seventy percent of their business comes from referrals with the rest coming from new customers at the

44 Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com