Camie Stockhausen's Field Day Page

12/28/2024

My first video for the Camstock Channel! Get in on the ground floor. The content's pretty good and the growing pains are funny. Extra good friend points if you like and subscribe to the channel or if you share it with somebody who is worried about being diagnosed with MS.

MS is fairly common among active horsewomen. Cam is an MS survivor and shares some tips gleaned from science and experience in an environment filled with ho...

11/02/2024

Kind people are asking for an update about my arm break and how I’m recovering. For those of you who don’t know, I broke my humerus on Monday, October 28. Long story short it was slightly misaligned right after the accident but overnight that night it straighten itself up nicely and I’m a good candidate for not having to have a cast o surgery, if I am very careful these first two weeks.

So I’m in this clamshell brace that I can remove to take a shower. It does a great job of stabilizing the break. What I have found is if I can keep my upper arm perpendicular to the ground, then there is very little stress on the break. In the first week, there was a lot of swelling that slid down from my upper arm into my lower arm, and then into my hand. I had to move my hands a lot and walk a lot to keep the swelling moving.

The pain is very manageable when I remember to take my acetaminophen, a seemingly simple matter that I apparently cannot master. So now I have set alarms on my phone for 6 AM, noon, six PM, and midnight.

Below are a few narrated pictures of what it’s like to live left-handed and one-handed (because my right hand can only just slightly assist).

10/16/2024

Nineteen days post Helene and aftershocks are still being felt even here at the edges of ground zero. To be clear, Landrum faced significant struggle - roads blocked by trees, some deaths from trees falling on people, long power outages, long periods of no cell service or WiFi and some scarcity-panicked gun play at gas stations. But we are returning to normal.

While a few people still have no internet, most major problems caused by Helene are managed here and people are focusing on helping WNC people and also getting back to their own lives.

But, just like after a major earthquake, there are aftershocks to this disaster. Tree falls on the FETA trails mean the system will not be fully open for a good bit. But landowners and FETA members are out there grinding it out and chainsawing away, resulting in a few loops opening up already. This is an unexpected miracle to me.

I used those loops yesterday to hack Howdy around for not only the sheer life-cleansing pleasure of walking around on a good horse in the woods, but also looking for the deer (reindeer? axis? Fallow?) that I saw yesterday morning on my way to dog walking at FENCE. He crossed the road right in front of my three dog dog-laden car (two are loaners), stopped and told me to take a picture, then turned and went back into the woods. I was so moved by his predicament of being absolutely wrapped up in fencing materials that I didn’t put together that he was definitely not native. And that he is also tame because he is from a petting zoo. I could have gotten out of the car and probably caught him in a few quiet minutes (I keep a lunge line in my car for just such moments, too. Arg.) But all I saw in that moment was “deer” and, while I’m pretty likable by most animals, I don’t hold the general belief that I can catch a deer in the wild. Too bad, that.

So when I posted the picture I took of him (nowHollywild Animal Preservecause it’s easier to name things than to say “that deer at FENCE”) on FB, I learned that he’s from Hollywild Animal Preserve, which is 12 miles away, maybe 8 as the crow flies. Fallen trees during Helene damaged their fences, and Comet and several of his compadres made a break for it. So he’s been wandering for 15 days, at least 5 in the FENCE area. The bad news is that one of his buddies was hit and killed yesterday about 5 miles from here. Totaled the car, no injuries to people. But still heartbreaking for everyone. The good news is there’s plenty of grass, water and shelter for Comet at FENCE as well as kind people, in the aAndrew Holbertly his story will have a happy ending. I’ll be looking for him on Howdy or Sammy.

Yesterday Howdy looked like a proper pack horse with a halter on over his bridle, a spare halter and lead rope attached to his breastplate and me with pockets full of sweet feed and a Dewalt folding knife in my pocket. No luck finding Comet but I ran into Andrew Holbert, a neighbor and new friend to me who is also looking for Comet and told me that the fencing material wrapped around Comet is a relatively new accouterment, which Comet acquired on Friday. Hang in there, Comet, we’re trying for you.

Meanwhile I went to a trail clearing for Green Creek Hounds. I took Charlotte, my jacked up golf cart, and she did pretty well, but she’s a little too precious for that job. The more manly 4 wheelers did a better job of it, but she managed, like a sporting but inexperienced city girl in heels at a hayride, to do the job. Meanwhile, my chainsaw blade was dull (oh how lame of me) so the next day I went to the awesome Lynne’s mower and chainsaw in Landrum to get my blade sharpened and buy a spare chain. While there, I had a chat and laugh with the owner over the MOUNTAIN of chainsaws in for maintenance or repair, an obvious homage to the chorus of chainsaws we’ve all been hearing or creating in these past 2 and a half weeks since Helene.

10/14/2024

Are you looking for a talented, willing foxhunting or eventing partner in a compact package? Delilah is a 15h2", 8 year old Dutch warmblood cross mare. She is an experienced foxhunter (both whipping and in the field). Her sire, Cool Boy (KWPN), is a Grand Prix Show Jumper. She is bold and clever to jumps and her personality is a delight - friendly and polite. She is great in company under tack or in a pasture – not alpha, and gets along with mares and geldings.

She's current on all veterinary work, sound, easy to keep and has great hooves.

10/12/2024

Beautiful and fun hunt this morning with green creek hounds. We heard some great hound music, and enjoyed beautiful country and friends. It was a lovely break from the struggles after Helene. We had a moment together before the hunt uplifting those still struggling hard with the after effects of the storm. Many of us have volunteered and donated help and will yet more.

10/03/2024

Day 6 update after Helene. First, I’m fine. In upstate SC, we are inconvenienced. No power, no cell signal. In WNC, they are devastated.

So, after spending 4 hours trying to get my solar charger to charge my LQ batteries to no avail, I decided to give it up and do something to help others. TIEC (Tryon International Equestrian Center) was serving as a staging ground for FEMA and they were taking donations to deliver by semi and military helicopters to Asheville/Chimney Rock/Lake Lure the next day.

I loaded my truck with hay I shipped in from IA in June and drove that beautiful alfalfa up to TIEC. I found out later it went on a military helicopter to ground zero this morning, to feed rescued horses and horses working in the rescue effort. Super.

When I arrived at TIEC, the FEMA guys (and they were all guys) were loading semis like a well oiled machine. I drove my hay over to the donation area and unloaded it with Joshua and Madisyn, TIEC employees, and then headed over to get some dinner at Legends at TIEC, which was open to the public but also serving the FEMA staff. On the way over, I stopped and talked to a FEMA guy w a thick Brooklyn accent. This FEMA detachment was made up of FDNY and PDNY members. We talked for a while and he told me about hiking in yesterday using the Green River Gorge zip line trail from Saluda. This is no mean feat. They then worked all day, and the military helicopters, which had arrived during the day, picked them up and dropped them back at TIEC where they then spent the next day loading trucks.

The FEMA guys eventually all showed up at Legends for food. These are great people with real skills who want to help and have real equipment and connections to get things done. They drip with competence.

I say this because yesterday I was listening to WORD radio ( for Iowans, this is the WHO of SC). Conservative talk with a huge signal and rich history. I was listening because they had great coverage of the disaster recovery and also a call in where people were sharing needs and solutions. And they really celebrated the grass roots (they called it red neck) effort to help themselves and each other. I’m still on board at that point. But then President Biden arrived to survey the damage and it turned really dark. Then when FEMA arrived the radio staff and listeners were like, “it’s about time! We have all the work done!”

Um, no you do not. You have some very important work done and you are heroes, and your help is still needed. But, think about it, it takes a minute to get more people in place, to coordinate military air craft, to gather needed items and more. Bridge engineers. Bulldozers.

The FEMA guys I met were a little red neck in the best sense - the get ‘er done attitude, love of most things mechanical, and physically powerful, (lineman over placekickers) but the difference between a wild growing red neck and a FEMA guy is training, a larger vision, a longer view, and superior equipment. God bless the red necks. Full credit. But y’all, you don’t have to smash on FEMA to make red neck accomplishment look better because what the grass roots movement, (ok, red necks) have done and continue to do already stands on its own. And judging by what I saw yesterday, FEMA is there to lift up WNC, shoulder to shoulder, right there with the local rednecks. They on the same team, y’all.

10/02/2024

Day 5 Helene recovery. Professional tree people have cleaned up the major roads near us and I don’t see as many wires under trees in other parts so yay. We are supposed to get electricity on Friday.

My electric car has a few lonely electrons left in the battery. It uses a small amount of energy for battery conditioning when parked, so it will run all the way down soon enough. Not a chance of a charging station within range, so Sundawg’s just gonna have to hang out where she is until we get electricity. Charlotte the e-golf cart is down to 39% and tends to get doggy around 25%. Might be able to charge her at Mike and Shelley Dayton’s tomorrow as they have a whole house generator and Charlotte charges at a sedate 110. (Sundawg can too, but I don’t really need her because I have Breezy, the Silverado, and that boss girl is at a 400 mile range at the moment and diesel remains cheap and plentiful.)

I shellacked on another layer of duct tape to Howdy’s hoof bandage this morning and again tonight. He is not sound, but comfortable enough to cavort about in the pasture, as I witnessed with a mix of f happiness and chagrin. I put on another layer of duct tape tonight, and tomorrow I will do a new bandage lest this one slump off due to its own weight like the over-engineered south door my dad put on our barn when I was a kid. Two-by lumber, heavy hardware. That thing was a labor of love. And its weight pulled the bolts holding the track right out of the barn over the course of one week. Turns out there’s a point of diminishing returns on all things. 😅

Some local radio stations have switched to all talk, with call in shows of people sharing information and needs. People in wheelchairs who are blocked in their houses due to downed trees. People out of potable water. People looking for their friends. People offering free help: chainsaws, water, food and more.

Yes crystal is appropriate for the delicious potatoes i made for lunch. A little cheer me up.

And today I had enough free brain space to work a few horses. Esprit, the horse who sort of found me after being a bit of a square peg in a round hole in his last two places has been on a high fat diet for three weeks, on my hunch that he has EPSM - Stiff and short behind, cranky, standing hyperflexion when asked to pick up his hind hooves for picking. Today, three weeks on the recommended diet with improvement not expected for 8 weeks, he tracked up and even overstepped at times in walk. He was so mewhat less cranky. 😉. This is quietly exciting. Hope that continues.

10/01/2024

Helene recovery day 4. Leisa got her WiFi up thanks to a generator and signal from T-mobile. She’s sharing w me, thanks very much, as I don’t have cell signal yet on Visible, which is, right now most decidedly not visible. 👏haha still got a sense of humor or maybe just punchy.

Let’s see, we cracked open the barn fridge, which is mostly just drinks with ice in the freezer. The ice was juuust starting to melt so we took it over to our neighbor Whitney who was looking for some. We had a nice chat and then I went back and transferred my fridge stuff which was getting warm, to the trailer fridge. Around noon, neighbor Garry came over with a generator to put on the well. Yay! We refilled everything and hopefully can make it to Friday when we we might be restored to electrification and rejoin the early 1900s.

Meanwhile, Garry told us that when he was at Whitney’s her generator CAUGHT ON FIRE and is totaled. Luckily it was far from the house.

Then I charged my phone (car is dead, Charlotte the golf cart is at about 20%) on Leisa’s charger off the generator and when she had to deliver a desk from a friend’s house which was crushed by a tree, I took a drive down to the relative normality at the fuel station with the WiFi so that I could get away from here and also to charge my phone off the truck.

On the way home, I ran into Garry who had taken his mobile generator to our Real Farmer neighbor Bill (you know, with big tractors and cattle) to use because Bill’s was acting up. Garry put his generator down off its wagon and IT DIDN’T WORK! After having worked beautifully for hours. So then the two handiest guys on the country block set about getting it going and no luck. So Bill gave Gary some nice steaks from the freezer to enjoy on the grill tonight since that freezer wasn’t going to be a freezer by morning.

When I got home. I fed the horses. Howdy came limping in, 5/5 lame, RF. He was all the way across the pasture so I met him halfway, all the while thinking “Hoof abscess, let it be a hoof abscess, please!”🙏🏼

Close. Sprung shoe with clip in white line. My farrier is close and awesome, but I know he’s just trying to recover right now like we all are. Ok. I can deal with this. But the sun was setting and with no electricity everything gets harder after dusk. So it was on. Shout out to Randy Hoy CF who advised me on what tools to have on hand and how to use them. Shout out to my dad for impressing upon me to always put tools back, so you are sure they’ll be there when you need them. Thirty seconds after I had the tools by the horse, the shoe was off, and another 15 minutes for duct tape artistry and sacrificing a cardboard box for a hoof pad and we had a Magic Cushion packed, wrapped hoof. Howdy wasn’t perfectly comfortable when I was done but he wasn’t huffing air like he was when I found him either.

Things I have ordered online since this whole debacle:

1) battery operated, hand crank, NWS AM/FM radio. (I thought the radio I had worked on battery, but it turns out the batteries are only for the clock. So now my present radio cheerfully shows me the time. Only. 🙄)

2) Solar cell phone charger. Most event officials have them for long days in the field. I’ve been thinking about getting one but didn’t pull the trigger. Until today.

And I’m going to put on my adulting hat and get a solar generator. But I want to research that a little bit. But by Friday I’ll have it in hand or ordered.

That last sentence sounded a little Scarlet O’Hara, lol. “As God is my witness, I shall never be electricity deprived again!”

And scene. And goodnight day 4.

God’s blessings and favor to the many people who are really suffering in WNC.

09/29/2024

Thank you so much for the people who have been thinking of me in the aftermath of Helene. Your thoughtfulness cheers me.

Helene was a no joke storm. Some of the less hard hit areas are starting to recover, but we were a direct hit and are out of electricity and cell signal since she hammered through here on Thursday night. We are blessed in having no trees down at Spring Valley Farm, but we have lots of limbs down which are about half picked up. Many local people fared worse than us and we’ve helped out where we can. Horses, Dug and I are fine. The forecasters did a hella good job predicting it so we were pretty prepared.

I had the car, golf cart, phone and back up phone battery sticks charged up, the truck full of diesel and water tanks filled for horses.

But! I forgot to put water in Spirit (LQ horse trailer) which would have made things really handy for me since I am living there (because it’s nice to have a fridge, stove and lights) and would have served as back up horse water if needed. Then my solar charger cords proved to be damaged so I’m trying to Amazon in some new ones pronto, before my charge wears down. I’m at a gas station 10 miles south, where conditions are improved. They just flat a) didn’t get hit as hard, and b) don’t have as many trees to lay on power lines

I went to church this morning and experienced a simple piano service rather than the usual organ and choir, and the soft light coming through the stained glass windows. It was stripped down beautiful.

I’m a little sad. The town of Chimney Rock was essentially swept away. I can’t imagine.

Not having electricity sucks (but ok, I’m kinda psyched about macgyvering my auto Waterer to work off a siphon) and not having cell signal is stressful, despite having had an entire childhood and early adulthood without them. That is weird to me now. But part of even that was great. I spent all Friday picking up limbs and sticks with no interruptions or threat of them, because just looking around at the devastation and seeing that “SOS” sign on the phone where the signal bars should be, and hearing on the radio that 911 was down and all roads were closed in the county, you knew dang well cell reception isn’t coming back today or probably soon. That wasn’t an entirely bad thing. But about now it could come back. Please.

I’m tired, sad, grateful, lifted (by how good people are in an emergency) crestfallen with the devastation, and ok.

09/11/2024

What a great morning!

08/24/2024

This pair showed up at my Pony Club clinic today. Kick on, girl!

08/16/2024

Howdy and Pig Floyd say good morning on the way to our dressage lesson with the insightful Trayce Doubek.

08/01/2024

“Oh no! Howdy is lame! What could it be?”
Oh.

😅

08/01/2024

Some breakthroughs and lovely, thoughtful riding today. Early morning and late evening ride times helped keep horses and riders comfortable. Could you use some riding direction?

07/19/2024

Hay day!

06/24/2024

Update: Time slots are 8, 9:15 and 10:30 on Friday.

Looking for a new place to school xc? Next Friday morning, June 28, I'll be coaching at the new schooling cross country course at the Green Creek Hounds kennel grounds at 6689 Poors Ford Road, 28139. We'll be schooling in the morning to avoid the heat, though by next week, who knows what the weather situation will be! Jumps created by Greg Schlappi.

Course fee is $35 for non GCH members, $25 for members. I'm a United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) certified coach and lifelong foxhunter. My coaching fee is $50 per horse. Groups will be 4 riders or less for maximum experiences, camaraderie and fun.

This course will also be the site of the inaugural Foothills Field Hunter Trials on Saturday, September 28th. Information regarding that event will be coming soon on the Green Creek Hounds website. This schooling would be a great way to prep for that event.

Contact me by IM or text at 515 231 9875 for information or to get a ride time for schooling next Friday June 28.

06/21/2024

Looking for a new place to school xc? Next Friday morning, June 28, I'll be coaching at the new schooling cross country course at the Green Creek Hounds kennel grounds at 6689 Poors Ford Road, 28139. We'll be schooling in the morning to avoid the heat, though by next week, who knows what the weather situation will be! Jumps created by Greg Schlappi.

Course fee is $35 for non GCH members, $25 for members. I'm a United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) certified coach and lifelong foxhunter. My coaching fee is $50 per horse. Groups will be 4 riders or less for maximum experiences, camaraderie and fun.

This course will also be the site of the inaugural Foothills Field Hunter Trials on Saturday, September 28th. Information regarding that event will be coming soon on the Green Creek Hounds website. This schooling would be a great way to prep for that event.

Contact me by IM or text at 515 231 9875 for information or to get a ride time for schooling next Friday June 28.

06/06/2024

Um, SC, my diesel truck and I may not be coming back. 😅