My Short Story

I've loved horses as long as I can remember. I poured over every Marguerite Henry book, imagined riding Walter Farley's Black Stallion, and collected Breyer horses that I groomed so well the paint rubbed in places. My friends and I held mock horse shows winning ribbons made of scraps of fabric and puffy paint. From the waist up we were rider and our legs jumped the show jumps like champion steeds.

I was very lucky to grow up next door to a Morgan horse farm. I could see the horses through the deep woods of our yard playing in the pasture in the winter after the leaves had gone. My Aunt had an elderly QH that she offered for us to take and we found a neighbor open to pasture boarding. I had started taking a few riding lessons, saddleseat, the year before and I was over the moon at the idea.

Muchacho was everything a little girl's horse should be. Dead calm, very tolerant, ready to go anywhere I pointed him at his leisurely pace. When my dreams moved me towards becoming a really good rider I started lessons at a Dressage barn and began jumping.

A few years later I was riding anything I could, training some young Arabians, and working a job at a petstore to fund the habit in addition to working 2 years and a full summer at a large cat facility with tigers. A few bad riding falls, a concussion (yes, I was wearing a helmet at the time), some lost teeth requiring jaw surgery, a fractured spine, and riding became painful. Something to endure.

My Mom moved us to Georgia and we ended up living in a home that was an extension of a Paso Fino farm years past it's hay day. The farm owner allowed me to take on her older Paso Stallion, Flashy. He was so much fun and as easy on my back as a horse could be. Before long, teenage things consumed my life and I was living on my own at the age of 16. Horses weren't possible. They were a painful memory of something I loved but could no longer have. All of my previous dreams of a college equestrian team spring boarding me towards a great trainer and on to high caliber riding or being a jockey, were replaced by how to pay a bill.

I tried to fill the hole in a way I could financially handle, I bred diamond doves for awhile, did some sheep herding with my little Sheltie and started to feel better. I worked as a Vet Tech during most of this time so animals were everywhere all the time. I got my first Siberian Husky and really tapped into that competitive drive to do the best I could with my animal going into showing, obedience, working titles, and finally agility. Full circle I had gone from show jumping horses to the dog form modeled after that very same sport. I love this sport and these dogs still very much and I'm looking forward to starting a new puppy next year.

Then one spring day in 2010, my husband came home after meeting a client and proposed an idea. The client ran a hippotherapy center and needed volunteers to come ride and exercise the horses, was I interested? I had so long ago set down the dreams of horses that I didn't know if I could pick it up again. All of my tack and gear sold years ago when I let it go for good. Could I even ride anymore? Did I remember all of the small pieces that come together that is horsemanship? 15 years away from it, maybe it was easier to just stay away at this point. I have 5 kids now and the dream that was horses seemed like a lifetime ago. I was a professional dog trainer and should stick to what I've created... then again....

I started riding the therapy horses and began to love them all over again. I didn't remember a lot, it was pretty humbling (and continues to be) to re-learn all the things that were forgotten. But it was more good than bad and I enjoyed the time I could escape there.

Then the weekend after Thanksgiving, one year ago today, the post came that would change things forever for us. Horses, horses in dire straights who needed saving. Could I help? I could help, with lots of help from others, and my in-laws wanted to help and take a horse too. Promise came into our lives at that point, Beauty into their's, and started us down the path where we met Cheryl and three weeks later, Whisper.

With time, some fighting the system, and love, Promise and Beauty foaled in early springtime babies they were carrying through their ordeal, and they continue to do well in their retired horsey lifestyles.

One full year after they joined our lives, here they are today ; Promise and Pirate, Beauty and Star. Promise will always have a special part of me, seeing her with Pirate, carefree and happy is a kind of wonderful that's hard to explain. She is living the good life on acreage with her own tree stand, stream, and plenty of room to play with that crazy mule of her's at my friend, Maggie's place. Promise remains slightly lame on her right hind, but gets around the pasture just fine. Beauty and Star live on acreage of their own at my in-law's.

Mother's Day

My husband worked it out for me to sneak away to the horses as the sun came up this morning. This was my first present of the day.

It was a crisp morning and Pirate had some playtime with his new soccer ball.

Whisper had a full grooming as did Pirate. I was really impressed with how well he stood for his brushing. I went over every part of him except his lower legs. I'm hoping to get the halter back on him through time and careful handling instead of grabbing him and forcing it on. Today I put the noseband over his nose and removed it again about 10 times and once moved the cheek straps in place. He pulled back a few times but relaxed into it, curiosity works to my advantage with him.

Back home with my human kids, my second round of Mother's Day is just getting going. My favorites being the cake the kids decorated and the 2 new charms for my bracelet my late Mother started for me back when I was a kid. She started me off with 2 charms, oddly enough given my life now, a racehorse and a foal. Today a lucky horseshoe and a little standing horse are dangling beside them.

Spring Babies

Star is out in the pasture today. She looks better and is getting enough milk to nourish her little body, but that hind leg is still an issue. To me, it appears she is developing muscle growth in a normal pattern to compensate for structural abnormalities.

She is starting to show more curiosity in the world around her.

And no hesitation letting Pirate know that he should respect her space.

She can hold her leg straight as long as she is moving straight, as soon as a weight shift or turn occurs, the defect is more pronounced.

Pirate continues his quest to be the cheekiest mule colt that ever was.

Still very adorable though!

Star followed his lead and wanted to pose a little for my camera

Promise is more than happy to let me give her a good scratching.

Whisper's legs have been healing, the inflammation is gone and the skin is healing over. I've put contacts out to over 30 horse locations and have yet to return another work for board offer to be able to move.

Beauty's Filly Arrived

Pulling up to the pasture to feed there was an extra set of legs this morning.

Beauty foaled hours earlier a little filly. When the vet palpated her 2 months ago, the foal felt very small so he put her due date estimate as late summer. The foal must have not developed correctly for gestational age and seemed small for how far along Beauty actually was, throwing us off on her dates.We had an idea it would be sooner as recently Beauty looked more and more uncomfortable, acted sweeter than usual, and even mutually groomed with Whisper the other night (they don't care for each other). She had not looked pregnant when she was quarantined with the rest of the TN30 herd and was on fescue grass much too long as a result, so bagging up as a clue foaling was close, wasn't going to happen.

Beauty had no problems coming right up to me for petting and attention so I was able to check her out and the new baby.

I was immediately struck by how cute she was, but also how she moved. Her hind legs were not holding her weight properly. Beauty had been starved, fought full blown strangles months ago, dump fed by volunteers during quarantine, and basically was in the worst conditions making the odds of a deformed foal much greater.

I searched for the placenta, having a pretty good idea of where to look thanks to the 15 turkey vultures that flew out of the pasture when I pulled in. They had already been nearby for a stillborn calf, so afterbirth was all but gone when I got to it.

I fed Whisper and Promise, but Beauty wasn't leaving her little wobbly baby behind, so I walked grain down to her. Do you know what heaven is? Holding a little newborn filly, fluffy coat freshly dried, nickering tiny horse nickers (that Promise can't help but answer a little faster than Beauty does).

The girls and Pirate finished up and came down to see what was going on with the newbie.

Beauty is a very sensible Mama, keeping her baby close but not being so obsessive as to step all over her in the process. Good thing since it appears that she was a maiden mare.

Watching the filly walking over an hour's time, it's hocks seemed to strengthen but would still bow harshly out to one side at times. Then problem number 2 began to become obvious. Beauty didn't bag up as much as Promise did and as I watched the filly try and nurse time after time, I could not see her swallowing.

I called the vet out to have a look at the filly, specifically to check her legs and Beauty's milk supply. To do this, I needed to have them up in the enclosure we put up just for this purpose. Beauty was doing well with me handling her, so I started to get her moving in that direction.

I was able to halter her and we worked out a system where I was leading Beauty with one hand helping the foal move with us while the other hand kept Beauty from getting in front and turning in to us.Whisper ran up and got everyone riled up a few times, but we managed.

The vet checked both over. Beauty was having some trouble and began to look colicy and uncomfortable, add in the oxytocin she needed and her discomfort required some sedation. She'll be on this for the remainder of the day. She was also given the first dose of Equitox (domperidone) needed to up that milk production. We determined that she did have precolostrum and the foal was given supplement via tubing to give the mare a break for a little while and allow the milk to build. He looked at her legs and said she was windblown. Her legs should tighten up though in a few days, on restriction in the enclosure.