november 26, 2011 day after Thanksgiving
The 4 horses rescue..
Days 1 – 4 were a whirlwind of experiences for both horses and owners..
after being contacted by a neighbor who had shirt tail relations that were rescuing four horses I proceeded to help find them a place to go..the four were not being abused per se..but very neglected..Bella the line back Dun/Paint cross had an abcess on a hind leg inside the thigh area, Sampson the tall black thoroughbred looking one..the only gelding was ribby and losing ground fast weight wise..also having a serious hind hock injury..Sally the bay Mustang seemed healthy although the youngest and greenest of the bunch..and Jade the tall black alpha protector..with an eye ready not to trust you..the two black..Jade/Sampson hung together and the two brown so to speak hung together..
The place they were at was a pen of wooden pallets tied together with bailing twine and whatever was handy..occasionally the workmen at the farm would let them out to pasture..the water trough was mucky and usually not filled..usually nearly empty..
Upon hearing about the horses Deb the amazing family matriarch initiated the trip to go see them and upon seeing the conditions ..the dull coats the lifeless eyes and their depressed and semi forgotten state the rest of the family was contacted..the situation discussed and decided they couldn’t leave them there ..
One small detail that didn’t matter to anyone..they weren’t really horse people..they were a family with a huge collective heart recognizing a very sad situation..and as she says..”we stepped into it instead of away from it”..”we’ll take them”..and to their surprise as they proudly shared the news with many the responses were usually “do you have any idea what you’ve done”..vs God Bless you..but they didn’t care..it was to save them and to love them..anything beyond that was a bonus..
After the decision to take them it was where..when..how..the day after Thanksgiving became when..how became two borrowed horse trailers not caring that they had not hauled horses before..but the where was yet to be discovered..that’s where I came in..having over the years become the contact person for the neighborhood and especially the horse community of the neighborhood, I sent out an email about their situation looking for pasture for the four horses..
one pasture wasn’t ready..one pasture wasn’t big enough..one pasture wasn’t secure enough..finally someone said..”why don’t you take them”..hmmm..well why not..in working with beginners and helping new horse owners it seemed a logical solution..little did we all know it would be the beginning of an incredible journey for everyone..
Since everyone had no expectations or timeline any progress was success..
The day after Thanksgiving the caravan arrived..two trucks each pulling a borrowed trailer..in looking in the trailers I could see one of the horses tied in with bailing twine..one of them had a broken halter with bailing twine holding it together..one had a halter almost growing into it’s head..in unloading them i asked where the lead ropes were..the rope that attaches to the halter to lead the horse..and everyone said “what’s a lead rope?”..and so it starts..the love a family with not knowing what to do or what they need and the universe connecting them to the place that helps beginners start out..in walking the horses back to their new home it was the most amazing feeling for them to have gottenthese animals out of the conditions they were in yet heartbreaking to see the horses mental state..seeing it in their eyes..scared..worried..looking to each other for safety..
The first day was settle in..and the second day pretty much the same..although they did get their shots..everyone being perfectly behaved except for Sally who had been handled only enough to halter and didn’t want to be caught or touched..so the solution there was guide them to an alleyway on the property and move three of the large green panels into a triangle shape guiding Sally into the middle of the triangle..reaching in thru the bars a lead rope was hooked to her always present halter..i proceeded to give her the shot hoping for the best..the worst being she jumps out of the triangle or bashes me into the panel..she gave us the best..standing still..very still..thank you Sally..
the third day was leading and brushing and being around people..especially new for Sally..day four was exploring the different new areas..the arena..the “park” the mesquite grove..the pond area..the round pen area..the hills and various terrains..rocks..sand..grass..and standing back while my horse ran up and down the fence line letting them know he owns this place..
the food transition went well..from what they had been eating..or not been eating to what they needed to eat..tomorrow Sampson will be introduced to some pellets to help him gain weight..adding them slowly as to not cause him a problem..
and yes there was much more to day 1-4..the eyes slowly getting brighter..the coats looking more like velvet within 2 short days..the curiousity of everything and anything..meeting the chickens..turkeys..cats..dogs..ducks..turtles..the running over the hills..the staring in amazement at the room to roam..but enough of going back..it’s almost tomorrow..it’s almost day 7..
annegreenstories 