For the Love of A...

When I first saw it I froze.

 

It spoke out to me...

 

It WAS me!

 

Unlike any other, I wanted it badly...

 

Until I saw the price tag.

 

Too much for my budget...

 

And so I passed.

 

But each time I came back into the store...

 

For the last two years...

 

It has waited.

 

Calling out to me as soon as I come in the door...

 

And like a magnet I go directly to it.

 

I pick it up and hold it...

 

Always exclaiming to anybody nearby how much I love it.

 

And always checking the price tag...

 

Sadly, still too much for me.

 

I gently put it down.

 

Stroking it I tell it that maybe...

 

Someday...

 

Someone will buy it for me.

 

Or I will come on my own and take it home.

 

Where it will be safe...

 

Admired...

 

And loved.

 

 

I love you Buffalo Purse!



You Are What You Eat

Two weeks tomorrow and Prince and Bob are the very best of buddies.  They eat and drink together (out of the same side of the feeder or stock tank). 

My husband says in the (very) early mornings when he goes to feed, he finds them standing together inside the loafing shed, side by side, brother's in arms.  Judging from their droppings, they apparently spend the night inside the shed where they are safe, dry and warm.

Prince is still 'coming back'.  I swear every time I check on that horse he's eating - and that's good.  Prince is making up for a lot of lost time because as good as the pictures look he's still undernourished and needs more weight.

I am having such fun watching and caring for Prince and Bob.  It's such a joy to have two horses at home again, especially two who are as close as these guys.  I feel as if our world which was turned upside down last December, is once again complete.  But...

There's a problem.

Prince was attacked by his former owner's stallion, which she let into the pasture with Prince and allowed to beat the "you-know-what" out of the poor horse.  (Nice person, huh?) 

The bites along his spine (not pictured here) are growing back hair (it's a miracle he wasn't paralyzed).  But this ugly bite on his left side, right where the saddle will ride, has been a challenge.  Every day I clean and medicate the bite.  Prince is a good patient and although we are making progress and the sore is becoming smaller, the progress has been slower than I expected. 

It's started to worry me.  I wondered if I should call the Vet.  No, I told myself - it's healing, it's just so s-l-o-w in healing.  I wondered if I should change my meds.  No, I tell myself - the meds are working but the bite was severe and it's going to take time. 

I trust my intuition.  It's going well but not going as well as it should.  And tonight I found out why when I finished doctoring Prince and placed him back in with Bob.

As I was closing the door to the hay stall I happened to turn around to see Bob turning from Prince's left side and licking/raising his nose and lips to the ceiling.  I went into the stall and sure enough the medication on Prince's wound was gone.  What was left was a very wet, licked area.

Now I know why the wound is taking so long to heal.  Bob is playing Doctor.  And unfortunately I must take immediate action to resolve the issue.  Tomorrow I will separate Bob and Prince until Prince's wound is closed up and no longer requires medication. 

Bob is NOT going to be a happy camper. But I guess nobody ever told him that you are what you eat...

Prince - After 7 Days

In the last seven days Prince has truly changed from a Pauper to a Prince.  What a difference one week makes.  I just had to share!

November 3rd:

 

November 9th:

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Update on Bob and Prince

First for Bob, who has been kinda out of the picture since we brought Prince home:

Bob is back to pasture life and doing well.  I'm getting better each time at giving him his Adequan shots.  I'm thinking those that told me to "just do it" vs grabbing some skin first are right.  We had a good Rodeo a few days ago on my shot #2 when I grabbed some skin first and tried to give him the shot.  Apparently Bob remembered my shot #1.

I ended up settling Bob down and then just sticking it in (and feeling bad about that betrayal of trust).  He jumped but not half as much as when I prepped him first.  It was finished in a few seconds and he had a juicy piece of apple in his mouth.  Then a good, long, relaxing grooming session and those blubbering sighs that I love told me all was well and he didn't hold a grudge.

As I recall the issues I've had with Bob's stumbling and shaking knees, I realize that they accelerated the longer I owned him.  I now believe that as time went by and Bob's toes continued to be trimmed longer and heals went lower that the stumbling and shaking increased.  I blame myself for not recognizing this earlier.

Bob's appointment with our new shoer is in early December.  Although I've been advised he can now be ridden, I'm going to wait until that date before I ride.  Currently his toes are still long and I can hear him overstep when he runs in the pasture.  I expect we'd be dealing with more stumbling which concerns me about compromising his legs.  I've spent considerable resources on bringing Bob back and I don't want to take any chances of jeopardizing the work we've done.

Prince is turning out to be just that, A Prince.  I admit to not being well versed at dealing with a horse in this condition.  I initially gave him access to some Senior Feed and the consequence was very loose poops.  I backed off of all food but grass hay and grazing, along with plenty of fresh/clean water and after a few days his digestive system straightened out.  I then wormed him with a "general wormer" which was recommended by my feed store for a horse in this condition.  All is well now.

We've had Prince for six days and believe we can already see him starting to fill out.  The dull look in his eye that matched his demeanor is now replaced with a bright eye and inquisitive personality.  (He has the most gorgeous golden eyes!)

Last night our (new) shoer trimmed up his feet and put on shoes.  Prince was quiet and cooperative, willingly picking up each foot.  Our shoer recommended that we feed him some alfalfa pellets to increase his weight and give him additional nutrients.  I will stop by the feed store and discuss with them after I finish this Post. 

My feed store has become a good resource for Prince.  He has a new comfy blanket for the winter chill that starts tonight.  I usually don't blanket my horses but considering that he's underweight I know I need to.  However, the bite on his side where the stallion bit him is nasty.  I've been cleaning it and putting Neosporin on it (something I've used in the past) and it's looking better but still raw.  I think open air is important for it so I'm concerned about putting the blanket over it.  That being said, with temps dropping into the 20's tonight, the blanket must go on.

I've decided to take a picture of Prince around the first of each month so that we can chart his way to being the strong, beautiful horse he once was.  He is exactly what I was looking for!  His quiet mind, good manners and friendly ways with both horses and humans are wonderful.  His background both as a lesson horse and on trails will be a real plus when the day comes to ride him.

That's gonna be a great day!

Peace in the Pasture

It has been decided.  His name shall be Prince.

In a little over 24 hours he has brought joy to us.

There is peace in the pasture.

A New Friend for Bob

It's been almost 24 hours since I brought Bob's new friend home.  Last night in pouring rain I left him tucked in the foaling stall with a good dinner and access to the paddock.  When I came into the house and got settled down I did something I don't usually do - I broke into tears over what I'd just experienced. 

The other horses living with my new horse had been fat and sleek as seals.  Yet my horse was a bag of bones with bloody bites on his side.  "The Stallion attacked him".

Obviously my new horse hadn't been given the attention that the other horses had and I can only figure out that being the x-boyfriends, he must have fallen out of favor.  How could someone hold a grudge against a horse?!!!  I cried for what this once beautiful horse had endured.  Then I dried my eyes, wrote yesterday's Post (and felt much better).

This morning was a new day.  I opened the barn door, a bit worried over what I might find.  I was happy to see the new guy pacing in the stall and ready for breakfast.  I fed, brushed him and went to check on Bob.

As for Bob, I just have to grin.  After being alone for 8 months, he is beside himself that he has a new friend.  The look of amazement on his face when the new guy stepped out of the trailer last night was both priceless and sad.  I'm so glad that he now has a friend.

I returned to the house to let the "boys" eat.  The first order of business was to call my shoer to have him come out and address the new guy's feet.  Then it was to name this new horse.  I refuse to use his former name.  His new life started last night and with it comes a new name.

I will need the blessing of my family but I'm thinking of naming him Prince.  Why Prince?  Because he comes across as Noble and went overnight from a Pauper to a Prince.

Meet (the still to be confirmed by my family) Prince:

 

 

As I write this both horses graze across a fence in separate pastures.  I will put them together in a few hours but still separate them at feeding time so that Prince can get the grain and supplements he will need for his road back to full recovery.

Welcome Home!

Just Watch!

Like my friends have urged me...

The questions to ask.

I wrote them up...

Re-reading and re-writing them before I left the house.

I did my homework well...

And read each of the questions comfortably as I stood there.

But I was appalled...

Observing out loud at what I was seeing.

 

And I low balled...

They said they didn't realize that the price had been listed that high.

 

(They WROTE the advertisement)

I left...

To immediately return.

 

Tonight there is an older, sweet, noble, wise, calm, gentle, truly been there/done that...

Undernourished to the point of starving...

Beaten up with open sores...

Registered AQHA Palomino Gelding....

Safe in our barn.

There are those who will think I am crazy.

I don't care...

I know what I was looking for and I found it.

 

And I will tell them...

 

Just watch!

Word Verification - Ugh!!!

Ugh!  So many good Posts coming out of my Follower's Blog but for the last two days I haven't been able to leave comments on Blogs where word verification is turned on.  Each time I enter the letters (and I've confirmed numerous times that they are correct), I get an error saying they are incorrect.

Very frustrating.  :(

I've emailed about the issue but am not sure what type of response I'll get back (if any).

Anybody else out there having/had this issue?

My word verification is turned off.  You might want to also consider doing the same.