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.

Home Sweet Home

After being boarded at the barn for six days on stall rest as a result of having knees injections, I brought Bob home today.

It was a real treat to board Bob at the barn.  The accommodations at Back Forte, where I've ridden or boarded for so many years are wonderful.  Above is a picture of Champ, who we boarded at the barn for many years.  He's the one who motivated me learn to ride 'correctly' and start my 50+ Blog years ago. 

But as much as I enjoyed having Bob at the barn and hanging with my old pals, I soon realized that I missed having my horse with me at home.  I found I didn't like having to drive up to the barn each day vs wanting to haul up or drop by to visit.  This is quite a revelation because I had always planned on boarding in the future.  Now I'm thinking differently.

As for Bob, he was fed up with stall life and becoming a real pain.  When I got him home he was out of sorts, calling out to the friends he left behind.

Yet, as I knew would happen, he settled down after a few hours and as I write this he's dozing in the sun.  Bob will wear bell boots to prevent overstepping and pulling off his front shoes/pads until I'm advised otherwise. 

The paddock will be his home for the next four days. 

After that Bob's free to return to the pastures where he can stand on his hill watching the buffalo and cattle below.

Home Sweet Home.  It's good to have my horse home!

A Note to Those on the East Coast

Sending my prayers and thoughts to you on the East Coast and hoping you, your families and animals are safe from the upcoming storm.  Please check in when you can.

50+

Day 3 With Bob

I want to start this Post by thanking those of you who have joined me on this journey with Bob.  You have no idea how much your responses mean to me as we head down this trail.  Knowing you are there supporting me makes the journey much easier, so thank you!

It's Day 3 after Bob's injections and things are quieting down.  I've been up to the barn to hand walk him twice today, each time for 15 minutes as the Vet has prescribed. 

Being stuck in a stall all day, I find Bob wanting to step out ahead of me on our little walks (and I can't blame him).  But I also can't allow him to get away with that because I need to be the one in charge.  So a sudden stop, a little backing up and a stern look in his eye resolves the issue.

It's then a peaceful time for the two of us as we take our little walks and I've found myself wondering why I haven't done this more often in the past as well as committing to doing more walks together in the future.

I've decided to go with a different Shoer for Bob and called my "old" Shoer today to tell him my decision.  The people who help us with our horses become family and I feel badly about moving on.  But this is something I must do on the journey to bring Bob back.

My replacement Shoer is someone I've known for many years and who I always stop to say "Hi" to when I run into him at the barn.  I've used him in the past - along the many years of various horses we've owned, boarding at different barns, etc.  My Vet recommended him because they have worked other 'projects' together.  I'm comfortable and confident about the decision. 

I feel like I've started a sports franchise.  My family, our Vet and Shoer have formed a team.  We are all committed to seeing this through and winning the season, no matter how long it takes.