Foals in the Pasture

In the spring of 2004, we were expecting two foals.  Messenger of Light aka "leia" was in foal to Waquoit, due in late March and Street Dasher aka "Bunny" was in foal to Land's End the Colonel's Fox, due in late May.   Leia's foal would be apurebred Thoroughbred, hopefully destined for the race track and Bunny, an Anglo-Arabian, was carrying a foal by a Welsh Pony, hopefully destined for the top as a hunter pony.


As Leia's due date approached, I kept a close watch on her.  I set up the camera in the foaling stall, ran the cables to the house, so that I could watch her from the comfort of my den.   I knew she was getting close and started to stay up at night, sleeping in a recliner that was next to the small TV that I had hooked up to the camera.   Finally, I knew she was definitely close, probably within 24 hours.   I watched her all night, barely getting any sleep.   My husband got up about 7 or so and I told him that I thought she was close, but I desperately needed some sleep.    He promised to keep a watch on Leia for me.   He even offered to clean her stall.   So, i told him that when he cleaned her stall that he could let her out, but she would need to come back in as soon as he was done.

So, I laid down about 8 AM and slept for several hours.  I knew he would come to get me if Leia went into labor.   When i woke up, I went to the den and saw him sitting in his recliner and there was no Leia on the TV screen.  He told me he had decided to keep Leia out a little longer and would go out to bring her back inside in a few minutes.   I said, "OK, but don't wait too long."   I was starving, so I went to get something to eat.

I sat down and started to eat and I asked if he could look out the window to check on Leia, because of my vision, I can't see that far.   So, he got up and looked out the kitchen window and suddenly started yelling, "Red Alert!  Leia's having her foal!"

I lept up, leaving my food on the table, threw on my barn boots, grabbed the foaling bag kit and raced out the door, with him behind me.   I raced to the paddock and found Leia down and a foal laying a few feet away.   Leia had luckily laid down where a round bale had been, so it was one of the cleaner spots in the paddock.   As I assessed the situation, Gordon rushed to get Bunny and another mare, Shadow, out of the paddock.    Bunny didn't want to leave her friend, but reluctantly left when Gordon opened up the gate leading to the large back field.

Gordon then came back to help me.   The foal was up on it's chest and Leia was working on delivering the placenta.   I checked the foal quickly and discovered that it was a filly and she was large and appeared healthy.   Leia stood up and delivered the placenta.    Gordon and I then picked up the filly and moved them to the foaling stall.

I dried the filly off and we put betadine on her umbilical stump.   She was quickly to her feet and looking for her mother's milk.   As with Luke, Leia was an excellent mother and we decided to call the long legged dark bay filly, Princess.   She had a few white hairs, so we guessed she would be turning grey, just like her sire, Waquoit.

I was a little upset with Gordon for not putting Leia back in the stall, after cleaning it, like I had asked, but since everything turned out alright, I got over it quickly, as he learned his lesson.

A few weeks later, Leia and Princess left for Leia to go be bred to Zillionair, a rare colored cremello Thoroughbred.

Bunny was not due until late May, but as April turned into May, I started to think that there was a chance she would carry this foal shorter than the last two.   She had carried Tell A Tale for 361 days and Belle for 350 days.   On day 332, I checked her in themorning and she had a decent size udder and I talked to her and said, "Tonight you start staying inside for me to watch you."  

After breakfast, I turned her out in the back field with Shadow and Belle.   Belle loved being back with her mother.   Belle was almost 15 months old and was so beautiful.

That afternoon Gordon and I sat down to watch the Black Eyed Suson Stakes from Pimlico and enjoyed the race.   After the race, I was preparing to head out to feed the horses and bring Bunny in for the night.   Gordon went into the kitchen to put something away and the next thing I heard was him yelling, "Red Alert!  I think Bunny's had her foal!"

I lept up so fast and almost ran into the back door, I couldn't believe it.   I shoved my boots on and ran as fast I could to the back field.   They were in the far back, but were slowly making their way towards me.   As they got closer, I saw Bunny and Belle walking side by side and Shadow was circling them at about a 30 to 40 foot distance.   Inbetween Bunny and Belle I saw an extra head and got them to stop and Bunny, trusting me, let me get inbetween her and Belle to see the new foal. 

It was still soaking wet, but since it was up, it was obviously strong.  But we were still quite some distance from the barn, so I scooped up the foal into my arms and started carrying it.   Gordon finally made it out to us and offered to help, but I was doing okay.   I just told him to open gates and stall doors, on the way and to make sure that Belle and Shadow didn't follow Bunny and I.

Bunny and Belle kept right with me as I carried the foal, who weighed around 60 pounds.   As we exited the back field, heading into the paddock to the right of the barn, Gordon was able to get Belle to back off enough to shut the gate.   This made Belle very upset, she wanted to be with her mother and the foal.

Once we got into the foaling stall, I set the foal down and checked it over, "Another filly!"  I called out, with excitement.   She was so cute, had a huge star on her face, a white snip on her nose, and 3 white pasterns.   But, like Princess, we could tell that it looked like she would be turning grey, as Bunny was grey.

It took some effort, but the filly eventually nursed and was totally healthy, despite the early foaling date and surprise of being born in the pasture.   Because she was born about the time that the Black Eyed Susan was being run, we decided to call her Suzy.

When Suzy was strong enough, I reunited her with her big sister, Belle and Bunny was perfectly content for Belle to help out with Suzy's care.   It was so sweet to watch the three of them interacting.   I had heard of this kind of behavior in wild horses, where a mare's older daughter helped with a younger sibling, but it was the first time I had truly witnessed it first hand.   A lot of times people don't allow this kind of interaction amongst their herd, for fear of the older sibling hurting the younger one, but Belle was so gentle and loving, she'd do nothing to hurt Suzy.

Leia and Princess returned, when Leia was confirmed pregnant to Zillionair and shortly after that Bunny was confirmed in foal to Farnley Belshazzar, who had been the sire of Tell A Tale, born in 1999.  

I registered Princess as Quoit Blessed and she was eventually sold to a client, as a racing prospect, when she was a yearling.   She was given a chance to race, but due to some bad training, running her the wrong distances, and some bad luck, which caused a tendon injury, she never won, 4th being her best finish.   Princess is now the dam of two beautiful Jazil fillies.   I look forward to them racing.   They were born in 2010 and 2011, so I still have to wait a bit longer to see them race.

Suzy was registered as a Half Welsh Pony as Perfect Peace What a Blessing, sometimes seen with no space between "what a" to make it "whata".   I sent her to be trained by Sarah Warmack at Hilltop Farm VA, when she was 3 years old.   Sarah did a wonderful job with Suzy and started her show career.   Despite the starting of the decline in horse sales, we were able to get close to our asking price for Suzy, as she was so nice.   Suzy is a super nice mover and is always winning her hack classes and winning or getting top ribbons in her over fences classes as a Hunter Pony.   She was sold when she was 4 years to Kristin Mangum.   Suzy competes up and down the East Coast at A Circuit level shows, winning ribbons at HITS, Warrenton, Culpeper, Deep Run, Upperville, etc.   We could not be prouder of her success and look forward to hearing even more of her success as she continues to mature and develop.

Back to the Barn

I have been trying for over 2 years to get back to the barn on a regular basis. During a very difficult pregnancy, with my youngest child, I was put on bed rest, and was threatened with hospitalization, if I didn't be a good girl and stay out of my barn. After she was delivered, she was a very high needs baby that ended up with colic and reflux, she also was so overly attached to me that it made it very difficult for me to even do household tasks.

She is now 2 years old and is still high needs, but it is more emotional than anything else, these days. I try to get to the barn, but she would scream the whole time I worked with the horses and it really wore on me, making me choose not to hear her scream, so I stayed in the house, letting my wonderful husband do most of the horse work.

It has depressed me not to get to be with my horses, so I am now pushing the issue and thankfully, so far, she seems more receptive to being at the barn. Now old enough to communicate more, she can talk to me, from her stroller, as I work, and she can talk to her sister, or the horses.

On Sunday, as a family, we all went out to the barn. My oldest daughter, now 6 years old, got a set of kid sized horse brushes for her Birthday and it was time to truly teach her how to properly groom, versus just taking a bristle brush to the horse's coat for a few minutes.

My husband took the camera out and snapped pictures of the two of us, as I taught her how to use the curry and a more proper use of the stiff brush. He also kept an eye on our younger daughter.

Our oldest suffers from allergies, which unfortunately, does include a mild allergy to horses, so after about 15 minutes, she started to sniffle a bit, so I let her go play, while I finished grooming Belle.

Belle, who has been featured in some of my recent stories, is now 8 years old, and despite being 3/4 Arabian and 1/4 Thoroughbred, is one of the calmest horses on the farm, totally blowing the theory that some people have that "all Arabians are crazy" or "All Thoroughbreds are hot." She stood so calmly for my daughter's grooming lesson, I was so proud of her.

After I was done grooming her, I took her out of the barn and stood her up for a conformation picture, something we hadn't done with her in years. It took only one take, to get the above picture. Belle is the bay, you can't see it, but she has a huge blaze on her face, to go with the 4 white socks.

After I put Belle back in the stall, I pulled out her half sister, Myra, who is a 6 year old Half Welsh Pony. They are both daughters of Bunny. I have not gotten to Myra's story, yet, and I will, trying to go in order, somewhat, in my horse stories, unless something just comes to me.

I groomed Myra and then took her out for her photo shoot. Like Belle, I had not taken any conformation pictures of Myra in years. I cleaned them up as best as I could, but there are some mud stains on them, due to all the rain we've had. Myra is a grey, now almost white, so I did as much as I could, luckily, she wasn't too stained.

While Gordon continued to watch our girls and take pictures of them, I put Myra back in the barn and then fed the horses. It felt so great to be out there and working with them. I felt so lifted and energized, that not only did I go in and make 2 pizzas for dinner, I added brownies as a dessert!

Today, I took both girls out, before my husband got home and fed the horses and was so happy that my youngest didn't fuss one bit! She just talked to me as I came near her and talked to her sister and to the nearest horse to her, Mayo. She was so good and it makes me so enthused that I can actually now start going out to the barn, again! I can really truly start working with the horses, training Myra and Belle, grooming everyone on a regular basis, and just getting to know them all again. I can't tell you how happy I feel right now.

First Miracle at Perfect Peace Farm

Bunny had given me my dream horse, Belle.  Belle was perfect in so many ways and from the beginning, she was so friendly, sweet, and easy to train.  Her first month of life flew by, with her learning daily and our bond getting closer and closer.

When she was about a month old I came out to the barn to do the morning feed and turnout.   I found her sprawled out in the middle of the stall.  She was trying to nurse from Bunny, while laying down.   Bunny, being such a great mom, stood still and let Belle do this.   As I entered the stall, I realized that they had moved all the bedding out of the center of the stall and had exposed to the stall mats, which were now slick with urine.

Belle could not get up on her own, on such a slick surface.   I quickly moved bedding out of the corners to try to help her get some traction, but she still required my help to stand.   I checked her over, and she was weight baring on all legs, so I just hoped she had bruised something and she would be fine.   When I turned her out she was a little lame behind, but it did not appear too serious, so I decided to watch her and see how she was in a day or so.

But the next morning, when I came out to the barn, she was down, again, but this time there was plenty of bedding under her, she had not moved it out of her way and she was not getting up.  I went into the stall and again, had to help her get to her feet.   It was at this point that I realized that there was something wrong, so I fed them and went back to the house to call the vet.

The head vet came out a few days later, as they didn't consider what I was describing a true emergency.  He looked Belle over, as I told him, there was no heat, no swelling, nothing outward to indicate what was wrong, but she was obviously favoring her hind right.  I told him she had gotten more lame over the few days, so he continued with the exam.  He started blocking nerves, starting with just above her hoof, no change.  Then he numbed her pastern, again, no change.  Next her ankle was blocked, same result.  The last attempt to locate the injury was to block her hock, but again, as before, there was no change.

He felt her stifle and did not think it was that joint, so at that point he started to think it was her hip.   However, we could not be sure what was going on without x-rays.   Since it is very difficult to get x-rays of the hip, I was told I'd need to bring her to the clinic, where she'd be put under sedation to get proper x-rays.

I called a friend of mine, Katie, and she and her father came a few days later to help me transport Bunny and Belle to the vet clinic for the x-rays to be done.

It took some effort, but I finally got Bunny on the trailer, as she remained hard to load from her bad experience years before.

When we got to the clinic, I took Bunny and Belle to a waiting stall, with Katie's help, and one of the junior vets and a tech met us and then sedated Belle.   Bunny remained remarkably calm as they worked on Belle, flipping her onto her back so that a proper image of her hips could be taken.

After the first image, he wasn't satisfied and another one had to be taken.

About 20 minutes later, I was given the bad news.  Belle's hips were fine, but her pelvis was fractured.  I was told that Belle would need at least 6 months in the stall and she still may not be 100% sound, only time would tell.

We loaded Bunny and Belle back up on the trailer, this time Bunny went right on for me, I think she knew we were going home.  

When we got home, I put them in their stall and cried.  My beautiful dream horse had a fairly serious injury.  She would probably live, but I may never get to ride her.  I had given up riding her mother several years before, due to Bunny's mental stress, from what I believe was abuse by a previous owner or trainer, I just couldn't believe I may never get to ride her daughter, who I'd dreamt of having for so long.

I was very worried about how Bunny might handle stall rest for 6 months, with Belle.   Bunny had gone through 6 months of stall rest, herself, in September 1996 to March 1997.  I did not know if she could handle it, yet again. 

So, I started to research how to raise an orphan foal, as Belle was only 5 weeks old, at this point.  I even called a farm in PA that was considered one of the authorities on raising orphans and got some great advice.

After another week, Bunny was starting to show signs of stress from the confinement in a 10 by 12 stall.   I could open up the foaling stall, but I was told not to, because they didn't want Belle moving that much, just yet.  So, I talked to Bunny, because I seriously believed she understood a lot of what I said to her.

I told her that Belle really had to stay in the stall and I didn't want to have to wean Belle at 6 weeks, but if she couldn't handle being in the stall, I would let her go out.  

Bunny remained a bit nervous or high energy, so after my husband got home, I decided to let Bunny out and see how things went.   I held Belle as my husband opened the outer stall door to let Bunny out, and then close it, separating mother from baby.   Well, Bunny went absolutely nuts that she could not get to her foal.  I let her run around outside of the barn for about 10 to 15 minutes and then I let her back in with Belle.  I told her that she had to calm down to get to stay with Belle, and I swear I never had any other problems with Bunny after that and her getting too high of energy.

After about 2 months of stall rest, only going out to walk down the barn aisle to be moved to another stall, I had the vet come out to evaluate Belle's progress, because she was becoming more and more sound as she walked.

At that point the okay was given to open up my foaling stall, which gave Bunny and Belle an area of 12 by 18.   They had two outer stall doors that I could open the windows to and two inner stall doors, but I kept those closed, so I could hang fans, as it was starting to get hotter, as spring was over half way through.

Bunny would calmly stand looking out of one of the stall door windows and Belle would pace back and forth from one to another.  I wish I could have closed one of the windows, but it would have gotten too hot.  So, I figured if she developed a slight pacing habit, I could live with that and maybe she would grow out of it after she healed.

When Belle was 5 months old, 4 months after the injury, the vet came out to evaluate her progress, again.  He could not believe what he was seeing.  She was so sound in the stall that while he was there, he had me turn Bunny and Belle out in the small 1/2 acre paddock, that came off their stall.  Belle behaved herself and did not run around like a maniac, like a foal who had been stalled for 4 months.   She did move around at a walk, trot, and slow canter, enough for him to realize that she was healing a lot faster and a lot more complete than he could have ever imagined.  What should have taken a minimum of 6 months, only took 4, it really was a miracle that she had healed in such a short period of time.

He told me that Belle could start going out on limited turnout, for a few weeks, slowly increasing the time she got outside.   After about a month, Belle was out with the other foal that had been born on the farm that spring, and happily playing with him.

For about another year, she would sometimes stand cross legged, behind, which is what she did, at times, to rest her pelvis, but slowly she did it less and less.   She was sometimes difficult to work with her hind feet, but by her 2nd Birthday, she was fine and the farrier was happy, too.

I continued Belle's training and she would trot in hand, knew all kinds of voice commands, and if i stood in front of her, she would put her head on my shoulder and give me a Belle hug.

Belle has never been broke to ride, there is a chance that her pelvis could be a bit weak, but maybe one day I will get on her back and see if she can handle my weight.  I had the vet check her, when she was 5 years old to see if she would be able to have a foal, safely, and the report was good news.   She stands only 14.2 hands, Bunny was 14.3 hands and Belle's sire, Rho-Quest (Khemosabi) was 15.1 hands, so she definitely ended up a bit smaller than I expected, but the vet said I could breed her, I'd just have to limit it to pony stallions who are known to sire smaller sized foals, even when bred to larger mares.   Belle has not produced a foal, yet, on two tries.  Once she didn't get in foal and the other time she did, but lost it at about 7 months gestation, out in the field, where we never saw it.  I am hoping to try breeding her in 2012 to Land's End the Colonel's Fox, who sired one of Belle's half sisters.  Perfect Peace What a Blessing is cleaning up in the show ring and I'd love to get a 3/4 sibling to her.

Belle, my dream horse, remains the first miracle to happen here at Perfect Peace Farm.  She has a life long home with me, she will never ever be sold or given away, she's mine forever!

Angel of Perfect Peace Farm

I emailed out updates of my horse exploits and other news to family and friends on a regular basis, sometimes including photos.  In the late winter of 2002, after seeing one of these updates, I got an unexpected reply from an email friend.

He lived in California and had been really impressed by the latest pictures, which had shown me turning Bunny loose in her pasture, and then she proceeded to follow me around with no halter or lead rope, she just walked right beside me, head low, content look on her face, etc and Gordon had caught several pictures of her doing this with me.  It was one of those very special memories that I have of my Bunny.

I had been friends with this man since 1997, so he was very familiar with my experience with horses, my history with Bunny and all that I had gone through with Bunny, Mayo, and Baron.   I had sold Mayo in April 2001, so he knew I was down to just 2 horses, due to being out of work, but now I was engaged to Gordon, so things were a bit different.   We had found a house with land, that we had bought in December 2001, to become our farm, planning our wedding, etc.

This friend told me about his mare, Big City Miss, who was boarded at a farm in Kentucky.   The farm was going out of business and she would have to find another place to be boarded.   The problem was her fertility was not the best.   She had not had a foal in a few years and the vets in Kentucky were at a loss as to what was causing her not to ovulate properly.  He knew it was a longshot that she'd ever get pregnant again, but he also wanted her to have a nice home and be safe.  So, he offered her to me.

I looked up her pedigree and produce report and was in shock that I was being offered such a nice mare.   She was by Kris S. and was a full sister to several stakes winners.  She had also already produced one stakes winner, herself, and several of her full and half sisters were also stakes producers.   If she had been fertile, she was easily worth over $100,000, I would imagine, but her fertility issues put her into the situation of needing a safe place, in case she truly was no longer fertile.   He felt I was that safe place.  He told me I was welcome to try to breed her, if my vet thought there was a chance.

Gordon and I discussed this opportunity and though we knew it was a long shot, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity.  So, I made arrangements for her to come from Kentucky to the boarding stable that I was still having to use.

A month or so after the first email from my friend, Big City Miss arrived and this gorgeous big chestnut mare, with a small white star, stepped off the trailer.   She was at least 16 hands and was so sweet and gentle.  We toyed with two names for her, Angel and April.  The barn owner thought I should call her April, but Gordon and I just kept thinking of her as Angel.  Everyone told me that horses nicknamed Angel, were usually not very nice, but I knew different, so we settled on Angel.

After letting Angel settle in for a few days, I introduced her to Bunny and they instantly became friends.

A few months later I sent her to a breeding farm to try breeding her to Secret Hello.  But, it was just not meant to be.  Her ovaries were small and hard and she was not producing viable follicles.   The vet that saw her, a reproduction specialist, was at a loss.  She was tried on several drugs, one finally sent her into heat, but she ovulated a follicle at about half the size it should have been.   They tried breeding her, but she did not get pregnant, so I had her brought home and told her she was retired from breeding and was safe.

In August 2002, when the farm was ready, Bunny and Angel were brought to Perfect Peace Farm, where they were introduced to Leia and met back up with Baron.   Since Baron didn't seem to care for Leia, for some odd reason, we separated the 4 horse herd and kept Leia and Bunny together, as they both were pregnant, and then Angel had to buddy up with Baron, who looked just like her, both bright red chestnuts with stars, Angel was just a little bit bigger than Baron.

Angel and Baron became friends and though Angel was the alpha, they could sometimes be found standing next to each other.  They'd share a hay pile, with no problem or a big round bale.  They got along great.

That fall, I got Admiral, a large Mini colt and he was put out with Angel and Baron.   The three of them really enjoyed playing.

As winter came, it soon became apparent that Angel suffered from arthritis in her front legs.  I tried supplements, pain relievers, and the like, but every morning she was so stiff, I felt so bad for her, as that winter was so cold.   She started to drop weight, so I added a high fat supplement to her diet, but she just maintained weight, wouldn't gain.  I kept hay infront of her constantly.  Nothing really seemed to work in putting wieght on her or to help relieve her arthritis pain and stiffness.

As spring turned to summer, I came to the hard decision that I didn't think it was fair for Angel to go through another Virginia winter.   I talked to her previous owner about the situation and he said it was okay for me to try and find her another safe home, further south.

I had contacts with some horse rescues and started talking to them.  In July, a home was found for her in Texas.  So, we made arrangements for her to head to her new home.   She left on August 3rd and arrived very late on August 4th.  The transport company had known about her arthritis and took excellent care of her.  They gave her breaks, had an air ride trailer, etc.

I knew it had been after 10 PM when she had arrived, so the next day, August 5th, my Birthday, I awaited for word on how she was settling in at her new home.   It seemed like forever, but finally around 2 PM I got the phone call. 

I could tell there was something wrong by the tone of the lady's voice.  She started to tell me about how Angel had arrived.   She said she was put in the paddock that was basically her backyard, so she could keep a watch on Angel.  She checked on her at midnight, at she was fine, but when she went to check on her around 2:30 AM, she found Angel down.   She thought that maybe her arthritis was bothering her, so she turned to go to the house to get some pain reliever.   She heard Angel get up behind her, so she turned to watch, and Angel struggled to get to her, almost made it and then Angel collapsed on the ground.

Angel died quickly, we are not sure if it was a heart attack or some kind of annurism.   She had been completely and thoroughly checked out by my vet before she had left.   i'd even asked specifically, "Do you think she can make the trip to Texas, safely?"  My vet listened to her heart, checked pulses, checked gum color, and more, she got a very thorough exam, and he really thought it would be okay.

When I talked to the hauling company, the report from the drivers was that she travelled fine, was fine at the rest barns, never showed any sign of distress, etc.   The owner of the company called me a bit later to express his condolences.  They felt really bad, too, as they knew it had been a rescue type situation, knowing I was trying to get her to a warmer climate with less harsh winters.

If I had known this was going to happen, I would have just kept her here.   Some have told me, over the years, that Angel wanted it this way.   That she had bonded so much with me that she did not want to die infront of me.  She knew she was leaving and held on to make it to her new home, where she knew she'd die with dignity and be buried properly.

The lady she went to buried her and planted a bunch of wild flowers over the grave.

Angel will always be remembered here at Perfect Peace Farm.  She had a place she loved to stand and dig in the mud.  She dug a hole so deep that it was past her knees.   Through time, it has started to fill in a bit, but there is still a low spot there, by the 2nd fence post to the right of the barn.

Continue to Rest In Peace sweet Angel.

Baron's Early Training

As Baron healed from his leg wound I started to begin light work with him, on my visits to the boarding stable.   I still only got out to see my horses about once a week to once every two weeks, depending on Gordon's schedule or if I could get a ride out with someone else, which was pretty rare.

At first, I just worked more on his ground manners, which didn't take me long, as he always had excellent manners. 

He was so small, for his age, only about 14.1 hands at his 2nd Birthday, that I didn't want to do a whole lot to stress his bones, joints, etc, so I just had fun with him.  One of the first extra things I taught him was to bow.

After he was gelded in April 2001, right before his 2nd Birthday is about when I started doing this, I think.  I would use a carrot, which he loved, as his reward.   I started out saying the words "Baron bow."  Then I'd put the carrot just below his nose, starting to work on him learning to lower his head.   As he caught on, I put the carrot lower and lower, eventually I had it placed between his knees and he'd flex his neck to get to it.

After that, i started working with him on moving his legs so he could reach even further back and lower.  He would put one leg forward and move the other back, eventually having them about two feet apart or more and I'd put the carrot down around ankle level.   He was so smart that all of this didn't take long and he learned it with very infrequent training sessions, due to my lack of transpartation to the barn.

After he mastered bowing, to my satisfaction, he had grown a bit and I thought it would be okay to start putting him in the really big round pen that the barn owner had.    I started teaching him to lunge, just with a lead rope, at first, going in circles in both directions, around me and around the roundpen.

Again, he learned quickly and I soon was using a regular lunge line and also working with him on free lunging.  I knew not to do a lot of trotting with him and no cantering, at first, until he was closer to his mature height.

As I worked with him he grew and learned quickly.   I started adding a circingle and then the side reins that, at first, I just attached loosely to his halter, so he could get used to a girth like piece of tack around him and the sensation of reins next to his neck.

I did what I could to work with him through his two year old summer and into fall, but when winter came, it was just too muddy to do much in the roundpen, so when I got to go visit, I just spent a lot of time grooming him and Bunny.

As it started to warm up and Baron approached his 3rd Birthday, he was now almost 15.1 hands, so when I started him back in the roundpen, I was able to do a lot more with him.   I was amazed, we picked up just about where we had left off months before.   I had always known he was a smart horse, but this truly solidified it.

He quickly progressed the spring of 2002 and by June it was time for me to start getting on his back.

I had been given a nice senthetic western saddle that I had been putting him.  I mostly ride english, but this was a nice saddle, so I figured I would use it.   Baron didn't seem to mind and it fit him fairly well.

I admit being pretty nervous as Gordon gave me a leg up that first day, but Baron was perfect.   I swung my right leg over his back and eased my way into the saddle.  After letting Baron stand there for a few minutes, to get the feel of me on his back, I had Gordon lead us around the roundpen a few times.  Baron never showed any signs that he was going to buck or do anything wrong, so I praised him and dismounted after about 10 minutes.  It was a flawless first ride, I couldn't have asked for anything more from him.

Gordon and I were getting married in July.  We'd be gone for a week on our Honeymoon, to Saratoga Springs, for opening week of the Saratoga racing meet.  Then when we got back I had a barn builder set to build the barn in mid August and a fencing company to come out about two weeks after the barn was finished.

Because I would not be ready for Baron to come to our new home until late August, I decided to send him to a trainer.   The boarding stable was 1 1/2 hours from where I would be living, so I would not be able to visit him, anyways.

I trusted the lady I boarded with, she had never given me any cause not to, so when she recommended her trainer, that she sent all her youngsters to, I didn't hesitate.  I had seen a horse come back from him and it was fine, so I figured that Baron would be, as well.   So, in early July, Baron went to this trainer's farm to continue his education.

Bunny and Angel, who we had been given, would remain at the boarding stable, until the farm was ready.   Gordon and I had also purchased another Thoroughbred mare, Messenger of Light, who we nicknamed "Leia", and she stayed at the barn she was already at, until my farm was ready.   Leia, like Bunny, was pregnant, so I didn't want to move Leia too much.

In early August we went to see Baron at the trainers farm.  He looked fine and I watched the guy ride him, putting him through his paces.   Then I got on for a short ride.  I was pretty happy, but I could tell Baron wasn't quite as relaxed as he'd been even on his first ride with me.  I just figured it was because I hadn't seen him in over a month or something like that.   So, I dismissed that feeling, but I should have listened more closely.

After the barn got put up we were still waiting on the fencing, when Gordon and I decided to go see Bunny and Angel and make arrangements for them to be brought to us.   It was about 2 weeks after I saw Baron.   We were standing out infront of the lady's barn and we were talking about Baron.   When suddenly the lady said, "The trainer may be the town drunk, but he is really good with horses and I've never seen him drunk around the horses."

I swear I must have turned ashen, as I felt all the blood drain from my face and thought I was going to pass out.   I couldn't believe she had not told me this key piece of info before, I would have definitely remembered something like that.  

She lived almost two hours from the trainer, so how did she know if he was drinking around the horses or not?   I was so mad.  

As soon as Gordon and I got in the car, I told him that I was going to have the trainer bring Baron home immediately, fence or no fence, i didn't care.   Gordon agreed, we wanted Baron away from "the town drunk" as soon as possible.

So, I called the trainer and told him that the fencing would be done sooner than I thought and asked  if he could bring Baron home a little earlier than planned, to which he agreed. 

If I had my own truck and trailer, I would have gotten him myself, but we didn't and still don't.  I didn't know many people with trucks and trailers, so I had to trust the trainer to not drink before bringing Baron home.

Luckily, Baron arrived home safely.  I had opened up the foaling stall for him, so he had a 12 by 20 stall.  I deeply bedded in shavings, too, so he would be comfortable.  I also hung two fans for him.  

We may not have had horse pastures fenced, but we did have hte back yard, so I did bring him up to the back yard for grazing, for an hour or two a day.

Baron watched from the stall as the fencing went up about a week after he arrived at Perfect Peace Farm.   The workers were amazed at how calm he was and when I told them that he was a pure Thoroughbred, they were in even more shock.   He just calmly watched them work, driving the posts into the ground and hanging the Centaur brand fencing that I had chosen for my farm.

As the fencing was being finished, we moved Leia to a neighbors farm, just down the street, where she stayed for about a week or so, then we brought her home the day after the fence was finished.   A few days later Bunny and Angel joined them and our small 4 horse herd was finally all together.

Baron and Leia didn't get along, at first.   Leia is just so calm and laid back, she is easily picked on.  I'm not sure, exactly why he didn't like her very much, but he'd chase her, so we eventually had to separate him from Leia.   We put Baron in with Angel and Bunny and Leia, the two pregnant ladies were in the other small paddock, on the other side of the barn.

After Baron had settled in, I started trying to work with him again, but my horse was different and I couldn't figure it out.  I would get on him and he'd go a little ways and then freeze.  I could feel the nervousness in him and I knew something must have happened with that drunk trainer.  I apologized to Baron and told him I wouldn't have sent him there, if I had known what I learned later.  I told himt hat if I sent him to any other trainer, I'd do more research, visit the place, if possible, and stay on top of the trainer to make sure that this kind of thing didn't happen to him again.

Little did I know, that even if you do your research, get tons of good recommendations from people, stay on top of the trainer, bad things still happen and trainers can sometimes turn from what seemed like a very reasonable person that you got along with to someone completely different.   Poor Baron ran into his fair share of trainers that went nuts while he was with them, but at least he doesn't have to worry about that anymore, as he is safe with his new owner, Laura, who has now had him for 2 years.

My Dream Horse

For a very long time I had dreamt of having a spectacular blood bay with a blaze and 4 high white socks.  I even drew pictures of such a horse when I was in middle school.   I always figured I'd have to find one to buy, at some point in my life.

Since Bunny was not rideable, and I had learned that since I had rescued her, several of her foals had started winning big at A rated shows as hunter ponies, so I decided I would breed her, again.   I had sold Petey, her colt, that she had in 1999, as a yearling, so it had been a few years since her last foal, it was time to breed her again.

I had sold Mayo the month before and paid off all my bills and I had some money leftover, plus I was in a steady relationship with Gordon.  Though he hadn't asked me to marry him, yet, I think we both knew it was heading in that direction.   So, I discussed breeding Bunny with him and we agreed that it was the right thing to do and he would help me a little bit, in accomplishing it.

I started looking at stallions, ponies, Arabians, and small Thoroughbreds.  I did a lot of praying, thinking, and research.  I decided that it was time to try to breed to get a horse for me to ride, hoping for Bunny's superb movement and I would hope for a filly that I could always keep and that would also eventually be Bunny's replacement as a broodmare in my pony breeding program, that I dreamed of.

I had not started out wanting to breed ponies, but Bunny's first 3 pony foals all did well at the A circuit and in Virginia, which is very tough, so I kind of fell into it, but decided I liked it, too, and wanted to continue Bunny's legacy.   The free horse that no one had wanted had proven that she was worth more than just about anyone else had thought.

So, I decided, for this breeding, I'd look at Arabians and small Thoroughbreds, so I could get something big enough for me to ride, since I'm 5'7" and I'd look really funny on a pony.

I just couldn't seem to find a Thoroughbred that fit my needs.  Bunny being only 14.3 hands, I did not want to risk breeding her to a large stallion.  So, my focus then turned more towards Arabians.   If it was to eventually be a broodmare, if I got a filly, for me to cross on ponies to get hunters, I needed a specific type of Arabian.   It could not have too much knee action and it needed to have similar movement to Bunny, who was and Anglo-Arabian, sired by a Thoroughbred and produced out of an Arabian mare.

From my previous research, I knew that Bunny's Arabian side was over 90% Crabbet, about 95% CMK, and the other part was Davenport, as her tail female line went to a mare that Davenport brought to the US straight from the desert.

I narrowed my search further to high percentage CMK stallions and in doing so, I stumbled on a stallion standing not 5 miles from where Bunny was boarded.

His name was Rho-Quest a Champion son of the legendary Arabian stallion Khemosabi.  Granted, there are a lot of sons of his at stud, but I saw something I really liked int he pictures of Rho-Quest, so I made contact with owner.

I made arrangements to go see him in person and one Saturday morning Gordon and I went over to take a look at him.

He was very nice, a gorgeous sleek 15.1 hands, beautiful bay with 3 socks and a star that looked almost like a questionmark on his forehead.   His owner put him int he round pen so I could see him move.   I liked his trot, but when he picked up the canter, I was sold!  That was the stallion for Bunny.   It wasn't an identical canter to hers, but it was the closest I had found. 

No, with my vision being bad I can not see how a horse is moving like a sighted person can.   I can see a little bit, but what I can tell is with my ears and I can tell a lot more with my ears than most sighted people can comprehend.   I can tell how long a stride is, how sound a horse is, how heavy or light they hit the ground, and I believe I can get a good idea of how much knee action or lack thereof, by how they sound.

I can also use my hands to tell me a lot about a horse's condition, conformation, etc as an added assistance to my limited eyesight.   I can tell a lot in conformation and condition with my eyes, but I will admit I can miss some flaws, as they are harder to judge visually for me, but my hands can pick up the slack there, quite a bit.

So, I signed the breeding contract for Bunny to be bred to Rho-Quest and they came and picked her up a few days later.   I believe it was early June of 2001.

Bunny was kept there for a few heat cycles, but never conceived.  I had asked the vet about giving Bunny a shot to help her ovulate, but he didn't think it was necessary.   I told him that she had been given one when I bred her and got Petey, but he just argued with me about it not being necessary.   And the breeding season of 2001 ended with Bunny not pregnant.   The vet just said she was getting old and maybe was done.  But I knew different, she was 19, which is getting older, but my intuition told me the vet was wrong and had made me lose money and a breeding year.   But I trusted God and that he knew what was best and that there was a reason.

But the following year, I decided to get an early start, just in case it took a few tries to get Bunny in foal, but this time I absolutely insisted Bunny be given something to help her ovulate.   Since it was early March, he didn't argue with me this time, and Bunny was given a shot.

Well, she was bred and 18 days later she was confirmed pregnat!

I was so excited and started hoping for that filly that I so wanted, to continue on Bunny's bloodlines.

Gordon and I got married in July 2002 and in August the barn went up on our property, followed a few weeks later by the first round of fencing.   Baron was the first to arrive on the farm, actually two days before the fencing went up, so he lived in the brand new barn, by himself, but I opened up the foaling stall, so he'd have plenty of room and then I also put him in our backyard, for a few hours, to let him stretch his legs and graze a little bit.

Leia arrived the day after the fencing was completed and Bunny and Angel arrived a few days later.   I will write more about Leia and Angel in future posts, and the stories of how we got them.

Bunny settled right in here at Perfect Peace Farm, happy to be with her buddy, Angel.   She also made quick friends with Leia.

As winter approached and Bunny and Leia's pregnancies got further along, I separated them from Baron and Angel.

Bunny was due February 11th, a lot earlier than I had really wanted, but I would deal with any issues of it being cold, as they arose.   That January had been so cold that the water pump infront of the barn was constantly freezing and I was having to tote water from the house to the barn on a daily basis.

Bunny's udder started to develop in early January, so I started to worry about the foal coming early, but I also knew she had taken her time with Petey, carrying him 21 days past her due date.   But as her udder filled, I started watching her closely.

We bought a security camera and cables, placing the camera in the foaling stall, running the cables to the house, and hooking them up to a spare TV, so I could watch her from the house.   Bunny liked her privacy and I wanted her to have it.

February 11th came and went, with me diligently watching.   The lady across the street wanted to see a foal being born, so she was on standby and was getting daily updates from me.

On February 21st things were a bit different and I had a feeling she was even closer.   When Gordon helped me milk a drop of milk from her that evening, it was bright white, so I knew then we were in the homestretch.

At 10 PM, Gordon and I went out to the barn to do our nightly check of water buckets and I put my hands on Bunny to see if there was any change from the 6:30 check and sure enough I could feel a bit of sweat starting to develop on her coat, despite the temperature being in the 40's.

Gordon and I raced back to the house to gather up the supplies, grab the phone, etc and as we were doing this, I saw Bunny lay down and suddenly heard her water break.   I started calling for Gordon to hurry with what he was doing, as she was about to give birth.  I called the lady across the street as I raced back to the barn.

Bunny and I had a special connection and as I re-entered the barn and opened up her stall door, she got up and met me.  Now, I may not be able to see very well, but I can tell you I can sense things and what I sensed from Bunny was the message, "You came back!  Thank goodness!  I need you!"   

I gave her a reassuring pet and she circled the stall and laid back down.   Gordon made it out to the barn at this point, as I was kneeling behind Bunny to check for the foal's birthing position.   Everything was fine, as I reached my hand in, I felt one hoof, then another slightly staggered, and then a nose, just above the ankles, so everything was good.

As Bunny pushed with her contractions I kept talking to her and she started nickering to her foal who's head wasn't even out, yet.

Soon I saw the first white foot, then the other front, which was also white.  My heart started to pound in my chest even harder.   Bunny did seem to be having some trouble, so I grasped the foal above the ankles and gently helped pull when she was pushing.

The lady from across the street arrived as I was helping Bunny deliver the foal.   Once Bunny got the shoulders passed, she was able to get the rest of the foal out with no trouble.

I ripped the sack and exposed the little foal's nose and head to the air, as it took it's first breath.  It had a huge white blaze on it's face and we also now knew it was a bay.   The hind feet then came out and the foal had 4 very high white socks, to go with it's blaze.   My heart was leaping in my chest, it was the horse I had dreamed about for so long.   I quickly reached my hand under it's tail to find out it's gender.   My face lit up like a Christmas Tree, I'm told, and I could barely speak as I gasped, "It's a filly!  It's a girl!"

I immediately knew what to call this beautiful dream filly, "Welcome to the family, Belle!"

As Belle grew and learned how to use those beautiful long legs of hers, within a few days, I knew, Belle had received her mother's movement.  I had gotten everything I had hoped and prayed for and more, Belle was unbelievable, so perfect.   I was beyond happy with my dream horse.

Belle's formal name became Bella Serhafina, which means "beautiful heavenly angel", because that is what she was to me.  I put the "rh" instead of just the "r" in the Serhafina, in honor of her sire, Rho-Quest, and his sire, Khemosabi.  Belle bares a striking resemblence to her grandsire, Khemosabit, down to the same jagged sock on the same front leg.   What a blessing she is and a wonderful addition to Perfect Peace Farm.

Selling Mayo

In early 2001 things were going really well, Baron was healing from his leg injury, my job was going well, and I was in a new relationship that a lot of promise.   But, how quickly things changed on me again.

One morning as I was getting ready for work the phone rang and it was the vet that I worked for.  She was telling me not to show up to work, that she was letting me go.   She claimed that business wasn't going well and that she had to let the last person she hired go, but that was a flat out lie, as she had hired at least 3 others after me.   I may be blind, but I am not stupid, I was being let go because of my eyesight.   I had it happen before, but that didn't make it any easier.   I was devistated, as I loved that job.   A friend of mine who worked with me, also believed I was the one she let go, because of my vision.   Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done, complaining to the EEOC usually gets you no where, the case in both times I've contacted them over workplace descrimination.

So, witht he loss of my job, I found myself living off of unemployment and everywhere I put in a resume, if they saw me, saw that I was blind, I never got a call.

I was quickly faced with a very hard decision, I could not afford three horses any longer.   I did a budget and figured I could afford two of them, but just not three.

I had Bunny, my first horse, an Anglo-Arabian mare, who was 18 years old at the time.  She had been abused, making her pretty much unrideable, plus she was so special to me, teaching me that it was horses I loved and not just riding, that I could not sell her.   I couldn't risk her going to a person that might misunderstand her behaviors and that might lead her to further abuse.   So, I know I was keeping her for the rest of her life.

Then there was Baron, my 2 year old Thoroughbred gelding, who from all he'd been through in his short life, was very small for his age and had a horrible scar on his front right leg, from the injury he'd suffered the previous fall.   From all he'd been through, I had grown very attached to him.   Though I may have bred his dam with the intentions of selling the foal, I could not bring myself to sell the little guy, he was also just too special to me.

So, that left Baron's dam, Mayo Lane, my 9 year old Thoroughbred mare.   She was the only rideable one of the group, but she was still quite green.   I had tried to work with her, but only being able to get to the boarding stable once every other week, it was very hard to progress her training.   I did my best, though and worked with her either in the round pen or int he small paddock, where I could ride her.

I started advertising her for sale.   She is a very muscular mare, built like a Quarter Horse, instead of a Thoroughbred.   I believe this is coming from two places, she is a granddaughter of Northern Baby, a son of Northern Dancer, who could pass on small and stocky to some lines, plus she is inbred 4 x 4 to Round Table.   For those who don't know what this means, it means she carries the horse Round Table in her 4th generation on both sides of her pedigree.   Her sire's sire, Northern Baby, is out of a mare by Round Table, and her 2nd dam (mother's mother), is sired by a stallion named Poker, who is by Round Table.   Round Table was an extremely good racehorse in the 1950's.   I loved studying Mayo's pedigree, so much history.

I advertised Mayo as a riding prospect, but also as a broodmare, due to her pedigree and the fact that Baron was a very nice young horse, despite his small size, which wasn't Mayo's fault, but Baron's circumstances.

I didn't get a lot of interest, but in April it seemed like everyone was starting to suddenly look for a new horse.

Quite a few wanted to ride her, so my boyfriend, tried to help me get out to the barn more often, so I could ride Mayo.  One day I was trying to ride her in one of the field's, where I had a single jump set up.  I couldn't use the round pen or small paddock or even the riding arena, as there were horses turned out in each of those areas, so I had no choice.   I really didn't think much about it.   Mayo could be strong and yes, she had run off with me, but that had been years before.   So, I lunged her, then got on, and we warmed up, she was doing just fine, listening, being really good, doing all I asked of her, so we started to jump.   She was doing really well with the lower jump, so I had my boyfriend, Gordon, set up the jump to about 2 feet.   We then cantered a circle and then headed towards the jump.  About a stride out, I felt something totally different underneath me, I felt her coiling up and preparing for an explosion.  I grabbed her mane, tightened up on the reins as best I could, but there was no time to stop her before the jump, so I had no choice but to just brace myself for what she was about to do.    She turned that 2 foot jump into about a 4 foot jump, catapolting us through the air.   As soon as she landed on the downside of the jump, she hit that ground running at full speed.   I put both hands on the left rein and pulled as hard as I could, as she had grabbed the bit in her teeth.   I put all I could into that one rein and tried to get her to circle.   Thankfully it worked, it took a few large and very high speed circles before I felt like I had some kind of control.   Slowly the circles got smaller and slower and finally I got her to stop.   I jumped off, my legs shaking, from the adrenalin that was flowing through my body. 

Gordon, who had only been riding for about 6 months, at the time, raced to me and hugged me, to make sure I was okay.   I was fine, of course, but I know seeing me being taken off with like that was hard on him.  Thankfully, that bolting incident didn't turn out like the first time she did that with me, but part of that was due to the fact that she wasn't bucking this time, as she bolted.

With that incident and our past, I knew she really needed to go to someone with a whole lot of experience or as a broodmare, she was just not going to be safe for even an intermediate rider, unless they had a whole lot of help.

As the calls and emails picked up, it was hard to tell who was the most serious, but I had two that I thought were serious at the same time.   One lived out west and the other just a few hours away.

The one from out west wanted her as a broodmare, the other people wanted her to ride and show.   Whent he people a few hours away heard that there was someone else who was serious, they rushed out a few days later.   It was a Saturday morning and it was a married couple.   The wife was extremely experienced and the husband was an intermediate, but a high one, I was told.   The wife rode Mayo first, then her husband.  They loved her and made me an offer.   Because she was going to be closer and I thought these people were telling the truth about their experience, and they seemed to be from what I was witnessing, I agreed to sell Mayo to them.   They came the next day to pick her up.

The lady from out west was really mad, but what could I do, I had this offer and she hadn't set up a vet check, yet, as she had said she wanted a reproduction exam done on Mayo before she'd buy her.

So, off Mayo went to her new home, the people promising to keep in touch and listen to the instructions that I had given about her quirks, one of which was, at the time, she could not be bridled and tied at the same time.   You could not just leave the halter hanging from her neck with the lead rope or cross ties attached to it, while bridling her, it upset her for some strange reason, but if you didn't have her tied and bridled her, she was fine.

Well, I get an email a few days later and they are already trying to ride her.  I had told them they should give her at least a week to settle in and get used to them, but this was the first sign that they were not going to follow instructions and listen to my experience with Mayo and just thought they knew more.   But, as she was now their horse, there was nothing I could do but just offer support and suggestions as issues arose, and they did quickly.

Instead of bolting, she started to freeze up and refuse to move.   Then I get a call, not 10 days after they had her home, that the guy had tried to bridle her in the cross ties and Mayo had flipped out.  She reared and since they used bunji cords as cross ties, she was able to spin around getting one bunji cord around her neck and the other up under the saddle.   Luckily, at this point Mayo's intellegence kicked in and she stood still for them to help her.   But at this point, the people already were done with her and wanted me to buy her back.   But since I was out of work, it was impossible.

I called the lady from out west to see if she was still interested in Mayo, as these people wanted her gone fast.  And to my surprise, this lady had already found another mare and bought it.   Like I said it was only about 10 days after the couple had bought Mayo.   The lady from out west had acted all put out and mad at me, but she must have had this other mare in mind, too, for her to have bought her so quickly after I told her Mayo was sold.

She told me she had a friend looking for a mare to breed to Warmbloods, and that she'd ask if the friend if Mayo would fit what she was looking for and if she wanted to buy Mayo from the couple.   And, so a few days later Mayo was on her way to Colorado.

Again, I was promised contact.  I loved Mayo and hated selling her, but just had no choice, so I hoped they'd keep in touch with me.   Unfortunately, the lady never got me in touch with her friend that actually bought Mayo.   So, I tried telling the lady about Mayo's quirks, history as a broodmare, etc, but not sure if things got passed along.

About 7 months later or so, I got an email that Mayo had aborted twins.   I innocently sent an email back asking if they had ultrasounded Mayo to check for twins, after breeding her, and I never heard another word from the woman.

I was sickened, I tried apologizing for any wrong dueing on my part and pleaded for updates, though I tried to not bother the lady, so I didn't send the requests very often, maybe once every few months, but that was about it.  I didn't want to bother them, I just wanted an update.   But all I got was stone silence and I finally had to come to grips with the fact that I had lost Mayo, not only through selling her, but that I no longer was going to hear anything about her. 

It hurt, but I had no choice but to try and forget about her.

Little Red Baron

While working on the ranch in Texas, I had sent Mayo to Maryland to be safe to foal out her Class Secret (by Secretariat) foal and to be bred to a Thoroughbred stallion named Oh Say.

Around lunch time on May 5, 1999, I got the wonderful news that Mayo had delivered a little chestnut colt in the early hours of the morning.   He was doing okay, but not great, so they were watching him closely, they said.   I was, of course, very worried about my new Thoroughbred colt, the first Thoroughbred I'd ever bred, being so far away from him and hoping and praying he'd be okay.

The next day, I got the news that he was running a fever and that they wanted to give him some plasma, antibiotics, etc, which I gave my permission for them to do, of course.

Another two days later, I got the wonderful news that Baron was now a normal active colt and that the vet thought all was fine with him and he was going to make it.   I was thrilled.

They kept telling me how bright red he was, the same red as his grandfather, the legendary Secretariat.   He may have received the bright chestnut coloring, however he had not received very much white, which, at first, was a bit disappointing, but I was fine with it, because he was now healthy.   He had a small white star and a speck of white on one hind coronet band.   His mother, Mayo, has a big blaze and two white coronets, his sire, Class Secret, had even more white than his sire, Secretariat, having 3 even higher white stockings and having an even bigger white star with connecting stripe.   (The picture at the top of this blog is of him at 4 years old looking down at me, as I sit in our front field.)

For some reason, I kept thinking of him as "The Little Red Baron", so I told them to call him "Baron", for short.   It was just one of those names that just came to me, even without seeing him, I just knew it was the right name for him.

On July first, I left the job in Texas, because it was just not working out, due to not getting paid in the 10 weeks I had been there, becides a falling apart trailer to live in and board for a few of my horses (Bunny, Petey, and Samson).   She did pay for some of my meals, if we went out, but mostly, I had to use what savings i had to feed myself, so I lost 12 pounds in the 10 weeks that I was there.   It was just not a very good situation, as there were some other problems, but I won't go into that now.

So, I returned to Virginia and immediately tried to get Mayo and Baron home to Virginia, despite my lack of money.   Luckily, I got a farrier friend to help me go get them and then later in August, I was finally able to get Bunny and Petey out of Texas, with the help of my Mom.   Samson followed shortly, when I offered him to a friend of mine, if she'd just pay for his shipping.  I knew her grandkids would love him and I just wanted him safe and out of Texas.   I knew the temperatures were getting even worse down there and that the places my horses were being kept had absolutely no shade.   I worried constantly about them, having no shelter from the sun, but luckily I got them out in time.   TO this day, I don't know how anyone could keep horses in Texas like that, with no shade.

So, in the middle of July, I got to meet my Baron for the very first time.   As the trailer pulled into the farm where they were boarded at in Maryland, Mayo saw me get out of the truck and neighed a very happy greeting to me.  I went straight to her stall and she nuzzled me.   It was strange, because Mayo is not usually a very affectionate horse, but I believe she had missed me, during our 3 1/2 month separation.   She nuzzled at Baron and encouraged him to go closer to me and I was briefly able to pet his head, before he stepped back to get a better look at me.   I knew there would be more time to get to know him, so we loaded them up on the trailer and headed back to Virginia, to the boarding stable I had found for them.

It was a beautiful place, wooden fences, green paddocks, nice barns, run-in sheds, and nice people to help take care of my horses, when I couldn't get out to see them, due to lack of transportation.   I was thrilled with the place.

My Mom would bring me out as often as she could, usually about once a week and I'd work with Baron, gaining his trust in me, which didn't take long, as he was such a friendly fellow.

I worked on teaching him to lead, to pick up his feet for the farrier, to stand for grooming, etc.  It was so much fun to work with him, he was a dream, from the start.

When Bunny and Petey arrived a month later, Baron and Petey hit it off immediately, and Bunny and Mayo were happily reunited with each other.   The two colts loved playing with each other and running up and down the fenceline with another colt, who was across the driveway from them, with his mother.

When Baron was about 4 1/2 months old, earlier than I had wanted to, I noticed that Mayo was starting to bite at him at feed times and pushing him away, so I had to make the decision to go ahead and wean him from Mayo, for his own safety.   I wasn't sure if it was Mayo loosing patience, as she was a first time Mom or what.

Bunny, on the other hand, was super Mom, she even invited Baron to come join them at her own bucket, letting the two colts eat before her or with her, all three taking turns.   In Texas, Bunny would be at a feed trough with 3 or 4 other foals, because their mothers had chased them away and Bunny seemed to feel sorry for them and allowed them to come join her and Petey.   So, it had continued with Baron.   Bunny consoled Baron when he was weaned from Mayo and a few weeks later I weaned Petey when he was 6 months old.

Baron and Petey were then put in with the other colt, Salem, a Standardbred.

At that time I was notified that the main part of the farm was being sold, but that the racetrack area, where the old man had his jogging track for his harness horses, would be fenced in and run-in sheds would be put up, as his son was getting to keep that section, as his house was near that and they split the land into two parcels.

Once the wire fencing was put up and run-in sheds were built, the horses were all moved to new paddocks, and that is when the trouble began.

I had gone to the Center for the Blind in Richmond to receive more training, hoping it would help me find a new job, even if I had to take an office job, I needed to work to support my horses, and I was trying hard to find work and get the extra training that might help me.   I could only get home about once every few weeks to see my horses and I started to notice that Baron was looking a bit thin, but I wasn't sure what to do.  I told the owners to make sure he got fed properly and got his fair share, which they assured me that he was, but something didn't seem right.  I also noticed that Bunny was loosing weight.   I could not believe this was happening to me again.  I kept thinking to myself about what was wrong with boarding stables and not feeding horses properly.   I started buying my own grain and told them to feed it and I'd bring more on a schedule.   I started buying it every two weeks, and at first, that was fine.

But, at this point, it was too late, I got a call late one night, while I was at the center, that Baron was laying down and would not get up.   I, again, turned to my father to go out and meet the vet, as the vet would need to be paid and to make decisions on my behalf.

The vet believed that Baron had developed Salmonella and tests were done that proved he had.   He was immediately put into isolation and had to stay there for months, until he was cleared by the vet.   It was touch and go, at first, he was so weak, but being a fighter, he was somehow able to defeat all of this and eventually was able to be put back in with Petey and Salem and a few other horses in that group.

In early 2000, I got a call that Mayo had lost her foal to Oh Say.  When I went out to see her, I found several kick marks on her belly and I called the vet.   The vet said that the blows could have definitely caused the loss of the baby.   She examined Mayo and said Mayo was also thin.  I showed her my other horse, Bunny, and she was even more concerned about how thin Bunny was looking.

I told her that I was also getting concerned.  Bunny's teeth were fine, it wasn't that, and I told the vet that I was worried that the people weren't feeding my horses the feed I brought for them or were sharing it with other horses of their own, but I didn't know another place that i could afford to move them to, at that time.

She recommended I keep trying to find another place and I kept on looking.

As spring approached, by chance I met a woman in the waiting room of a doctor's office, who was a small animal vet.  Right there, she offered me a job as a receptionist, I just needed to bring her my resume and she'd talk to her office manager.

So, in late May of 2000, I went to work at the vet office and now, I would have the money to move my horses, if I could only find a place nearby that was still within my budget.

As the spring turned to summer, my horses did not gain weight and the grain that I brought, religiously, every two weeks, was starting to still be there whenI'd return.   Before I knew it, two weeks worth of grain was lasting me 4 weeks.  I confronted the lady who was supposed to be feeding my horses, the owner's wife, and she said, something stupid, like she was just trying to help me out by stretching it.   I was like, "I have a job, feed my horses!"

When at the feed store, I told them I was having major problems and that I needed to move my horses immediately, and again things fell into place, as the lady said she knew of a lady who just had a few spots open up at her farm.   She gave me the lady's number and I went right home and called her.

I told her what was going on and she was so upset she agreed to take on my horses immediately.   That weekend she came out and we loaded Bunny, Mayo, and Baron, onto her trailer.   I had sold Petey a few months before, so at least he was out of there a lot sooner than everyone else.

I was so relieved to get to the new farm and my horses started gaining weight immediately, under the new care.   This time, I did not need to buy my own grain, it was included in the board and she kept her feed room filled, the hay barn was full, the stalls were clean, and everyone got one during bad weather.   It was such a nice change from the nightmare that had developed on that originally so picturesque farm.

Things were finally looking up, again, and it was a major relief, to have my Little Red Baron, safe, who now had been given the registered name of "My Messenger", which is the meaning of Malicah.

The Waiting Game (Bunny's Story, Part 4)

In the spring of 1998 I decided to breed my two mares, Bunny and Mayo.   Because I had been told that Bunny had crossed really well with some Welsh Ponies, in the past, before I got her, I did some digging and discovered that what I had been told, was correct, so I started looking for a nice Welsh Pony stallion to breed Bunny to.   I came across Farnley Belshazzar, a very nice little grey stallion, who had won in hand competitions and was siring some of the top hunter ponies in the country.   I decided he was the one for Bunny, so I made arrangements to breed her via artificial insemenation, which would mean she would not need to leave the farm.

At the time, I was living with an elderly relative on his cattle farm, in Virginia, and helping him, when he'd allow me to.   He was a proud man and refused help, mos tof the time, so I just did what I could.

I knew Mayo had some really nice jumping bloodlines, so for her, I choose a son of Secretariat, who's female line was filled with steeplechasers and known jumping lines.   Secretariat sons were getting a really good reputation as the sires of show horses.   I looked at several, but Class Secret was who I choose for Mayo.   Being Thoroughbreds, Mayo and Class Secret would have to be bred via live cover, so I made arrangements for Mayo to travel to the farm where Class Secret was standing at stud.

Bunny was bred on Easter weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, via artificial insemenation, and I crossed my fingers, hoping she would be in foal.

The vet I used did not have an ultrasound machine, so I waited for her to come back and just palpate, or feel for a pregnancy.   When she did, she thought she felt a pregnancy, but being young, she didn't want to say for sure and so recommended another vet, who had an ultrasound machine, to come out and double check for us.

I made the appointment and he came out.   The lady he brought with him insisted she be the one to hold Bunny and against my better judgement I agreed, because I wanted to know if Bunny was pregnant or not.   They sedated Bunny and then started to try to ultrasound her, but Bunny, not liking most men, took a major disliking to this male vet, and with his assistant holding her, instead of me, they were unsuccessful in the ultrasound.   He said from what he could tell, she was not pregnant.    Despite an incomplete ultrasound, their insistance that I not hold my own horse, etc, I still had to pay full price for everything.   I was not happy with that treatment of me or my horse.

I owned a 36 inch Miniature stallion named Samson, at the time, that I had rescued from an auction.   I used him as my teaser and would bring him over to visit Bunny, almost every day.  She had shown that she was in heat, when we bred her, but after that, she refused to pay him any attention and he wasn't that interested in her, either, so I just listened to them and believed that despite what vets were telling me, Bunny was actually pregnant.

Mayo took several cycles to get pregnant and once she was safely in foal, I had her come home, rejoining her friend, Bunny, and a few other ponies I'd rescued over the few months she had been gone.

As the months of summer went along, both mares bellies got bigger and bigger and I knew they were both pregnant. Eventually I was able to feel movement from both unborn babies.   I was so happy, I felt their bellies almost daily, just loving to feel the movement inside.

During the fall of  1998, I got tired of the elderly relative not really letting me do much, so I moved in with a friend of mine and got a job at another farm, working with Thoroughbreds, as the barn manager, during a Strangles outbreak, as they needed the extra help.   After the worst of the outbreak, my job ended and I had to look for more work, which was hard to come by.

I moved Bunny and Mayo to a closer stable, so I could go and watch them.  I couldn't afford much, since I was on a very limited income, and at first, this boarding stable seemed really nice.

Bunny and Mayo had stalls next to each other, in a two stall barn, that had been built for foaling mares.   The stalls weren't quite as big as foaling stalls should be, but they were bigger than your average stall, so I knew they'd be okay.

As Bunny's due date approached, my friend and I went to check on her, daily, and watched for signs of changes.   We'd go every evening, after she got off work and we'd pull the car around, so we could sit in the front seat and watch Bunny, taking note of her behavior. 

I bought a book on foaling, since I'd never foaled out a mare before and read it thoroughly, some parts more than once.   We got excited at every little change and kept hoping and hoping.

Before we knew it, Bunny's due date had come and gone, and that is when I realized, to my displeasure, that the farm was running low on grain and hay, on a regular basis and that my mares were starting to look a little ribby, despite being pregnant.

I did not know what to do, being it was my first breeding and foaling experience, but I knew that it was not safe to move Bunny, who was now past her due date, but Mayo wasn't due for another 6 weeks or more, so I made arrangements to have her moved to a farm in Maryland, where after she gave birth, she could be bred to another stallion.   I only did this, after I had a job secured in another state, so I also knew I'd be moving soon, anyways.

Once Mayo was safely moved, I could truly focus on Bunny and the safety of her and her unborn foal, praying that things would be okay, despite the worsening conditions at the boarding stable.

Finally, three weeks after her due date, at at 361 days pregnant, Bunny ws showing obvious signs that labor was really close, so my friend and I stayed later than usual and watched and waited.   It was a drizzly cold night and that was of course, when Bunny decided to present me with a gorgeous black colt.

The delivery went smoothly.  He was a bit on the small side, but he was by a pony stallion, after all, and out of a mare who only stood 14.3 hands, so I wasn't that surprised at his size.   Bunny retained her placenta, so I had to call the vet to come out.

My friend left me at the barn and I called my Dad to see if he could come out to help me, later that morning and to help get me back to the apartment.

After the placenta was successfully delivered, the vet and I looked at Bunny's condition and were appauled, she was so thin.  Obviously the farm owner was not feeding her properly.   Luckily, it had not affected the colt, she said, as his vital signs were super strong.

I immediately made arrangements for Bunny and her colt, Pete, to be transported to the farm I would be working at in Texas.   The vet said he could travel at about 2 weeks.   So, when he was two weeks old, Petey travelled with his mother, Samson, and another Miniature Horse that my friend had rescued from an auction, to the ranch in Texas.

When they arrived there in Texas,t he lady I was to work for called and said that he was an amazing mover and not to worry, we'd get the weight back on Bunny.   She also mentioned that at only 2 weeks old, Petey was jumping hay bale sin the paddock she had put them in.   She couldn't believe the natural jumping ability and just the wanting to jump at such an early age.

I eventually sold  Petey when he was a yearling to a lady in Pennsylvania.   She kept him for awhile, showed him in some on the line classes, which he did well at.   She would contact me on occasion and told me that no fence on her farm would hold him.  She admitted that her fencing wasn't the highest, but it was at least 3 1/2 feet tall and he'd jump it to go be with other horses, especially if she wanted to try and keep him by himself.

She eventually had to sell all of her horses and ponies and Petey was sold to a farm in North Carolina.

They loved him and took their time with him.  I was told the husband would put Petey on a long line and run around the ring with him and they'd jump little jumps, etc.   Petey was eventually started under saddle when he was 3 years old and eventually changed homes, again, selling to a family in New Jersey.

There he blossommed and won big ribbons at HITS on the Hudson as "Tell A Tale".   He won a ton of ribbons all over New Jersey and into New York.

I have since lost track of him, as the people's email address no longer works and the last I heard, they were selling him, because their daughter had outgrown him.   I sure hope that I can track him back down and I welcome anyone who might have any information on him to contact me.

Bunny and Zach: My Two Matchmakers

Today is my 9th wedding anniversary, so I thought I'd write about how my horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me know when I'd met the right man.   So, I will start with some stories of how they told me that I hadn't, before I write about how they told me about Gordon.

I had only owned Bunny for about 2 months when I was asked out on a date by a guy who had a few horses of his own.   So, after going out to eat, he took me by the stable where I boarded Bunny, for him to meet her.

I got her out of the pasture and took her to the roundpen, for us to spend some time with her and so he could see her in action.   I free lunged her around us, meaning with no rope attached to her, at all, she only had her halter on.  The guy and I stood in the middle of the roundpen talking, as Bunny went around us and after she was done with some light exercise, I told her "whoa!"  And told her she could come to us, which she did. 

At this point, I had already learned that Bunny really didn't like men very much and she avoided their contact, as much as possible.   Well, she stopped, put herself right between us and then flat out refused to let this guy get near me.   Every time he tried to move to the same side of her, that I was standing on, she would reposition herself, to block his advances.   Again, remember, she had no lead rope, no lunge line, nothing, so neither of us were controlling her movement, at this point, it was all her doing.   I don't think the guy realized what she was doing and why, but I figured it out.

Since Bunny was letting him touch her, but refusing to let him get near me, she was trying to tell me "Not him!  Stay away from him!"   I listened to my horse and never went on another date with him.

A few months later, my roommate, who was also blind, but had a lot less vision than I do, had a guy come over to talk and get to know one another.   I got back from a class and found them sitting outside on the near by brick wall, where they invited me to join them for conversation.   I was reluctant, but my roommate insisted, so after feeding Zach, I brought him back outside with me and sat down next to my roommate.

As the conversation continued, with me now included, we were learning that I actually had more in common with this guy than my roommate did.   This guy and I seemed to be hitting it off, but I knew he was there to see my roommate and I was not about to steal him from her, I am not that kind of person.   So, as it was getting cooler, I said that I wanted to go back inside, and my roommate agreed that it was getting cooler, so we should go inside, and she invited the guy to come in with us.

Our dorm room was more of a small apartment, as it had three rooms, a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

My roommate went and sat in her favorite chair leaving only the sofa and table and chairs open.  I sat down on the sofa and hoped he'd sit closer to my roommate, but instead, he sat right up next to me, which started to make me very uncomfortable.   Zach sensing this, came over and I started petting him on the head. 

Zach was a big black Lab, about 78 pounds.  He and I had been partners for about 1 1/2 years at this time, so we had a very solid relationship and were very in tune with one another.  Zach was an awesome guide dog and just the best friend, he knew me very well.

So, this guy starts talking to my roommate and as he's doing so, he quickly takes my hand, which of course increased my uneasiness tenfold.   Zach looked up at the guy, as if to say, "What are you doing?"   I may not be able to see very well, but I have enough sight to see some things and I also just could sense things from my animals and seem to know what they were thinking.

Zach seeing that they guy was not going to let go, as he put his head under our hands, trying to get us to pet him, when that didn't work, he took his nose and tried to pry the guy's fingers off of my hand.

I was keeping silent, because I didn't know what to do, I was in shock, I think, that this guy was taking advantage of the fact that my roommate could not see what he was doing.

Zach's antics weren't working, so this extremely well mannered and very quiet Lab took two steps back and let out the biggest bassiest bark you can imagine, startling us all.

The guy's response was, "Why is your dog barking at me?"   So, I knew Zach was staring straight at this guy, that bark was meant for him.

The guy temporarily let go of my hand, but when he took it again, Zach let out another bark.

At this point, I decided that this creep needed to go, so I gathered up my courage and just said it was getting late and that we had studying to do.   I stood up and the guy agreed to leave, but as he was about to leave, he reached out and tried to give me a hug.   Zach barked again and got right betwen us, refusing to let the creep do what he wanted to do.   I just played dumb and got the guy out of the room as quickly as possible.

I immediately told my roommate what had happened and that this guy was a creep to take advantage of the fact that she couldn't see what he was doing, when he was there to see her, in the first place.   I mean, we agreed, that it would have been okay, if he had been polite and not done these things and afterwards called her up and said, "Hey, I don't think it is going to work out between you and I, but I did like your roommate, would you mind if I asked her out?"   She would have accepted that, because she isn't stupid and she realized we had a lot in common and were hitting it off.   But, no, he couldn't do the decent thing, which told me, that I wouldn't go out with him, either, because he'd learn what I couldn't see and try to get away with stuff behind my back, because I'm not stupid either, I wouldn't return any of his phone calls.

A few years later, I started emailing with Gordon, after a few months, we started talking on the phone, and then planned to meet on New Years Eve of 2000.   So, yes, Gordon and I met online, before it was the fashionable or "in" thing to do.

I invited him to dinner at my Mom's house and said that he should come early and we could go see my horses, before dinner, at the barn I boarded them at.

When he got there, I introduced him to Zach, who met him happily, licking him, wagging, etc.  I left Zach at home and we went to the boarding barn to see the three horses that I owned at that time, Bunny, Mayo, and Mayo's son, Baron.

We first went out to meet Baron, who happily met Gordon.   Then we went to the mare field and I went to try and catch Bunny or Mayo.   Mayo was one of the alpha's and she and the other alpha seemed to be having a bit of a fuss, so Mayo was not going to let me catc her, at first, so I went to try and catch Bunny, who could be hard to catch, at times.  But this time, Bunny allowed me to catch her immediately and I walked her over to Gordon.  She nuzzled him as he offered her an apple and she eagerly accepted it.   I turned Bunny loose and she stayed near Gordon and then I went to catch Mayo, who finally was willing to be caught, as her arguement with the other alpha mare was settled.   Mayo also eagerly met Gordon and accepted the apple he had brought for her.

Two weeks later, Gordon came to visit me again, and we again went out to the barn.   This time I put Bunny in the roundpen and Gordon was going to take some pictures of her, for me.    Gordon stood outside of the roundpen, so he wouldn't be in the way and could get ht epictures.  

I took Bunny's halter off and she was totally free, as I sent her around the roundpen.  I put her through her paces, walk, trot, and canter, and then I set up a small jump.   After she would jump, she would go over to where Gordon was standing and stop.   He kept laughing, because he said he felt like she was asking him how she did.   It was really like she was asking that, becasue it was after each and every jump, she'd come to a complete stop right infront of him.   She was letting him pet her, too, which was amazing, because through the years, I had truly seen just how much she distrusted men.   So, I also took her stopping to see him and le thim pet her, as she was telling me, "I like this one!"

Later that evening, we went to a movie and so we went back to my place to clean up and for me to pick up Zach.  Gordon's car was very small and there really wasn't much floor room for him, at my feet, where we usually put our guide dogs, for their safety, so I allowed Zach to sit in the backseat.   Zach jumped into the back of Gordon's car and immediately started licking him on the ear.   Again, I think Zach was saying, just like Bunny had earlier that day, "I like this one!"

So, my first horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me pick out my husband.   They have bothed passed away, now, but I will always be grateful to both of them for helping me find such a wonderful man!   Thanks Bunny!   Thanks Zach!   You two were awesome and so trustworthy, that I knew I could trust your judgement completely in this matter. 

Bunny and Zach helped me get a good one!   Gordon is a wonderful husband, the best father to our two little girls, and most of all, he's my best friend!   Happy 9th Anniversary hubby, I love you!

Learning it's not Riding, but it's the Horse I Love

I was on a major high, Bunny was improving and we had just had one of our best rides, ever, on a Thursday afternoon, but the following Monday, my world came crashing down around me, when I got the phone call every horse owner dreads.   Bunny was hurt, kicked by another horse in her pasture.   I was told she had a cut on her hind left leg, she was acting a little lame, so the vet was on his way out.   I was told they'd call me back after the vet left.

Monday was not one of my usual days to go out to the barn, so I didn't have a ride, so I frantically started calling everyone that I knew, that might be willing to give me a ride out to the barn, but everyone was either not home or too busy.

I had a meeting to go to that afternoon, where voting would be held for the officers for the group of disabled students.  I had been acting President, because the previous year, I was elected Vice President and the President quit college.  I had asked for help from the Secretary and Treasurer, who had different disabilities from my own, meaning they were not visually impaired.   They did not help me at all.   I had worked to try and get a therapuetic riding program started at the college, as we had the horses, the students on the Equestrian Team were willing to volunteer their time, and a fraternity had offered to build a ramp, but the faculty just didn't seem to want to do it or even try it, but I kept fighting for it.   Well, at that meeting, I was not voted to any position at all, in the organization and I could hear whispers amongst the people of that other type of disability, as they all were of one type, about not voting for me for anything.   They voted themselves in, so that all the officers of the group, now had the same type of disability, so there was no longer any diversity in the officers to make it seem like they really stood for all disabled students.

After the meeting, I pulled aside a friend of mine, who drove,, and told her what was going on with Bunny, and she said she'd come get me in about a half hour.

I rushed back to my room, unharnessed Zach, my Seeing Eye Dog, and got him taken care of, so I culd get out to the barn and not worry about him.

My friend arrived and we rushed out to the barn.  I had not heard a word, from the farm all day, not since the call that morning, about the injury.

When I got there, I was told that the vet had to x-ray Bunny's hind left leg.  I was told he was worried it was a significant leg injury, possibly a fracture of some kind.   I rushed to the stall where they had put Bunny and she was still heavily sedated, her leg wrapped tightly.   Her head hung low, as I entered the stall and I just wrapped my arms around her beautiful head and cried. 

I just could not believe this was happening.  My beautiful horse, who had been through, who knows exactly what, in her earlier life, before me, but obviously some kind of abuse, obvious neglect, and now she may be fighting for her life with a leg fracture.

I was told that the vet would call me the next day with the results of the x-ray.

I stayed with Bunny for a long time, just hugging her, trying to comfort her and myself, at the same time.  Praying to God that she would be alright.   I started praying that she would just live, even if I couldn't ride her again, I just wanted her to live, because I loved her and I just didn't think it was fair that she'd finally found love and to have her life end so shortly after it.   It was September and we'd only been together since the middle of May.

My friend had to get to her evening job as a reader for a blind friend, so I had to tear myself away from Bunny and I promised that I'd get back out to see her as soon as I could, hugging her and kissing her multiple times, before I left the stall.

I got back to my dorm room and hugged Zach, who was happily waiting for my return.  I made myself dinner and as I was about to sit down to eat, there was a knock at my door.  It was one of the those other disabled students coming to talk to me.  She had been designated the one to come inform me why they had decided to get rid of me, in such a cruel manner.

I was apparently not doing enoughf or them, they thought I wanted all the glory over the therapuetic riding program, and so on.  They hated that I used the word "I" when referring to things that I, alone, had done, without their support, they wanted credit, too.   They had wanted to sit in on meetings with the faculty for the therapuetic riding program, but had not, because someone else had told them not to, not me, but I was the one they blamed.  They decided that they also thought that all the blind and visually impaired students were getting special treatment because the Director of Disabled Students was blind, himself, but this was the furthest from the truth.  Anything time they wanted a ramp put in, a curb cutout put in, anything, it was granted, we aske for the room numbers to be lowered to eye or shoulder level, with braille put on them, and no, that couldn't be done.  Nothing was done to help make things better on campus for the blind students, except for readers, given longer times on tests, and so on, but any additions to buildings, like numbers or names, being put in braille or at eye level, for us to read more easily, on our own, without always having to ask, was too much trouble.

These other diabled students blamed me for a lot more and the blind population for a lot more, and I knew, from previous experience with one  of them, that some of them were jealous that we could walk across campus on our own, with the help of a cane or guide dog, but they could get driver's licenses, so it made no sense to me, why they'd be jealous, but one of them had come straight out and said to me, "Well, you can get up and walk across campus anytime you want."   I pointed out to this individual, that she had a van parked in the parking lot, that she rarely drove.   Oh, well, I thought, if they were going to dislike or even hate a whole population of a different type of disability, it was their loss.

I called another blind friend of mine and he was so mad about my treatment that he was ready to start a revolt of some sort, but mostly I needed his comfort to talk about Bunny, since my roommate wasn't back yet, for me to talk to, and I had to talk to someone about all that was going on with Bunny and the organization, it was so much to take in, all in one day.

I do not know why different disability groups pit themselves against each other, it baffles me.  I think so much more could get done if the different disabilities would work better together, even at the college level, like I'm sharing in this story, that really happened.

That night, as I cried myself to sleep, I prayed again, just asking for Bunny to be alright and to live, even if I couldn't ride her again.

I waited all Tuesday to hear something, but I didn't.  I called the vet office, but I was told he was not available and that he was trying to consult with another vet, about Bunny's case, before he talked to me, which did worry me and frustrate me a bit.

Finally, on Weds. morning, I got a call from the vet and was told that Bunny's hind left leg was indeed fractured, the outer splint bone was broken, a clean break, and there was a hairline fracture to the cannon bone.   I was told she would probably live, but she would need to stay in the stall for 6 months.  Another option was to put a plate and screws in, but being a college student, I could not afford that, so he said we'd just do stall rest and see how she healed on her own.

I bought her a calcium supplement and I began part time work out at the barn, because I could not afford stall board on my limited income.  I worked off some of her board, by filling water buckets for over 50 horses, sweeping and raking the large barn aisle, helping clean tack, clean out the grooming and wash stall area, and any other odd jobs that I could do around the barn.

I bought her a blanket, as winter approached, because it was apparent she was not going to develop much of a winter coat, in her current situation and the area of the barn, she was put in, was more open air and if there was a cold wind, there was  not as much wall protecting her from it.

I hung a sign on her door, that the blanket was only to be put on and left on at night, if the temperature got below freezing, but I'd come out on days where it was in the 60's and find her still blanketed, sweating.   I would just cry.  I longed to be able to take care of her myself.   SHe developed thrush, while I was home on Christmas break, because no one bothered to clean out her hooves for me and her stall didn't get cleaned properly, because some of the pople who cleaned the stalls only thought of her as a "crazy Arabian".   True, it was a barn of 99% Quarter Horses, so some people showed their breed bias.  

There are some people in the horse industry that for one reason or another will decide they don't like a particular breed and there is nothing you can do or a horse of that hated breed can do, to change their minds.   I may have my favorite breeds, but I still like all horses and try hard not to trash a whole breed, just based on limited expossure to that breed, because you never know that horse's true background and if it is breed related issues or it's background due to poor handling, training, or even abuse.

Finally, I just could not afford to keep Bunny there any longer, so I started looking for another place to board her, in late January of 1997.  Happily, a friend of mine was working for a small boarding farm that wasn't too much further down the road from where Bunny was currently boarded and she promised to take excellent care of Bunny and help me in her rehab.

So, I moved her in Febuary.   At the six month mark, we started limited turn out, as the bet had said to do, but it was obvious that Bunny was still quite lame, so I had the vet come back out and x-ray her leg, again.   The news was not good, though the cannon bone had healed, the splint bone had not healed at all.

I was again, left feeling devistated, what was I going to do.   The vet said if it hadn't healed in 6 months, it was not going to heal, leaving her lame and probably in pain.   So, we discussed the options, I still could not afford the surgery to put a plate and screws in her leg, to stablize the bone, so the only other option was to remove the lower portion of the splint bone, from the break downward.   The vet could not tell me if she'd be sound or not, after this procedure, but she would at least be out of pain.   He offered to do it for less than he usually would do that kind of procedure, realizing the situation I was in and not wanting to have a horse be in pain.

So, Bunny ws taken to the vet clinic for the surgery, where the lower three quarters of the outer splint bone on her hind left leg was removed.   She stayed there a week, before my friend and I went to go pick her up and take her back to the farm.

It took us 45 minutes to get her on the trailer.   We believed that having to ride in a trailer, twice, with her leg hurting, had made her afraid to get into the trailer.   We finally got her on and I knew I'd have to work with her more, once she completely healed.

After a month rest in the stall, she started limited turn out, again, and I anxiously watched her on her first day out in the roundpen.   My friend, Mary, and I stood there waiting to see what she would do and it didn't take her long, before she started to trot around the perimeter of the circular roundpen.   We turned to each other and I don't remember who spoke first, but both of us were amazed at what we were seeing, Bunny was sound!

A few weeks alter the vet came out to check on Bunny and I had him follow us into the roundpen, Mary closing the gate as we passed through.  I turned Bunny loose and with my limited eyesight I just watched the vet's face, because I knew Bunny was sound, I wanted to see his reaction.   I sear, even with bad eyesight, I saw his jaw about hit the ground.   He turned tome and said, "Not only is she sound, but she has one of the best trots of any horse I have ever seen!"   He couldn't believe it.   He had not expected her to go 100% sound or sound that quickly.

He said I could start trying to ride her in a month or two, when she got stronger, and just make sure I paid attention to her soundness, which of course I promised I would.

But when Bunny was ready for me to start working with her again, it was like we had gone back to day one or actually even worse.   Her freezing episodes were more frequent, almost every single time I got on her back, I never got to go but about 10 to 20 feet, she just was terrified.   As I'd done before, i'd lean forward and hug her neck and just talk to her.

Through prayer and just being with Bunny, I made the decision, that I was right in my prayers, when she first got hurt, I did not care if I rode her ever again, I just wante dher to live.  Yes, it was a bit upsetting that I couldn't ride a physically sound horse, but I could not put her through the terror anymore.  Something about being ridden terrified her and I could feel and sense the pain, the emotional and mental pain, she was feeling, and I just could not do that to an animal that I loved so much.

Bunny and I had been through so much in that first year of our relationship and she taught me that it was not riding that I loved, but it was her, the horse itself, and riding was a perk, a plus, a benefit, and a privilege of horses and I learned that if you truly loved a horse, you would not put them through that kind of mental pain, just for the perk of riding it.   I didn't think it was fair to put her through that, so I decided that my beautiful Bunny would become a broodmare and most of all, Bunny would be my beloved friend, I'd never part with her, because I would not risk someone else trying to ride her.   It is what love does, it grows and learns to accept and to sacrifice.  No, I never felt that awesome canter of hers ever again, but I knew that if I was patient and found the right stallion to breed her to, she would pass it along to her babies and one day I would feel it again, just on her children, not on her.

My love for Bunny was so strong that I just knew I would not pain her any more with trying to ride her and I told her it was okay, that she did not have to worry anymore.   I knew she'd had a few foals before I got her, so I told her she would get to have more babies and I swear I sensed happiness from her, that this was what Bunny wanted and she would pay me back for my love and understanding, in time she did, when Belle was born in 2003, she gave me my dream horse.