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.

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.

Mayo's Return

After selling Mayo Lane, the first Thoroughbred I had ever owned, in April 2001, I had tried to keep track of her, but as I wrote in my last chapter about her, I had lost track of her during that following winter.

I would do internet searches for her, from time to time, hoping I'd see some offspring of hers up sale.  I searched all the usual horse sales sites and even did Google searches, too, but kept coming up empty.   I tried not to let it get to me too much, but I would do these searches every few months or so, hoping to find something.

For two long years, I came up empty handed, with there being no trace of my Mayo.   But in the spring of 2004 my persistance paid off.

While searching one of the popular horse sales sites, just hoping to find an offspring of Mayo's, so I'd have some clue as to where she was, I put in her name in the search criteria and when the results page came up and I looked at it, I sat there stunned.   I had not found a foal of Mayo's, but Mayo herself!

I clicked on the link to the ad, read it quickly, and then lept out of my desk chair.   My husband was at the other end of the house working on something and I just started screaming, "Mayo's for sale!  Mayo's for sale!  I found her!  I finally found her!"

The ad said she was still in Colorado, so I could only suspect she was with the same person who had bought in May 2001, from the people who only owned her for 2 weeks, before deciding they didn't want her anymore, not giving her any time to settle in and get used to them.   It was only a text ad and her price was $1,500.00.   This was a bit more than we could afford, especially considering what it would cost to ship from Colorado, but despite this, my husband said I could call the people, as they had a phone number listed, and see what the situation was.

I rushed back to my computer and grabbed the phone, immediately calling the number.   A woman answered and I started talking to her, to make sure it was the same horse, and it was.   I quickly found out she was not the person who had bought her in 2001, but another lady.   She had bought her in 2003.   This meant that Mayo had been through, at least, 3 homes in 3 years, and I couldn't help myself, I started to cry, as the prospect of a 4th home laid infront of Mayo.

I just could not believe that people kept buying her and then disgarding her so quickly.   I had never imagined this happening to her.   It hurt so bad, because I had no choice to sell her, when I did, and I became very fearful of what might happen to Mayo if this kind of pattern continued.

At this point, her son, Baron, who I still owned, was 5 years old, and quite the handsome fellow with a ton of jumping ability.    So, I asked the lady if they'd be negotiable on the price, if I could figure out some way to buy her back.   I told them that if I did buy her back, she would not be sold again.   She said she would talk to her husband about it and I would talk to my own about it, as well.   So, we agreed to talk further, the following day.

My husband, Gordon, and I had a tight budget, but it wasn't too bad, so we decided that if they would come down to around $1,000, that we could probably afford shipping and bring her home to Perfect Peace Farm, the farm that Gordon and I had bought so that I would never have to board my horses again, except for when they went to be bred, of course.

The next day the lady and I talked ont he phone and she said her husband was willing to come down to $1,000.00 and I was so happy to be getting Mayo back.

The lady told me that another person was interested in Mayo, which would have put Mayo even further away, in California, but since I had owned Mayo before, she'd sell her back to me.   I was so thankful.

She also told me that Mayo had spent the last year out on their land, where there were no buildings.  They only made it out to see the horses from time to time, so I don't know who was watching them, in the meantime, but it sounded like the horses just had to fend for themselves.

Poor Mayo had never gotten a good winter coat in all the years I had owned her, so I could only imagine what kind of condition I'd find her in when she arrived in Virginia.

So, I started making the arrangements for Mayo to come and make the cross country trip.  The lady took Mayo to a vet clinic that was going to board her for a few days, while she got her Coggin's and vacinations updated, so she could be transported across state lines.   The hauler picked her from the vet a few days after she was dropped off and she began her 4 day journey from Colorado to Virginia.

I had gone with a nationally known hauler, but it was one I had not used before.  But, I had not heard anything bad about them.   They kept in good contact with me and seemed to be doing a good job, from allt he reports I was getting.

Finally, one afternoon the trailer pulled up in front of my farm and I raced out of the house to meet it.  As they opened up the back door of the trailer, the first thing I noticed was how dark it looked in the trailer and that the top of it seemed kind of low.   It did not have very many windows, so I could not see Mayo, at all, until she was completely off the trailer.

I quickly attached my lead rope to her halter and I swear she knew it was me and though she was fairly fired up and happy to be off the trailer, she maintained control and never got out of hand.

I led her back to the barn and put her in the isolation stall that I had ready for her.   I got the papers from the hauler and they left us to get re-acquainted.   I called Gordon, who was at work, and told him she was home and that I was going to go over her, groom her, and then let her out in the small 1/2 acre paddock, to stretch her legs.

As I groomed and examined her, I found a wound on her poll, right between her ears, and then a big rubbed off spot in her tail, from where she had probably had to lean up against the butt bar in the trailer, to brace herself.   She was also very thin, as you could see all her ribs.   She had never been the easiest of keepers, but she wasn't the hardest keeper, either. 

Mayo wasn't and still isn't the most affectionate of horses, but she shows her gratitude in her own way.   When I let her out into the paddock, she kept coming over to me, so I knew it was as if she was making sure I was still there and that maybe it was a bit of disbelief that it was really me, so she needed to reassure herself.   This was her way of showing how happy she was to see me again and that she had truly loved me and still did.

I told Mayo she was home for good and would never be sold again.   I assured her that she was finally safe and that her "Black Beauty" like story had come to a happy ending and she'd enjoy many more happy years here at 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.

Baron's Scar

After moving Bunny, Mayo, and Baron to a new boarding stable in the summer of 2000, things seemed to be going well, for a change.  My job at the vet clinic was going well, the new stable was taking great care of my horses, they were gaining weight and starting to look more like they should have.   Baron was small for his age, because of the bout with Salmonella and then the previous stable not feeding him properly, despite me providing the grain.

A few months after moving them, he really was starting to blossom and I was so happy, until I got a call that September Saturday morning.   Sue, the stable owner informed me that it looked like Baron had been kicked in the right knee.  His leg was swollen, but he wasn't too lame, so she didn't think anything was broken.   She offered to hose it a few times for me and give him some bute, until I could get a ride out to take a look at him for myself.

Everyone seemed busy that Saturday, but my Dad offered to come get me on Sunday afternoon, after church.   It was an agonizing wait to get out to see him, but Sue kept me informed and believed he was improving.   She had decided to keep him out, so that he would not get upset about being away from his friends and cause more damage, plus we thought moving around a little bit would help keep the swelling from getting worse.

I got out to the farm about 3 PM on Sunday afternoon and Sue and I went to get Baron, while my Dad waited back at the barn.   As Sue and I approached the gate, the horses came walking up and suddenly Sue called out in horror, "Baron, what did you do to your leg?"

I could feel the blood leaving my face as I asked what was wrong.   She said the leg was now opened up huge, a tear 3/4 of the way around, just below his right knee.  It was a slight slant, but not much, opened about 4 to 5 inches at it's widest gaping spot, at the front of his leg.  We quickly haltered him and got up him to the barn.   We called the vet and started working on him as we waited.   One of the blood vessels ruptured and we had to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. 

Sue and I cleaned the wound as best we could and put a wrap on him to keep it from getting more dirty and to keep the bleeding under control.

Once he was stable, Sue and another boarder went out into the field to see what he could have hit his leg on, but found nothing.  Found no evidence of blood on any of the fence rails, the water trough, no signs of what he could have done to open it up.

The vet finally arrived around dusk and I held Baorn in the barn aisle for her to inspect his leg.  After she took the wrap off and examined it, she informed me that she thought his knee had also been compromised.  She thought she saw a hole going near the center of his knee, which she said might open his joint up for infection.   The wound was so big there was no way to do stitches.   She gave a pretty grim prognosis and told me if he was her horse she would put him down right then.   She said she thought he only had a 10% chance of surviving.

I became a wreck at that point, crying uncontrollably.  SOmeone else had to come and hold Baron for me as I about collapsed on the ground.    Baron and I had gone through so much, his rough start as a newborn, the Salmonella poisoning that almost killed him, the starvation at the previous boarding barn, and just when things were starting to look better, he gets hurt so badly that he may have to be put down.   I just couldn't take it. 

I came very close to deciding to do it, I just didn't know how much more I could take, but Sue pulled me to the side, gave me a hug and told me to wait 24 hours.   She said she wanted another vet to see Baron, one who she knew had saved a severely injured horse, before.   So, she wanted me to have that vet see Baron and give her opinion.

I just couldn't let Baron suffer, but I agreed that 24 hours to wait for a second opinion would be okay and if there was a chance to save him, I'd do my best, even on a receptionist's income.

The next afternoon, I left my job a few hours early.   Thankfully working for a small animal vet, she understood the seriousness of the situation and that I needed to be there when the vet saw Baron.   She had also prepared me for the worst, when I described the extent of the injury to her.

When I got to the barn, Sue and the vet were waiting for me and we went to see Baron.   She said it was definitely a very severe leg wound, one that could cost him him life.   She said, however, that she'd give him for than a 10% chance of living, saying it was closer to a 50% chance.   So, going by that, I decided we'd fight and see if we could save him, knowing it may not work.

Sue was wonderful.   She knew that due to my eyesight, that I didn't drive and getting a ride out to her barn was difficult.   At best, I got out about once every other week.   So, she knew that Baron's care would fall upon her, as I just could not get out to do it properly.   She was willing to help me and Baron and for that I will always be grateful.

It started with bandage changes twice a day, to clean with a saline solution with a small amount of betadine.  After about a week, she could start just changing his bandage once a day and hose it gently, along with the solution.   Once healing looked like it was starting to take place and some proud flesh was developing, she put Preparation-H and a few other things around the edge of the wound.

Baron did develop some proud flesh, but it never got out of control or too much.   With Sue's excellent and diligent care, Baron made remarkable progress.

He was able to go out after a week or so and we turned him out with Bunny and Mayo, and their group, and Mayo seemed to know that her son needed her, as she began to protect her yearling son.   Bunny, I believe, also helped in this care, to keep the other mares away from Baron.

After awhile, he was allowed back out with the other geldings and younger colts.

It took months, but finally the wound completely closed up, leaving Baron with a huge scar under his right knee.   It starts and ends around the splint bone area on either side of his leg, going around the front of his leg.   I think he was super lucky that the wound did not open over his tendon.   Because there is no scar near the tendon, he is totally sound. 

It may not look very pretty, but over time, it has had hair grow back, that is actually chestnut and not white, so at a distance it is not really noticeable, unless you look right at it and catch the angle right, you might see it a little bit.

Because of all he went through, as he approached his 2nd Birthday, he only measured 14.1 hands.  I was very worried about him being stunted because of everything, but after he was gelded in April 2001, he finally started to grow a little bit. 

Through the years I've heard a lot about that scar on his leg, how people didn't want him because of it, how it was unsightly, would stick out too much in the show ring, make people worry about his soundness, and so much more, but if they only knew what he had been through, that he is a walking miracle horse to go through so much in his first 2 years of life, he is something special.

Thank God I found him a good home with someone who truly appreciates him like I do, loves him to no end, and realizes what a special boy he truly is.   I am so thankful for his new owner and she is helping prove all those nay-sayers wrong, as she is using him as an Eventer.   He flies over the jumps, hates to touch them in the jumper round, has a blast at cross country, and is improving more and more at dressage, to the point that they have moved up a level, already.   He always brings home a ribbon!

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!

My First Thoroughbred

In the late winter of 1997, I was still caring for my first horse, Bunny, who had suffered an injury the previous September.   No one knew if she would be sound enough to ride, physically or mentally, so I started thinking about a second horse, despite being on a limited income and in college.   I wasn't really serious about looking, but I just kind of skimmed through some horse sale sites and one day I spotted this pretty chestnut Thoroughbred mare, named Mayo Lane.   SHe was built more like a Quarter Horse than a Thoroughbred, but the 3 pictures of her, on the for sale page just caught me and I just had to see her.   I got a video of her and a few others that the lady was helping to sell and liked her even more, when I saw the video.  

Most people I showed the pictures and video of her to did not think she was that attractive.   And even through the years, a lot of people have not thought of Mayo as beautiful, but she has her own beauty.  She has a big head, for her size, but Mayo does everything big, except her height of 15.2.  She weighs about 1100 lbs, has a lot of muscle and bone, has a big stride, a huge jump, and is just one of the most powerful horses I have ever ridden.   According to my husband, she just grows on you.

Mayo was 5 years old, had been trained to be a racehorse, but had never raced, due to a minor injury at 2 years of age.  Her owner had decided not to risk racing her, after that injury, rather being safe than sorry, I was told.  

Mayo Lane was born January 15, 1992, she was sired by Sorta Jolly, a son of Northern Baby, and out of the mare Carriage Lane, a daughter of Darby Creek Road.   Mayo is inbred 4 x 4 to Round Table, something you rarely ever see.   This means she has him twice in her geneology, both times in the 4th generation.  Northern Baby was a well known sire of steeplechasers and Darby Creek Road got a bit over shadowed by two great racehorses, Affirmed and Alydar, but he was a great racehorse in his own right.

I was in college at Middle Tennessee State University, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Mayo was located just outside of Louisville, Kentucky, so during that spring semester's spring break, when most college students head to the beach, my friend Mary and I headed to Kentucky.   We planned to see Mayo first, then go do some touristy things, like go to Churchill Downs and go to Lexington to see a few farms.

Mary and I arrived at the farm where Mayo was around lunch time and both of us stood and watched her being ridden, then we each took our turn putting her through her paces.   She was obviously green, but nothing I couldn't handle, we believed, so I decided to buy her.

Mayo arrived at the boarding stable on Easter Sunday, after I had attended Mass with Mary.   Mary worked at the stable I was boarding at and helped me to take care of Bunny and was going to help me with Mayo, as well.   I had already made plans to live there that coming summer, with Mary, so I could be with my horses, while finishing my degree in Animal Science.

Things went well with Mayo, for awhile, she was definitely green, but she was learning.    One day I went for a trail ride around the big back pasture, with the owner's son.  He was riding his pony, who Mayo loved.   Unfortunately, he had not been taught proper riding etiquette.   While we were walking quietly around the pasture, suddenly he gunned his pony into a full run, with no warning.   Me being on Mayo, green, and who had been in race training, well, she decided to take off after her pony friend, but as she did, she decided to get rid of me, as well.

Mayo grabbed the bit in her teeth, giving me absolutely no control, as she took off.  With each and every stride, not only did she get faster, but she let out a huge buck.   Some bucks were definitely bigger than others, and one monsterous buck made me lose both my stirrups.   I was riding in my english saddle, but it was fairly deep seated, so I hoped I could hold on.   Then she put her head between her front legs, and I remember praying "God, please do not let me fall off infront of her!"   I held on as long as I could, then another monsterous buck and I felt one of the stirrups hit me in the face, right in the mouth, while I was still astride, it was that huge.  I have never heard of anyone else telling me about being hit in the face with a stirrup, while still on the horse.   I only remember a few bucks after that and the next thing I remember is rolling on the ground and watching Mayo run off without me.   Yes, I was wearing a helmet, as I always do, thank goodness.

I laid there for a second trying to gather what had just happened and how I might be hurt, when the kid comes riding up to me, as Mayo had passed his pony, of course, on her way back to the barn.   He asked me if I was okay, right as I remembered that my face had been hit with a stirrup.  I put my hand to my face and looked at it, as I pulled it away and it was covered in blood, I just showed him my hand and said, "Does this look like I'm okay?"    He raced his pony back to the barn.

His father, who was known for the same kind of stunt that his son had just pulle don me, racing horses away from other riders, with no warning, was back at the barn, with his older son.   Mayo  made it back to the barn and his son grabbed her, opened the gate and his father drove the truck out to look for me, his younger son meeting him and telling him where I was.

At this point, I had gotten up and was working my way back to the barn, but I couldn't walk in a straight line, I was listing to the left, but I couldn't figure out why, I was so in a daze that I felt no pain.

I got in the truck and he took me back up to his house and started to help clean up my face to see how bad it was.   My upper lip was cut and I had two loose teeth.   We decided I needed stitches, so waited for his kids to untack Mayo and the pony, and I called my Mom to let her know what had happened and that I'd keep her posted.   As I was on the phone with her, the pain started to hit.  I guess the adrenalin was wearing off and I was becoming aware of the fact that my right foot hurt, and it hurt a lot.

I ended up with 7 stitches in my upper lip, the two loose teeth, and a fractured bone in my right foot, so I was unable to ride for about a month or so.

Mayo ended up with some injuries, too.  Apparently, after passing by the kid on his pony, instead of going through the open gait that goes from the back field into the barn paddock, she decided to jump the 6 foot high fence.   Unfortunately, the top strand was barbwire.   Sense no one saw her do it, we only have the damage to her and to the fence to go by what happened.  The top strand of barbwire was broken, but no other part of the fence, Mayo had cleared, at least, 5 feet!  Her chest and front legs had scratches all over them, she had one deep cut on her chest and it developed a hematoma.   The vet came out to see her, and Mary took care of Mayo, while I couldn't get to the barn, as I was on crutches, and even then it was hard to get around due to pain.  The hematoma swelled up as big as a football, I'm told, though I never saw it at that size.   By the time I could get to the barn, it was down to about a softball size, due to Mary's excellent care.   Mayo still has a robin's egg sized bump on her chest, from that incident.

I worked with Mayo on the ground and then, when I was able, I got back on her.  I kept us in smaller areas, though, as whenever I did try to take her into larger places, she would get very strong.

After I graduated college I moved to Lexington, Kentucky, taking Mayo and Bunny with me, of course.  I found a little cottage to rent on a private horse farm, where I was able to board my two girls.   I loved it, the pasture was on 3 sides of the cottage and I could lay in bed and hear the horses running around my little house.   I was in heaven.

I got a job working on a small Thoroughbred farm, as the farm secretary, but it didn't last long, about 6 or 7 weeks, because I was let go, due to my eyesight, a problem the manager was well aware of, when she hired me.   Plus, one of her dogs had started to attack my Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, and somehow I was at fault for this, and it was just another reason for me to be let go from the job.

I tried to apply for a few more jobs, went on an interview at a company that I would have loved to work at, that deals with Thoroughbred research, but when the boss walked off the elevator and saw me sitting there with my beautiful male black Lab, Zach, my interview lasted maybe 10 minutes, if that.   All the questions circled around my vision and how he didn't think I could be a receptionist, which was the job I was being interviewed for.   I explained that I'd done that kind of work, before, was very good with computers, learned quickly, but none of this mattered, he just saw my blindness.   I had been told on the phone, that I was the first he'd interview, because I had the best resume and cover letter, but being blind changed all of that.   It was very discouraging and left me a bit depressed, to have been let go from one job due to my vision, and then to be turned down by another job, that would have been a great fit for me, also due to my vision.  

A friend of mine had tried to see if he could find me a job on another farm as a secretary, but by this point, I had gotten very sick, Mayo had developed an upper respiratory infection, and then my family started pressuring me to return home to Virginia.   Then an older relative of mine, who had a cattle farm, became ill and I was the only one in the family who knew anything about cows, besides him, so I was asked to come home to help him, being told I could bring my horses to his farm, as well, so right after Thanksgiving, after only living in Kentucky for 3 months, I had to leave.  It was very hard for me to do.  I don't think anyone knows how hard it was for me to leave a dream like that.

So, my two horses, Bunny and Mayo, my Seeing Eye Dog Zach, my new Jack Russell Terrier puppy, Sweetie, and I all headed to Virginia and the next chapter in our lives.