Fleeting Shadow: The Importance of Listening

Shortly after I got married and moved to my new farm with my husband, in the summer of 2002, I got involved with volunteering at the local therapeutic riding center.   Since I am legally blind, I couldn't be a horse leader, but I could be a side walker.   I enjoyed working with the little kids and saw how well the instructor worked with them.

The instructor and I started talking one day and she realized that I rode and asked if I wanted to start riding with her.   I agreed and so started riding a few months later at the center.   Quickly, she saw something in my riding ability and got excited.   She started talking about the state show the following October and preparing me to be good enough for the Para-Olympics in dressage.  I think she saw visions of me helping put her little center's name on the map, so to speak.

Now, from the lessons Bunny had taught me, a few years before, riding was now something I considered a bonus or a perk to horses, it was no longer my main reason for loving them.   Yes, I loved to ride, but I also had learned that I loved working with mares and foals and I was really good at it.   I tried to explain all this to the instructor and at first, I thought she understood what I was saying.

I will admit that I got excited about the possibilities of having an amateur riding career and riding at the Para-Olympic level or even trying to get there.   But, still, it was not a huge goal for me, though I thought it would be fun to try to see how far I could get.

I had a Thoroughbred gelding, Baron, who I had bred, who was now in training and I was excited about riding him in shows, in the future.   But my riding instructor, who had never laid eyes on him declaired him "not the right horse for me."    She kept calling me a green rider, though I had been riding for 15 years, graduated college with an Equine Science Degree, which had included professional riding instruction from a highly respected instructor in the country, and a lot more other riding and training experience.  I was no green rider, that's for sure.  

I soon realized, what it was all about, she didn't want to wait on a green horse to be slowly brought along properly for me to ride, she wanted me to progress fast through the show ranks and a green horse, to her, would not allow this.  So, before even seing Baron, she had developed a major dislike for him.   Even when I'd report to her on my visits to the trainer's farm and let her know how my rides went, she would not seem interested or have something negative to say.

I tried to explain to her that I had waited my whole life to get to ride my own horse in a show, instead of school horses, but she would not listen.

Since I was getting more involved in breeding, I always kept my eyes out for a good broodmare prospect and one day I found one.  To my delight, not only did she fit my pony breeding program, but she had been trained in dressage and was Half Hanoverian, one of the breeds known for being good at dressage.

Margaux was affectinately known as "Shadow" and she arrived at Perfect Peace Farm in August 2003.   I immediately started to work on building a bond with my new mare and started riding her about a week or so after she arrived.   The upcoming state therapeutic riding show was in early October and I was hoping I could ride my new mare in the show.

From the get go, Shadow did not measure up to my riding instructor's benchmark, just like Baron wasn't, even though she still had not seen him.   I worked hard on my bonding with Shadow and we were making great progress.   She could be a little high strung, but I was learning how to calm her down and contain it.   I was then given the layout of the two dressage tests I'd be taking at the show and started working on them at home, with Shadow, and in lessons with a small Quarter Horse mare, that the instructor was borrowing.   I much preferred Shadow, she was more responsive, especially to leg aids and my gentle hand movements.   It was so wonderful to ride her, we were becoming a great team.

As the show weekend approached, I finally got my riding instructor to agree to let me take Shadow, but she kept complaining that Shadow was "passive agressive" and other things.   I could tell that the two of them did not get along.

When we arrived at the Lexington Horse Center for the Virginia State Therapeutic Riding Show Shadow was in flaming heat that Friday afternoon.   I wanted to take Shadow out and walk her, but my riding instructor disagreed and Shadow was put in her stall and kept there.

Shadow was used to being kept out all the time, except for bad weather, so this was not fair to my mare.

On Saturday morning I asked again if I could take Shadow out and maybe lunge her, to let her blow off some steam, but my riding instructor disagreed, again, and said that she thought the more Shadow was worked the more hyper she got, but this was actually opposite of the truth, but she refused to listen to me.

So, with no warm up whatsoever I tacked Shadow up and we headed to the ring for our first test, the Dressage Suitability Test.

Luckily, Shadow was being good, but I could tell that there was a powder keg under me, but she was so good and listened so well.

We entered the ring, turned to the left, had to weave around 3 cones, my riding instructor was allowed to call out obstacles to me via a headset I was wearing and she could tell me the letters of the arena.   We worked it out where she would tell me I was three strides from something, but that is all she was allowed to tell me.    We weaved those cones flawlessly, returned to the rail, to the end of the arena, and at the mid point of the short end we had to do a 20 meter walking circle, which we also did flawlessly.   Returning to the rail as I started down the next long side of the arena, I picked up a sitting trot and Shadow was so gorgeous and smooth at it and when I called for a halt from the sitting trot, at the letter we were supposed to and the only thing we did wrong was she halted ever so slightly crooked.   We then waited the 5 seconds and walked out of the ring.

To my delight we won that class with a huge high score of 80! 

We turned so many heads.  I was getting one compliment after another on Shadow and so was my instructor.   All the people there were from other therapeutic riding centers and when they found out Shadow was my private horse they were even more impressed and complimentary.   They said she was gorgeous, a superb mover, and so on.

I was really getting excited about my next test, later that afternoon, but as I exited the ring, i again tried to tell my riding instructor that Shadow needed to be lunged, but, yet again, she wouldn't let me.   

In between my two dressage classes was a fun class and I went in it and Shadow was starting to get worked up.   Unfortunately, the class was not judged, I had no idea, it wouldn't be, otherwise I wouldn't have done it.   Again, as I exited the ring, I asked if Shadow could now be lunged, as she was getting anxious.   And, as usual, my riding instructor said no.   I was starting to get a bit upset about this and telling my husband that I thought Shadow really needed to blow off some steam and I was afraid of what might happen if we didn't let her.

Well, a little while later it was time for my final class, my true dressage test.   As I sat on Shadow waiting our turn, my riding instructor stood at Shadow's head and Shadow was shifting her weight all over, not wanting to stand still.   My riding instructor started to make comments and I said, "I think she needs to be lunged or I need to take her to the outdoor ring to let her trot some of this off." 

"No!  She'll just get more worked up."  Was the response.

About 5 minutes later, Shadow was really about to explode and my riding instructor finally realized what I had under me.   But instead of letting me go quickly lunge or ride in the outdoor ring for a few minutes, she just scratched us from the class.   I was so upset and disapointed.

As we walked away from the indoor ring, then my riding instructor agreed to let me take Shadow down to the outdoor ring.   I started to ride her in a big circle and my riding instructor got afraid and had me dismount and lead Shadow back to the barn.

I was so upset, after this, that I couldn't take Shadow for a walk, but I untacked her and gave the lead to my husband and told him that I didn't care what my riding instructor thought, he was going to take Shadow for a walk and let her hand graze if he could find her some grass.

The day had started out so promising and ended in such disapointment.   I told my instructor that if we'd lunged Shadow she would have been fine, but she still adamantly disagreed.    She claimed I didn't know Shadow well enough.   But all I could think was, "And you know her better?"   I mean, Shadow was at my farm, I'd dealt with her every single day since she had arrived and my riding instructor had only seen her a handful of times.   Plus, I had several very long conversations with Shadow's previous owner on how to handle her, what she did when at shows, etc, but my instructor just didn't seem to care what I thought or had to say.

I was starting to get the feeling from my riding instructor that just because she was my riding instructor she knew more than I did on everything.   She had earlier told me I shouldn't breed Bunny or some of my other mares, that there just couldn't possibly be a market for their foals.  Boy, was she ever wrong!

I also don't know if it was my blindness that made her think she knew more or it somehow gave her the right to say these things.   I really hate it when people treat me like I'm stupid, just because I can't see very well, and that is really how I was starting to feel about this relationship.

I also think it is people that are older thinking they know more than someone younger, just because of age.   I have learned a lot from people younger than myself and I refuse to believe this.   Yes, there is a lot to be learned from people older than myself, too, but for them to treat younger people as if they know nothing, it is just not right.

So, we returned home and a few days later Baron was brought home from the trainers.   I was so excited to have him home.  I had gone to ride him at the trainer's farm, several times, and he was wonderful for me, a dream horse.   So, now I had two horses I could ride, at home.

I gave Shadow a few days to blow off some steam in the field, before I attempted to get back on her, as I just knew she was ticked off about what happened and she wouldn't know that it wasn't my fault.

Well, I was riding her in my small paddock and I could feel she was getting a little worked up, then Baron trotted around the corner of the barn and came over to the fence line, so he could get a look from his adjacent paddock.  Shadow took that as enough stimulation to go into a bucking fit.   I had called for Gordon to come help me get off, but he was too far away and so I didn't move quick enough to get off, myself, and off across the paddock bucking as hard as she could, Shadow took me.   I kicked my feet out of the stirrups and then tried to push myself clear, as she was not going to stop.   I did a flip in the air and landed hard on the back of my shoulders.  

At first, I felt okay, but the soreness came later.   To this day, I do not blame Shadow for this incident.   She was ticked off about the show experience and I don't blame her.   It was the only time I ever felt her buck and only time I ever came off her.

A few days after that I had my riding lesson and I had to beg for the lady to come to my farm.  I told her that I have two horses to ride and I want to ride them.   Plus, I told her she needed to meet Baron and I said I'd ride him in the lesson, so she could get a look at him and really see what he was made of and how nice he really was.  

From the moment she walked into the barn, she was obviously not happy about me wanting a lesson on one of my own horses.   She stood outside of the barn and smoked a cigarette, while I tacked Baron up.   Then I led him out to the small paddock where I rode.

As I went to mount him, instead of helping me, she just stood on his opposite side and when I swung my right leg over his back he took two steps forward.   Did she try to help me stop him?  Of course not.   Because my back hurt from the fall off of Shadow, I was not able to move fast enough, like I normally would have been able to do, easily, so instead of landing in the saddle, I landed just behind it.   Still, there was no help from the riding instructor.   Baron kept walking, once he felt me in the wrong spot, I think he was a little shocked, but being a good boy, he did not buck.   I slid off of him and landing on my right hip and right elbow.   Baron then looked behind him to make sure I was clear and trotted off a few feet, before turning and stopping to see if I was okay.

Now, my riding instructor immediatley starts telling me, "I told you so." and such and I just wanted her to be quiet.

Just like with Shadow, I do not blame Baron at all for this incident.  He was only 4 years old, had about 4 months of training under saddle and I was very sore and stiff from my fall off of Shadow.   Had I not been, I know I would have been able to mount properly.   Yes, my riding instructor was aware I was sore, which is why I was surprised she didn't help me when he started to take a step or two.

My back was even more sore from that fall and so, I reluctantly agreed to go ride one of her lesson horses the next week.   Well, she decided to have me do some stretches and during one of those I felt this sharp excruciating pain in my back, so bad, that I had to dismount.

After I recovered and took the horse back to the barn, untacked her, groomed her, etc my riding instructor and I started to talk.    Again, I tried to tell her that I'd waited for a long time to get to ride my own horses and not lesson horses and that I thought my two would take me further than what she had in the barn.   She agreed, to that little part, but wasn't willing to wait for Baron to finish training, wasn't willing to deal with Shadow's temperment, and just kept claiming someone would give her a horse that was suitable, if I was good enough.   It was really obvious she had her own agenda and was trying to use my talent as a blind rider to promote her riding center, it didn't matter to her what I wanted.

I then reminded her that my main focus was breeding, riding came second.   She honestly turned to me and said, "No, your marriage should come first."   I had no response to that.   I mean, we had been talking horses, right?   There was nothing wrong with my marriage and of course it came before horses, but that is not what we were talking about.   She then started trashing my breeding practices, again, and I left, and never returned.

I have only ridden a few times since I stopped riding with this instructor in October 2003.   Do I miss it?   Yes, but there are so many more important things in my life than riding, horse related and non-horse related.   So, my riding career has taken a major backseat.

Yes, I wonder what might have been, how far I could have gone, and it saddens me that this woman just refused to listen to a fellow adult, with a fully functioning brain, and treat me as a normal person who did know what I was talking about  when it came to my own horses and what I wanted to do with my horses and my riding career.

She continues to work and have a therapeutic riding center and I commend her work with the children, she is wonderful with them, but just wasn't with an adult.  

Maybe one day I'll start riding again and find an instructor willing to work more with me and listen to my goals, my wants, where I want to go with my riding and how I want to get there, and they can help me do what it is I'm wanting to do and work with me, not against me.

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.

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!