Rella's Story: Mylute's Dam's Full Sister

I will admit, I have put off telling this story, the pain of it is still pretty fresh, despite it being almost 5 years since it happened.  But with the news that one of Rella's nephews, Mylute, is possibly a Kentucky Derby contender for this year, maybe it is time Rella's story be told. 

In the spring of 2008 my husband and I decided that we might take on another broodmare for our small farm.  I discovered a nice prospect in Club Hopper, who not only fit what we were looking for, but was in desperate need of a new home.  I did not know how desperate the situation was, however, at the time I was considering buying her.   All I knew was she was pretty much on a farm that was her last chance before a slaughter auction.

Club Hopper had raced and won, not a lot, but she was a winner.  Several of her full siblings were stakes winners and stakes placed, making her catalog page very nice and making her an ideal broodmare prospect for a small farm, like ours, Perfect Peace Farm.

A lady living near me was heading up to PA and offered to pick Club Hopper up on her way back home from a trail ride.  Club Hopper was in MD.

When the trailer pulled up infront of our farm that Sunday morning, my neighbor got out and told me, "You rescued this mare and it was all I could do not to put another horse on my trailer, to get it out of that hell hole."

She went on to describe rotting round bales, no grass, just mud, muck, and horses looking at her with pleeding eyes, "Get me out of here, please!"   But she knew her husband would not allow it, so she sadly had to leave with only Club Hopper.

We unloaded Club Hopper from the trailer and were appauled at her physical condition.  The picture I had seen had shown her as thin, but she had dropped a lot of weight from that picture, supposedly dated just 2 weeks prior.

I had a quarantine stall all set up for her, deeply beded in shavings and it had a small half acre paddock off of it, where she could go out.  I had my other horses out in the field, so they would not share a fenceline.

Club Hopper was so beautiful, despite her appearance, you could sense the beauty in her, her soul shown through her outward appearance.  My oldest daughter was 3, at the time, and "Cinderella" was her favorite movie, but she could not say "Cinderella", she just said "Rella".   It was a name that really seemed to fit the situation and the poor sweet mare was given a new name.

I had rescued in the past, but this was by far the worst case I had ever dealt with myself.  I knew to start feeding very small amounts, just a handful of grain a few times a day, at first, limit her turnout with the grass, which she was not used to, etc.

Monday morning, I called my vet and told them the situation, they sent a vet out the next day.  I also called my farrier, as her hooves were in desperate need of trimming, so that was also taken care of quickly.

When she first arrived, the vets estimated her body score condition at maybe a 2 to 2.5.   She was in bad shape. 

We devised a vaccination and deworming schedule, and discussed my plan to rehabilitate Rella.

I don't remember if it was Thursday or Friday of that first week, but it was one of those days, when I was out checking on her, on my many trips to the barn, each day, when I noticed her hind legs swelling up huge.   I called the vet and one was sent out immediately.

At first they just thought it was a skin infection, so antibiotics were started and I was to start hosing her legs and also wrapping them, to help keep them clean.

Early the next week, probably Monday, I went out about lunch time to check on her and found her down in the stall.  I could not get her up.  She just laid there. 

Another emergency call to the vet and vet was sent out, she was still down an hour later, when he arrived.  He gave her a shot of something, being 5 years ago, I forget all the details, but I think Banamine.     We waited a few minutes and then he helped me get Rella to her feet.

She was obviously weakening and not improving.  He suggested I start her on electrolytes and slightly up the grain I was currently feeding.   I had been feeding her about 6 times a day, maybe a cup and a half, by that point, at each feeding.  Went to 2 cups.

At this point, she started to go down multiple times a day.  Most of the time I could get her up on my own, but vet had to be called to help me out at least 2 to 3 times a week.  Needless to say vet bills were starting to mount up very quickly.

Despite heavy bedding in her stall, she was developing sores from laying down on a skeleton with no muscle mass or body fat.  So it was decided by the vets to limit stall time, despite her still needing to adjust to grass, they thought being outside was much better for her, at this point.

She was then allowed in my paddock that we call our Pond Paddock, so I could see her better from the house.  Well, so could people driving by.  I had several people stop to tell me she was down, several even thought she was dead, a few times.  Each time I thanked them and told them her story, as I rushed out to the paddock to check on her, hoping she was not actually dead.

One day she was not doing well and I called the vet, but he was out on other emergencies so it was going to be awhile.   My husband was home from work that day and we decided going out to dinner would be a nice break for me.   So decided we'd go after the vet left.

The vet got later and later, as not only did he get other emergency calls, but the weather turned nasty, that May afternoon.   We were under a tornado watch and then a warning.

Then the skies cleared and the vet showed up, by that time it was dinner time and getting late.

He assessed Rella and gave her some more shots and then left.

I think it was well after 6 PM by then and my husband had not watched the news, despite the warning from me that we had possibly had a tornado near us, while he was napping.

So we head out and as we get near Suffolk, VA, obviously power is out and traffic is terrible.  We've had the radio on and there has been nothing about a tornado, nothing about traffic, they just keep playing music.

We got stuck in a traffic jam for hours.   Luckily, I had some snacks with us for my 3 year old to eat.  We were not able to get to the restaurant that we wanted to go to, instead we were directed away from Suffolk and had to head to Smithfield.  We finally got dinner at a drive through around 9:30 PM and headed home.

That night at home, we realized what had happened when we watched the local news.   A tornado had gone through Suffolk and right next to the restaurant we had wanted to go to.

If we had not had Rella and had not been waiting for the vet to help her that day, there is a good chance we would have been right in the path of that tornado.

We credit Rella with keeping us safe that day and possibly saving our lives.

For 5 weeks we watched Rella struggle to improve, but she only weakened.  Pictures taken made her look like she was improving, but what could not be seen in the pictures, was that her new belly was not actually weight gain, but fluid leaking into her abdominal cavity.

Rella touched so many people, a dear friend, Tera, sent her fly leg bandages, but I had to stop using them, when Rella's legs starting to swell so much, that all 4 legs were having issues with the velcro straps and her legs started to look like telephone poles and the bandages would just slide down over her hooves and I was worried about her tripping.

Saturday, May 31, 2008 my husband went out at 6 AM to check on Rella, because he could not see her from the house.  He ran into the bedroom and said, "I think Rella is dead."

I lept up and dressed as quickly as I could, racing out to where he said she was.  As I approached there was no movement, but when I spoke her name, a gentle soft nicker could be heard.  My husband exclaimed in shock, "She's alive!  She didn't move when I was just out here."

Rella struggled, thrashing her legs, but could not even raise her poor head.  It was immediately realized she was nearing the end of her struggle.

We called the vet to come to put her down, called my Mom to stay with our daughter, so she would not have to see it, and started to find someone to help us bury Rella.   Then I went and got a bucket of feed and sat on the ground next to Rella, tipping the bucket so she could have her breakfast.

I sang quietly to her.  I had been singing to her since the first day she arrived.  She loved hymns and would stand quietly listening to me as I sang and groomed her or tended to her sores or other wounds.   So, I felt I should sing that morning, as we awaited one of the vets to arrive.

It was one of the younger vets, who had probably been the one to come out the most to see her, so he knew exactly what was going on and the situation.

He assessed her and agreed, she was just way to weak and since she could not even lift her head, putting her down was the most humane thing we could do for her, the last act of love we could give her.

Rella was apparently ready to go, as she was gone before even a full dose was given to her.

After she died, the vet opened her mouth, something he had done many times before, but this time was different.  She had holes and ulcers all over her tongue and the lining of her mouth.  He said he would have liked to do an autopsy, but had another emergency to go to, but he was suspecting from all we could see and her ever weakening condition, that her intestines were full of holes and her mouth was just the last place to get them.   He said that the damage that had been done by the feedlot owner was so severe that even if we had known and given her ulcer meds, she still probably would not have made it.

Knowing that I am a strong Christian, as he was packing up his truck to go to the next farm, he turned to me and said, "Lisa, you notched a good one in your Bible with this horse."

To this day, I rarely can go to Rella's grave, the time I spent with her trying desperately to save her life after the severe neglect, starvation, and abuse, that she suffered it hurts so much that I could not save her.   I do try hard to realize that at least Rella knew true love and kindness her last 5 weeks on this Earth.   She had a purpose, saving us from the tornado and for that I will be forever grateful to her. 

God sent us this poor angel in need of love and I know she experienced "perfect peace" while she was here.  I wish she could have stayed longer, but it was just not meant to be.

So, this year, as the Triple Crown Prep races go forward help me in cheering on Mylute,, who is racing in Louisiana, and watch with a tear in your eye knowing what his mother's full sister went through and maybe, just maybe, Mylute will win the Kentucky Derby in honor of his poor aunt Club Hopper aka "Rella".   Maybe her story will be heard, finally, about how horrible some people treat horses and better laws need to be passed so these criminals can never treat another horse like Rella was treated before I rescued her.

With tears in my eyes, flowing down my cheeks, I conclude this post and wish to Mylute, please race safe and strong and help tell your aunt's story.

Race Those Horses!

I know I have not posted to my blog in quite some time, being a busy mother of 2 girls and managing our farm and racing partnership, along with other obligations seems to eat into my free time to write.   But, after the 3 year old races this past Saturday and hearing the winner's connections comments, I can not keep my silence, as this is a big issue I see and I just have to write about it.

If I get some facts wrong, I'm sorry, feel free to correct me, as with limited time I am unable to do the research I'd really like to do in this matter.

What is my issue?  Well, honestly, not racing racehorses and coddling them before the Kentucky Derby and then expecting them to be able to handle 3 races in 5 weeks, when you've never asked them to do anything close to that before.

I don't know why this recent trend seems to be so popular.  I think it is several things, some of which is people thinking the horse is worth so much as a stallion prospect that they are afraid to race it, supposedly saving it for only the "big" races.

We did not see this trend even `15 years ago, definitely didn't see it 20 years ago and more, this seems to be a more recent phenomena.

One of the now favored for this year's Kentucky Derby, based on his recent win in the Withers, may only make 1 more start before the Kentucky Derby.   That would be 2 races in a 3 month period.   Somehow that seems, to the connections, to be too much for the horse if they race him more.   I don't get it, I'm sorry, does he have a soundness problem?   If so, I might understand, but if he's sound, for goodness sakes race him!   you know he can get hurt just as easily in the morning as in a race, right?  If that is your fear.

Years ago trainers used to not breeze horses in the morning so much, saving them for races, nowadays they breeze more than they race.   Breezing them does serve it's purpose, getting a horse into shape after a layoff or tightening them up after a few week break between races, before the next race, etc.   They used to not use them to keep a horse in shape, long gallops and two minute licks were used between races to keep conditioning and then they raced them more frequently.

This sport of horse racing complains about losing fans and I have news for you all, if you don't race horses, and people don't see them racing, it's hard to get fans to follow them, especially new fans.

Years ago the top horses used to race 8 to 10 times a year, recently, a lot of top horses maybe race 6 times a year, maybe 7, if we are lucky.   It used to be common to see horses with races spaced 2 to 3 weeks apart for a several month stretch, given a short break in summer, at some point, not taken out of training, but training backed off a little, and then brought back to race with races spaced 2 to 3 weeks apart, again, in the late summer and fall.   These days most top horses may race once a month, some trainers even spacing races out 5 to 6 weeks apart.

Breeders should also be apauled at this trend, because you can not tell if a horse is truly sound with that light of a schedule.  If we want to breed sound horses that can race more and have less of chance of breaking down, we must race the top level horses more, so we know who is truly worthy of being bred to.

Is it really no surprise that a stallion that only raced 6 times or so sires brilliance in his offspring, but they are also done racing after only 6 races?   Is that really what we want this breed to come to?

What happened to breeding horses and racing them so they make 20 or more starts in a 2 year period?   If they raced that much and were retired at the end of their 3 year old year, I would not have so much of a problem with retiring a 3 year old, but look at how many of last year's top 3 year olds are at stud this year, most of which had non-career ending issues and injuries, but connections decided there was more money in breeding, so they were retired, most with under 10 lifetime starts.  This is the next generation we need to think of, we can't keep doing this.

Now, I will caveat this, accidents do happen, injuries happen, I've experienced it as a breeder and owner and I am not saying that a horse that retires with an injury should not be bred, but other factors need to be taken into consideration.   Then unsound mares should not be bred to that stallion, especially if there is a conformation flaw present in each and they are similar in nature, it could make the issue worse.

I remember falling in love with Sunday Silence and watching him race in California several times before he headed to the Kentucky Derby, it had to be at least 3 races, the spring of his 3 year old year and the last one was probably just 3 weeks before the Kentucky Derby, the Santa Anita Derby.  That race is now 4 or 5 weeks before the Kentucky Derby.

People have this idea these days that a fresh horse going into the Kentucky Derby is a good thing, but history does not show this or prove this.   Look at all the Triple Crown Winners, the ones in the 1970's raced 2 to 3 weeks before the Kentucky Derby, and the ones from even further back sometimes raced a week or less before the Kentucky Derby.

I believe there are more factors involved with why horses are being coddled and lightly raced than what I can express in this post.  I've mentioned value of the stallion prospect as the main one, but I do believe there are more issues here.   But if this sport is to survive, bring in new fans, you must race these horses, especially if they are sound and if possible, let's see them race at 4 years old!

I do think another issue is purses for the biggest races have increased so much that people don't have to race their horse to earn money, they just need that big win or placing and that takes the place of what 2 to 3 races or more, used to bring them in earnings.

Yes, I do believe a lot of drugs have also affected the state of the breed, as well, but that is for another day.

Myself and other fans, some of us fans are also involved in the sport so do know a bit of what we are talking about, want to see these horse race and know that this is a good thing, and will only help the sport bring in more fans and also breed and produce better horses for the future.   Race those horses, please!

Trust in the Lord

Perfect Peace Farm gets it's name from Isaiah 26:3, which is as follows:

"Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee."

I also feel God has included Isaiah 26:4 in verses He is directing at me. 

"Trust in the Lord, for the Lord Jehovah will give you everlasting strength"

Sometimes it may be hard to fully trust, but it is at those down times that trusting is most important.  It is the faith that I lean on, the "trust" and belief that everything will turn out alright, no matter how deep that valley may seem, how hard the struggles are, He gives me the strength I need.

I believe in naming my horses names that have some kind of religious meaning, even if in only a small way, but every single one that I have named has had a religious theme.  It is my small way of witnessing my belief.  It sometimes helps open conversation about God and what He has done for me, my family, and my animals, those gifts He has bestowed upon me.

This life with horses has not always been easy, people telling me to quit and find something else, that maybe God wants me on another path, maybe God didn't want me to have a certain horse because of some roadblocks put up at different times, but I see what God has intended, maybe not at certain moments, but when I look back, I see reasons for them all.   There are a few I don't know, yet, but those are lessons God is currently teaching me and I will eventually learn the lesson I am to learn from God.  

People will say things about how much money they have cost me and my family, how much heart ache, and more and these things do hurt me, but they do not see the reasons as clearly, they do not see the purpose, maybe it is because it is my path, my purpose, and not theirs, that they do not see and why they question so much.

My whole life I have felt God leading me to horses and no, it has not always been easy, but God never said it would be easy to walk the path He has laid out for us, we just must trust Him that we are doing what he wants and that He will give us the strength we need and what we need, when we need it.

Each horse I have named may plant some seed in someone that might get them asking questions about God, it may lead them down the path of salvation and that could lead more people down that same path.  It could be someone I never meet, someone reading a racing program who sees the horse's name, someone at a show who hears the horses name called out, who knows, but God knows.

As Marq Your Bible has recovered from his rough July, it has not been easy on any of us that are involved with him, being patient and waiting for him to get better, but I trust God that it was just another lesson in patience and that He will reward us for learning our patience lesson.  No, I do not expect a champion, maybe not even a stakes winner, sure that would be nice and i know all things are possible with God's help, so it is possible, but I know not to expect it.  I pray God allows Marq Your Bible, who we affectionately call Marcus, to race to the full ability and talents God has granted him and that he keep him safe, and please God, no more thunderstorms on race days.

So, I will continue to trust God and like a quote I just heard last week: 

"When God closes a door, I will praise Him in the hallway."

Because, I know he will eventually open another door or re-open the one that was closed, when He says it is a better time.

Road Trip, Day 4: Assateague Island

We got up and got ready, packing up, as we would be leaving the hotel and heading home, after spending a day on Assateague Island.

We headed over and had breakfast at the little restaurant near the hotel.   The same couple that had been singing and playing their guitars, the day before, was out on the porch doing it again.   After we ate, we sat and listened for a little bit and then I struck up a conversation with them.   When they found out I sang, they encouraged me to sing for them, so despite my stage fright issues, I started to sing "Amazing Grace" for them.   My Mom chimed in, over to my right, while she watched my girls.

The couple complimented us and we talked a little bit more, before we had to get back to our room to finish packing and check out.

After the car was loaded and we had checked out of the hotel, we headed to a local t-shirt store and I got two new horse t-shirts with Chincoteague Ponies on them, my favorite being a light blue with a white pony running in the water, with a wave coming up behind it.  My girls each got a shirt and my oldest picked out one for her Daddy, who couldn't come with us on the trip.

After we were done shopping, we drove across the bridge to Assateague Island and we stopped at the entrance to the island and there was a sign that said no dogs were allowed, even in cars, on the island.  We told the ranger I had a Seeing Eye Dog and she, of course, said that was fine, but was happy I had told them, so she could radio the other personnel to let them know a Seeing Eye Dog was coming onto the island.  

We then stopped for a short time at the visitors center.  I wish we could have spent more time there, but we wanted to get to the beach.

As we drove across the island, we saw a lot of cars stopped up ahead of us and as we started to slowly pass them, we saw what they were looking at.   Over to our right, in a large meadow, was a herd of ponies!   My Mom stopped the car and rolled down the windows, so we could all get a good look at the ponies.   My oldest counted 13, which included two foals.   There were lots of different colors and patterns, mostly pintos of various colors.

We watched for about 10 minutes, Mom took some pictures, and then we headed back on our way to the beach, on the eastern side of the island.

We found a parking spot near the bath house and changed into our bathing suits.   We then grabbed what we would need for a few hours on the beach and headed out to find a good spot.

The wind was really blowing and we were having trouble with our unbrella, so some nice ladies came over and helped us.   Once it was securely in place, we laid out a few towels and a blanket, got our covers and sandals off and headed down to the water's edge.

At first I just kept Dextra on her regular short leather leash, but eventually I switched to her flexi leash and she had a blast playing in the water, like she always does, being a Labrador.

My oldest played near me, holding my hand as we stood in the waves and Dextra ran around us.

My youngest was a bit intemidated by the waves and didn't really want to go in the water.   My Mom tried a few times, but she really didn't want to do it.

After awhile, Dextra needed a break, so my Mom took her up for some water and to rest in the shade of the unbrella.   Dextra laid there on the blanket, with no one holding her, in a perfect down and rest for a very long time.   Someone was always with her, of course, it was just that she is so good we don't always have to hold onto her leash, if we are trying to do something else.   She is a wonderful dog and so well behaved, a perfect example of what a Seeing Eye Dog should be.

I had both my girls down by the water and my oldest wanted to go in, but my youngest still was not wanting to.   I picked up my youngest and started talking about how fun the waves were and she eventually let me carry her out a little bit, where my oldest could have some fun in the waves and when a few big ones hit my legs and splashed her feet, which were dangling down near my knees, she started to realize it was fun.

So, I took us back a bit and I sat down on the beach, in a spot where waves only occasionally reached us.   I started with having her sit on my knees, then she sat on my lap and eventually was willing to stand infront of me, as I stayed sitting.  

My oldest sat next to me, sometimes laying in the sand, so the water would come up around her, so she could splash in it, when the waves came up.   Both girls had a wonderful time and I was so proud of my youngest daughter for overcoming her fears and playing in the waves.

We let them play for several hours in the sand and in the water, before we decided it was time to pack up and start heading home.    We changed in the bath house, but unfortunately, the line for the showers was too long, so we could not wash the sand off of us, we just had to do the best we could dusting it off.   That was pretty hard, as the sand on the island is very soft and seemed to be more sticky than other places I've been.   My oldest had laid all over in the sand, so she had it everwhere, even up in her long wavy hair.

We loaded up and stopped at McDonald's for dinner, as we started our car ride back home.

We drove several hours south, down the eastern shore of Virginia and then crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel right before dusk.   I think it was the first time I have actually been on it, so it was pretty nice to see all the water.  I was told there were ships in sight, but I could not see them, they were too far away for my limited eyesight.

We arrived home around 10 PM and my husband and I got the girls changed into their pajamas, dusting more sand off of them and got them into bed.

It had been a long day, fun filled, and one to remember.   It had been a wonderful 4 day journey, starting with Mount Vernon and ending with the beach of Assateague Island.   I hope I can go back to Assateague Island again soon, it was so beautiful and I want to see those ponies, again, too, of course.   if you are a horse person and have not been, you must go.   If you like nature or just going to the beach, you must go to Assateague Island for some great fun!

Marcus' Second Race

On Saturday, July 28, 2012 we had Marcus in the 9th race at Colonial Downs.  It was a true miracle that he was there, at all, after what he had been through on July 20th (see "Colonial Downs Doesn't Like Me").   Lot's of prayers had been sent up to God on Marcus' behalf from a lot of people and God had listened, as Marcus was 100% sound.

Prayers for weather, calmness, and more had also been sent up to God.   As the 9th race approached a storm approached the area.   This was Marcus 4th trip to Colonial Downs in 4 weeks, and the 3rd time a storm would hit the track or near the track.   The first time Marcus came to the track to race, a tornado bounced around the track facility and this has left Marcus afraid of thunderstorms.

As Marcus headed over to the paddock for his race, the lightning could be seen to the north and east, so we hoped it was passing by us, but it was close enough that Marcus was well aware of the storm.

Luckily, our wonderful trainer had gotten special permission to have the pony horse brought into the paddock with Marcus to help him during saddling.   The calm Paint Horse helped Marcus maintain his composure, so he could get saddled and the jockey could get onboard.   He was obviously a bit nervous, but the Paint Horse really helped.   I continued to pray for him to be calm and not get upset about the storm.

Once out on the track, Marcus appeared totally fine, during the post parade and warm up.

At the gate, several horses gave the starters a major workout, including the horse right before Marcus was to go in.   Marcus was the last horse to load, so he waited his turn, very quietly and patiently.   Once that horse was in, Marcus walked in like a pro and the gates flew open.

He was in post position 12, so when they got to the first turn, he was out wide, due to his post position and there being no where for the jockey to steer him over, just yet.   Marcus maintained 7th around the first turn, in the field of 12.

Once onto the backstretch, Marcus' jockey was able to move him over to the rail, where Marcus was moing very comfortably and moved up to 6th, which he held the remainder of the backstretch and onto the final turn.

As the horses came onto the homestretch, Marcus' ordeal of the past week caught up with him and he began to tire.   He faded to 11th, at the wire, but only was 16 lengths behind the winner, so the field was not that spread out.   In the whole scheme of things, he did not get totally destroyed in the race, as I've seen horses lose by a lot more, that have been through a lot less.

We are all very proud of Marcus, from his trainer and her husband, to all the partners.   I praise God that Marcus got a good experience this time and hopefully will carry this good experience to the next race, which will be at a different track, since Colonial Downs meet is now over.

I also praise God that Marcus has come out of his race sound, with no issues.   The jockey said he was moving well and the only effects he noticed was the tiredness at the end, which is very understandable.

Marcus will be given some time to fully recooperate and he will tell us when he ready to race, again, whether that be 2 weeks or 30 days, we'll give him what he needs.   He is a special horse to us all and we will take care of him as best we can.

Miracle for Marq Your Bible

An honest to goodness miracle has happened and I will proclaim it to anyone who will listen.

If you have been following the events of the last 5 days on my blog, you will know of what happened to Marq Your Bible on Friday night at Colonial Downs.  But just in case you are new to my blog and this amazing story, I will share some of what happened here.

Shortly after arriving at the paddock at Colonial Downs on Friday night, to be saddled for the 6th race, Marcus (Marq Your Bible) who was about to run in only his 2nd race, appeared to get startled by a nearby storm, with lots of cloud to ground lightning.   Three weeks before that night, he had been preparing for his first race, on the way to the paddock, when a tornado was sighted nearby.   So, it is understandable that he'd still be a bit sensitive to storms.

When he startled, he got away from his handler and raced out onto the racetrack.   Two outriders totally ignored the fact that a loose horse was there and kept on doing what they were doing, smoking, talking, etc.   Marcus made it to the barn area, where eye witness accounts have him crashing through a gate, then galloping over 1/2 mile down an asphalt road, then onto a gravel path, and when he spotted a way back onto the racetrack, he crashed through a chain link fence.   It was at this point, that someone got on the radio to the two outriders and told them to go get the loose horse.

They caught him on the backstretch, but instead of taking him to the barn area for a vet to look at, they ponied him all the way back to the paddock, where when he arrived, the trainer found he had a broken lead shank, so they would not be able to hold onto him properly, her fears were met when he easily got away from them again.   This time the outriders acted more quickly and caught Marcus, but again he was brought to the paddock, where he had to wait while the race was being run.

Back at the barn, a vet checked him over and only found two scratches and he appeared to be sound.   The trainer and I talked and I was to get a phone call or email Saturday evening with an update, as I knew injuries can show up a bit later.

Saturday, came and went and I heard nothing, but just kept hoping no news was good news.   On Sunday morning, the messages during Sunday School and during the service, by our new Pastor, spoke to me.   I am a Believer in God and talk to Him in prayer, maybe not as often as I should, but I felt God telling me to pray, as the sermon was talking about prayer.   God led me to pray a certain way during the service and then afterwards, when I was back at home.

I prayed for Marcus to be okay, to be sound, to not be hurt, I prayed for a calmness to sweep over Marcus and for him not to be that scared ever again.   I also prayed that his handlers would instinctively know what to do to calm him, like I was able to do with Marcus' mother, Red Devilette (Scarlette), when I was training her when she was a yearling and 2 year old.   I prayed that God would allow Marcus to be His champion, not a champion in the worldly sense, but God's Champion, meaning that his name, Marq Your Bible, might help plant seeds in people's hearts, that would open up and grow into these people accepting Christ and hence those seeds are to be seeds for Salvation.  Only God knows how he will use Marcus to be those seeds, but I had faith.

Sunday night I got an email from the trainer, she had called my cell phone on Saturday, but for some reason the network never gave me my voice mail.  She told me on Sunday night that Marcus was quite sore, so she had gotten an equine massage therapist to come out and give him a massage, which had already started to help.   She was concerned he had bucked his shins and wanted to have him x-rayed Monday morning to make sure there were no fractures.

Sunday night, I prayed again, for a miracle, for Marcus to no longer be sore, for him to have no fractures, no bucked shins, and again for Marcus to be God's champion.

I got a short email Monday morning, from the trainer, which basically said she was holding off one more day on the x-rays of Marcus legs, to Tuesday afternoon, when the vet always comes to her farm, because "Marcus is fine this morning."

I immediately started to praise God and knew He was working on a miracle.   I continued to pray off and on Monday and then Tuesday.

Tuesday evening, I got an unbelievable email message from my trainer.   Marcus' x-rays were totally clean, no signs of any kind of injury.  Not only that, but the vet felt he was improving so much that there was a chance he could race as soon as Saturday.   There happens to be a race for Saturday at Colonial Downs, so my trainer will enter him in this race.   She will monitor Marcus daily and if there is any concern in the least, he will not race, but if he continues to progress at the rate he is, he should be totally fine, could even be totally fine today (Wednesday).   We will not risk him in the race if he is not 100%, but there is a good chance he will be more than fine.

God is amazing!   In days we've gone from some of racing's lows to just in awe of God's wonder and love for a horse who He knows we love dearly.

I will probably never know why Friday's incident happened, but maybe it did to provide another miracle, something that will help people start to believe in God and His son, Jesus.   I know that God has granted a miracle, because all that Marcus did he should have a lot more than just some minor soreness and two small scratches.   God had Angels watching over Marcus, protecting him during his fearful run.

As a Christian, I know that some do not agree with horse racing, mainly due to the gambling aspect of the sport.   But God is in all things and He works through many ways to reach people.   I have felt Him leading me down the path into horse racing since 1985, when I saw Spend A Buck win the Kentucky Derby.  It would be wrong of me to run from God's calling, like Jonah ran.  This path has not been easy, this path with horses, the racing ones and non-racing ones, but I feel God led each of those horses into my life for a variety of reasons and those lessons were for me to learn, not others, and others just may not see those reasons, which is fine, but I pray they trust that God had his reasons and they should not question.

I've in fits of despair even questioned myself, why this path has been so hard, but God brings me right back to the understanding that this is where He wants me and what He wants me doing, no matter how difficult.   There are reasons I may not even see or know about, people I've touched that I don't know about, but God knows and it is His plan and I will follow the path He has laid out for me, no matter what others may think in my family, my church, or elsewhere.   From my Sunday School class, this past Sunday, we watched a video, and the message hit home with me, I strive to hear, when I get to Heaven, God say to me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."   This is all that matters.   God's opinion of me is the only one that should really matter, as it is what matters at the end.

Please do not Distract Guide Dogs

On Monday morning, my youngest daughter had a doctor's appointment.  It is a building we go in a few times a year, so I know the layout and Dextra, my Seeing Eye Dog, has been there about 3 times, before.

On Monday morning, we were all walking down the sidewalk, I just happened to be following my husband, though I could have easily led, but just happened this way.   I was holding the hand of my 6 year old daughter and my husband had our 2 year old's hand.

As we approached the building I could hear the work truck idling in the area just outside the main door.

Dextra was doing a great job, not only guiding me safely, but trying to keep from running my daughter into things, as well.   As we made the right handed turn to head into the building, through the two sets of sliding doors, she calculated the turn so my oldest would not run into the door, giving her plenty of room on my right.   Dextra is awesome at judging clearances to my right and though not trained to keep my children from bumping into things, which sometimes does happen, more times than not, she easily keeps them from hitting things, as she loves my kids and takes her job seriously and seems to know that they sometimes forget to look where they are going, despite me telling them, "Dextra's job is to guide me, not you, so you do need to watch where we are going, so you won't hit things."   I tell them to duck behind me, if something looks too close.

As we get through the second set of sliding doors, the elevator is about 30 feet or so infront of me, but Dextra suddenly pushes me to the right.  I know to follow my dog, so I trusted her and went with her.   After about 10 feet, she suddenly jumps sideways into me, as if totally startled and caught off guard.  And at the same time, I hear my husband start to call out, "Sir, don't touch the dog!"  Dextra looked sideways again, and my husband said, before I could, "Sir, I said don't touch the dog!  It's working!"

Dextra swings me in a big arc around something and back to the elevators where my husband is waiting for us.

We enter the elevator and I then ask what had happened.   My husband explains that there were two men working on replacing lightbulbs in the lobby and they had a fork lift of some kind in there.   One guy was on the ground and the other up on the lift, which was up above my head.

My husband said he could see Dextra concentrating very hard on how to negotiate this situation, judging where the man on the ground was, the vehicle, the lift above me, etc.   And the man on the ground had been making arm motions, frantically, flailing his arms, but Dextra had ignored him, obviously not knowing what those arm motions meant.

Suddenly, this man realized I had a dog and went from those big flailing fast arm movements to instantly reaching out towards my Dextra's head, startling her, as she was not expecting him to try and touch her and he was acting odd, to her, so he was someone to be avoided.

No one should ever try to pet a working dog, who is trying to guide their handler safely, because any little distraction can cause injury to the person or even the dog.  

I was lucky Dextra's jumping sideways into me did not knock me off balance, which could have meant I would have stepped on my 6 year old's foot or accidentally knocked her down.  My 6 year old or I could have been run into a wall, a piece of equipment, or something else that could have hurt one or both of us.   It would not have been Dextra's fault, it would have been this man's fault and he would have found himself liable.   It is against the law to distract a working guide dog, because of how dangerous it can be if you do so.

I was lucky this time, that nothing happened, but thought I'd share this story to help educate about the dangers that could happen if you distract a guide dog who is working, especially in a tricky situation.

But even if the person is walking down an uncrowded and level sidewalk with no obstacles, you should never try to pet, talk to, make eye contact, or do anything else that might distract that guide dog.   It is a matter of safety and if anything happens, you are liable and breaking the law.

Always ask first, before acknowledging a working dog, most people with guide dogs and other service dogs are very friendly and willing to talk about their dog, but do not take it personally if you are not allowed to pet the dog, there are many good reasons and they can vary from handler to dog.   But the main reason being, that if the dog gets too people friendly and starts seeking out pets from people while it is working, this is also a major safety issue, so though most of us will be happy to talk to you about our dogs, we still may not allow petting, it is a matter of safety and could even be life or death, if traffic is involved.

So, if you take anything from this blog post, please do not distract any service dog while it is working.  While a person's hand is on that harness, even if they are standing still at a corner, that dog is working.   Always ask first and talk to the handler.