Well, I've decided I'm going to be more diligent with my blog. Not only for my readers, but also for me. It's a great way to map progress and growth. What a great way this is to document my horsie life. Sometimes I might not think I have anything interesting to say because it's just normal life for me. But other people might find it entertaining or educational, so it's important to get my thoughts and activities out there.
So much has happened. I'm going to catch this up in stages, one topic at a time.
When we last were together, I talked about possibly buying a horse. Well, I did that. I'll warn you about the story ahead--it didn't work out. But, I promise you it's OK in the end. Read on--
December 2018, I answered an internet ad from a high volume dealer in Pennsylvania. A facebook horse friend who knew of a riding stable in her area who bought all their lesson horses from him told me they had good experiences. She thought he was honest, at least with them. He sold most of his horses within a day or two of posting them, so I figured he must be doing something right. Ha! I was so naive.
After viewing videos and having lengthy phone conversations with the seller telling him about all my physical problems and specifics about the kind of rock-solid horse I needed and getting assurance that he was "the one", I took the plunge and bought Rex, a 7 year old grade Tennessee Walking horse gelding. He is drop dead gorgeous, huh?!
He was a very pretty boy and very sweet--It was clear from the get-go that he was a lover and not a fighter. Turned out, though, that although Rex was a nice horse, he was a bit emotionally unstable and very spooky. I took a bad fall off him the second ride. Went to the ER for CT scans of pretty much every part of my body that could break and was off work for two weeks. Fortunately, I just had a lot of bruising that healed with time. I was boarding him at the stable where I took riding lessons, just for a couple of months until winter broke. This would give me time to get to know him with supervision if I ran into any problems. Well, I soon discovered that these problems weren't going to be fixed any time soon.
Rex kept getting spookier and whackier as the early days went by. My riding instructor thought he had been drugged. I don't know. I didn't have him tested, so I can't make that claim. I wonder if he had just maxed out on his ability to handle changes. I did some more research and found he had been with a dealer in Kentucky, which is where the PA dealer bought him. This KY dealer is known for getting his horses from kill pens and killer type auctions. The nice story I was told about him being with "friends in Kentucky who owned him for a year and trail rode him all over" was not true. The poor horse had likely been going from auction to dealer, rinse and repeat, so his brain was fried.
I did some research on my dealer friend. (I know--should have done that BEFORE--lesson learned the hard way.) I found reviews online of people who had similar dealings with him. A local experienced horse woman bought what she called a "bronc" from him two years earlier. She ended up taking a big financial loss. His folksy act was just that--an act to gain buyer trust. He did offer to exchange Rex for a different horse, but some of the reviewers I read ended up with a horse with even bigger issues or unsoundnesses. Since it was also going to be very expensive to truck horses back and forth, I decided to keep him and see if things would get better. I brought Rex home to be with my senior QH Babe (more on her later). I thought she would be a calming influence on him. She helped, but Rex's problems were bigger than she could fix.
Rex was a sensitive horse--everything in his environment caught his eye or ear and made him tense or scared. He spooked at unknown monsters just walking in from the pasture. He spooked if a neighbor 500 feet away started up his weed eater. He was constantly on guard. I didn't feel safe riding him further, but I could see his kind, sweet disposition and I thought maybe he just needed time and stability to trust in the world again. I did a lot of ground work with him and spent one-on-one time with him to build a bond. I had him evaluated by a trainer I respect. She agreed with my feelings about him and said he was going to need a lot of time before I would even see what he was really like.
I kept holding out hope that Rex would calm down to be the "generally bombproof, anyone can ride" horse I was told he was and what his video showed. (I'm rolling my eyes!). I bought Rex January 2019. I kept him until June of 2020. He did improve and settle down to a degree, but it was clear he wasn't ever going to be as bombproof as I needed him to be. I need rock solid.
I wasn't sure what I was going to do with him. I was so worried about his future. Horses like he could be often ended up being dumped at an auction, or at a slaughter house in Canada or Mexico. Even if I found a buyer, I was so worried he would freak out again if he went to a new home. I decided I would just keep him and think about it later. That's the advantage to keeping horses at home. It really isn't that big of a deal to keep an extra horse. One day, I was messaging an acquaintance (friend of a friend of a friend) about a computer issue and we got on the subject of Rex. He had met Rex in summer 2019. He liked him and never forgot him. Our conversation turned into a horse sale. Rex had a new home! His new owner is absolutely wonderful. Kind to animals and also has the ability to provide for Rex's needs, including a stay at a trainer for a couple of months so they could work together to get to know each other.
Before Rex left, I had a phone animal communication session to prepare him for the move. A friend had suggested that because she believed it had helped one of her horses adjust to a move. Since I was so worried about Rex's ability to handle a change, I thought it was a good idea. Through the animal communicator, I told him what was going to happen, told him his new "dad" was going to be very good to him, and I encouraged Rex to trust that things would work out. A horsie acquaintance told me that all the trust he gained in life and people while being with me would transfer to his new home. I wasn't sure if that would actually happen. But, I'm so pleased to say that Rex adjusted to the move to the trainer's barn and his new owner very well. He and the trainer love him!!! I am so happy that this all worked out for Rex. He is set for life!
Rex with his new dad. His beauty just takes your breath away, doesn't it?
Now ... The sad news ... Babe had worsening arthritis in her knees and she became too uncomfortable even just hanging out in the pasture. Her eyes told me it was time. I had her put down mid winter 2020. She was such a great horse and I think about her all the time. She was with me for 16 years. What a great girl she was. She is buried in her pasture.
Rest in peace, Babe. You were definitely The Queen of my heart. Saying good bye to Babe:
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