DC Mohegan Sun

Registerd arabian gelding

I detested his registered name so refuse to use it.

He will always be DC Mohegan Sun to me.

In August 2005, I was browsing sale ads on the internet when I came upon a picture that “spoke” to me. Or should I say the bay horse in the picture “spoke” to me. Now it has to be remembered that “window shopping” didn’t mean I was looking to buy. As luck, or bad luck, would have it, the horse in question was only a couple hours from me. I called & talked to the owner, finding out the horse was a registered, 12 ½ year arab gelding who was halter broke at 11, & had been with a trainer for 30 days the previous winter. At that point I was figuring he had maybe 15-20 days under saddle months ago, & I wasn’t interest in an older, unbroke horse. I thanked the owner & said I’d think about the horse. For two sleepless nights I thought about that bay gelding. I had no idea how I was going to buy him, but I KNEW he was mine. I called & went to see that gelding the next morning. There were three horses tied to a trailer when I got there, two of which were bays. Don’t ask me how I knew which bay was the one in the poor quality photo I had seen. But I walked up & and said “Hey Sun, wanna come live with me”? Forty-eight hours later Sun was home. He was everything I could have hoped for. He was intelligent, wanted to please, had a lot of try, & became my best friend. He had a heart of gold & he filled my heart. There was just something about him that made my heart flutter like a horse hadn't done in a very long time. It’s not often that a connection happens, but when it does, follow your heart.

Sun & I spent a lot of time together. We did a lot of ground work to gain trust. We spent many hours wandering the trails. Finally the time came when I took him to his first Limited Distance ride. It was a great ride. We did a couple more with Sun improving after each. I began to think I could once again compete in endurance. I'm not sure when the realization came to me that while I loved Sun, I had to admit that he wasn't quite the horse for me. Sun is a very soft & gentle horse, bold on the trail but very timid in nature. I'm anything but soft & timid. In the four years Sun & I rode together, I was always very careful to suppress the real me. I began to feel I wasn't doing either of justice. It broke my heart when I realized Sun would never be my Tevis horse since this was the dream I had for us.

I truly believe that things work out the way they're supposed to, even if it's not what we have in mind. A friend of mine had been looking for an endurance horse for quite some time. I kept trying to help her find the right horse. My friend is a very gentle, soft person who whispers to her horses & kisses their noses. It took some time, but one day it dawned on me that I knew the perfect horse for her. Unfortunately for me her perfect horse was Sun. I offered to loan Sun to her. I told her each & every one of his little quirks. They sounded a match so she picked him up for a trial. I warned her that he might take some time to settle in & adjust as he'd down with me. That proved to not be the case. Sun moved in & immediately took to following her everywhere. Today they enjoy riding softly & gently down the trail. Endurance is in their future & I hope I'm able to ride with them on their dream journey to Tevis.

While I gave up the horse who grabbed my heart to someone better suited for him, I will always love him & hold him dear.

Glory B & My Rebel Go Easy

Unregistered, black, quarter type mare, born circa early 1960s
Unregistered, chestnut, 1/2 quarter horse colt born 1968

Glory B was a beautiful black, 14.2 mare that was purchases from Leonard G, the horse trader. She was standing in a corner of a stall, facing away from us. A woman at Leonard's stable told us that she was a really nice mare who deserved a better owner. She went on to tell us that Glory was a very successful barrel horse who had won many saddles. She was also used for goat tying. The woman told us that her owner was Diane Scott, aka The Blond Bomb. She said that The Blond Bomb would whip her horses in their stalls to get them jazzed up for faster runs. She had a history of abusing & over riding her horses. The reason Glory was for sale was because she'd been bred but wouldn't settle. She was traded to Leonard for a different, registered QH mare. With that story, Glory had to come home with us. No one was able to recall her name so my mom named her Glory B.

What a wonderful horse she turned out to be. At first she was aloof & shy, eyes wide with fear when I entered her stall. It took months before she trusted me. She was so much fun to ride. She was great on trail & even did a little jumping with me. I almost never rode in a saddle & did come off her a few times. Every time my weight shifted she either slammed the brakes on & i kept going, or she'd make a 180 turn thinking I was cuing her to run barrels. She did learn that neither habit was required & I learned balance.

About 8 months after buying Glory we had a vet do a pregnancy check on her. She was getting bigger & bigger. Sure enough, she was in foal. We went back to Leonard's to ask him for more details. To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. He got his studbook out for his stallion, Chip Dee Reed, a very nice QH stallion of foundation bloodlines. Sure enough, there was the breeding dates for Glory. It was then that we learned her name had been Star Spang Durango. Leonard tried to get us to pay the breeding fee but we weren't falling for that. The next 2 months was filled with excitement at the expected foal, & disappointment that I couldn't ride. After many midnight checks, Glory finally had a chestnut colt that my mom named My Rebel Go Easy.

Rebel was feisty & spunky, ornery & stubborn. He managed to kick both my knees in his first day. He was a gorgeous colt who grew to be very sweet & loving. Although I had a lot of fun playing with Rebel, I was tired of not having a horse to ride. I also wanted a thoroughbred so I could jump. We finally decided to sell Glory & Rebel when he was about 6 months old.

A man who worked at our local feed store bought them. Three months later winter set in & we found out he was selling Glory & Rebel. We went to see them & were horrified to find them extremely thin & standing knee deep in mud. We contacted him & were told Glory had been sold. We talked to both Leonard & Mr Harris & both told us that Rebel wouldn't be worth anything because he'd been starved. They cited all types of potential problems. We didn't buy him back but a year later I saw him at a local stable. I never met who bought him, but at least he was in a good situation.

One day while I was riding on the levee I went passed a show. In the arena was a black mare that in my heart I knew was Glory. I'd heard she belonged to another young girl. I thought I saw the dent in her face (probably shot by a bee bee at one time) & kept hoping the announcer would have the horses reverse. On her left hip there would have been an "S" brand. While the horses didn't reverse & I never saw the left hip, I know to this day that it was Glory.

A lot of lessons were learned about selling horses. Almost without exception never would I again take payments. Nor would I ever take payment in rolls of coins again. Both would raise a red flag about the ability of the person to financially support a horse. Each of my horses over the years have taught me lessons. But the sale & subsequent events surrounding Glory & Rebel were among the most painful of all my lessons. I now require a deposit in blood before you can even think of buying one of my horses.

I read a passage in a Shakespeare play one time that sums up how I feel about Glory today. It goes something like this: "What a horse should have she did not lack, save a proud rider on so proud a back". I didn't appreciate you enough Glory, & for that I will always be sorry.

Founders I Have Known

As I'm dealing with a foundered & a laminitic horse, I've been reflecting on the horses in my past. Looking back it's pretty amazing that I never saw a foundered horse at the stable of my youth. In fact, I'd had horses for 20 years before I saw my first founder. Knowing what I know today, I find that unbelievably amazing. Our horses were kept in stalls & fed high quality, dairy alfalfa with large quantities of grain. Maybe part of the reason for no founders was that a number of the horses had young girls who rode them constantly. But what of the idle horses standing around in stalls with bins of feed? Why did these horses not founder?

Rick was the first horse I knew who foundered. He was an early teen, chestnut gelding of unknown heritage. I occasionally rode Rick when his owner was out of town. He was nice horse, one that I enjoyed riding. One day his owner noticed that he was slightly lame. Thinking it probably a stone bruise, he let Rick have a couple days stall rest. Rick didn't get better, in fact he got worse. Finally, after about a week, the vet was called. The horrifying diagnosis was road founder. Rick's founder wasn't caused by feed, it was caused by being over ridden (his owner liked to run for miles in the deep riverbed sand & it took it's toll) into exhaustion. Back then it was common practice to euthanize horses when diagnosed with founder. Rick's owner wanted to save his horse so he did as vet prescribed. Rick was put on anti-inflammatories & the shoer was called. Eggbar shoes were put on to keep the sole off the ground. When Rick continued to worsen, he was reshod with shoes put on backwards. This was to relieve any pressure at the toe & to give him a better breakover. Still he worsened. Finally the day came when his coffin bones pushed through his soles. The decision was finally made to lay Rick to rest. I personally would have opted for euthanasia sooner. Rick was in a lot of pain, he refused to move, he had lost massive amounts of weight from the pain, & he battled numerous hoof abscesses. It was a relief to finally see he didn't have to suffer any longer.

VM April Dawn was a gorgeous bay, arabian mare. She belonged to an elderly friend who loved her horses to death. Each spring Dawn & her companions were allowed free access to the lush grass during the day. At night they were brought into the barn & fed alfalfa. Each receive a scoop of grain (or sometimes chicken scratch) as a treat. Dawn & her companions were obese. Every spring the four horses would become foot sore. I don't know when Misty foundered but it's evident today by the structure of her hooves that she did founder at some point. While she's sound today, Dawn wasn't so lucky. A couple years ago Dawn foundered. The original x-rays should 26 & 28% rotation in her front feet. She was given Bute & put on stall rest (12 x 12 box stall). She stopped eating because she couldn't move. By the time I was called, Dawn was emaciated & dehydrated. Her coffin bones were pushing through her soles. I had her owner start feeding her beet pulp & rice bran, we moved her water trough closer to her, & we put her in a roundpen instead of the box stall. When I called a few days later, I was told Dawn was doing better & the farrier was upbeat on her outcome. It was a couple months before I got a phone call that Dawn was worse again. It took some doing but I convinced her owner to let me take them to UCDavis. It was a sad trip. Dawn did not come home.

Cougar's Charmer was a palomino, quarab mare who belonged to one of my best friend's. While she didn't belong to me, I loved riding her. She was very forward, bold, & covered a lot of ground with little effort. She was a very successful endurance horse. One day while my friends & I were out riding, Charmer stepped on a pine cone. She was shod with pads so we didn't think much of the small hole the pine cone put in her pad. Little did we know what had really happened. A few days later Charmer was lame. When the shoe & pad came off, there was an abscess brewing from where the sharp point of the pine cone had not only gone through the pad, but into her sole. Laminitis set in, as well as a mild case of founder. Over the next few years Charmer continued to be ridden endurance but she had to have pads to protect her tender soles. Anytime she got early spring grass she would become sore. It was finally decided to retire her because it was difficult to keep her feet sound under the stress of competition. For a few years she was occasionally ridden by my friend's grandkids. The day came when she was no longer ridden & became a "pasture puff". As Charmer aged she would have laminitis bouts that always resolved. Then one day while my friends were on vacation, Charmer foundered again. When my friends got home, Charmer was in extreme pain & it was decided her time had come & she was laid to rest.

Laminitis & founder are horrible & devastating conditions. Their causes are many & not understood. There are various treatments & no guarantees of success. Once a horse has foundered, it is always at risk for another episode. While we can do everything to control diet & exercise, we have no guarantee that we can keep founder at bay. It is my hope that someday we'll beat these conditions that can take our horses' lives.

The Painful Journey-Founder Part I

To continue following Lady & Maark's story, go to www.thepainfuljourney-equinefounder.blogspot.com

In over four decades I've never had a horse founder. I've seen a few over the years, but have never had to deal with a case of my own. I have had two mild incidences of farrier induced laminitis, but both were resolved quickly with ice soaks & anti-inflammatories (& changing farriers!). Unfortunately this week I joined the ranks of those who have dealt with founder, a devastating, often times fatal disease of the hooves. As I journey into the dark depths of founder, I can only hope that what I learn will one day prevent another horse from suffering. And if it doesn't prevent the onset of founder, then at least let me know enough to save the next horse.

On Monday Sept 7, 2009, two registered arabians came into my life. FA Ovaature, aka Lady, is a 22 year old, dark bay mare of outstanding quality. Maarked Crescendo, aka Maark, is an 8 year old, dark bay gelding. They are mother & son, both with wonderful bone, substance, & stunning heads. Lady & Maark had traveled from MN to N CA, never stepping off the trailer in route. This decision proved to be a serious mistake. I had spoke with the shipper a number of times prior to their arrival. He had warned me that Maark was overweight. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine HOW overweight. The gelding that jumped off the trailer into my drive is the fattest horse I have ever seen. If you can believe it, he even has fat on his nose. There are rolls along his sides & back that pull his skin taut, making for a very creepy feel as you pet him. While Lady is carrying some odd fatty pads throughout her body, she isn't technically overweight & her ribs are slightly showing. She came off the trailer ever so slightly sore footed across my rocky drive. Neither appeared to be in stress & I was thrilled with my beautiful new horses.

Fast forward three hours & it was apparent that Lady was foundering. She was beginning to stand in that classical, sawhorse stance. My trimmer, Sally, graciously gave up her Labor Day ride to come see what she could do to help. By the time she arrived, it was apparent that Maark was also starting to crash. He was getting foot sore & not wanting to move much. It was unbelievable & I was devastated. Lady's heels were extremely high & her toes overly long. Sally did what she could to get Lady's feet a little more balanced. By the structure of her hooves, it was evident that she had previously foundered. Maark also got a little work done but with not knowing what was going on inside the hooves, it was like trimming blind. I gave each a dose of Bute (an anti-inflammatory) & soaked Maark's feet in ice. He was so good, standing perfectly still with both front feet in a feed pan full of ice & water. I could only hope that he was suffering from laminitis & not foundering.

On Sally's recommendation I had both horses x-rayed. We needed to see what was going on inside those feet. When a horse founders the coffin bone rotates out of position & it can drop through the sole. The coffin bone can also demineralize. If the damage is bad enough humane euthanasia is the only option. While I wanted to know what was happening, I was also afraid to know. Both horses were so well mannered for the vet. They had to stand one foot on a board for each x-ray. Their behavior was a testament to their wonderful dispositions. I knew they were in pain but yet they were trying to do everything asked of them. Lady & Maark started getting a dose of Bute morning & night while I waited for the x-ray results. I was also spreading their hay out in handfuls throughout their one acre pasture. I didn't want them to stand & gorge on their meals, I wanted them to "graze". Not only would they eat more naturally, they would also have to move around which aids in circulation to those ailing feet. It's so heart wrenching to watch a horse in pain from founder. Even standing still causes pain.

When I got home Friday night I had a phone message from the vet. Maark had laminitis but he was NOT yet foundering. Icing those hooves had just become a priority to keep the heat & inflammation out. I'm going to do whatever I can to keep him from full blown founder. Lady's x-rays showed that she was indeed foundering. She has rotation in both front feet. My heart sunk at the news. The vet went on to say that while Lady was foundering, it was her opinion that Lady could be saved. Her hooves have plenty of soul depth & the coffin bone is nowhere near dropping through the sole. While there are some bone changes & signs of pedal ostisis, her coffin bone is intact enough that she has a good chance of being pasture sound. This was WONDERFUL news. I called to let Sally know & she said she'd be out Sunday morning to begin treating both horses. I was so giddy with excitement that it was well after midnight before I fell asleep.

I have been warned that founder can be an emotional roller coaster to treat. As soon as the horse appears to be on the mend, another crash can come. Lady & Maark both shows classic signs of Insulin Resistance. They have fatty deposits, crested necks, & even the non-existent hollows above their eyes are marshmallow puffy. IR horses need to be fed special diets to control the disease & their weight because obesity is one of many founder causes. While both have IR & Maark is morbidly obese, I believe it was the long, continuous trailer ride that pushed them over the edge.


Tomorrow brings a new day & I can't wait to see what Sally has in mind to help these two deserving horses. While I'm riding an emotional high tonight, I am aware that I could be on the downhill slide at any time.

Common Bond

There have been untold numbers of horses impacting my life through the decades. Horses have been the common bond in bringing so many wonderful people into my life; people I wouldn't otherwise have met.

It must have been 10-12 years ago that I found a horse rescue site called TIER (True Innocent Equine Rescue). This rescue was, & still is, located in S CA. Although I was living in N CA by then, I hadn't left my S CA roots completely behind. At the time, TIER was pulling horses out of a horsetrader's "feedlot". The "feedlot" comprised of all manner of horses who were headed to slaughter. As I read through the website & message board, I realized the horsetrader in question was the same person from whom I, & many other young girls at my childhood stable, had gotten so many horses. I became a follower & supporter of TIER. There were many wonderful people on the message board, most with the same goals of saving horses from uncertain & cruel fates. Even after TIER's efforts to pull horses from the "feedlot" were ended, I continued to not only follow TIER, but to occasionally correspond with some of the people I had met.

In August 2009, I had an email from Heidi in MN asking all her email friends to vote for her dog in a cutest dog contest. I hadn't heard from her in a very long time so I emailed to ask how she was doing & to catch up on what was going on in her life. Life isn't always easy & Heidi had been going through some really tough life changes. She told me that she only had two horses left that she wanted to place in loving homes. The only problem was that no loving homes could be found. The current economy had all the rescues full with waiting lists to take in horses. I told Heidi that I wished we lived closer because I'd give her horses a home. A flurry of emails followed.

Soon a shipper had been found & arrangements were made to transport Heidi's two horses, Lady & Roo, to me. While there was excitement on my end, my heart was also saddened. A very special lady was sending her two beloved horses into my care, & I could only imagine the heartache she was suffering on her end. It was going to be a long, cross country trek for Lady & Roo with people on both ends thinking of them day & night. Their trip went well & they arrived at my drive 48 hours after their trip began. They had traveled well & settled right in. Both have fabulous manners & super dispositions, a testimony to Heidi's love & care. Lady is such a love, laying her head on my shoulder as if she's always known me. Roo is such a character who stays close to Lady as if he's protecting her. Both are wonderful horses who deserve this chance at life in sunny CA.

A few days before the shipper was due for pick up, I received their paperwork by FedEx. There was a wonderful note from Heidi & I found it hard to stay dry eyed. The following is a small excerpt:

"It's so strange how, so many years ago we met through TIER's forum and shared many email and discussion board conversations as I embarked on private rescue. You've heard the tales of my horses and watched as the numbers grew and dwindled. Now, 10+ years later, two pieces of my life will become a part of yours by God's grace. I feel comfortable turning the lead ropes over to you."

It is strange that this is how our lives have come together. Who would have thought that Lady & Roo would one day shorten the gap between MN & CA? Who would have thought that people on opposite sides of the country would be brought together by these two beautiful horses? Life with horses works in such mysterious & amazing ways. They've brought people into my life that I otherwise wouldn't have met. They've brought Heidi & I together in a friendship that will last a lifetime.

Topaz Gold

Registered 1/2 arab, palomino mare, born circa 1968

I've been browsing horse ads for decades now. It's just something I do on a daily basis. Forget the headlines, comics & sports pages. Forget watching Wall Street jump up & fall down. Just give me the classifieds & I'm happy.

That day in the early 1970's when I found an ad in the paper for a 6 year old, palomino mare for $100.00 was just like any other day. I was bored & needed something to do so I was barn shopping (my version of window shopping). I called, got directions & off I went to check the horse out. When I got to the place I was met by a family desperate to get rid of their horse. They hadn't had the mare long & no one had been able to stay on her. She was a shaggy, cream colored horse with long feet, a few ribs showing, & her expression was a defensive one with constantly pinned ears. They told me I could have the bridle, complete with its upside down hackamore, & what turned out to be a bareback pad. They said she always bucked when the pad went on. No wonder! They were putting it on backwards so the cinch strap was sliding into her flank. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. That poor mare. Even though I didn't want her or need her, she needed me so I handed over $100.00. It was a pleasant surprise when they handed me registration papers that identified her as Topaz Gold, a 1/2 arabian.

I brought Topi home later that day, having a friend haul her for me. She stood about 14.2 & had a cranky disposition. At feeding time she was like a piranha, pinning her ears & snapping at anything or anyone coming within reach. What had a I done bringing this nasty mare home when I didn't even need another horse? It took a week to convince her no one was stealing her feed & that I was to be allowed in her stall. As she started to fill out she started to look surprisingly decent. Then she began to shed out the dirty yellow coat & what was underneath was a stunning, golden dappled mare with an almost white mane & tail. Topi the ugly duckling turned into a gorgeous mare. She was extremely green under saddle but learned quick & was a nice mare to ride on trail. Her gaits were smooth & she enjoyed getting out. Her only bad behavior under saddle was an occasional buck, but we were working that out. After a few months I decided Topi was ready to go to a new home. She had become a nice mare & I had no doubt an intermediate rider would do well with her.

The first person who came to look at Topi was looking for a show prospect. She declined to buy her because Topi was greener than she wanted. Later this gal called to say she'd like to buy Topi because she was the best of the worst that she'd looked at. If she had to settle for less than she wanted, Topi was at the top of that list. I told her in no uncertain terms that Topi was not then, or ever, going to be for sale to her. She deserved better than someone who didn't value her before even owing her. HUMPH!

I had advertised Topi very specifically as NOT a beginner or kids horse. She was still green & had some quirks. She still didn't like people all that much either. There were some people who called looking for their 9 year old daughter's first horse. I hated to disappoint them but had to tell them I wouldn't even let them see Topi. They called again, & again, & finally I agreed they could come look. They had looked at over a dozen horses & none had been right for their daughter. When they arrived I had the daughter put the halter on Topi & lead her around. I was ready to grab the lead if needed. I then saddled Topi & rode her some. She was on her best behavior so against my better judgement, I let the daughter get on. After placidly walking around for a few minutes Topi began to buck. The girl dropped the reins & grabbed the saddle horn. I yelled for her to pick up the reins & pull back. Luckily she did & Topi immediately stopped. Whew, that was close. While I talked with the parents I had Topi tied to a hitching rail. I was explaining all the reasons why Topi was not the horse for their daughter. I even offered to help them find a suitable kids horse. As I looked over at Topi, I was horrified to see that young girl climbing up Topi's leg to get back on. To her credit that mare never moved a muscle & allowed herself to be mauled. The parents practically begged me to sell them Topi & after her incredible hitching rail behavior, how could I say no.

A few weeks later I got a phone call from the girl (I wish I could remember her name) to tell me how much she loved Topi. She said Topi had run away straight back to the stall, throwing her, but she still loved her. Every year for the next few years I would get a call on Topi's birthday. I had to send Topi my birthday wishes & get an update on how they were doing. That scruffy yellow horse blossomed into a beautiful golden mare who taught a young girl how to ride. I NEVER would have thought of Topi as a kids horse, but she proved me wrong. I have never again underestimated the desire of a girl to have a horse; nor have I underestimated the understanding a horse can have towards a young girl.