Stacy & The Red Horse

The Red Horse

Chestnut, QH type gelding, born late 1990s

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by a couple I know if I'd help them place some of their horses. They had a number of geldings they no longer wanted. I guess I forgot to tell them I was going to ride in 2010 & not concentrate on rescue. But being the "fallen off the rescue wagon" person that I am, I said no problem & told them they could deliver on Thurs.

I barely got to know The Red Horse (he came with this name & who was I to change it?). As I pulled into my driveway on Wed, I found a big, chestnut, QH type gelding in one of my front paddocks. He was happily eating grass & ignored me when I went in to see him. He was a little thin & his feet were in desperate need of a trim. I had been told he was stand-offish, not caring much for people because he'd been "cowboyed" quite a bit. I'd also been told he needed an experienced rider because he was quick. He could work cattle, spin on a dime, break out in a flash, & slide stop fast enough to put you on his neck if you weren't glued to the saddle. When I was first asked about taking him in, I had no idea IF I'd be able to find him a home because I didn't know anyone who wanted, or could ride, a quick cowhorse. But here he was & I had a prospective adopter coming the next morning.

When I knew I was going to be getting The Red Horse I happened to mention him to a friend because I just knew I was going to have him for a while. Her eyes lit up & she said she knew someone who was not only looking for a horse, but who had ridden reiners. Could The Red Horse & I be so lucky? When my friend arrived the next morning with Stacy in tow, I made sure everyone understood that The Red Horse was for an experienced rider only. I told them he didn't like people & wasn't personable; that if you didn't have glue on your saddle he was liable to leave you in the dirt; you needed to ride with quiet legs to make sure you didn't cue him by mistake & end up in the dirt. Did I mention I had been told he didn't like people & wasn't personable? Maybe with most people, but he sure wasn't that way with Stacy.

I was happy to see the way Stacy smiled when she went in to check out The Red Horse. She liked everything about him. She turned him out in the roundpen to watch him move. He wouldn't stop & come in to her when she said whoa so she sat on the mounting block to wait him out. It wasn't long before he'd walked up to check her out. Pretty soon he was following her. He hopped in her trailer about as fast as I've seen a horse load. I think he wanted to make sure she wasn't going to change her mind.

I heard an update a couple days later & The Red Horse had been renamed Taz. Stacy had gotten a taste of his blazing speed (I had a fleeting thought that she would return him after coming off him) & had decided that he was as fast as a Tasmanian Devil. From what I hear, she laughed at hitting the dirt & said she wouldn't let it happen again. Since then she & The Red Horse, aka, Taz have been out on the trails building a partnership. Two weeks later, yesterday, I had a phone call telling me that Stacy has renamed her new horse again. She says he's so sweet that she calls him her sweet Donut. That's right, The Red Horse is now known as DONUT!

Many happy trails to Stacy & Donut. I just love happy endings.

Like A Bad Penny

After a very busy "rescue" year in 2009, I told myself I was done rescuing horses. While it can be rewarding & self-satisfying when all goes well, rescue work can be emotionally, financially & physically draining. I decided it was time for me to concentrate on MY horses & focus on riding. My resolve to be rescue-free in 2010 didn't last long.

Flamin Haat Love

(Haat Soxxs x Touch Of Love)

Registered, chestnut, arab gelding born 2004

By Jan 8th I had already brought home my first rescue of the year. I was at the local feed store when someone I know mentioned they were "getting rid" of a little arab gelding that was out of a mare I used to own, by a stallion I once owned. Flame was like a bad penny, how could I NOT bring him home?

Flame had been a bit of a hard luck little horse, never quite being wanted. His original owner traded him for a filly when he was a coming yearling. It had been my task to find him a home back then & I placed him with friends. Unfortunately not much was done with him beyond a little groundwork for the next few years as he became harder & harder to handle. He would bite, rear & strike, & walk on his hind legs. He was kept in a small stall, set up the hill from the other horses & isolation didn't help with his behavior. As a 5 yr old he was gelded & eventually tossed into a pasture with a few other geldings. Never having learned any social skills, Flame didn't fare well in a herd environment. After getting some knocks & dings & losing weight, he was once again put back in a stall where he sat untouched because his owner began battling illnesses. Fast forward a year & Flame was once again heading back to my place.

When I got home from work that Thurs Flame had already been dropped off. He was thin, his feet long, & he didn't really want to be bothered. I'd been told he ran the fences all the time & that's why he was thin. Supposedly he wouldn't stand & eat so couldn't keep weight on. Hmmm, did they drop off the wrong horse? Here was skinny Flame with his head buried in his hay, no running, no fretting, & definitely NOT interested in not eating.

I knew he was a very athletic horse with correct legs, a beautiful hip, & a ground covering trot. I sent word out among friends, mostly endurance riders, that I had a really nice prospect looking for a home. A very dear friend & riding partner of many miles emailed that she'd like to come meet Flame. I was so excited because I just knew she'd love him & she'd be a perfect home. That next Sat my friend & her husband drove 3 hours to meet Flame. She worked with him a bit & he responded well. Then she led him to her trailer & he hopped in like it was HIS trailer. Flame has spent that last 2 weeks settling & getting to know his new friends, a couple of endurance geldings. I expect I'll be riding next to Flame by the end of the year. What a great start to 2010.