Day Seven & Eight- Two different sides of Blue

Monday marked the seventh day and completed Blue's first week with us. Sometimes I watch him outside and wish we could fast forward to the point in the story when he's once again fat, healthy and restored to his proper self but I know that in doing that, we would be missing a lot of what's important about this special little horse. We would miss his recuperation and the process of him learning to trust in people again. We would miss the transformation from the horse we picked up in Bradford to the horse I know he will become. As much as I want Blue to be 'better' again now, I know that this part of the story is important for him and even more important for those following it. People need to understand what it takes to bring a horse back from this sort of physical and mental neglect so we're strongly reminded to do what we can to make sure that no horse in our care gets to that point in the first place. Even though I don't like to see him go through it, a lot of what is so inspiring about Blue will come from this process.....

I worked with Blue outside in the grass ring for the first time on Monday. There's always the potential for the Hyde side of a horse's “Jekel & Hyde” personality to emerge when they work outside for the first time.....wide open spaces seem to have that effect. Of course, Blue was a complete gentleman and took to the work with no excess silliness. We lunged and walked over some poles and afterwards, went for a walk around. Blue seemed to enjoy being outdoors and returned to his paddock content and relaxed.

 

First lunging session outside

Tuesday, however, brought forward a different side of Blue than any of us had seen before. Sarah returned, eager to continue where they had left off on the weekend with the goal of getting him to trot beside her in hand. Unfortunately for Sarah, Blue had a different plan. Whether he was tired or unsure, Blue was having none of the process and made every effort possible not to move his feet. After our efforts produced no return, we called Barry in for assistance and he worked with the horse for some time, sending him one way or the other to “unstick” his feet. By the end of the session, Blue had it figured out and Sarah was able to complete her goal of getting him to trot in hand. Blue finished his day with a nice bath, for which he stood with no issue and returned to his stall squeaky clean and shiny.

 

Blue's first bath

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure how Sarah felt about the whole process but it was an important lesson for her to experience. Generally speaking, when we arrive at the barn with A PLAN, our horse almost always has different one and we need to adapt and adjust.....welcome to horses Sarah :) It was interesting to see Blue with such a difference of opinion than he had shown on previous occasions but it was bound to come out at some point. What I did like was that, even in his uncertainty, he never once became mean or rude and Barry was able to reason with him to accomplish the goal. Blue has a wonderful mind and that will continue to aid in his training going forward.... he wants to please and wants to learn and this makes for an easier project.

We head into our second week with a different horse than the one who arrived last Tuesday. He's brighter, more expressive and even has some covering over his ribs. His coat is definitely shinier and he's more confident overall. He will remain in quarantine for a few more days to be sure all is well and then we will begin introducing him to the rest of the herd, many of whom have expressed interest in him over the fence for some time. When I think about the time he's been with us, it seems much longer than a week......he has become part of our daily routine, part of our family and part of our story. I barely even remember what I did in the evenings before Blue gave me something to write about! I'm very happy with his progress and hope he continues steadily along the path to good health, wellness and what lies ahead in his future.

 

Blue & Sarah

Day Five & Six- A Busy Weekend
 

The past few days proved to be very eventful for Blue. He spent lots of time outside, had a few new visitors and even decided that treats weren't such a bad thing after all! Of course, knowing my luck, he took a fancy to the Stud Muffin and Horsescotti calibre of treats rather than the boring grocery store variety carrots and apples or Bulk Barn scotch mints that my horses have grown used to. As long as the generosity of his regular visitors doesn't wear off, Blue shouldn't be too disappointed by the mediocrity of my usual selection. It's very possible however, that I won't be his favourite for long....at least not on the weekends when the treat ladies show up!
 

In addition to the above developments, Blue also made a new friend this weekend...a relationship that I think may become a special one for him. One of my students arrived at the farm on Saturday morning for our morning hack. Sarah is a nurse who has been riding with me on a regular basis for about a year now and for some unexplainable reason, continues to come all the way from the East side of Toronto to ride with us twice a week, despite our recent move from Stouffville to Orangeville, which as many of you know, was not a favourable change in geography for her. She has been a consistent student who works hard to improve her riding and horsemanship skills and is always eager to learn anything and everything she can about horses in her time with us, even if it leaves her mentally exhausted and physically sore for days following her lessons. After our excellent hack, I took her to the bank barn to meet Blue and was very pleased with her enthusiasm towards him. She took an instant liking to the quiet nature and kind eye of our little bay gelding and almost immediately asked if she could help with his training program in any way she could. We have been working to find a good horse match for Sarah over the past few months and, while she's always game to try anything we suggest and has learned from each mount we've given her, I think she's still waiting for that special connection that all horse people remember as their first real equine partnership. For this reason, I was quite pleased that she and Blue hit it off as well as they did and I accepted her offer.

Under Barry's watchful eye and coaching, Sarah worked with Blue on Saturday afternoon and returned again on Sunday to do the same. As a matter of fact, she spent most of the weekend at the barn learning the groundwork steps and filling in as Blue's groom. She put as much care and time into combing out his tangles and making his coat shine as I like to and I found it very moving to watch the pair together. There was something about their mutual uncertainty and patience with each other that made me more than willing to step aside and let these two enjoy their time together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been lucky enough to have owned numerous horses and have had strong partnerships with more than one over the years. I know what it's like to sit and watch my horses in the field and have no desire to be anywhere else in the world but there. I know the feeling of teaching a young horse something new and watching them progress or having an older, more experienced one wait on me kindly while I fumbled through the latest challenge of the day that he, of course, had learned years prior to hooking up with me. I know that my horses rely on me every day for the necessities of life and trust me to be kind and compassionate to them while still providing the leadership they need to be confident. These are responsibilities which I gladly fulfill every day because the payback of the relationship with each and every one of them is worth it and makes me a better person than I would be without them. I know what it means to have that kind of partnership and I want Sarah and Blue to know the same trust, satisfaction and comfort that a real relationship between a horse and human can provide. I look forward to seeing what will develop there.....

In the meantime, Blue continues to brighten physically and mentally every day. Though, he still gets tired from his daily activities, he is starting to put a little weight on is developing a personality of his own. It's hard to believe that it's been less than a week since Blue came into our lives and he's already made so much progress in such a short amount of time. It's amazing how much of a difference can be made with a little kindness, a lot of food and a positive environment! Everyone who spends time with Blue benefits from their interaction with him....I think his potential for contribution is infinite and I'm so grateful that we can be the reason why he has a chance to make a difference in the world.

Day Four- Lessons learned from our horses

In all my years around horses, it has always amazed me how patient and quiet they usually are with children. It's like they know that these little creatures, though loud & silly at times, pose no threat to them and can be trusted more than adults. Blue was no different on Friday afternoon when my little cousins came to visit him for the first time. They had read my blog and knew his story and were very eager to meet the famous Blue. He stood patiently as they pet his nose and debated as to whether his name should in fact be “Maple” or “Fancy Pants”....both suggestions making complete sense to them at the time, though they couldn't quite articulate why these were such good choices for this particular horse.....or any horse for that matter. He stared right into the camera while I took their picture, as if he understood and accepted that a life of visitors and snapshots might be his trade off for lots of hay and a good place to live.

 

 

 

Blue never seems to get worried or impatient about anything and I like that about him. Though he's always pleased when his food arrives at various points throughout the day, he is never demanding about anything......maybe he's grateful and hasn't learned to take things for granted the way the rest of my spoiled herd seems to! This may change when he starts to feel better and finds his personality again or the quiet, patient demeanour may just be his way.....just another detail we will have wait for.

 

He spent more time outside on Friday as it was another beautiful day and attracted the attention of one of one particular chestnut mare in the paddock nearby. She spent quite a while staring at Blue from the fence line before going back to join her herd and though he paid her no obvious attention, I think he noticed her too.

 

 

We worked again on the lunge line in the arena with Barry's coaching and went through our usual grooming routine but this time I threw the lead on the ground in an attempt at a first lesson on ground tying. Blue never moved a step except once to lean in closer to me when I found the 'sweet spot' on his neck where he likes to be scratched. All horses have one....it's just a matter of finding it & you have a friend for life.

 

 

 

 

When I took him out for some hand grazing afterwards, I waited for about three or four minutes while he stood warily, deciding whether it was safe to put his head down to eat. It's fascinating how, as an owner of healthy, happy and confident horses, I take something as simple as hand grazing for granted. It's like anything else I guess.....someone can't take something for granted if they've never had it and Blue hasn't had much. The more time I spend with him, the more I'm convinced that rescue horses like Blue could be an excellent source of learning, therapy and comfort for people who need that type of connection in their lives. These horses are so special and there is so much we can learn from their willingness to trust again, despite the suffering they have been through. I think Blue is the perfect horse to represent what's possible if we're willing to give something a second chance and I admire him for his willingness to be that horse.

 

Day Three- Blue starts to come out of his shell

 

Thursday was an easy day for Blue. He was brighter again than the day before and continued to gobble up breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the hay he could get in between. He spent a couple of hours outside in the round pen soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the fresh air but seemed content to come back to his stall for the heat of the day. He stills seems to tire easily so we didn't leave him out too long as the fresh air and interest from other horses was enough excitement for one afternoon. We worked him lightly in the arena again and I was able to do a little lunging with him myself. He was less worried about the groundwork lesson than the day before and stood quietly while I brushed him afterwards, enjoying the one-on-one attention that he's probably unaccustomed to. Though still wary, Blue has started to come out of his shell a little bit and looks forward to my visits to the bank barn with friendship offerings of food. He even ate a carrot today! Barry had to cut it up into little, tiny pieces but it was still progress in my eyes.

 

 

 

It's amazing how quickly a person can get attached to an animal, especially an animal in such desperate need of care and kindness. I've only known Blue for three days but already, I can't imagine sending him off to an unknown fate. He doesn't have an undesirable quality about him; nothing that I can identify that would make someone want to give him up so I still find it hard to believe that a person could. Maybe I'm just different?....or maybe I've just been fortunate enough never to have found myself in a situation which forces me to make that kind of decision? It's not for me to pass judgement on the actions of another person without knowing the details which led to those actions. All I can do at this point is be thankful that I am in the position to help this horse and do everything in my power to make sure that Blue, and the rest of my equine family, never have to know abandonment or suffering of any kind again. Blue is my inspiration for this blog and I hope his story will inspire others. It's true that Blue was one of far too many horses facing slaughter and that fact can make it easy to turn a blind eye to a difficult situation but I hope this story will make one thing very clear.....We cannot save every animal out there that has been mistreated or abandoned by another person but we can most definitely make a big difference to one.

 

Day Two- Getting to know Blue Boys Alibi
 

As we had hoped, our little horse was indeed much brighter the next morning. The evidence of a good night sleep could be seen in the shavings in his tail and on his back and the life was definitely back in his eyes. The discarded carrots were still in his feed bowl but he eagerly gobbled up his breakfast, some hay and even a wormer without too much fuss. Today would be a day for getting to know Blue and we went about tending to the other horses with a sense of excitement about doing just that.

 

After he had his lunch, I went to the bank barn armed with my brushes and detangler. While Barry held the horse, I went to work on his mane & tail and brushed him from head to toe. To my delight, I found a fairly shiny coat and a beautiful tail underneath the dust, grime and tangles; a sign that the horse had been well cared for in the not to distant past. His feet were in desperate need of trimming but that would be done in the days to come, when we had a better sense of his manners & education.

 

                                      

 

 

 

 

Blue stayed in his stall for the day to get a bit more rest but Barry did take him into the arena to work with him from the ground. While Blue can be pushy with his handler and has a habit of threatening to rear when he doesn't like something being asked of him, he took to the work quite well and finished on a good note. From what we can tell so far, his problem is a lack of education which is better than a bad education.....it's much easier to start from scratch with a horse than it is to undo the mistakes made by another person.

 

First groundwork session

 

In the process of getting to know Blue, we did a little digging into his past. Because the horse is registered with the American Quarter Horse association, we were able to track down his breeders. Their website gave us a baby picture of our horse and told us that he was sold as a six month old to a buyer who already owned his half sister....another mare who has adopted from the Ottawa feedlot on the same day as we took Blue. Curious as to what had happened in between, Barry called the breeder to see if we could get any further answers. As it turned out, our gelding had indeed been purchased as a weanling but had remained at his home farm until about three months ago, proving my theory correct that it had not been that long since he had received decent care and reassuring us that he had likely not been through too many negative experiences before coming to us. The breeder told us that, in the two years she had the young horses, the owner had perhaps visited Blue and his sister a half a dozen times and had arrived three months ago with a trailer, announcing she was taking the horses to summer pasture and drove away. The man on the phone never saw the horses again and knew nothing of their fate until he was notified that they had ended up in a feed lot three months later. Obviously relieved when we told him that both horses had been adopted out and had landed in good hands, he was quite happy to share details about our horse and asked that we keep him informed as to his progress. After a few more minutes of friendly conversation, Barry said goodbye and hung up the phone.

 I'm pleased that we were able to fill in more gaps about the past of Blue Boys Alibi but the whole process left me wondering.....How, in just three short months, does a kind and healthy young horse who has never known mistreatment and is full of potential end up in a crowded feet lot destined for slaughter? What can possibly happen in a few months that can essentially rob a young horse of his life and take away any chance he has for a future? I may never know the details that sent Blue down that path but what I do know is that unfortunately, his is not an isolated case. The same fate fell on his half sister and many others like them. Young horses that have been surrendered by their owners for whatever reason.....some who don't get as lucky as Blue and don't get that second chance to be something special. We can't help them all but we can help this one.....

 

August 2010

 

 

September 2012

 

 

July 2013

Day One- A Long Trip Finally Over

He arrived at the farm around 6:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon. The other horses were restless, eager to see who or what was coming off the horse trailer this time but also annoyed because dinner was late. Judging by the banging we had listened to all the way from Bradford, we knew the horse wasn't happy and would probably be worked up when we opened the back doors and let down the window. Unfortunately, we were right. Blue Boys Alibi was soaking wet and obviously distressed after the final 45 minute leg of his journey from Ottawa. He had come off the trailer dry and content at the stop over farm in Bradford but that was different; this time he was travelling solo and the mental stress alone had taken it's toll. He walked off the trailer without too much excitement and after a few reminder “bumps” on the lead shank from Barry, he stood quietly despite the commotion from the other horses, all eager to get a glimpse at the latest arrival. He had a few small cuts on his legs from the turmoil self induced during his trailer ride but, was overall still in one piece. Everyone always breathes a sigh of relief when a horse finally hits home soil after a long trip and we did just that, happy he had made the trip without any major problems. We had been anxiously awaiting his arrival since our decision to rescue the horse was made two days earlier and we were happy he was finally home.

While Blue waited patiently, Barry plucked the auction tag off his side. The glaring “1089” was so stuck that it took a chunk of hide off with it, leaving yet another mark from his past that will have to be healed in the weeks to come. Though matted and tangled, Barry commented more than once about how nice and long his mane was. Barry likes horses with long manes so this pleased him, knowing how much I enjoy grooming and solving such problems as tangles with my always handy bottle of “Mane & Tail Detangler”. The little gelding led apprehensively but willingly to his already freshly bedded stall in the old bank barn and stood quietly as we removed the old, dirty halter and threw it aside. “This has to go” I said with disdain...... "we'll get him a new one tomorrow”. We gave him some hay but he was more interested in the half bucket of water we brought him....obviously very thirsty, Blue drank eagerly every time we brought him another ration of water. He stood in the corner of his large stall with his head down, looking utterly exhausted and sad.....if one was to assign a human emotion to the little bay gelding.

 

Blue was alone in the old barn because of our decision to quarantine the horse until all necessary precautions could be taken to ensure his health and protect the well being of the rest of our horses. Instead of the stress caused by his solo ride on the trailer however, this isolation seemed to comfort Blue. The stress and uncertainty of the past few weeks and the physical and mental exhaustion from his Ottawa-Orangeville journey was catching up to him. For the first time in who knows how long, the little gelding could finally let down so we left him alone to do just that. Checking on him periodically while doing other chores, we always found him picking at his hay or just standing quietly in his corner. A carrot left in his bucket by Barry (who apparently doesn't 'believe' in carrots) was left untouched and my attempts to comfort him with pats and soft words produced no results. Blue was not afraid or jumpy, not worried or upset, just stand offish. He just wanted to be left alone.......who could blame him really?

Though Barry & I have a lot of experience working with horses, the progress of Blue's training will have to be determined by Blue, based on the progression of his physical and mental well being. A horse that isn't in proper condition cannot learn so he will tell us when he's ready. After some much needed rest, the warm sun of a Wednesday morning will determine the next steps in his future....a new halter and some grooming, a feed program....maybe even a new name?

 

Until tomorrow...........