Breezefinger

You know who I am! If you don't, this blog will tip you off .

About a year ago, I was contacted by a woman who had a horse who was formerly a racehorse. She had acquired him as a re-sale project, because he was a pretty little mover with lots of potential. Unfortunately, the first time she tied him to put a saddle on him, he flipped out! Literally! He reared in the cross ties, beaned his head on a cross beam, and fell down, thrashing, in her barn aisle.

He was in my barn two days later, and I didn't pay a cent for him. She said he was crazy. She said I could never put a saddle on his back, let alone ride him. This is also the lady who used to go around to racetracks in my area and get FREE horses that weren't fast enough for racing, and sell them to SLAUGHTER (classy, right? She's banned from several of the racetracks, but this is very little known information, and as such, she still receives credit for being a horse lover who runs a horse rescue!? *head-scratch*. Anyway.) She'd been gone for twenty minutes, and I had the horse entirely tacked up and ready to ride.

Two days later, I rode him for the first time. My barn owner said to start looking for 'horse whisperer' classifieds in the newspaper, as this was the third 'crazy' horse we'd had in the barn that I had ridden with no problem... common sense, people!

My barn owner found out she was pregnant a month after we brought the horse home. Her boyfriend left her. And she stopped receiving disability checks. And then stopped feeding the horses. And giving them water. And even going to check on them. It was at this point that I started working whole days at work, so I had no idea what was going on- by the time I was done work, she would text me to say she had already been out to feed/water, and as I usually got a ride to the barn wit her, how was I to know any differently? I went to ride one day after about two weeks of this, and found an emaciated horse under his blanket, dehyrdated, overdue for the farrier (which she was also meant to arrange!) and his mane hacked short and unevenly by her young daughter.

She had been feeding the hay I bought for my horse to hers, and tossing him the ****ty, moldy cow hay that was three years old and she got for free. *Grrrreat*. She was feeding HER thin horses MY horses hay cubes and good grain, and giving mine either none, or the dregs of the cheap **** she would buy from time to time.

My boss caught me crying at work the next day, and asked why. I told him, and he immediately called my other boss, and they hooked up the horse trailer and went to get my poor baby and bring him back to the farm. They helped me rehabilitate him over the past few months. And I thought I would share some before and after photos of him.

I am hoping to take him to some small horse shows this year. The plan was initally to re-train him to sell him. Unfortunately, I've kinda come to like him :P and am no longer sure if I will ever be able to say my goodbyes...


This is Vegas on Dec.10th '09


March 8th 2010


And him on May 10th, 2010.

I dare say I can pat myself on the back. I get a lot of comments from people who saw him when he first came to his new home, and who see him now- they don't even think it is the same horse, and can't believe how far he has come. I knew he was under there all along... and he still has a long way to go... but I am so proud of my beautiful, beautiful horse.