. meeting your horse
I pulled into the dusty driveway of the adoption agency anxiously awaiting the first view of my rescue horse. For a few months, I had been applying for the opportunity to take in a rescue and eventually got my barn checked out to be sure that the horse I got would be going to the right home. It was a long process, but would soon be worth it because I would soon get to give a horse a second chance at life and a better outlook on tomorrow.
As soon as I parked my car, I walked into the building. There were many large barns in the back, and I was becoming more excited to see who I was lucky enough to take home and work with. I walked through the doors and the bell above the door rang as a plump lady with short red hair came through the doors to greet me.
"Hello there sweetie! Are you the one who is coming for your rescue today," she asked. I stood there and shook my head in excitement. "Yes ma'am! I am so happy that I can give back to these guys! I absolutely cannot wait to give one a new look on life," I replied. She handed me some papers for me to fill out and I made sure to add every detail to ensure that I was qualified to help one of these ponies. As soon as I finished, I handed her back the clipboard and the lady (now known as Betsy from her name tag) put the information on file into the computer.
"Well, it looks like you are getting #092. His stall is in the third barn all the way down on the end. He has been very clingy to the people here, so I think that you will really enjoy him. Everyone here does," Betsy said and then stood to her feet. Together, we walked down to the barn. As we entered the barn, I looked into each of the stalls and saw some of the saddest horses I have ever seen. It made me so upset knowing what these guys had to go through and how they have been suffering most of their lives. I could not do much more but hope for the best for them and look forward to helping out my pony.
We reached the end stall and inside stood the most beautiful pangare chestnut stallion I have ever seen. I looked at him, his ribs and hips jolting out from under his skin. He looked as if he had been dehydrated, malnourished, and desperately needed farrier work done on his hooves. Also, his coat was covered in mud and scum from where he had previously come from. I looked into his beautiful little eyes and could tell how afraid he was. He wanted to be loved, and you could see it. I almost wanted to cry looking at him. I looked at the paper on his stall, and it read:
" 13.3 HH Stallion
Found in a barn 7/26/15 with 8 other horses, 2 dead and the 6 remaining malnourished
Has stone bruises on hooves and some appear to have been abused with whips and heavy loads due to a few having sway backs..."
I never had the heart to finish it because it made me sadder just reading through it. Apparently the owner used these guys for show but eventually became so cruel that if the lost they were beaten and starved. I could not believe that any equestrian would have the heart to do that to a companion who does so much for them and look what they get in return. It does not seem fair, and now this boy would get a better life, and I would make sure of it.
I signed the final paper before haltering him and walking him out to my trailer. He limped a bit on every step on his front right as his hoof would land. His hooves were so bad that he would put all the weight on his heels instead of the toe. You could see the pain he was feeling, and he loaded the trailer like he knew that I would be good to him. He seemed so willing, and so sweet. I could not imagine never getting the opportunity to work with this beautiful boy. As soon as I made sure he was secure in the trailer, I got back into my truck and carefully drove off to show this guy his new forever home.
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. introducing them to their new home
As soon as I pulled into the barn lot on my 60 acre property, I double checked to make sure that my head stable hand prepared the stall for him. The staff all lined up in front of our barn to give this fellow a warm welcome to his new home. A much prepared for reaction was granted as they saw him step out with one step. Their eyes immediately fell into sorrow and love. Hearts were full of love and they did not know what to say. I walked him into his stall, him more of a limp than a walk. I pulled out my camera and took the before pictures to begin his transformation.
The pictures had so much detail that I could not wait to see how he turned out when I finished with him. Anyway, I took him out to the pasture to allow him to relax and graze for a while. I watched him as he seemed to be enjoying himself for the first time in his life. I sighed in relief and watched him for hours, grazing peacefully in the pasture before bringing him back into the stables. I knew that the night would be cold, so I stepped into his stall and covered him with an old blanket that was used on the older horses as it held in more heat.
Morning rose quickly and I woke up early to feed the horses. I made sure to put a weight powder into the new pony's food, but only until he started to gain a bit more weight. I then gave him some hay and grain to finish it off and watched as he scarfed it down. I stuck my hand out with a carrot and saw him eye the treat in wonder. I was beginning to think he had never had a carrot. Wow, I thought, he has never been treated. How depressing.
He finally reached out and snatched the carrot for my hand, his chews of satisfaction made me smile inside. I gave him a couple pats on the neck and then slipped a halter onto his head. I led him over to the grooming station and let him see everything over there, and then next I walked him along the the rest of the barn so that he could see what he was going to be living with. I could not take him out on the trails because of his feet, but by the end of the day I felt like he was a bit more comfortable with his surroundings.
Knowing that he was more relaxed made me feel so much better about the position we were in right now. I felt like right now he seemed a bit more trustworthy of me, but still cautious of my every move. We would definitely work on that, because the bond between a horse and their human companion is something inseparable once created.
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. gaining their trust
I let the little pony get some rest for the night and he seemed to be relaxing. I walked into the barn early that morning to see his head poking out of the space above his stall door. The horses next to him seemed to be socializing with him, so I guessed that he was making friends. That is a good start to gaining trust, but the real question would be if he had enough forgiveness in his heart to let me in and become a friend and companion to him.
His halter settled over his small head as I led him into the arena for some bonding time. I did not make him walk too much, as his feet were still sore and the farrier would not get to work on him for another two days. Until then, I felt like it would be easier on this boy (who still needed a name) to trust us before getting a bit of work done on his feet. I made him stand in the center of the ring and then I began to pet all over him.
I ran my fingers through his thick mane and down along the ridge of his neck and back. He stuck his head out as if he were leaning into the scratching. I then continued down his legs and watched to see if he would give any reaction. When I was sure that he was ok with being scratched all over, I continued to his head. I stuck my fingers between his ears on the poll area and began to scratch him lightly there. He instantly lifted his head. Hmmm head shy I guess. We can work on that I thought to myself.
He was doing pretty good, but since he had been abused with crops, I felt it was fair to him to get to trust them as well. It was not the object that hurt him, it was the person behind it. I grabbed a lunging crop and showed it to him. With each step I got closer to him, he took two steps back until he eventually shied away. "It's ok boy! I promise that it won't hurt," I pleaded. I set the crop on the ground and walked back over to where he was now standing. I shushed him and grabbed at his lead rope. I sighed and led him back to the middle where the crop was sitting and tied him up to a jump I had set up.
Gently, I picked up the crop and let him sniff it. He whinnied in a high pitch making him seem terrified of the inanimate object. I felt so bad for having to do this, but I had to get him to realize that whatever I did would not hurt him. I rubbed it around on his hindquarters and back. He stood there really stiff legged and tensed up whenever I touched his rump. I then rewarded him and put the crop up. I could not do too much with it because otherwise he would never trust a human as much as he wanted too. He was young, probably around 4 years old, and he was afraid. He needed love and care, and to do that, we needed him to be fearless of the crop and whatever we were doing around him.
I did not know what he was thinking at this point, but he deserved a break. I set him loose to pasture with a few other geldings who were in the stalls next to him. A few hours later, I brought him back into his stall to eat and sleep the rest of the night. I continued with these exercises over the next few days, and he had become so trusting of me! I was a proud momma and I could not believe how he could forgive so quickly.
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. bath time
His coat was still covered with the scum from the old home, so I decided that as a good place to check his process, I would give him a bath and then take his few week pictures. I set up the wash stall after he ate breakfast that morning with the water heating up, the shampoo, and the the tail conditioner. He had to look good for the vet and farrier right?
I did not think that he had ever had a bath before, or at least in a long time, because as soon as the water splashed on him, he jumped a bit and gave of a bit of an anxious vibe. He played in the water and splashed it around with his nose as scrubbed up his body. His coat was now shining with a brilliant shine, and the whites on his legs stood out more than ever! He was like a diamond in the rough, and his true beauty had finally been revealed.
His mane now smelled of vanilla and honey as I rinsed the last of the suds out of his mane. I walked him from the wash stall and walked him around the arena until he was dry. I would have thought he had given up on tomorrow, because if he had never come to the rescue and then to me, he would have never seen a tomorrow. His life had been a battle that could never be won, and he lived the life of a slave under the cruelness of his old owner.
You could have never guessed that that was his history now, because he was radiant and walking with a stronger step each day. Everyday would be a new beginning, and I thought that now he would never remember the harshness of his past. Anyway, I had finished walking him, so I took him into a grooming box and clipped his halter to the lead lines that extended from the wood. I began to softly groom him, brushing off any access dirt, picking out (what I could) from his hooves, and clipping his long fur a little bit shorter so he did not look quite as shaggy.
After all of that was finished, I took his pictures and looked at the difference from day one. So far, you could still see the ribs and pelvis, but they were less visible. His hair was no longer matted with dirt and blood from cuts, and his mane and tail were now shining and the hair looked more healthy. I could not believe the progress that a few weeks had made, and decided to send the pictures to the adoption center to give them the update on how this lucky pony was doing. Later that day, the vet and farrier would arrive and that would be a totally new experience. But for now, all was right as it should be and my boy was beginning to look like the stout little pony he should be.
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. vet check up
There was a screeching of wheels slowing down in the front of the driveway. I looked out of the barn, with my pony's lead rope in my hand, and saw the Dr. Riley, our farm's veterinarian. I waved and opened the door wider to lead out the young stallion and then walked him out to her truck.
"Hello there Sandra! Here's the new guy," I said as I shook her hand. She smiled a little bit and then said, "Wow, he's a beauty! Let's see what is going on with him." Dr. Riley grabbed out a shining plastic box from the back set of the truck and then set it on the ground. She started out by asking me the basic questions so that she could write it down on her record and then grabbed out a stethoscope.
"Well, his heart sounds pretty normal, so let me look and feel around on his body. Also, you said he had a slight limp on the front right, yes?" she asked. I nodded my head and allowed her to hold onto his halter. She checked his teeth, and then said that they would have to be floated and that besides that he looked pretty good. "Well, I do have some good news for you. He is not lame on the front right. As long as you get the farrier to work on that, he should be good to go," she said, giving him a pat on the neck.
"That's good," I replied, "and do you have any vaccines that he needs to be given?" She reached into her bag and pulled out two needles. "Yea, I have the Influenza and Tetanus shots here. I think that the others can come later, but with no record on the vaccines, these shots should be good for now," she said. I held him in place as she injected the medicines and then rubbed his neck to help him relax when in was done.
"Awe, he is such a trooper! Many horses would have never been so good while I gave them vaccines for the first time," she said, "but I guess I am gonna have to see you later! I have an operation to attend..." I waved good bye and then released the pony into the pasture until the farrier would arrive so that his hooves would finally be normal. As soon as that would be out of the way, the healing process would be so much easier and training may become a possibility.
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. farrier time
The final appointment to my beautiful boy's recovery was the farrier visit. The farrier had been out of town for the past few days, so making it to our appointment had to be moved. Anyway, Jeff showed up a few hours later after the vet left. He pulled out all of his materials and then walked to find me standing next to the stalls.
"Hello there! Here's the new boy you told me so much about! You are right, definitely a stunner. Let's take a look at those hooves..." he said, "ouch! That has to to hurt to walk on. I should get to work right away." I led him over to the cross ties and then let Jeff take over. "Has a few stone bruises...poor guy really needed these done. Had we waited any longer, he may have never been able to walk again."
"Well, I am relieved. I feel so blessed to be able to have you fix him. His hooves look so much better, and I know that he must be feeling better," I said. "Now, how much do I owe you?" He shook his head, and then replied with a smile, "It is all for the good of the cause. I think that what you are doing is so great, so this one is on me. Your boy here needed it." I felt bad that he refused to take my money, so I stuffed a couple crumpled 20's in his bag before he left. I knew that he would say something later, but I would not take it back, because he forgot how stubborn I could be.
I walked the pony back to the stall and took a look at his hooves. They were no longer overgrown and finally looked smooth and horse like. I made sure not to give him shoes because for one my barn was clean, and two the treatment would hurt his hooves for a few days. I knew that he would be sore, but in the long run, he would appreciate it. I made sure to put on some hoof conditioner that night so that it would keep his hooves from cracking and keep them looking nice. He seemed to enjoy it when I put it on...maybe it felt good???
All that I knew is that now that almost everything was done, this pony needed a name. I had been thinking since the day I got this pony about an array of names, and think that I may have finally come up with one. I have decided on Marius, a character from my favorite movie Les Miserables. He fought his battle and was so trusting, loving, and handsome that I believed that the name was a perfect fit.
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. feeding time
A few weeks had passed, and Marius was beginning to gain a lot of weight. He still had about 50 pounds to go according to the vet, but she said that he looked so much more beautiful than the first time she had seen him. You would not be able to tell that he came from an abusive home. He was now so trusting, so powerful, beautiful, and ready to move on. He will always bear a few scars in his memory from the past, but from what it seems, the bad days were over, and the bad memories mostly erased.
The days seemed to pass like hours, and each day came with its blessings. Everyday, he would gain more weight until the vet said that he was healthy. She said that he had had the fastest recovery that she had ever seen and that she could not believe how well behaved he was for such a short amount of time. By the time we left the vet, you could see that Marius was beginning to become hungry. I laughed and took him into his stall to feed him his favorite meal of Purina horse feed and some extra mix of grains.
I watched him eat the hay, happily munching on every bite. He was so much stronger now and after he was done, I gave him his absolutely favorite treat: banana. I have tried to give him a variety of treats, but it always was the bananas that he would do anything to eat. His eyes would light up when I would pull one out for him and he would almost seem to smile.
Over the next few days, we would try out a new feed that would not get him to gain any extra weight. I was unsure of how he would like it as I have been feeding him the same weight gain food over the past few weeks, and I was worried that he would not like it. But I was wrong. As soon as I poured it into his bucket, he stuffed it into his cheeks, the small bits of oats falling from his lip, which would quiver whenever he chewed. I tried not to laugh, but I could not help myself. It was a huge relief and I could not believe that soon, it will be as if none of this had ever happened.
With a few extra vet check ups every few weeks, she would check up to make sure the new stuff was not making him sick, but as both of us could tell, he would have no problem with it. I really wanted to hug her, she had done so much to help me and Marius that I just felt like it was a good thing to do. I am pretty sure I scared her, however, as she probably does not get this reaction too often. Marius was finally healthy and happy, and that is all I ever wanted for him.
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. healthy and clean
I could not believe our first chapter was over, and the next one was on its way. Marius had finally felt like he belonged and has made such drastic improvement. Finally, a success in his life that would stick with him forever. I decided that now would be a perfect time to take his last pictures for the finished progress and then stuck them on the his stall. I could not believe the improvement that I was seeing.
Here in the first picture, I remember seeing him for the first time and wondering how anybody could have ever done this to him. He was so thin and his frame looked as if it could topple over in its own weight at any moment. His eyes were red from the sleepless nights he had endured and his bones looked as if they were going to pop through his skin. I then looked at the picture from today and did not recognize him. Marius was a new horse and definitely a keeper. He is a one in a million kind of blessing, and I feel as if I had won the lottery.
I do not know how I could have gotten the best pony ever, but for some reason it seems like it was meant to be, like it was my destiny to save him. I do not know what he was thinking, but I could definitely tell how happy he was with the other horses. He had new companions, a new life, and a human who would forever love him and give all of her trust to him.
As for the future, I do not know what is in store. Perhaps some trick training, or learning to become a hunt-seat horse! Whatever it is, I know that he will excel. He is such a pleaser, and I do not think I would change a thing about him now. At least wherever he goes, I will be as well. I will never go away and he will always be able to trust that I have his back, no matter how bad things ever get. But for now, I will enjoy my Marius, and I will be sure that he will always receive the best I can afford for him.
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THE END <3
Thank you for the opportunity to do this event! I really appreciate the beautiful work that all of you artists do!
-horseluv5829
