Queen

My sweet, dear sister is getting me motivated to finally finish up the paperwork to be non-profit. She suggested that I write up a short description of each rescue horse. I'm planning on getting head shots, full body shots, and action shots (ok, more like grazing shots) to go along with each description. Once I have descriptions written for each horse, I'll post them for you to read and get to know. Once I get my act together I'll return to the post and add pictures.

I don't have pictures yet but here's what I have written for Queen.


When we first moved in to Borderlands in September of 2005, the neighbor had horses. I spent the first six months without horses but watched the neighbor’s horses until it was time to bring the boys home in May/June of 2006. I spent three years watching the neighbor’s horses. It was rather relaxing watching horses out the kitchen window.

In the summer of 2007, the neighbor said he was going to take the mares to an auction. We talked with him once about the horses but at the time I wasn’t brave enough to ask how much he wanted for the older mare. We did ask a few questions but didn’t find out many specifics on the old mare. All I knew was that she is an appaloosa and was considered old.

When I realized the appaloosa was headed to the auction in October 2007, I decided I would get her. Luckily friends went with for moral support as I hate bidding at auctions since it takes me awhile to get into the swing of their rhythm. I’d set my limit at $200. We sat there watching tack, goats, poultry, etc. go through with my heart in my throat. When the horses finally started, who should be the first horse up but the old appaloosa.

My heart was in my throat the entire time. The bidding started and before I knew it, I had her for $100. She was the first horse I’d ever purchased from an auction. Before and after the auction I checked on her. The old mare shut down at the auction. She’d had no food or water from the time they loaded her in the trailer at 10:00 a.m. that Saturday morning until I was able to unload her at 8:00 p.m. that night. The poor old girl must have been run through auctions in her past. When I paid the bill, it said she was 18 years old. Luckily she loaded right up into the trailer. Having never dealt with her before, I wasn’t sure how she would handle being loaded or being led.

After we unloaded her at Borderlands, we got her settled and everyone left for the night. I some time with her after everyone left and cried. I felt terrible that I hadn’t saved her from all that stress. When she unloaded, the neighbor’s two geldings herd noise and whinnied. So luckily the mare knew she wasn’t far from her old life.

The neighbor noticed the old appaloosa standing in the yard and stopped over. He said had he known he would have given her to me. DRAT! I could have saved her from all that stress. The neighbor said they used to call her “Girl”. I thought it wasn’t dignified enough. So she was blessed “Queen.” And a Queen she is!

When I took her to the vet initially, they said she was between 20-25 years old. But the vet admitted to not being able to read teeth very well. I later took her to a different vet who specializes in horses and he was guessing she was 30 or more years old. We’ll never really know her age, but ladies are never supposed to advertise their age!

The older Queen gets, the more set she is in her ways. She is a dear old girl that loves children. Any time kids come to visit, she watches them like they were her own. When the farrier comes with his kids, Queen stands and watches. I do believe at one point she was a trusted children’s mount.

She’s now retired from any riding and has become a complete pasture puff. She does have arthritis in her front legs but it doesn’t slow her down come feeding time. If she’s really excited she’ll come at a stiff lope.

We don’t really know anything more about her. She spent three years with the neighbor but I didn’t acquire any information from where they purchased her from. So her age and her past will always stay locked away with only two individuals knowing, Queen and God.