Blogging Hiatus

My big plans were squelched by a truck battery. The plans would have added more work for me but I would have enjoyed it. I don't want to dump my sorrows on everyone so I'll just leave it at that.

We went from 35 degrees on Friday to 0 degrees today with a storm on the horizon.

I won't want to bring anyone down so I may be away from blogging for a while. I did want to post a few pictures for you all to enjoy. These are from our trip to the Hills this past August.

Big plans spoiled

Big plans are completely spoiled. Truck battery is dead.

Big Plans

Big plans are set for tomorrow.

I know I'm falling down on my job of blogging and posting pics but I'm trying to get a few things wrapped up before the cold front blows in Friday evening/Saturday morning. Today and tomorrow is supposed to be 35 degrees and Saturday is a whopping 18 degrees. That's a huge swing in temperature. I'm going to scurry around tonight to get everything I can done while life is easier with warmer weather. I've seen a prediction of fifteen below one night next week, so I want to be prepared if the weather really gets that cold.

Warmer Weather + Chores = Happier Me

This morning, chores were a breeze. Everyone was nice and calm. The herd was overfed from the night before, the temps weren't bitterly cold, there was NO wind, and everything felt calm. The only noise was the crunching of snow under my feet. It made the day run so much smoother.

Tonight as I was leaving, I checked the weather and it looked beautiful out. Of course there was some wind but not enough to cause problems for feeding time. Once again, everyone was nice and calm throughout the feeding frenzy. I really do love this warmer weather.

I don't think that we'll get to stay with the 20s for very long. I looked at the extended forecast and we're dropping down into the single digits for highs and below zeros for the lows coming this weekend. Hopefully next week will warm up as it makes chores that much easier. And since Mike will be at training for work, I'll be home alone trudging through chores. If the weather is nice, I'll be a bit more energized to get stuff done outside (even if I'm home alone).

But with all this white stuff on the ground, I decided I'd take a step back in time and remember what the earth looks like bathed in green. Thought maybe you would all enjoy some more vacation pictures. It's all scenery but it's nice looking at green instead of white. I need to find batteries so I can take pictures of the herd. But until then, enjoy some scenery from the Black Hills.





Hopefully none of these are duplicates. I'll keep posting vacation scenery pics but please excuse me if I happen to duplicate any pics.

Heartwarming Story

Wanted to share a heartwarming story of a rescue doing hard work at saving horses.

http://projectsageblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-tale-from-new-holland.html

Guyliner and Mustaches

I love King's partial blue eyes. I have to admit that when we went to look at him back in April of 2007, I never even noticed his eyes. The pictures don't do his eyes justice. He's got the prettiest partial blues with guyliner.
King isn't a rescue. I was specifically looking for a trail riding horse. He does have some health issues that would most likely have sent him to auction. I'm still trying to come up with a way to remedy those issues. During the summer, his muscles get soar for no apparent reason. We took him to the vet because he came up lame one summer. I don't remember the scientific name of what's wrong but the vet explained it as such:

You know when you run and then stop without cooling down. Your muscles build up toxins that without proper stretching, etc. can't be released so the next day you're really soar. Well, that's exactly what King has although he doesn't do anything. There's some buildup of toxins in his muscles which I believe is caused by the heat. It always looks like he's lame in his front end but it's really soar muscles.

We have medicine for him during the summer. I'm hoping to come up with a better solution so that we can actually use him as a trail riding horse instead of a pasture puff during the summer months.

If you look close, can you see Sam's mustache? When we first brought Sam home, he had a huge mustache. It was the cutest thing! But ever since we started feeding him a grain mash (which was right away) his mustache disappeared.

This year's mustache is much smaller but it's cute to see that he has one anyway. Sam is such a character and really brightens my day (except when he rushes the barn door at feeding time). Sam is keeping the weight on this year. Luckily someone told us to try calf-manna and that seems to be the trick.

We have him on soaked beet pulp (which is an acquired taste), soaked alfalfa (to keep his ulcers at bay), soaked senior (to try and keep the weight on), and soaked calf-manna (to help keep the weight on). No wonder he gets excited for feeding time.

Jim has a question for you

Jim after a quick ride down (a whopping 10 minutes thanks to the sleet and snow.)

Does my butt look big to you?

Babe Says "Thank You Stacy A."

Last Friday Babe's owner, Stacy A., stopped out with a surprise! Babe got her very own Weatherbetta blanket!

THANK YOU So much Stacy for buying Babe a blanket. Babe has been enjoying her blanket ever since. We've had on and off snow this entire week, including freezing rain/sleet. Babe's blanket has kept her dry and happy throughout all of the nasty South Dakota weather.


We can't thank you enough for your generosity! Doesn't Babe look cute?

Spring Sale Season

Alright folks, lets start planning.

The next sale I'll be attending for sure is the Mitchell Livestock Catalog Horse Sale. It's being held March 12th. I believe the cataloged horses start at 1pm and non-cataloged and loose horses follow.

I have no idea if there will be lots of loose horses (100+) or not many (50+) because people want to use them this summer. Spring sales are a bit hard for me to judge. I'm afraid we wont' see any skinny horses as the vets are not allowing super thin horses to run through. It's a good thing, but also a bad thing as these horses are now being squirreled away in back pastures starving to death.

I'm always curious to see how these sales go.

I'll try to shoot for the Kramer sale (if they are having sales in the winter). I haven't had a chance to get down there since last fall. I do not like the South Dakota Horse Sale (aka Corsica Horse Sale) as it's a good ol' boys place and they stash away their loose horses from the public eye. They changed their sale date to the third Saturday of every month. At some point I need to get the courage to start going. My excuse now will be that a saddle club I belong to is having their rides that same day. But I can still make it to a few in the winter and fall. I'm not yet ready for that sale though. It takes a harder soul than mine to attend that auction.

Selling season will soon be upon us. My hope is to plan and prepare for this coming fall selling season and bring in those that need retirement/sanctuary this fall/winter. For some reason I keep thinking there is hope for some in the spring and summer months. People will want to ride and play with horses when the weather is nice. My fear is always late summer and all of fall for those same horses.

Maybe we need to look at fundraising for hay. If we had a larger hay supply, I could bring in a few more. The pasture is full so I'd have to supplement or drylot some if we brought any more on. We'll see how things progress.

I'm afraid I'm going to be rattled the rest of the day thinking about the March sale.

Start picking up pennies and stashing them away. Every little bit counts to save a life.

Wordless Wednesday

Thor - I love that soft brown eye. He is such a soul mate.

Slaughter Talk

I've heard rumblings on a couple different forums and blogs about a bill being proposed concerning horse rescues in Nebraska

http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/01/16/news/40001280.txt

and horse slaughter in Nebraska
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/stop-horse-slaughter-bill-in-nebraska/

I haven't had time to dig into either of these but wanted to posted. If anyone can find the time and post comments on this contraversial topic, it would be greatly appreciated.

Picture Sunday

More to share later but wanted to post pics. Head to Madison for some family quality time.

Thor and Zeke

The Girls - Mayhem, Queen, and Babe (in her old blanket, will get pics of her new blanket later tonight)

Pity Party

I'm rolling up on a pity party. For those that want to stay chipper today, just skip this post. I'll try to post again tonight with pictures.

****************************************************************
I'm feeling a little sorry for myself.
I've been quietly working on something and it fell through.
And it mostly fell through because of me.
It's nothing big or earth shattering.
And in truth, it would add to my already busy days/stress, so I'm sure it's actually a good thing.

The problem I have is that knowledge is power.
I have that knowledge and the person I was working with only has the very basic knowledge.
There's nothing wrong with it but I hate seeing the consequences of basic knowledge versus a few additional years of knowledge.
Not to say that I know very much but I know enough.

Unfortunately money has more power.

Another Busy Night

We have another busy night ahead of us. Luckily tonight the temps should be above zero so I won't have to worry about putting anyone in the barn.

Jim was overly grouchy last night even though I pulled him into the haybarn to snack on some grain. He seems happiest when he's in the barn munching on alfalfa and grain.

This morning Queen once again tried to bite me. But I was egging her on and was expecting a nip. She HATES that blanket. It's not the best fit for her so I'm on the prowl for a new one. I did get a catalog yesterday that had some cheap blankets. I haven't had time to look at and research the blankets. Hopefully tomorrow night I'll have a little bit of time.

The weatherman is talking colder temps with wind. I can take the below zero temps when the wind is calm. But when the wind is blowing, the horses get cranky and life gets more "interesting". Keep your fingers crossed we'll have a quiet and happy night.

Deep Freeze

We're definately headed for a deep freeze. Guess I better get stalls ready for the upcoming below zero temps.

From the National Weather Service:

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 4. Calm wind becoming west northwest between 5 and 8 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near -8 by 8pm, then rising to around 1 during the remainder of the night. Wind chill values as low as -19. Calm wind becoming south southeast between 10 and 13 mph.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. South southeast wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. North northwest wind between 5 and 13 mph.

Friday: A slight chance of snow after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 21. Calm wind becoming south between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night: A slight chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy and blustery, with a low around 1. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: Areas of blowing snow. Mostly cloudy and blustery, with a high near 6.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -7.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 4.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -4. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

M.L.King Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 6.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -14.

Tuesday: Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 0.

I forgot that this weekend will be a three day weekend. It's a rather pleasant suprise. Life is so much easier when I can putter during the colder days. The horses are always less crabby when they can get into their stalls sooner. I guess the Farmer's Almanac was right.

Cheat Sheet

Thought you all might like a quick peek at each horse at Borderlands. I was able to snap a few pictures before the camera froze up due to the below zero temps. Sometimes when I mention we have 17 horses, people give me a funny look. I'm sure they think I'm pulling there leg. To prove them wrong, please meet the horses of Borderlands:

Rabbit Choker Nikki..aka Rabbit
Registered Quarter Horse Mare
19 years old

Tommy
Grade Shetland Pony gelding
11 years old

Skippy (I can't remember his registered name)
Registered Mini gelding
8 years old

Peppy Cutter King...aka King
Registered Paint Gelding
13 years old

Chaos
Grade Breeding Stock Paint Gelding
6 years old

Rain
Grade Arabian Gelding
12 years old

My Blazing Skip...aka Dude
Registered Quarter Horse Gelding
14 years old

Ivan
Grade Thoroughbred Gelding
9 years old

Zeke
Grade Arabian Gelding
17 years old

Jim
Grade Tennessee Walker Gelding
22 years old

Brego
Grade Quarter Horse Gelding
6 years old

Thor
Grade Belgian Gelding
23 years old

Maverick
Grade Quarter Horse Gelding
6 years old

Sam
Grade Belgian Gelding
22 years old

Babe
Grade Appaloosa Mare
29 years old

Mayhem
Soon to be registered Quarter Horse Filly
Seven Months Old

Queen
Grade Appaloosa Mare
33+ years old

Forever Chores

Everyone is snug in their stalls tonight. I'd taken today off because of the threat for blowing snow. I have to make sure I can make it home to feed everyone. I puttered along doing chores because of the foot high snow drifts. 2.5 hours later and everyone is happily eating and I'm finally in for the night (before it gets pitch black out).

There wont' be any snooze buttons in my future. With everyone tucked in their stalls, chores will take at least an hour. Hopefully everyone will be cooperative.

I tried taking pictures but it was so cold out that the camera froze. If it ever thaws out, I'll post pictures. I just looked on the weather and it says it's currently five below. I was afraid to see what the wind chill was.

I think it's time for me to put my feet up and relax for a bit.

Blankies

The snow continues to fall and we've already accumulated six inches (I think, it's all turning into a blur any more). Luckily our neighbor came and plowed the driveway again. I do love that neighbor.

The winds are supposed to pick up tomorrow and the temps are supposed to drop. I threw blankets on a few, more to make myself feel better than anything else.

Sam is in a blanket until spring. I left it on too long over the last storm and he now doesn't have a winter coat on his withers or rump.

Rabbit is in a blanket until spring. She was too thin going into winter so I left it on and now she has no winter coat, except on her belly. She doesn't seem to mind her blanket.

Queen is in a blanket. The blanket will come off after this storm. She has a hefty winter coat but has a hard time warming up after she gets wet. She absolutely HATES her blanket (or any blanket for that matter).

Babe is in a blanket. The blanket will come off after this storm. It's not the greatest blanket but she's the only one that seems to be able to wear that blanket without much mishap (knock on wood). I'd like to get her a new blanket.

Rain is in a blanket. I haven't decided if he'll stay in it until spring or not. He was so cold the other day when the wind wasn't really blowing and it wasn't snowing all that much. I'm guessing he'll be in that blanket until spring. At least he looks really cute in it.

Zeke is in a blanket. The blanket will come off after this storm. I figured there is no sense in letting these blankets just sit inside when they could be doing some good. Zeke doesn't normally get to stand in the leanto so I'd like him to have an extra layer of protection. He gets a bit chilled so I have to keep an eye on him. The blanket should help matters.

Jim is in a blanket. The blanket will come off after this storm. I'm afraid that Jim is a hard keeper during the winter months so I want to baby him a bit. I think he's starting to acquire the taste for beet pulp. I'm going to have to try out a small scoop on him and see what he thinks. Jim ripped out the blanket that he's in. Hopefully he wont' completely destroy it before the end of the winter season.

I need to find someone who is willing to work on ratty blankets. Unfortunately I have one more blanket but it has to be repaired before I can wash it. But the repair people want clean blankets. It's a catch 22. I'm guessing I'll just have to scrap that blanket, but we'll see.

I'm still looking forward to spring. I'd be willing to take even a cloudy day over all this snow, below zero temps, and blowing wind.



The following picture is of Sam the spring after he went downhill with ulcers and a cold. He looks much better now. I almost hate showing the picture but I wanted to point out that it does take a very long time for a horse to gain back weight but it only takes a few short days/weeks for them to drop a bunch of weight.

Luckily Sam is snug in his blanket tonight to ward off the cold. I'm still overly protect of him after he got sick last year and lost so much weight. He looks a thousand times better now. I need to get a few pictures of him so you can see his current weight (and see how cute he looks in his blanket).

I liked the picture because of all the green grass. Oh how I wish for green pastures (instead of the impending snow/blowing snow storm).

What's in a Word

I've been mulling over the word "rescue" for awhile. The majority of the horses at Borderlands aren't really "rescues" where it was a life or death situation. The majority of the horses at Borderlands come from good owners trying to do the right thing for their horse. There are only a few horses that are true "rescues" where they would have entered into the slaughter pipeline and been lost.

I haven't yet come up with a good word to best describe these other non-rescue horses so for the time being that's what they have been called and will probably continue to be called. I am pleased that people have reached out to do the best they can for their horses instead of dumping them at an auction. And I'm finding that even those that take their horses to an auction don't want to but have no other choice. Unfortunately many of these same people are unaware of the kill buyers and horse traders warming the seats.

I also realize that I am very opinionated on this blog so if I offend, I apologize. Everyone has options and opinions when it comes to their horses. I am pleased that those people I have worked with to bring horses in to Borderlands are concerned about their horses and want to make sure that their horses live out their lives safely.

So, here's a challenge to you. If you can come up with a better word than "rescue" send me a note. I welcome all ideas. For now, I am trying to teach myself to use "sanctuary". Still probably not politically correct but it's better than "rescue" for those horses that had loving owners wanting to find their horse a forever and safe home.

Bad Weather Ahead

Looks like we'll be in it for the long haul with colder weather coming in tomorrow. From NOAA:


Tonight: Snow likely, mainly before 9pm. Cloudy, with a low around 1. North northwest wind between 9 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday: A slight chance of snow before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 8. Northwest wind between 15 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -7. Wind chill values as low as -21. Northwest wind between 9 and 15 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 1. Northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -9.

They've closed all the surrounding schools already so that has me worried. I should be at home taking care of the "kids" instead of at work making money. But with the weather turning worse tomorrow, perhaps it's better I'm at work today and will stay home tomorrow.

I'll be getting the stalls ready for tomorrow night. I may break out the remaining blankets. I think January and February are the months for colder temps. I did see that Horse.com is clearancing out some blankets. They aren't steller deals but it's better than nothing and I really like those types of blankets. I want each horse to have at least one blanket so that when bad weather hits, everyone will be protected.

Uuugh, let me just say, I hate winter storms.

Cold Rain

I'd planned on taking the camera out tonight during chores to get a few pictures of the horses in snow. We've already gotten about 2 inches of snow and it'll continue to snow until Tuesday morning (so the weatherman says). I didn't get a chance, however, to grab the camera. When I went outside to get Sam started on his beet pulp, Rain was standing in the leanto shivering away.

A year or so after bringing Rain home, he got sick. We thought we were going to lose him. He pulled through but ever since then he's been more susceptible to the weather. I joke about him being a "delicate flower" but in truth his system has been compromised.

During the summer, Rain can't be ridden when the temps hit 80 degrees. In the winter, we have to keep a close eye on him since he can get chilled easily, as was the case today. Rain doesn't like the blanket I currently use on him. Rain doesn't really like the confines of a blanket but perhaps the one I had on him was too small. He prefers his tack/blankets loose.

So I ran back into the house and grabbed a larger sized blanket. Luckily I've been slowly stockpiling blankets. We can always use more since I don't have enough blankets for each horse just yet. I hope to rectify that the sooner the better.

I pulled Rain into the hay barn and let him eat some alfalfa while I threw on the blanket and adjusted it. He was still shivering for about 10 more minutes but with a blanket securely in place and some alfalfa in his belly he warmed up. I guess I'll have to leave the blanket on from now on. I've got blankets on Sam and Rabbit. I guess leaving a blanket on Rain until the spring won't be all that bad. At least then he wont' get chilled as quickly.

So, since I didn't get any pictures of the herd tonight, I went through my files and pulled out some more pictures from our vacation in August while we visited the Black Hills. Although the Hills might be covered in snow right now, it's always nice to see green. I'm already dreaming of a green summer.

Trouble Time

In keeping with the new year's resolution to post more pictures, here's an Off Topic post. (I need to get horse pictures soon!)

During the summer months we spend most of our time outside. Our little monster dog, Trouble, doesn't get as much laptime during the summer. But we do try to spoil her when we can. While in Tractor Supply the other day we bought a bone for the two outside dogs Farley and Gypsy. Trouble had to check out the bone first.

She happily chewed on the bone and licked the flavoring right off (note to self, don't buy this type of bone again. Trouble left little foot prints all over the floor.

Nope, the picture isn't deceiving. She is just slightly longer than the bone. For being all of seven pounds, she's all T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

Howling Wind

Originally I said this morning that if we had snow, we'd be experiencing a blizzard. Apparently I was wrong as it's now snowing and the winds are still strong (steady 22 mph). When I woke this morning, I could hear the wind howling and wasn't looking forward to morning chores in gale force winds.

The gentleman who originally designed and built what is now Borderlands must have studied the layout, land, and general weather patterns. When I stepped out there was barely a breeze even though I could hear the wind. Even during all my morning chores through different pens and in different locations it was a rather pleasant event.

When the wind is out of the north/northwest we are protected by a large shelterbelt. Normally there is a little bit of wind in the mare pasture when the wind is out of the north, but not today. It was surprisingly pleasant. I only wish I could be as studious and research the affects of placing buildings and trees in different areas.

We are definitely blessed with the location of Borderlands. The only time I grumble is when the wind is out of the east or south. We don't yet have a serious shelter belt to protect the horses when the winds gust from those directions. Luckily the arctic winds normally come from the west/north west so the horses are protected.

The weatherman is predicting a weather change today as temps plummet and we'll be dealing with single digits and below zero temps in the evenings. I am glad I had the opportunity to ride yesterday as the weather doesn't look conducive to anything but trudging through chores. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the winds die down for chore time.

Evening Ride

During the winter months I get bogged down with daily chores. By the time everyone has their evening meal and everyone is happy for the night, it's dark. I'm usually exhausted tramping through the snow, throwing hay, and usually grumbling to myself wondering why in the world I opened a sanctuary for old horses in South Dakota (of all places).

But tonight reminded me of something. The weather was beautiful (relatively speaking) at just under 32 degrees. Winter chores in "warmer" weather makes life so much easier. The days are getting longer; the sun doesn't set until 5:30 and it doesn't get pitch black until 5:45pm.

I decided that since it was such a nice day, that I would take Rain out for a quick ride because I had a little bit of light left in the day. I didn't want to ride far but didn't want to ride in the yard because of the ice. We skirted the icy driveway and headed down the gravel road which was frozen solid. We avoided the icy patches and headed into the neighbor's field (we asked permission this fall).

Rain and I took it fairly slow since the ground is completely tore up (they did a deep rip on it when disking in the fall). Rain is most definitely barn sour. We can get out of the driveway but the minute we turn around and he thinks we're headed for home he freaks out; not freak out bad or anything but gets worked up into a foamy lather.

By the time we were done riding, which lasted all of about 15 minutes, he was in a complete lather. It looked like we'd been riding hard for a good 10 miles instead of circling a small field twice. Granted Rain is out of shape but he mainly got worked up when we turned around and he saw the barn. I guess I'll be working on Rain's barn sour issue. Hopefully the weather will stay nice; although I heard a nasty rumor that we're going to get another arctic front rolling through. It's bound to bring colder temperatures. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that winter will be mild. I'm trying my hardest to keep up with my new years resolution to ride more.

And in keeping with my new years resolution, I wanted to include at least one picture on today's blog. Here's Chaos from this spring. He sure is a handsome fella. We really lucked out considered we took him sight unseen as an unhandled, yearling stud colt.

March 1 - National Horse Protection Day

I was puttering through the local humane societies and came across a very important date:

Tuesday March 1st - National Horse Protection Day

Too bad it didn't fall on a Saturday so we could go and promote during an auction. So, what can we do to promote this very important day/topic and spread awareness?

Send me your ideas (either here or on Facebook)!

Quiet Night

Quiet night tonight. But wanted to post a picture (trying hard on my new years resolution!)

I'm dreaming of green pastures again instead of snow. I should appreciate each season. At least there are no mosquitoes. I did however almost fall flat on my butt three times tonight. I wanted to start Sam on his beet pulp and alfalfa mash early so I ran out in my cowboy boots.

Bad Idea!

I was carrying two buckets to the barn and slipped three times on the way there. I was smart and switched to different boots for the rest of the chores!

Chaos, Dude, and Maverick

Hopefully Ivan won't think he needs to go in the barn tomorrow morning. It's a struggle to get the doors open and closed. And throw in Ivan walking right up to the barn nonchalant but thinking he owns the place. I got the big door shut just in time. He's getting spoiled. He's still not to the weight I want him at so I'm starting to give him a flake of alfalfa. We'll see how his change in diet works.

Horse Industry in the News

Thought I would post this link. Sounds like this week will have heated discussions about the horse industry. Check out why at this link:


http://horsehealth.blogs.equisearch.com/2011/01/cnns-horse-videos-mustang-roundups-on.html

Lets keep our fingers crossed that what the proslaughter people are proposing doesn't happen. If it does, Borderlands better be prepared to take in more horses fast (but with a regulated plan).

Remembering Joe

I decided I would finally sit down and pull some pictures off the camera. I wasn't exactly sure what I would find. I started with pictures from late June/early July. And what beautiful face should I see, but sweet Joe, RIP. The following pictures were taken not long after we brought Joe and Thor home.


You can see in the above picture the issues Joe was having with his hind end. In the end, the vet diagnosed it as a neurological disorder. We kept him in a different pasture but I thought the small hill he walked up and down to get water was causing the problem. We'll never really know what happened. But he was pampered. I dug out a brand new fly sheet and fly boots to protect him so that he wouldn't have to fight flies while being unstable on all four legs.

Here's a closet up (sort of) of Joe's face. This is the reason to NEVER leave a halter on for long periods of time. The rescue that pulled Joe from the auction pulled the halter off and head to deal with the halter having grown into his face. Poor guy.
I have a feeling that Joe was actually much older than 22-25 years old. When I looked into his eyes, there was so much wisdom. When you look into the eyes of younger horses, that wisdom isn't there.

The following are side views of Joe's face. This is why you NEVER leave halters on. I cannot emphasis this enough! Even leaving halters on in a pasture is tabo unless they are breakway halters. Always check your halters to make sure that they fit properly! Otherwise, your poor horse could end up just like Joe.


I forgot in my last post that we lost another soul. He just happened to be two legged with feathers instead. The place doesn't seem the same without Rooster crowing all the time. It's rather dull. We were just starting to teach each other some tricks. RIP Rooster man.


I'll leave you with a final picture of Joe. This picture is one of my favorites of the ones I downloaded here tonight. Looking at Joe motivates me to ensure that all old horses find a soft place to land where they can live out their lives (be it a few years or a few days) and then die with dignity surrounded by loved ones knowing that they will be missed once they cross over.

June 2010 - October 11, 2010