Guardian Angels

I don’t know what we would do without our supporters.  Least to say, the last few days have been emotionally draining for me. Thursday late afternoon, I was preparing myself for dealing with chores in the freezing cold temperatures when I got the call. Mike had to go in to the hospital for some tests. We didn’t know what was going on or how long they would last but as the hours passed by, I knew I wouldn’t make it home to do chores. The horses absolutely had to have hay to make it through the subzero temperatures and wind chills. Luckily everyone was able to get out of the wind but they needed hay!

I called up our guardian angel supporters and they willingly went out to do chores in subzero temperatures and even colder wind chills. I think if we didn’t hit an all-time record low that night, we were very close. I am at an absolute loss for words on how grateful I am for their help during such a very stressful time. They didn’t even hesitate when I asked. Their kindness overwhelms me and leaves me speechless (which is hard to do).  From the bottom of my heart, thank you S and E!!!

Luckily the temps started to rise over the weekend so when we finally made it home Friday evening, the horses were happy to see us. I did the shortened version of chores, checked everyone over just to say hello, and went in and crashed for the night by 9pm.

Saturday we celebrated Mike’s birthday at Mom and Dad’s so not much got done with the horses. I think they were happy to just enjoy the warmer weather for a change. Sunday I grabbed Zeke for drill team practice. Luckily this time I didn’t take the wrong entrance or get stuck! When we finished up with practice, another amazing supporter came out to help trim Ivan’s feet. In the past, he had given our farrier a work over but our amazing supporter volunteered to give it a try. Luckily Ivan behaved for the most part. I think he’s become accustomed to laziness so he wasn’t as bad as in the past. The only real problem is that he has very hard black feet! I guess I always thought Thoroughbreds had softer feet. That’ll teach me to assume.  

About the time everyone was sitting down to enjoy the Super Bowl, I hopped back into the truck to pick up the neighbor’s pregnant mare. She didn’t want to load last night but I don’t blame her. The trailer was dark (took the stock trailer instead of the gooseneck), it was cold, and it was something fairly new. But after a bit of coaxing, Copelin loaded and we hauled her back to the Sanctuary. She’ll be staying with us until after she foals. The neighbor’s fencing situation isn’t the greatest so we offered a stall in our barn until later this spring. I’ve seen a lot of “Pay It Forward” this year already and I wanted to continue with that trend. We’ve had so many people offer to help us that I wanted to repay the favor.  When we unloaded her, we tucked her in a stall for the night. She’s a very gorgeous little paint and I look forward to getting to know her. I think she’s due very soon. I decided that it would be safest to keep her in the barn today while I was at work. Tonight when I go out to do chores, I’ll put her in the pen. The only catch is the pen she’ll be staying in is right next to all the geldings. If it becomes too much for the mare, I’ll put Bo back into the big herd and move Copelin to Bo’s pen. The hospital ward will turn into the ol’ mares’ pen instead. I’m sure Babe would appreciate a softer and more feminine touch than Bo.  Bo still picks on Babe every chance he gets. He better get his picking in now, because this summer, he’ll be back out with the big herd and have to deal with the “big bullies” picking on him instead.

The fundraiser we have scheduled in March is already in the works. We have a few people working on items for the silent auction. It’s such a great feeling to know there are such good people willing to help out for our cause.  I haven’t been able to focus much of my attention on the fundraiser, but I’m hoping this week will settle down and I can get a few things figured out.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more updates.