Horse of the Month - Jim

So here's Jim, our featured horse of the month. Jim sometimes gets left out of pictures and the limelight because he's a bit antisocial. But he's a sweet horse and I wanted to feature him first as he's now our oldest resident at age 25 (pretty young in our books).

I'd been looking for a Tennesee Walker for some time for my dad to ride. When I saw the ad for Jim, I thought it would be a perfect match. The ad said Jim was between 18-21 years old and had been a 4H horse. So I thought it was perfect. He was a tad on the smaller side at 14.2hands but had a ton of experience. I'd emailed the lady who owned him and we talked but it took a few months before we could connect for me to come out at meet Jim. I'm afraid I was already set on bringing Jim home when I saw him. He had a lot of get up and go and didn't really respect my commands (but that's changed since that time). The owner mentioned that if we weren't interested in buying Jim, that she would be taking him to an auction in Minnesota. I KNEW that a horse of his age that wasn't a quarter horse, meant a definite death sentence. I debated on just waiting to buy the horse at auction but I figured the money she was asking for him also meant that I was buying the information along with him. So it's a bit of a toss up as to whether you want to consider Jim a rescue or not. But no matter what, he's a Sanctuary horse and will live out his days here.

Jim came to the Sanctuary December 9, 2009. We hauled him home just before a terrible snowstorm that dumped a ton of snow. I didn't put him in the big herd right away knowing that it was getting late and there was a storm coming. He spent a few weeks in that pen until we could dig out the corral panels.

The rest is a bit of a blur to be honest. I've used Jim a few times here and there. He used to be jealous when I would pull someone else to go for a ride. He's since gotten used to the retired life. On occasion I'll pull him out to go for a short ride down the road but he prefers the life of a pasture pet. He's now out of shape so I try not to use him all that much. We have enough younger horses to represent the Sanctuary so I figure I might as well let him enjoy his retirement years. 

I don't really know too much more about his past. When we bought him, they were selling him as between the ages of 18 and 21. The coggins that the owner gave to me said 21 so we are going with that age. That now makes Jim 26 years old (if I did my math right).

He likes his grain and is one of the first into the barn every night. The only other horse that will beat him into the barn is Rain. He and Rain don't get along. I think their personalities are too much alike.

 Up until this year, Jim has been best friends with Maverick. They weren't quite two peas in a pod but they would typically hang out in the pasture together. Recently though Jim and Maverick must have had a tiff because now Jim hangs out with King during morning and supper feedings. I'm thinking it's more because King moves slower and Jim prefers the slower life rather than the activities of a nine year old who likes to goof around and pick on other horses.

Jim is a bit of a hard keeper as he grows older. But we don't mind. He deserves to retire and enjoy the life of luxury with no worries. Although he's a bit standoffish, if you have treats, he's in your pocket. Jim has the most gorgeous mane and tail. Of all the horses, he has the most luxurious mane and tail, it's so thick and I could see in his younger years how he could have been a show horse.

It's an honor to care for Jim in his final years. Although he is our oldest resident, I have a feeling he'll be with us for many more years to come.

If you would like to sponsor Jim, please let me know.