Borderlands Horse Sanctuary: Horse of the Month

I always new that I wanted to open a horse rescue (now turned sanctuary). From the time I could draw horses, I knew there was a need for a place for horses to call home. We bought our acreage in September 2005 and in May 2006 (Memorial Weekend in fact), we had our first rescue....Chaos.

I was approached by a co-worker about a yearling. I was asked if I wanted a horse and I said yes. At the time I'd not been exposed to "free" horses so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. The owner was going to take him to an auction but would rather that he found a good home instead. I said yes, sight unseen. I had no idea what I was getting. I only knew that the free horse was a "he" and a yearling.

What I didn't know was that Chaos was an unhandled (or very limited handling) yearling stud. I'd only ever dealt with trained, older horses so Chaos was a new challenge (hence the name). When I went to pick him up, I assumed he was halter broke and would load into a trailer. Nope, had to back the trailer up and the previous owner was able to get a halter on him (so he'd had limited handling at some point).

I took my time in working with Chaos, giving him time to adjust and to get to know me. At the time, we had four other horses. I kept him separate for awhile so that I could work with him on a daily basis. I think that's what helped set the bond.

We didn't geld him right away. I was new to having a stud and didn't know proper timing. But when he reared and put his front feet into the wheelbarrow, we decided it was time. I'm not sure if his "bulk" is from waiting until he was a solid two years old to geld or if that's what he would have looked like no matter what. His momma was a fairly big mare (never met his daddy). There was a mix up with the stud's paperwork, so Chaos cannot be registered, but I do have the paperwork now to show his lineage.

At three, I sent Chaos off to a trainers. My original theory was that if he couldn't be trained, that at least he'd have a good life here. But he came back pretty well broke to death and I started riding him. He still has a few quirks that I want to fix but for the most part, he's a good solid trail horse. After the first year of trail riding, my dad stole him for his own. But it's a perfect match for riding.

Chaos is second in command at the Sanctuary. I'm not sure if he wants to be in charge, but he does like having the ability to boss everyone else around. I'm guessing that when we lose Dude, that Chaos will become the herd leader (although Rain pushes him around).

Chaos is my go-to horse for anyone that wants to ride who's new to riding. He's more like a walking couch than anything. He's always very curious to know what's going on. I'd like to use Chaos as a spokes horse for the Sanctuary but he's not old and he's never been through an auction. It's just that he's so pretty. :-) Who doesn't fall in love with a big black horse?

Chaos will never know what it's like to go to an auction or to have to go from one owner to the next. He had his original owner that bred and raised him and now he's a permanent fixture at the Sanctuary. He doesn't fit our criteria but he came before I had that all figured out. And I refuse to get rid of him. He's a pretty dependable horse for trail riding.

So Chaos will live out his life at the Sanctuary. He's stubborn at times but that's typical. He's dependable enough to throw anyone on him and he's reliable in the pasture with the rest of the herd. We are truly blessed to have Chaos with us and I can rest easy knowing that he'll live out his days with us. It's amazing to watch him grow into himself. He's now 9 years old and he's really become a solid horse (both in body and in mind). I love showing Chaos off and look forward to using him as a spokes horse for the Sanctuary throughout the years.