Be My Valentine - Jim

Meet Jim


Jim was originally supposed to be a personal horse. I'd been looking for an older Tennessee Walker gelding for dad to ride and came across Jim. After listening to the owner, we knew that Jim would be in trouble if he was taken to auction (which was the plan if we did not purchase him. Tennesee Walkers aren't common in this neck of the woods and are not sought after. With his breed and his age, it was a sure bet that he would be loaded onto a truck headed to slaughter). You can look at it either way as far as if he was a rescue or if we bought him for personal use. Either way, he soon retired into the Sanctuary program. In his previous home, he was called Jimbo but it really didn't fit his personality. I tried calling him Jimmy for a little while but that didn't seem to fit him either. So instead, we shortened it to simply Jim. No nonsense, no fluff, no extras...simply....Jim.


He arrived at the Sanctuary in December 2009 at the age of 21. We rode him for a bit but when he reached 25, we opted to retire him and let him enjoy his golden years. Maverick is his best friend although he sometimes hangs out with King while eating. It's a bit odd to see Maverick and Jim hanging out because it's such an odd combination but it is also why some of our older horses last as long as they do, the younger ones keep them too busy to know they are old.


Jim is a typical grumpy old man. He doesn't want to be caught, doesn't want to be handled, doesn't want to be pet, doesn't want to be around me. It could be I'm not "his person" but I'm not sure. The one way to his heart is through his stomach. He loves his grain and his treats.


I do my best never to get into his personal space so there isn't a lot of loving on Jim most days. He'll come in for his grain and then go out when he's done but I try very hard not to hang on him like I do the others. He's sort of ask to be left alone and I try to honor that (unless of course there's treats and then he's right in my space).


He also loves to destroy blankets. He's now on his third or fourth blanket. All the others, he's destroyed; some are simple repairs with a little bit of sewing and others are all out destroyed with the inner fluff scattered throughout the lot.


Jim has hair to die for. He doesn't really care if it's all tangled but I know I'd love to find some extra time to work on the witches knots. Anyone want to help?


Oh and did I mention, the vet says Jim is in excellent condition for being 31 years old. His teeth are in superb condition and it wont' be his teeth that cause him to leave this earth. Our farrier also fell in love with Jim. He's the old style walker body and the farrier simply adored him (grumpy and all)!


For the most part, Jim requires very little in the way of cost. Would you like to be his monthly sponsor? $50 monthly sponsorship covers a bag of senior feed (that he absolutely loves), a bag of treats, and his farrier trims. In return, you'll get a monthly update on what Jim has been doing and random pictures of Jim hanging out.


You can sponsor Jim through PayPal at www.paypal.me/Borderlands  or via mail at

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary
PO Box
26160 457th Ave
Humboldt, SD 57035

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