Such a Small World

Sometimes it's really funny what a small horse world it really is. This can be bad of course sometimes, but mostly I love it! Such funny connections. I've had several incidences this week with talking to a horsey friend and then discovering that they know another one of my horsey friends through some way or other.

Today I went and rode both mares early this morning. They were both quite good.

I let Jetta graze outside in the brief window of sunshine we had - clover for St. Patty's Day!

Then the fun stuff - I get to see my other horses that I haven't seen in a long time! Meaning Jazz and Patch.

Jazz I am leasing out to a lady that's getting back into riding and wanted to lease a horse before buying. It sounds like her and Jazz are getting along quite well and while I've gotten pictures once a month for the last 5 months I haven't been able to visit in person. She asked to renew her lease for another six months so I wanted to go visit Jazz and make sure everything was looking ok before I agreed.

Jazzy looks good. She'll be 23 this year though she doesn't look it. She is starting to get some more white hairs around her muzzle though and has lost a lot of her topline, though she's just been puttering around the arena and trails, so that's part of the problem. Other than that she looks good! LL (her lessor) was riding when I got there and Jazz looks sound and happy. LL has gotten to go on a couple trail rides and told me Jazz is still quite spunky for her age! She moved to a new barn with lots of turnout so she barely spends any time in the stall which is nice to hear. I considered not renewing the lease for this summer because I kind of want her back since Grady is gone now, I'd like to keep a closer eye on her. But I like LL and she's taking very good care of my girl, so I decided that she can keep Jazz for the summer, after all that's the best riding time! And next fall I hope to bring her home.

 

The night before I was trying to mapquest my way out there but mapquest did not acknowledge the existence of such a street so I was googling barns in that town, trying to find her barn and get directions. I never did find her barn, but while I was searching I ran across an ad for a barn in the same town, just 5 minutes down the street from the barn Jazz is at, that had a picture of Patch on it! I facebooked her owner to ask if that was the barn she boarded at and if it was, if it would be ok if I came and visited. Turns out it was, so I swung by to say hi and give the Patchy girl some carrots.

Pic stolen off FB - this is her getting ridden the other day

She looks really good - she's furry and fat from having the winter off due to her owner going through chemo and surgery. It sounds like they have such a good bond, I'm really glad they found each other. She's got a little pasture and the owner's other horse as a buddy. I think she's 9 this year - crazy to think that I sold her five years ago.

Nice to see my horses that I haven't seen in a long time!

Nice Words

It's always nice to get a sincere compliment isn't it?

Patch and me in 2008

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but my first training project (on my own) was a little paint that I named Patch. She was an awesome little horse and I loved her to death and she just taught me so much. I ended up selling her to a family that lived pretty close, whose 8 year old daughter was interested in doing 4-H. Eventually they moved and I lost touch with them, since I only had their old home phone. A couple years later I was wondering what had happened to my girl, so I posted an ad on craigslist with her registered name. Lo and behold I got a response!

I woman had rescued Patch (now renamed Scribbles) from a boarding barn where she was abandoned. Turns out she had been sold to a horse trader who is infamous in my state, she mistreated Scribbles and then abandoned all her horses and left the state. Her new owner got Scribbles about one to two hundred pounds underweight, with rain rot and sunburn. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for not finding her a better home with someone I knew and trusted.

But I couldn't be more happy with where she has currently ended up. The woman loves Scribbles to death and has worked through her issues that she accumulated since the time that I sold her. She recently facebooked me to see what bit I used, since she's been having trouble with Scribbles wanting to spit out the bit. After telling her what I remembered, I went back through my training journal that I kept and sent her another message with other bits of info that I found. What a trip down memory lane it was re-reading that book!

Anyways, this is the message that she sent back to me: "Thanks for the extra effort of getting out your old training journal to help. I really appreciate it and it is just more evidence that you were a great part of Scribbles life, and I'm betting you are the reason she has such a great personality and is willing to trust again even after all the crap she's been through. Underneath all her PTSD issues it is obvious that she has a good foundation, good training, and memories of good people; I attribute all of that to you. Thanks, for the best horse I've owned in many years, probably the best horse ever."

I made me want to cry. I am just so happy that she has found the perfect forever home, where she will never be mistreated again.