Doing Good Deeds

Let it never be said that I am not a big-hearted person. If I am ever known for just one thing in this world, I hope it is that.

Those of you who have followed this blog for any length of time - including back to Gogo, years ago - will have seen a long and gradual change in me over the years. Once upon a time, I was exclusively a warmblood snob. I had no interest in rescue, and I believed that only a fancy, pedigreed warmblood could suit my needs. And perhaps at that time, that was true. (Actually still to this day, my mother thinks all of my animals are useless because they aren't 5-figure horses.) Over time, this gradually shifted to interest in taking in rescued animals that can also be useful to me. Or in some cases, like with Darby, not useful at all - although there is a definite limit to this. I'm not interested in taking every single pathetic horse home that I see, but sometimes there is a story that calls to me, and I feel that it is important step in and do something if I can.

I've been mulling over and over in my head whether or not I want to breed Pmare again. She is the last one of her line - or well, now Pax is, but still - so if I am interested in strengthening the chances of keeping that line alive, I should strongly consider rebreeding. I have been talking about breeding to Lasting Impression, who is Gogo's full brother, for a long time now, and I still haven't taken that idea off the table. Before I chose DDM for Pax's sire, I had also been strongly considering Dylan too, and now I have access to him as much as I want to use him. 

With all of that said, there is a huge caveat that has me solidly stalled out - I feel strongly that I am moving further and further away from riding competitively in any way. Dylan may very well be my last show horse that I actually ride. Beyond him, I see myself continuing on competitively driving. I LOVE driving and it completely fulfills me, as much as I love riding. With this all in mind... if I breed Pmare, what am I really breeding for? If I cross her out to Lasting Impression, that offspring would jump the moon and probably be a fairly decent mover. But that's not what I am wanting to pursue down the road. So, it's a bit of a tough choice. Those two bloodlines are beloved to me.

I also had a client this week ask if I knew of anyone who had a nice, easygoing companion horse who she could use as a buddy for her gelding when she moves to her new house. I offered her up Pmare to temporarily borrow, if she is interested - so she may go do that for awhile this winter as well. Unlike the last time when I leased P out, this is a client who I know will take extremely good care of her, and I will get to see her regularly, so it would be a good situation for everyone involved. I still don't know if Darby is going to survive the winter.... I'd say she has a 50-50 chance of it. If P goes off to be borrowed for a bit and Darby kicks the bucket... well there you are. 

The long and short of it all is that my herd is in a little bit of a state of flux. Pax may or may not be sold, Darby may or may not die, and P may or may not be borrowed for awhile. And Dylan will of course eventually go back home, but not for a good long while - not for years. 

My competitive interests are gradually shifting. The way I approach horse care is completely different now compared to where I started out years ago. And the actual equines I am interested in are changing over time too. I want flashy, big, freaky movers, oh yes... that much has not changed. I want unique things that catch the eye. Above all else, I want a good story - I want to be able to say I accomplished something, that I helped an animal in need to become something greater than he or she ever could have become. To me, a story like O's is really the ultimate achievement - to find a dirty, scruffy, unkept looking holy terror who goes through a long, difficult, and amazing transformation into something really special. That to me is what I ultimately want. And even horses like Darby fit this bill for me - an unwanted, emaciated cripple who I have helped to have a good happy ending to her life, where she is fat and sassy and loved. Her story has been especially gratifying for me, and I love her dearly even though she is a totally useless hayburner. Seeing her being happy, munching her hay and nickering for a cookie... that's really the best part of the whole thing.


A client and friend of mine (named G) does a lot of work networking horses that are going through our local kill pen, and she has been on me to pull something out of the kill pen. There are several of them that are fairly close to me - since we are so close to Mexico, there are thousands of horses who come through these pens on their way to the slaughterhouses across the border. I follow all of these local auction barns and kill pens through Facebook and my contacts, and have had a number of clients successfully pull horses and mules out of the pens. I told G that I would consider taking in something small and longeared - no full size equines as I don't currently have room for them, or the desire either. My Uma mule has gotten me absolutely head over heels hooked on mules, and I've been browsing around here and there for another, although not very seriously. I looked around for a bit in all of the pens, but never saw anything that really jumped out at me.

Until G sent me a picture of..... a zonkey. A zonkey in a kill pen. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

She offered to pay his bail and then gift him to me. I of course agreed to this, because a) I've been hoping I could find something that could share a fence with Dylan and be his friend, and b) WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT HAS A HALF ZEBRA?

At the same time as this was all going on, this tiny little mule popped up in the kill pen, and I instantly fell for her. I hemmed and hawed about it - I didn't *really* need two little rescues, hell I didn't really even need one! - but a comment on her picture sealed my commitment. It read, What is there even to consider? If you have the room and ability to feed and care for her, what are you waiting for? It was a comment directed to the general public, but it went to my heart. I feel very fortunate that I am in a position to be able to help, and because I am, I went for it. How could I not? If you can ever help animals in need - be it adopting, fostering, volunteering, or donating - you always should. I may not have had interested in that years ago when I was exclusively a warmblood snob - but that isn't how I feel any more. Now, I don't think that there is anything more important to me than taking a pathetic throwaway life and doing my best to make it into something healthy, and happy, and really special.

Today, I picked them up, and they are now safely at home. But now, it is late, and that story will have to wait until tomorrow... it was quite a huge adventure today and it will take some telling.

Who needs to ride properly in the trailer when you are so little you can completely turn around and fit under the chest bar?

Welcome home, little tinies. You don't have to worry about being made into hamburger any more, not ever again.