Sunday Stills ~ Horses

Excalibur
California Open Jumper State Champion

To gather photos of horses for this assignment,
I decided to dig through our archives.
Here's a small tour through our barns, past and present.

 ~~~

 Excalibur was one horse that was all show ... in every show. He absolutely glistened!
He never refused a jump. He loved every minute of showing his unique talents.
His ribbons and trophies are still in his cabinet. He was a pro and my big thrill.
I'll always remember him with great pride, joy and love!

~~~

Black horses have always been the residents in our stables throughout the years. 
Each of them were perfect in their own way. 
And we loved them all with our whole hearts!

Gabe
with the movie star

Gabe was a dignified, professional business minded horse. 
He could calm any companion horse on the trail.
He was beautiful, sensible, refined and a joy to ride.
He was our gift and we shared his love until his last day on earth.

Ebony's Rapid Transit
with mom

Ebony was the love of my life. He had the most heavenly glide ride.

He was an angel. He shared his loving spirit with young and old.
We shared 25 years wonderful years together.
He died in my arms just after his 30th birthday.
I miss him more than words can say.

Royal

Royal ...what can I say about this wonderful horse without using every adjective possible.

So I will just describe him as ... perfect, absolutely perfect.
To ride him is like floating on air. 
He has the manners of Cary Grant. He is full of charm and affection.
I love this boy ... beyond description.

Little Joey
The Rescue Horse

And never to be forgotten is Little Joey, the rescue horse.
He was found old, starving, and abandoned.
He was black ... so, we added him to our barn.
Royal and Joey became great friends.
Joey died at a ripe old age, healthy and happy.
We remain grateful for the joy he brought to us.

~~~

We have had other beautiful black horses who blessed our barn.
Their photos remain in boxes just waiting for the memories to be enjoyed, again.

~~~ 

We have been blessed beyond measure
by each horse that has shared their lives with us.

Strawberry Lane


 Visit Sunday Stills for inspiring photos.

Little Joey ~ A Life Changing Experience

It all began here. 

Several of you have asked what happened to our rescue horse. I want to thank you for remembering this sweet boy.  The events as they happened are under "Our Rescue Horse".

To share the story of how a starving horse changed our lives, I'll review a bit of the past on my way to telling you what a remarkable experience this became.

~~~

His name was Shadow, but he didn't know his name. I don't think in his twenty plus many years that anyone had been kind enough to speak to him by name.  His irresponsible owner didn't have time to feed or care for him. He was basically ... abandoned.

Several equestrian friends brought this to my attention since Shadow was in a paddock near our home. I offered to feed him, call the vet and pay the bills. The owner said ... no.

This called for undercover action. My friends and I worked in shifts to secretly begin a feeding program. I had the night duty. So, dressed in black to go undetected, I arrived to a nickering horse that now knew the routine and nearly gave away this mercy mission.

We faced many bumps in the road. There was a great deal of trauma and drama. But the day finally came when I was able to take over and bought Shadow for $1.00 with a signed contract.

 

We chose to keep Shadow in his paddock as he was bonded to the nearby horse. We began a "back to health" feeding and exercise program. Our vet spent over two hours checking him over. When the bill arrived it was ... zero!  

There were so many wonderful people in this story, my incredible husband, my friends and the terrific Blogville friends who wrote in with their helpful advice and encouragement.

 

Shadow soon was gaining weight and strength. We even talked about changing his name to something he might like. We were with him at least four times a day, taking short walks along the trails, grooming and just talking.  He had a shine to his coat and a sparkle in his eyes. He was beginning to know what love felt like.

Things were looking good. 

That was until the fateful day when the horse next door moved away. Shadow was now alone. He panicked, he paced, he was frantic.  We knew all the strength he had gained was not going to last. Something had to be done, immediately.

It was decided to move him to our barn. That meant removing him from whatever security he had known. In his state of anxiety we chose not to use a van, but to walk the trails that were now familiar to him. Fortunately, it was a short distance to our barn ... and Royal. 

That was another matter. What would Royal  do when a frantic new horse abruptly arrived? However, Royal was a sweetheart, completely calm. He knew he was needed. 

Then one day everything changed in the barn and in our lives. The new boy was calming down while we were stressing out. The vet was making three trips a day for Royal.

Royal was fighting laminitis and then he foundered. His situation was critical. He required quiet stall rest. Now, it was time for the rescue boy to keep Royal company. 

After what seemed a very long time, they were taking turns visiting each other, until the day came when both stall doors were opened and they stood side by side.

That was when I noticed the size difference between those two boys. Looking at our newcomer, I said ... why, you are just a little Joe.

That was it. Shadow became Little Joe and finally, Little Joey.

It was amazing, this little guy liked his name. He even came from behind the barn when I called his name. 

Joey loved following Royal around. Things were so calm, even the Canada geese never ruffled a feather.

Royal was very gentle with this little boy. And Joey loved being anywhere near the big guy. Joey was, at last, feeling happy and secure. 

And Royal was now making fast strides to complete recovery. He was our miracle boy.

Life was good.

Little Joey had an amusing daily habit. He loved to stroll into Royal's stall where there was a window view into the tack room. Joey enthusiastically watched while I put together his gourmet lunch. 

 

The boys were a wonderful pair, a rather odd combination, one might say. Royal was the big confident boy and Joey, his little puppy dog.

They spent their leisurely days wandering around together, standing in the sunshine, and sharing snacks of hay.  Royal got the feed box and Joey was thrilled to eat whatever, wherever.

How true the saying is: Time is a great healer.  

Joey had put on weight and muscle. He no longer looked his former emaciated self. He was a happy, relaxed, healthy boy. 
 
And Royal no longer wore pads, wooden shoes and wraps. He was overjoyed to be out of his stall. However, he was still confined to the easy pathways for an extended period of time. This would prove perfect for Joey. 

The time came when Joey began showing signs of arthritis in his hip. Moving about was becoming more difficult, getting up and down often required help. We had friends on call who helped when Joey needed assistance.

We spent a great deal of time in the barn, keeping our eyes on both Joey and Royal. 

It was bright and sunny that day. Joey was relaxing in the warm rays. This was his first time to lie down and stretch-out in a long time. As we watched, we knew Joey would not be able to get up. 

We had done everything we could for this little boy ... everything except making him young, again.

We told Joey good-bye that day.  We were with him talking gently. It was peaceful.

We knew then how much this little boy had been a life changing experience for all of us. Joey had helped Royal recover. And we had the reward of seeing a fragile life become strong, again.

Little Joey was our blessing. He said thank you every day. He was a happy boy. And at the end of his journey, he had finally known security, companionship and love.

 I think of the wonderful words of Ralph Waldo Emerson ...

You cannot do kindness too soon
For you never know how soon it will be too late.

Rest in peace, sweet Little Joey.

 

Hey! Remember Me?

Click to enlarge photos.
Little Rescue Boy
~~

It's been quite awhile since I've updated the progress report on Shadow. Much has happened in his life in the past few months.

He fell in love with Royal, he became Royal's babysitter while Royal was confined with laminitis, he learned that he could be alone without freaking out, which, to me, meant that he had learned to trust us. 

He decided that this was home. He had that "I'm not moving" manner about him.

What he did not learn was to respond to his name. I've never been so ignored by a horse. I'd whisper his name while grooming, I'd call his name while carrying a bucket of feed ... nothing.

I wondered if anyone had ever called him by his name. It was clear that "Shadow" did not associate himself with that name. 

Maybe he had had many names in the past or perhaps he associated the name with how horribly he had been treated in the past. 

I still look at that photograph taken last fall when we rescued him. It remains unbelievable that anyone could treat him so badly.
(Click on "Our Rescue Horse" under Labels for the full story)

Last September

In the early days of this saga, many of you sent some really good suggestions for a new name. However, nothing seemed to fit. Finally I gave up and decided I'd let this boy pick his own new name.

We had many trial runs, but nothing seemed to please him. While working with him I'd usually say things like ... you poor little boy.
Since there were other things to learn, we went on with the business of helping him adjust to life in our barn.

The two horses had never been together... I mean, out of their stalls, together. I knew that day would have to arrive eventually. 

But in the meantime, it seemed safer for both of them to just take turns visiting each other. I didn't want Shadow to be overwhelmed by the Number One horse in the barn, and I didn't want Royal to get into any shuffle matches as he is still in therapy shoes.

I'm really not sure why I decided to take the chance a few weeks ago, but both stall doors were opened. 

I stood back out of the way ready to handle whatever disaster might happen.

This was the scene ... not even the geese ruffled their feathers!

Royal didn't seem to feel the need to puff himself up and parade his authority and Shadow was just grateful to get close to Royal.

That was when I saw the two horses side by side. I'd never thought much about the size difference. There were so many other things to think about.

Looking now at our newcomer, I said ... why, you are just a little Joe.

That was it. Shadow became Little Joe and finally, Little Joey.

What is terrific is ... he likes his name. He'll even come from behind the barn when he hears me call him. Perhaps it is the gentle sound of saying his name, but respond he does.

And as for life with Royal ... why, he can even get close enough to sniff the big guy's royal tail.

How cool is that?

Yep, life is looking good for... Little Joey!