Closing Out 2009 (Week 12-13)

Despite a lot of holiday craziness (and my fiance being in and out of the doctor's office), I love making time to visit Badger. :) There's something nicely Zen about being out in the quiet of the ranch, even if it feels like the majority of my time there is spent shoveling stalls.

Saturday (post-Christmas) I bolted from the house to go work with him, and that was the first day I experienced giving him his bute myself since he was a bit creaky from the cold. I also had gotten a pretty green halter with brass on sale ($10, I think it was only marked down because one of the grommets was missing, and it's not on a hole that I would have put the buckle on anyhow), so now his halter and lead rope match! Not that he cares, I'm sure...the old blue one, already worn in, is softer. Maybe I can smash it around some more to break it in better.

Tuesday was supposed to be my next visiting day, but that didn't happen. And then Wednesday similarly failed to launch. After two days of planning and then failing to actually go to the ranch, I was determined to make it one more time before the new year rolled around. I think Badger notices when I'm gone longer than the norm, now. Or maybe he just gets bored! When I got there today, it was a surprise to see that Badger (who normally isn't very demonstrative when I arrive, I think maybe because me showing up = work) spotted me and leaned over to nudge the gate with his lip before I'd raised my hand to open the latch. Between the warmer weather and my lateness, he seemed more than ready to get out and stretch his legs...no need for bute today!

For a change, instead of grooming him before turnout, I only removed his blanket and took him directly to the open area...since it had rained a little he was completely caked with dirt anyhow, so knowing he always rolls immediately after taking off the halter I figured that could wait and I could groom him afterwards and get some NICE pictures. Just as expected, he flopped in the dirt so fast I couldn't even get the camera out, but I did finally catch him running on video! (A very nice New Year's present to me.)



Today was definitely a much more energetic day than the Christmas visit had been. It was also oddly hot...no jacket required.

New pics for this update:

Sadly the best side photo I got from today, he's making a face. XD Oh well.

If I'm counting right, this Saturday marks the end of his 13th week at Bit-O-Heaven. :) It's hard to believe that he's only been "my horse" since Sunday, October 4th. I feel like he's made so much progress in such a short amount of time (and other people can see it too), it's impossible NOT to want to keep helping him progress even more.

Best wishes for the new year to everyone out there. :)

Week #11 - the farrier comes

Today seemed to be a somewhat better day as far as the weather...it was pretty warm, and the pens were a little more dry than before. Some horses are still having to be shuffled around because of the flooding, though.

Today was Badger's first visit with the farrier, which was definitely a different event for both him and me! It's good that he was well-behaved as always, and aside from a bit of awkwardness with his hind right leg (he likes holding that one up REALLY HIGH, for some reason) everything went nicely. I really liked his handling of the horses, and he was very nice to let me observe and ask some questions. After all, this was my first time having my horse be trimmed too!

Badger's feet sure look nice now that the front toes aren't so long and squared off, and the backs are angled better. I'm hoping with a few more trims he'll be great! I mean, he's pretty peppy as it is, but it's nice that his feet will finally be getting the regular care they should have been getting. Also, who knew his hooves were actually light-colored? Once the wet season is over I'm going to try actually washing them down and scrubbing them off so I can see what they really look like. It's a bit pointless to do it right now, though, with all the mud piles everywhere.

More photos from today:

Right after his feet were trimmed, I put Badger in the round pen. (We'd gone over to the turnout, but it's still pretty flooded, so no-go.) I wish we'd had a bigger area, as he was pretty perky in there:



Overall a good day. :) Now if things would dry up a little...

Weeks #9-10

Well, I'm incredibly behind on posting! Gah. What's really important, though, is Badger. :) I really enjoy going out to the ranch just so spend time with him, although a big majority of the time out there now is prying shovelfuls of goopy, matted gunk off the ground. Thanks, rainy season. =_=

Thursday I put him in the round pen for the first time...more on this later.

Sunday was my first "owner's meeting" where Tracy basically goes over the rules, any updates we need to know, etc. I also got to meet some of the other owners whom I hadn't met before! ...I'm still having trouble with it all though, and I'm sure they're still going to be "Tio's owner" or "The girl who owns Rocky" for quite a while. Arrgh. I'm awful with names...but I already know I'm very visual, so I guess I should get used to it. At least it helps me figure out which horse is which.

Sunday was also the day after what was apparently a torrential downpour. I don't know what it is about California and rain, but really, it seems like even the ground has no idea what to do with water when it shows up. Two full wheelbarrows of stinky pudding-like muck later, I had to give up...I'm not a lightweight but I could barely get enough leverage to push them out of the stall, through the mud, and around to the back to dump them out. My boots nearly suction-cupped themselves off my feet.

It was so muddy, in fact, that Badger was covered head-to-hoof in dried mud, and the only reason any of his body was clean was because of the blanket he was wearing. Needless to say, the *blanket* was so covered in mud it didn't look plaid anymore. He was lucky though, as several of the other horses' stalls were completely waterlogged, without a dry spot to stand in. When I arrived that day it was a bit of a visual surprise.

It's amusing yet disconcerting that Badger's preferred method of walking with me is with his nose almost directly in the small of my back, as if I must lead the way. Still, watching some of the others work with their horses, he's got both a sharpness and manners that some lack. He doesn't need a raised voice to stop from even a brisk trot. Most of the time I don't have to touch him or the halter to get him to back up a step or two. It made me laugh aloud when I put him in his stall and took his bridle off at the end of the day...even after I took it off, he was leaning over and poking the gate with his lip, as if he wanted to be out longer.

Sunday was, for obvious reasons, not a photo op day...so here are photos from last week instead.

  

I've started taking photos of his back from the mounting block too, mostly since I'm happy to see his spine bumps disappearing. Standing on the ground, I totally forgot about the white dot on his butt since...well, 16 hands is a couple inches taller than I am. :p

The Three Blankets (Weeks #7-8)

Before I left for my trip, I decided to visit Badger one more time, and take his blanket with me as well. Now that the weather was finally (abruptly?) getting colder, Tracy suggested it was about time for the winter wear to come out of storage for the rest of the horses too. So, off to the ranch, miscellaneous straps and D-rings in tow. Still never quite figured out where all of those things connected.

After the usual day of care and fussing, I took out Badger's blanket, unfurled it, and draped it over his back. He seemed fine, but somehow, something didn't...look quite right.

I stepped back and burst out laughing. The blanket didn't even come close to covering his rear end. There was no way the straps would buckle around the front of his neck and chest. ...What the heck?! My brain raced. Did we somehow end up with the wrong blanket when we picked Badger up? (Couldn't be, he was the only horse there...that was the only blanket there...) Had I shrunk it when I washed it? (But the drier wasn't on a high temp, and it didn't have the irregular rippling I would have expected since the straps are a different material from the blanket itself...) Had someone else somehow shrunk it? Was it just the wrong size from a long time ago?

There was nothing to be done...so off it came, and on went a big, rather dusty blanket from the ranch's few extras. If anything it seemed a little oversized, as the neck opening kept sliding down around Badger's withers. Still, he seemed happy enough with it all, so I left him with that one (the peculiarly undersized one left to warm another smaller horse at the ranch) and headed off to my plane ride across the Pacific.

When I got back, the recent trade I'd set up had gone great. I'd arranged to trade one of my Breyer model horses with a gal in Ohio for a classy blanket and a nice new lead rope. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'd measured correctly, I took the new blanket out to the ranch as soon as I'd gotten home.

As most things have been turning out with Badger, it was just the right piece of equipment at the right time. The new blanket not only fits him to a T, but it also matches the blue of his halter quite nicely. The new lead rope is great too, a dark green cotton which was exactly what I'd been thinking of buying since the original red one was strangely unbendable, and made it quite hard to tie a good knot. Badger had been starting to figure out that if he jerked his head around, the red rope would start to come loose...so thankfully this one has put a stop to that.

I'm very grateful to Ann in Ohio for agreeing to the trade, since not only did it get Badger a blanket that fits (as well as making him look quite handsome), but this also ensures that other horses at the ranch can use the blankets that will better fit them. Sure, California doesn't get *quite* as cold as the great white North, but Bakersfield has been known to get down into the freezing temps, and since a lot of the horses are in their 20s, it's a nice thing in the middle of winter to have a snuggly blanket. :)

So without further ado:

...Too small!

...Too big!

Ahhh...juuuust right. ^_^

Week #6

Tuesday:
More of "the usual": cleaning, turnout, rolling, running. Fun stuff for Badger.
It's funny, now more and more I'll find him quite distinctly looking in my direction, usually when he's wanting something and I'm further away. Patient, not making any kind of fuss, but with a very specific "Hey, are you there? You didn't forget me, did you?" kind of look. You can wait there! I'm scooping your poop!

One pleasant surprise from today was finding out that Tracy had stopped giving him the bute (horse "aspirin") quite a while back; she'd noted he didn't really seem to need it. I had no idea, since he was always pretty darn happy to get out there and wander around, and would get excited and trot with me, and enthusiastically roll around in the turnout. If he hasn't had any bute for a while and he's that energetic, I guess this means he's pretty pain-free! We're still going to give him a little on days when he gets more exercise, since it's getting colder and that might mean some stiffness.

I don't know if this is something horses normally like, but Badger seems to actually enjoy running with company. Whether in the turnout area or out, if I see him pick his head up a little and I start walking faster in response, he usually breaks into a trot as I start jogging. Inside the turnout, I still have to slow him down occasionally, because I can see him visibly get more excited about running around and the trotting gets more enthusiastic...

If he keeps up this way, he's going to be a handful by the time Spring rolls around. Not that I mind. I'm thrilled that he seems to be having so much fun...in any animal it's a pretty noticeable and inspiring change. On a side note, he's working on developing those jiggly fat pads on his thigh areas now too, heh heh.

Oh, and today I found out that his doppelganger neighbor Tio is actually a pure Thoroughbred. Explains why they look so similar, seeing as Badger is such a high-TB-percentage Quarter Horse himself.

Saturday:
Went to a garage sale to find some deals on used tack and whatnot, although by the time I got there it was an hour past 'start' and most of the stuff was gone. Ah well. Still managed to get a lot of stuff for $60; two fairly good condition leather bridles (one with rawhide and silver decorations), a dusty but good halter, a body brush and a hair brush both in good shape, and a fancy saddle pad. I figure whatever I don't end up using, the rescue can probably make use of it all.

Since I was delayed getting there, I thought I'd be smart and save some time by cleaning his stall before I took him out to the turnout. Well, halfway through the shoveling, I start hearing "...clang. K-tang. Clang." I turned around to see Badger poking at the gate with his lip. He turns back and looks at me, then looks at the gate again. Clang.

Funny guy.

Since time was short, I took him out and started cleaning him off. Today was the first day he really let me get all the way into his hooves, and I noticed his rear hooves are really deep, despite their short outer appearance. I don't know what this means, exactly, but I'm going to take photographs and ask. Better to be paranoid than regretful.

Despite any of my concerns, boy, he was extra-springy today. Maybe it was nice to get the extra junk out of his feet? He happily trotted around while being led, and when he went into the turnout, not only did I get to see him roll around, I also saw him in full-out gallop. Not a casual canter, but running! He danced around and kicked up his heels, flapped his tail, and off he went, fully stretched out in what I can only describe as a bouncy sprint towards the far end of the pen, neighing at the horses in the neighboring corral. Then he came thundering back. Then off to the far end again.

When he seemed finished, I called him and entered the turnout with the halter and lead. Since he was at the far end, I figured I'd have to walk all the way there, but he surprised me again by turning away from the other horses and walking to meet me in the middle. As an experiment, instead of haltering him right there, I turned around and walked back to the gate...and he followed right along. How sweet!

Sunday:
I went back today because I didn't get to do as thorough a job with cleaning as I'd wanted to. I was also still not feeling sure about the condition of his hooves, so I wanted to check. Thankfully Tracy was there and we looked him over, and while it's not bad, I do definitely have to work on making sure his hooves get thoroughly cleaned out since he does have a tiny bit of thrush going on. Bleh. At least since it's so dry here, if Tracy's not worried then I'm not going to be either. I am, however, looking forward to meeting the farrier and finding out more about foot care from him too.

Hooray for FINALLY getting to take some photos! He was a little stiff in the hind end, probably from his big run yesterday, but otherwise fine. I took photos in the turnout arena today so he's uh...rather dust-covered since I couldn't get out the camera before the big dramatic flop-n-roll.

It's like he's a Thoroughbred who's slowly getting to put his Quarter Horse pants back on.

"...What?"

I'm skipping next week's update since I have to go out of town for a week, but I expect to be able to update on Badger again right after Thanksgiving.

Week #5

No photos this week, kept forgetting my camera in the rush to leave the house. Going to have to get some pics tomorrow. Definitely enjoying the routine (both Badger and I are, that is). The turnout pen is instant "fun time," where he immediately dives into the dirt and flops around in it before trotting around to check things out. It's great to see him energetic enough to jog around!

I brought an older family friend out to see Badger this week, and she seemed to really enjoy visiting the ranch and seeing the big guy. He was super sweet too, which was a relief since I had no idea how he would react to a completely unfamiliar face. About the only thing that was different was that his "trouble" front foot wouldn't pick up.

Now he seems very happy about going out, especially since I'll jog with him so he can trot some (if he seems interested, that is). He particularly seems interested whenever there are other horses out...not sure what that means, exactly.

Saturday's visit was actually pretty funny since I put him in the turnout pen like normal (immediately: TWO rolls. Like a big dog.) and then went to clean his pen. I don't know if it took longer than usual or something, but after a while I could see him standing in the near corner of the turnout and looking directly towards where we were. A very clear "...you didn't forget me, did you?"

Moreso since when I got to the turnout area, he walked over to the gate and started nosing at the chain latch holding it shut. Just had to laugh; he's no slouch!

Instead of immediately bringing him out, though, I took him for a little guided jog in the turnout. Now that we've started to notice fat pads building up on him, and he's being perky, I figure small amounts of easy exercise wouldn't hurt. If he wasn't feeling good, he wouldn't trot. It's strange to think that a horse would enjoy being run around with, but he was getting so revved up and eager that I actually had to slow him DOWN a few times. I feel very thankful he keeps his head and actually listens when I tell him to walk or "whoa."

The more I work with this guy, the more I get the feeling that he's got the mind of a racehorse as well as the build; he's over-the-top polite and considerate, but by no means does he think old = sedate. He's still very sharp and smart, and has fun getting out there to DO things. It's very encouraging and I hope this means he'll recover to soundness for light riding. I don't want to get my hopes up too high; I mean, I know he's 25. Realistically speaking, Quarter Horses as a breed aren't known for advancing well beyond this age, and larger horses are tougher to keep sound (larger body mass = more strain on the joints)...so he and I are just going to take things as they come, one week at a time.

Week #4

Tuesday visit: WINDY. (cough, cough)

With the dust flying around and the wind gusting hard enough to rattle the roofs over the stalls, I decided it was a little too exciting to take Badger out today. Definitely too wild for the turnout. I instead spent time cleaning out his stall, then two of the other horses' stalls.

Badger's still a bit nervous about his face and head, but interestingly that's also where he enjoys being scratched the most—learned this last visit when I was brushing him and decided to brush his forehead. Since it was cool and the wind was so high, there really wasn't a need for the flymask, so I took it off him and (after a moment of twitchiness) I got a couple light scratches in. As soon as he realized what I was doing, his head began to droop lower and lower, his eyelids at half-mast while I started really scratching him.

I noticed a dent in the bridge of his nose...I wonder if it's from having had that halter on too tight back at that old place? :( Looking back at his old pics, his halter was buckled on the fourth notch...I only tighten it to the second one when I take him out and that's plenty. Yikes. Also I think the weather must be getting colder, since I notice he's getting distinctly fuzzier. Here's his weekly progress pics (check that neck!):

The funniest part of today was when I was leaving, though; he seemed a little confused when I put his flymask back on after the photos. As I reached for the stall door to let myself back out, his head poked around my side and he very deliberately nosed (and lipped) the halter hanging on the gate as if to say, "Hey, did you forget this...?"

What a change from only three weeks ago, when he'd barely let me put it on. It was after he did that that I realized why he'd kept trying to stand in the same corner near the door. While in his stall, I'd tried to lead him away from the corner so I could take a photo, and he kept circling back to that same corner he's standing in in the photos...now I think he was trying to stay in that corner because that was the corner in which I'd been putting his halter on him, before we went out.

...Am I training this horse, or is he training me?

Friday visit: Finally, the turnout!

I figured I should have the camera at the ready for Badger's first time trying out the big turnout area...so here's some videos of him thoroughly enjoying himself. :)







For an old guy, he sure is spry! I left him out there while I cleaned up and he had a great time sniffing at things and trotting back and forth. I'm still surprised he did the full roll. Must feel GOOD.

What surprised me more, however, was the end of the turnout. When I was done cleaning and he looked like he had gotten out his exploring and fun, I figured it was time to bring him in. Suddenly it occurred to me that I hadn't...had much experience with him in that big of a free space...and with his tasty, nutritious food, he was more energetic than ever.

Now a little concerned, I slung the halter and lead rope over my shoulder and opened the gate. He was just standing in the very farthest end of the turnout, looking at the road and the fields. I called him a couple times and nothing...I got an over-the-shoulder curious look, and then he went back to looking at stuff. Well, at least he's not running, I thought to myself as I started to walk slowly down the fence towards him.

I'd gotten about halfway down the field before he looked at me again, and after a moment he was GALLOPING from his end of the turnout, past me, towards the other end where the gate was. Half of me was super happy that he felt good enough to run (and impressed that he looked good doing it); the other half of me was groaning, anticipating a tedious back-and-forth chase. So back I went, walking towards the gate and the corner where he stood.

The big surprise was...he DIDN'T run! I wonder if he simply associates haltering with "stand near gate," because once he got to that corner, he just stood there very calmly and stuck his nose through the halter as if I was taking him out of his stall. He even "helps" a little with gates now, by pushing them open with his nose.

Surprises every day. :)

Another Week

Another week has gone by and everything's looking up. As I mentioned last time, Badger has started being much more interested in going out and checking out the sights, so haltering is definitely going a lot more eagerly than before. Despite that he remains very well-mannered, and for the most part remembers not to walk ahead of me (every now and then he forgets, when there's something new and interesting to look at or smell).

Friday was another 'energetic' day, folks were riding their horses around, so Badger seemed full of get-up-and-go! Since he seemed interested in it, we did short stretches of trotting as well; he certainly needed no encouragement to start going. All he needed was to be led to one of the open stretches and me to start walking a little faster, and as I moved into a jog he seemed to already know what I had in mind and his walk transitioned smoothly into an easy trot alongside me. Each time he also slowed as I slowed, with just a quiet "whoa" to stop completely. It's too bad boots are a bit tough to jog in, he seemed eager to do even more.

Now that he's feeling so good, I'm hoping to put him in the turnout pen tomorrow and see if he'd like to trot around in there as well. Or more! Who knows!

Will definitely have to work some more on him picking up his foot, as he seems to not want to do his left front (the rest, front or back, I only have to lightly touch and up it goes). Not sure what's going on there, although if he was that interested in trotting around I don't think it's a pain thing.

It's only been a few weeks so far and I'm already amazed at his rapid progress. He seems so considerate and consistently well-behaved, it disappoints me that a horse like him was just discarded and mistreated.

A Quick Milestone

Today was the first day that Badger was not only willing to let me put his harness on without any chasing, but also actually walked to the near corner (where I was standing) and put his head down for it to be put on.

He'd been putting his nose into the halter when I held it up for him, but this was the first time he approached. I think he's getting the idea that halter = out, brushing, walking, and sniffing at interesting things = interesting and fun! He had a very enthusiastic walking session, too, including the investigation of (and snacking upon) a couple grassy spots. Badger almost started trotting after one of the horses that was being ridden nearby, too! It was definitely surprising (and encouraging) to see him perk up at seeing another horse being ridden around.

I wonder if he was a trail horse or a racing horse once?

Badger's Second Week

Whew! Badger's certainly had a whirlwind of a week...

Tuesday was his first visit by the ranch's veterinarian. I was a little concerned since of course her yea or nay would decide whether Badger could be moved into his more permanent housing and be around the other horses. As it turns out, neither he nor I had much to worry about.

Increasingly I think Badger must have had a lot of training in his youth, as he was incredibly well-behaved for all of it. Of course I don't imagine any horse likes having stuff sprayed up one's nose, or needles, or a thorough sheath cleaning, but I was really thankful he was so mild about it all since the initial knock-out injection barely fazed him! After the vet tech had given him what she explained as a mild sedative "so he'd get sleepy," we watched for a few minutes...and nothing. He kept looking around calmly as if to say, "are you folks waiting for something?" so on with the rest of the checkup. He passed with flying colors as far as his general health; he has a faint heart murmur that wasn't any immediate concern, and he seemed a bit sore on his feet so he gets some bute (the horse equivalent of Tylenol) for a week or two with his feed to see if that helps him feel better and later we could possibly pinpoint the actual problem.

The vet offers a convenient discount plan that cares for several horses in one session, so since Badger was only the second horse of the day, I hung around to watch the vet deal with some of the others after him. One of the other horses got so sleepy that the vet tech had to stand there until the medication wore off a little, and one old guy was so grouchy he tried to kick out at the vet tech when she went to halter him. Needed quite a bit of the whip, which is unfortunate, but since he has Cushing's (a neurological disease affecting the brain), his aggression levels are way higher than would be normal. From what I heard, he was a bit of a jerk to begin with, so adding the crankiness of the Cushing's on top of that is frustrating to deal with, and kind of sad.

So really, Badger did fantastically that day, especially since he was still in a brand-new environment with strange horses and strange people.

On Saturday, I went back to visit him again. With repeated effort, I've been working on getting him less nervous about the halter, and Saturday was the best yet as I only had to have him trot a slow half-circle before he'd stop and let me take his fly mask off AND put his halter on, all in one go. Previously it was chase, remove fly mask, chase, put on halter. It's great to see him responding so well, especially since he now also sticks his nose into the halter a little when I hold it in front of him! That's already very different from his first few attempts. I hope getting brushed and going out for walks is interesting enough that he continues to be encouraged to put the halter on.

As usual he's very good about walking, stopping, backing up, etc., and he's a little rusty about things like picking his feet up but he does remember how. That day was a big day for him too because he moved into his new stall! With a neighbor, too. Hopefully they can be friends. They're like horsey doppelgangers, both of them tall, almost identically-colored chestnut geldings...it was odd to see them nose to nose.

On the topic of strange experiences for Badger, he apparently had a REALLY big day between my two visits, since one of the workers at the ranch had a really bad fall off a ladder and had to be medevaced out...the helicopter had to land in the open area behind the stalls, and the fire truck drove right past Badger's quarantine pen and the nearby row of stalls. Yikes! Amazingly, NONE of the horses injured themselves, and the guy is conscious and recovering. For what happened, it's still relatively good luck.

Later last night the ranch held a small fundraiser party, so I went back to attend. I think this was the first time I'd made the drive out there twice in one day. I had to laugh a little, though, because Badger's new pen was closest to the 'action,' so he got to experience a live Southern Rock band and a whole bunch of strange people walking in and out, talking and dancing...he was standing with his butt in the furthest corner away from all the noise and lights, his face and ears riveted on the whole event. My fiance and I walked around the side of the pen to take a look at him, and I think during the whole time we were talking behind Badger, he turned one listening ear briefly back towards us just once, before immediately refocusing on the more pressing concern of whatever all that noise and chatter was.

This has been a BIG week for this big old guy! Wow! Next week will seem so quiet by comparison...but I'm sure he won't mind that at all. Going to keep working on his headshy problems, though, since he can be quite tall when he wants to be! Learning to put his head down will require a lot of trust, but it's really amazing to see how smart and perceptive he's been so far. After all he's been through, I'm really happy he's been able to transition as quickly as he's been.

Here's his newest photos, looking good in his new stall! His neighbor Tio is just barely visible on the right in that first pic.

Badger's First Week

First week at the ranch! Badger's been eating like, well, a horse. I don't know if it's too early to see progress yet, but here's a couple pics from today:

He's gonna be so pretty when he gets filled out. ^_^ (And HUGE)

Unfortunately, we're also starting to see the first signs of him being a bit of a snot, now that he's getting more food in him. I had to spend a little extra time working with him today because he was a little halter-shy when I went to go put it back on him. As in, shuffling to the far corner of his pen and trying to turn away. No turning your butt towards me! That's rude.

Chasing him (gently) for a few laps around his pen seems to give him the idea, though. And, once his halter was on, he actually followed really nicely, and stopped when told to. Overall his manners are going to be really nice too, so long as he knows who's the boss. For an old guy he can move pretty quick...if I wasn't paying attention when I was putting him back in the pen, he would have darted past me and back out! Maybe he wasn't quite done with being walked around! Good sign he's feeling better, though. Next time I'll have to walk him around for longer, or maybe even let him go in the turnout area (basically a giant 'free play' fenced arena for the horses to run around and have fun).

If I had to guess by his expression when I picked up the halter, this was mostly fear that we were going to put that thing on him and leave it there. As far as we could tell, while he was at that other woman's house, she just left the halter on him 24/7, which is not only dangerous, but also uncomfortable. I don't blame him for not wanting to wear it after that, but the vet's coming on Tuesday so he's gotta remember how to behave. Tracy (ranch owner) attributes this to his Thoroughbred side. His mom was 1/2 TB, so he does have quite a lot in him (look up Appendix Quarter Horses for more info). It's why he's so tall and leggy compared to most Quarter Horses.

Next we also have to work on teaching him to put his head down...while the bridle wasn't too much of a problem since I only have to be able to reach his nose and the side of his head, balancing on tiptoe and trying to reach high enough to put his ears through the hole in his fly mask was a bit of an effort. On top of that, I had already been told by the original rescuer that he really wasn't keen on wearing his mask, so there was another several minutes of behave-or-I-chase-you before he'd stand still for me to put it on. Still, even though he doesn't like the fly mask, it's gotta be better than the flies poking around his eyes...if only I could attach something to his poor tail so he could take care of the other end too. Thankfully fly season will be over soon, and then he won't have to care for several months.

Badger Leaves

A whirlwind week after meeting Badger, with calls flying between me, Nikki, and the Bit-O-Heaven ranch, he's in his new home. It's still hard to believe that I've committed to this horse, at least for the short term, but he needed an immediate out and horse rescue is what I was collecting money for.

We (me and Nikki's family) went to rescue Badger today, and everything went great. His manners are amazing and I'm hoping it's not just because of the lack of food. The owner still wasn't soaking his pellets though, despite last week's heated phone conversations.

His plastic tub was now in the new goat's pen, replaced with a crusty wheelbarrow, the bottom of which was actually starting to rust through in spots. No chance of soaking the pellets this time, so instead we dug around for his lead rope and blanket before the trailer arrived. Also yes, you read that right, the woman had gotten a goat in the span of less than a week, because we were taking the horse (she had tried to change her mind and say she wanted to keep him, and as we found out later it was because her rental agreement requires a hoofed animal to be kept on the property, so it can retain its livestock zoning). Hopefully the goat has better luck there, or at least doles out some appropriate headbutting.

The plastic trash can that was his water trough had a bunch of mosquito larvae in it too. Those don't live in fresh water...only stagnant, standing water.

Photos from today:

Those aren't rocks he's standing on, either. And don't be fooled by the belly...he hasn't been getting regular worming medication since May, so it's probably parasites in there. His topline (spine and hip) tells the real story.

He loaded really well even though the trailer seemed really small for him (I think they said he's 16hh+, or about 5'4" at the withers) and thankfully the drive wasn't far. Humorously, he also left giant piles of "going-away presents" in the driveway as he was being loaded onto the trailer...

The girls unloaded him and put him in his temporary 'quarantine' pen at Bit-O-Heaven, and he was pretty much nose-to-hay for the rest of the time I was there. He did pause for horse cookies, though! Those seemed to be a yummy new thing for him.

What's kind of depressing (yet encouraging) is THIS is how he looked only six months ago:

Getting back to this is his goal for the immediate future. I'm going out of town in a few days, so next week Sunday will be my next shot at getting some photos in his *new* place. :) Didn't want to bug him with the camera while he was getting settled in.

Since it's officially October now, I'd like to buy Badger his own Trick-or-Treat bag. It's basically just going to be more of the same horse cookies that he got to taste today, but I'm sure it will be special for him all the same.

Badger's Backstory

Badger, AKA Sandsomandys Badger, was born on June 3, 1984. That makes him twenty-five years old as of this year...depending on who you ask, that's roughly comparable to a human in his mid-seventies.

His name might sound a little funny, but that's because he's a registered Quarter Horse! You can find his pedigree here: Badger's Family Tree

Badger was originally rescued and rehabbed by some very compassionate folks, just about a year ago. He was a walking skeleton when he was first found, but as he filled out and perked up, he became playful, friendly and very interested in the people around him. In super shape for his age, he was adopted out...first to live in a nice boarding facility, where he got regularly visited, and then his owner moved to a home where he could be kept on the property. Since he was gaining weight and everything seemed fine, his adopter checkups were gradually allowed to get further apart.

Unfortunately, after a six-month gap of not checking up on his new owner, the woman contacted his original rescuer and said she needed to find him a new home. Life issues and all that. With the economy the way it is, it's understandable...plenty of people have been losing their jobs, and horses are big animals to feed. I found Badger's ad and contacted the rescuer, a very concerned lady by the name of Nikki. We set up a meeting date for him and one other horse she was also helping place.

The reality, however, set in when we stepped through that gate...

I'd like to pause for a moment and note that I am not, by any means, an expert on horse care. I'm still learning and am very happy for the chance to do so. However.

The ground was littered with scattered piles of dung. The fence was some kind of cruel joke, made of chain-link fence topped with a few strands of barbed wire. Open on the pen was some sort of mini-barn (for pigs, possibly?) that was dangerously dilapidated, with doors lying on the ground, shards of wood jutting from the walls, and garbage covering the floor; tires, empty feed bags, broken boards and more. The front and back yard both had a scattering of trash, dung, and broken toys as well.

None of that made a difference, however, because the horse standing there in that pen barely moved. When we first arrived, he neighed, almost seeming surprised to see people. Admittedly, I was a stranger and Nikki hadn't seen him in months. After that, though, he simply stood there. I was surprised to see a horse with his nylon halter on (note: this is extremely dangerous because the horse cannot free himself if the halter should happen to catch on something), but since it wasn't my horse I was a bit dumbfounded out of saying anything.

About the only spark I saw in him was when the rescuer angrily called the current owner (she wasn't home, we were visiting the property by ourselves) and she and her friend finally found the one bag of hay cubes among the pile of discarded empty sacks. He definitely recognized what the bag was, as those nickers as they brought the bag out were the only other noise he made during our whole visit.

It was about then that I realized that some of what was on the ground wasn't poop piles, but unsoaked, uneaten rectangular hay cubes. We filled his little plastic tub with some of them and he was trying to eat them even while we had the faucet turned on to add some water, though he kept dropping them until the water could soak in enough to loosen them up. Another angry phone call, specifically instructing the woman to put the cubes in water because he was having trouble chewing them.

We left after that, since he wasn't interested in anything aside from getting that pellet mash into his stomach. I drove with Nikki and Elaine to go see the other horse that we were going to see that day, but my mind was still on Badger. The other horse was nice and had plenty of go, but it wasn't the connection I was looking for...thankfully the other woman who'd shown up to visit her did decide to take her in.

I suggested then that I could take Badger on a trial basis, board him at the ranch I was volunteering at, and get his weight up...I felt he deserved a chance to get back into shape, and I'd like the opportunity to find out if his real personality would match with mine. Not very easy to see when the only two things on his mind are "hungry" and "depressed."

My Backstory

My name is Marcy and I've been a lifelong horse fan. Up until recently, however, my involvement with them was only from afar; books, art, and the occasional casual ride on the trails or at a family member's place.

I began volunteering at Bit-O-Heaven earlier this year, learning about the care of older horses while helping groom them, clean stalls, etc. It sounds like a real chore (and it is quite a workout), but at the same time the horses at the ranch have been super sweet and very people-oriented. Between this and getting involved with rescue organizations online, my curiosity was piqued, and I started fundraising...with an eye towards possibly helping out a local horse, if the right one came along.

On September 24, I contacted a gal on Craigslist who was looking to rehome an elderly Quarter Horse. Meeting him was quite a different experience from what I had been expecting...