Post by seahorse on Jan 10, 2007 20:18:13 GMT -8
Dally was rescued off the lot last year in June. I had offered a home for another old horse, Sol, and when I went to Ryan's(Ranger on the BB) to pick him up he was in with Dally. They had been with Ryan for a couple of weeks getting good food and love but still were both awful racks of bones. I haltered Sol and went to lead him away and Dally tried to follow. I stopped and talked to him and I told Ryan and Juliane that he was a beautiful horse if you could get past the scabs, "buffalo hair" and the bony mess of a body. They both nodded but I could tell they thought I was nuts. When I loaded Sol in Juliane's trailer they let out broken old man whinnies and it tore my heart out. Ryan agreed to let me take Dally and Juliane was awesome and agreed to haul him too. I think poor old Dally was on his last legs as when I lead him up the hill he stopped at the top and had no energy to step forward. I was depressed thinking he would never make the trip home but Ryan assured me he was tougher than he looked. It was a blisteringly hot day in Yakima and when Juliane stopped at a TB farm to take some pics for a website for the owner, the trailer was a sauna even in the shade. The farm hand was a very kind man and even though he spoke little English and my Spanish was even poorer, I managed to ask him for water for them and I will never forget the look of pity on his face when I opened the back of the trailer and he saw them. After a long trailer ride we unloaded them at my house. They exited Juliane's trailer and looked like they would never get enough of my grass pasture that would be their QT area for the next month.
I will never forget that weekend as it was my 2nd anniversary and my husband was not too thrilled with the "gifts" I brought home. As usual his soft heart won out and he was as won over by the two old men as I was. The real horror of what Dally's life must have been like before the lot was very apparent when for the first month he was with me he pooped great big piles of gravel- yes like 5/8 minus- and garbage, clothing and even glass. He must have been trying to survive on whatever he could.
Unfortunately Sol had neurological damage beyond repair and we had to let him go. It was hard but Dally-the one I thought would be the one that would not make it continued to thrive.
After only 6 weeks of "old man mush" Juliane returned and snapped these pics of Dally playing in my front pasture. She has a real gift for capturing horses and their love of life. I am fortunate that she has been a part of many of my horse rescue adventures, she has been an excellent friend.
And most special of all was when we put Juliane's 6 year old daughter Cassidy up on him and saw how gentle he was with her
Shortly after that we took him on a trail ride with Cassidy up again.......
The special person who bailed Dally off the lot is holly (kidholly here) and she made the trek to meet the old boy this summer and snapped these great pics- she and I took a peaceful ride along the river by my place on a couple of my other rescues and I made a new friend!
Dally is shortly to embark on another adventure when he will travel to Cat67's barn in Oregon and give beginner riders some confidence. This is with the understanding that if it does not suit him he will return to me or live the life of leisure as a companion horse to Cat's vision impaired mare Sunline. He is a grand old horse and has left hoof prints on my heart for life.
I will never forget that weekend as it was my 2nd anniversary and my husband was not too thrilled with the "gifts" I brought home. As usual his soft heart won out and he was as won over by the two old men as I was. The real horror of what Dally's life must have been like before the lot was very apparent when for the first month he was with me he pooped great big piles of gravel- yes like 5/8 minus- and garbage, clothing and even glass. He must have been trying to survive on whatever he could.
Unfortunately Sol had neurological damage beyond repair and we had to let him go. It was hard but Dally-the one I thought would be the one that would not make it continued to thrive.
After only 6 weeks of "old man mush" Juliane returned and snapped these pics of Dally playing in my front pasture. She has a real gift for capturing horses and their love of life. I am fortunate that she has been a part of many of my horse rescue adventures, she has been an excellent friend.
And most special of all was when we put Juliane's 6 year old daughter Cassidy up on him and saw how gentle he was with her
Shortly after that we took him on a trail ride with Cassidy up again.......
The special person who bailed Dally off the lot is holly (kidholly here) and she made the trek to meet the old boy this summer and snapped these great pics- she and I took a peaceful ride along the river by my place on a couple of my other rescues and I made a new friend!
Dally is shortly to embark on another adventure when he will travel to Cat67's barn in Oregon and give beginner riders some confidence. This is with the understanding that if it does not suit him he will return to me or live the life of leisure as a companion horse to Cat's vision impaired mare Sunline. He is a grand old horse and has left hoof prints on my heart for life.