As an owner of several old horses and as retired breeder, we still
get asked how are our horses by many friends and that is very
nice. We know they genuinely care. We equally get asked by
some just passing by that go through other not so polite and caring
channels. I recently got such a call from the humane
society. Actually it came via a complaint. The gal from the
humane society however was very polite.
Our oldest is getting close to thirty. I have had to
put up with this type of call before and nieve
comments from people complaining that there is a skinny horse out
in my pasture by people thinking there is something wrong or there is a
case of negelct. Yes, there is something wrong, and that is we
cannot turn the hands of time back on an aging companion.
Eventually they do hit a point where they are not their once
beautifulselves. Such is the case with our now approaching 30
year old and its very difficult to watch her as she declines, and she is
still a pasture mate to her equine friends that share her pasture.
One of our mares stays vigil by her side religiously to protect
her and I know she is going to be shattered as am I when her buddy is
gone as the two are inseperateable.
Someone is here nearly 24/7 and if not, someone is surely on
their way in case of an emergency, but not everyone knows that or even
cares. And I have had to help that old mare on an
occassion to get up when she has been too weak to do it on her
own. Her and I have been through a lot of years as I obtained her
as a youngster. I have been fortuneate with her in that she has in
that time been rarely sick, mostly pregnant and a mother and superb do
it all. She is a west nile survivor, contracting that at age 25
and well, as I explained to the humane gal, you want to tell me what we
are doing wrong? They just dont live that long if they are not
getting good care. She had no comment and in fact said she too had
several that had seen their better days.
As you find yourself with an old friend, a complaint call from
people not knowing can be very insulting when you hear that they think
you are not giving an animal care. Its part of the cycle of
ownership. And there are people too out their that actually like
to cause trouble.
It will never cease to amaze me how so many people are more apt to
call on a skinny animal, yet there are countless overweight animals that
are on the other end of the scale to the point of abuse also not getting
good care. Funny too, how some people will bitch and moan about
someone elses horses and forget to take care of their own. So many
do not know the difference between fit, fat or unthrifty and you cannot
always make a judgement call from half a mile away not seeing the animal
front up or not being a horseman. I will not say horse owner,
because there are a lot of people who are owners, yet are not
horsemen.
What are you doing with your horses in this high heat and
humidity??? Are you walking by a broken fence rail and a board or
peice of trash on the ground that your equine friend will step
on later or maybe try to eat later as you opt instead to go for a
ride? Is the heat making you too lazy to take care of a
simple matter as such fillign a water bucket or pick up the
board and trash as you allow it to lay there for for days?? Or are
you out there managing your stock pinching skin for hydration or
checking buckets to make sure there is water and all is in well
repair before you take your friend for a ride? Conditioning
to ride in this heat is big a matter. Each horse and human
take the heat different. I ask these questions to all
of you because this is all part of ownership. Through my
years I have seen lazy owners actually try to feed twice as much
and skip a meal, or not feed in the rain. I have seen owners of
too many feeding them assembly line and not taking the time to do
individual care. I have seen owners never check their stock while they
are on open range and while that care might work for some... does it
work good individually?
What are you doing for yourself? Are you sucking down a cold
brewsky when you should be downing water? Just
thoughts here because it is summer time and we all do things to beat the
heat, but we all have an obligation to our animals as well as ourselves
to take care. Taking care of animals in this weather can be very
frustrating, The heat can make everyone very irritable and the
simple doing of chores can be a big issue if you are over your limits to
start. You have to know your limitations, you have to have a
plan.
If you a first time owner and/and have found yourself at this
website, did you really think yourself clear when you made your
purchase or have you not even given this a thought?
Did you overlook the idea when you bought a 2-1 mare in foal
that things were not gonna get easier as the economy was bottoming
out? DId you get a bargain at a sale barn and come home
unknowing with a mare that was pregnant? Do you have more
animals on a peice of land that it cannot support?
These are things the humane society hears a thousand and one stupid
excuses of why such owners cannot take care of their stock and why
too, they are overcrouded with horses they cannot get anyone to
adopt. It is reasons too of why people cannot sell.
Here is a very interesting article I think everyone should
read.
It puts a new thought into owning a horse and what our world has
actually done to itself polluting itself as we return to dust and ashes
to ashes as our days are numbered and faithfully marked.
What does it have to do with MSAR, maybe nothing, but to some in
the vigil of careing, maybe everything.
May you all take good care, before you take a ride. And may
your shelter and ride be safe.
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