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DebbieD Posts: 3,540

A friend sent me a link for Habitat for Horses, and the first story I looked up was this one  http://www.habitatforhorses.org/stories/velvet.html
I just loved it when they said the mare locked eyes with her former owner and never looked away.  And then the cuddle later....awwhhhh   bear_cry   Talk about a 'Black Beauty' moment!!  bear_cry  bear_wub   I'm sooo happy these two are together again at last   :clap:  :clap:

Donna A Brandon Bears
Fort Worth Texas
Posts: 98

snnnnifff.  snnnIf.  That was a mighty touching story.
Thanks for sharing.
Donna A.

FenBeary Folk FenBeary Folk
Pointon Fen, Lincolnshire, UK
Posts: 2,234

What a beautiful story, the tears are just rolling down, can't stop them bear_cry

Densteds Densteds
Posts: 2,056
Website

Debbie...What a lovely story, it brought tears to my your eyes....anyone that has had a close & long relationship with a horse will understand just how that woman felt..

It's been a hard time for me of late with my old horse...he had a bad accident 6 weeks ago I found him hanging by his hind legs on one of our wire paddock fences, we went searching for him when he didn't make his usual appearance at dinner time....it was nearly dark when we finally found him, I felt sick he was lying very still by this time & I thought he was dead....he'd probably been there for hours struggling to get loose, his hip was raw and his legs caught and cut where the wire had almost ringbarked his hock & fetlock, he was exhausted and very weak, but we finally cut him loose and after about 15 minutes he finally stood up, thankfully he hadn't broken his leg..we called the vet and now after weeks of antibiotic injections and daily bandaging of the fetlock he is hopefully on the road to recovery...just such a traumatic time, and heartbreaking to think an old horse has had to suffer all this pain & distress...

Thanks for posting this story, so happy it had a happy ending!
ps just reread Black Beauty, the first time when I was 10, over 40 years on, and I cried a trillion tears all over again....

Michelle Helen Chaska, Minnesota
Posts: 2,897

what a beautiful story and outcome.....I still don't know how she got lost...something about claiming.....but it doesn't  matter...she is home now.

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

I'm fuzzy on the whole 'claiming' bit myself.  Its a race where I think there's a set price on the horse.  If you like it, you can 'claim' it, or pay that price for it.  I doubt the woman would have realized what was happening, but I would have thought the trainer would have known better! 

Denise, how utterly horrify to find your old fella that way  bear_cry  Gosh, I felt sick to my stomach just reading it.  But you know, even if you bubblewrapped a horse and put them into a padded stall, they would still find a way to injure themselves.  They really are accidents waiting to happen.   :hug: What a lucky fella to have you  :hug:   So many owners wouldn't have had the dedication to take care of such a nasty injury.  Fingers crossed he makes a swift and complete healing  :hug:

LOL...I haven't read 'Black Beauty' in ages.  Don't really need to.  It was my first book, and I'd practically memorized it!!   :crackup:   And yes, I bawled myself silly over the whole thing!  bear_cry

Densteds Densteds
Posts: 2,056
Website

Thanks Debbie, I'm sure he'll be okay, the wound is till raw but I've managed to control the proud flesh, if you ever get into that situation, the very best thing is yellow lotion...I first used poultice pads the vet gave me but after that I used the yellow lotion and just continued to bandage everyday, it's amazing stuff..and even though the vet said not to wrap as the yellow lotion is quite powerful...I followed the makers advise and bandaged it and it gets better each day...
Yes..they sure are accidents waiting to happen but in the 15 years I've owned him (he's 26), it's been his first accident....wouldn't you know it, we think the old dope was probably scratching his butt on the fence post missed and hurtled backwards through the fence twisting the legs in the wire as he fell through...ugh!!!!!!!!!!!  he's a big boy 16hh so he would have fallen hard, but thank God we found him because if he'd been there much longer I think he would have died....
Black Beauty was my first book too..never ever forgot it!

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

I'd never heard of this yellow lotion, but it sounds like its done a fantastic job, and so have you!  People that have never bandaged a horse's leg don't realize just how much work that is.....or how long a horse's leg is!  bear_rolleyes   Bless his heart, I bet it was worth every minute to tend to him.  He sounds like a real sweetheart of a horse, and those are worth their weight in gold.   bear_wub

LOL...can you imagine the embarassment on his part?  Gosh, a fella's just trying to scratch his bum, and then this goes and happens.  Actually I bet he was relieved you found him in time.  Poor guy...   bear_sad   He must've been so exhausted! 

Blossom had a near miss the other day with the gate, so its not just horses, ponies do it too.  I have woven wire on the gate to keep out stray dogs.

BlossFeb07%20006-large.jpg

I'd been in and out of the gate what with measuring her for a new flysheet, and putting on a handme down flysheet ad whatnot.  I was on the outside of the gate when I heard her paw the gate and stop.  Looked over and about had a heartattack on the spot!  She'd managed to put her leg through the bars of the gate, and had hooked her foot behind the bar, and inbetween the woven fence.   bear_shocked

I managed to stay very calm and quiet, but because I was on the wrong side of the fence, I had to shove the gate and her leg towards her, get in and move the gate back.  Offered a quick prayer  :pray:  and got down to undo her leg.  At first she didn't understand as I shoved her leg deeper into the gate, and then she realized I was straightening her foot.  She not only flexed her leg for me, she kept it flexed for me as I removed the leg.  No big deal to her, but I promptly went for the wire snips and some new cable ties.  In minutes the fencing was reversed so its now on the inside.  She can still bang her foot against the gate (although she's doing this less and less because I promptly turn my back to her when she does), but at least she can't get a leg through like that again!

Densteds Densteds
Posts: 2,056
Website

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-029-Small.jpgHi Debbie, here's a link, I don't know if you can buy it in US, it's sulphur, zinc based...it's not only for bad wounds but good for tendon problems too, very soothing..a bit messy but works a treat..I've been using it for over 25years...

http://www.ranvet.com.au/yellow_lotion.htm

Ponies sure are mischievious, I've had a couple and they're very smart little characters too!  you're so lucky she didn't panic ..nothing worse than owner & horse in state of panic..ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!! but very hard to stay calm when you see the fixes they get themselves into sometimes..  bear_grin  your pony looks a sweetie...must be pretty chilly over there, but she looks snug as a bug in that rug...

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

Oooh, Your guy is sooooo cuddly sweet!!!!   bear_wub  bear_wub   Give him a big ole hug from me  :hug:   What a teddy bear!  :hug:

Thanks for the link  :hug:  That was very interesting to read through, but now I'm wishing I hadn't looked at the photos of how it worked.  I thought it would be diagrams, not a horse's leg stripped.   bear_shocked   Feeling a little queasy now...  bear_sad  Ah well, at least it healed, and what a miracle worker this stuff seems to be! 

bear_original  Ah, yes, Blossom's definitely got a lot of character and can get herself into mischief.....reminds me a bit too much of myself as a child, actually  bear_whistle   She's not really naughty, just incredibly busy

The pic is from our wintertime.  I think that one was taken in January, so our coldest month, and its her Uncle Knight's handme down blankie, so its a bit big on her in that pic.  She should fit it perfectly this upcoming winter.  Just now we're in the last month of spring, and headed into summer.  Today was in the upper 80*Fs, and trying for 90*.  In July, August and Sept we tend to have 90* -100* F with very high humidity. 

Last year Blossom coped extremely well with the heat, despite being a dark bay (talk about solar absorption!)  But this year, she's discovered the comforts of having a flysheet.  Fewer flies and a walkabout shade.   bear_tongue

Bumpkin Bears Bumpkin Bears
Antwerp, Belgium
Posts: 2,190

Denise, your chap is just gorgeous, I do hope he continues to recover and I'm glad Blossom is ok after her incident!  That story was amazing... the bond we have with horses sure is something special..

Hugs
catherine
x

Densteds Densteds
Posts: 2,056
Website

Thanks Catherine, he is a sweet old fellow, a real gentleman...

Debbie, sorry I should have warned you about those pics...I've just gotten used to seeing a horrible wound so I'm a bit immune to looking at gruesome stuff like that...isn't amazing how they can recover after such horrific accidents......it's freezing cold here at the moment, I was forgetting the obvious when I saw the snow in the pic with Blossom, of course you're in the middle of summer...it's miserable here, pouring rain & blowing a gale...
Yes, he is a bit of a big teddy bear!!   bear_grin

Carolyn Green Draffin Bears
Auckland New Zealand
Posts: 5,354
Website

What a beautiful story Debbie and thanks for sharing.

Sorry to hear about your horse Denise, he is so lovely and it made me feel so sad to hear what happened to him.
I hope that he is doing better and getting around well.

I must read Black Beauty again - I loved that book.

Hugs
Carolyn
bear_flower

Densteds Densteds
Posts: 2,056
Website

Hi Carolyn, thanks for your well wishes... Zac's coming along pretty well, it just takes a long time for them to heal and a lot of patience  bear_grin
yes you must read Black Beauty again, it's such a wonderful old book..

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

Grab the tissue box before you open "Black Beauty"  bear_whistle   Its so worth the sniffles and tears though  bear_cry

Hugs to Zac  :hug:  bear_wub   Oh don't worry about the gruesome pics.  I wasn't put out, but I'd come in late and a bit exhuasted and didn't realize til it was staring me in the face.  I'm sure it didn't even register for you right now, as you're so used to it.  Truly, truly amazing how well that stuff works!

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