Missing Molly and Blind Buddy

For a couple of years Mark and I have been in agreement that we don't need 4 horses. We decided the geldings were easier and  I placed these 2 mares on Craigslist a couple of times and only got minimal interest and no one actually came out to see them. So, we both agreed it was  time to re-home them by giving them away. So we did. They are both gone now.  Apparently FREE makes all the difference.

A 16 year old young lady and her family came out first to look at the paint.  Of course it was love at first sight.  The paint is a cutie and also gentle and obedient in the arena and when riding with another horse on the trail.  By herself she is very anxious, balky and does things that put your life in jeopardy. (As in rearing at the first drop off she can find to scare the sh-- out of you. ) The teen mostly rode in an arena or with friends, so I thought it would be a pretty good fit.

The next gal to show up was looking for trail horses for some friends over in Shasta County near Burney Falls. ( I talked to the interested couple on the phone and they had sent me photos of their place and the horses that they currently had.  They seemed like good people and their horses well cared for. )    The lady rode the sorrel while her friend and I watched.  She decided that she should work fine for them and if not she could just come back to me, as I really like this mare.   I explained why I didn't think the paint would be a good fit and that I had an arena riding teen interested.  I told them they could go ahead and take her for a spin though.  Then I hopped on and illustrated a little of what I could do on her in the arena.  The friend that just came along for the ride perked up and I could see a little interest.  We talked the friend into hopping on even though she was in sneakers.  The horse immediately looked really good.    She hopped off and talked the other gal to take her for a ride.  She watched the horse move.  When her friend dismounted she borrowed her friends boots and my spurs and got back on the mare.  Now, the little paint mare looked amazing and both horse and rider almost seemed to be smiling.   It was beautiful to behold.

Come to find out this woman had been a trainer and she had years of experience in reining. Apparently our little paint did too. They spoke the same language. I told her the horse was hers if she wanted her.  It just felt right.  

She decided to take the mare outside the arena to see her 'issues' and whether or not she thought she could work her through them.  She decided they were workable and that if I didn't mind that she might not keep the mare permanently, she would take her home and see if the paint would be any good as  a team penning horse, as that is her current sport of choice.  I suggested that she give the horse to the teen if it didn't work out in the near future, but after more time if she wanted to sell her it was ok by me.  My wish was that the mare be optimized and cared for properly.

Both horses were loaded up and hauled away and I had the hard task of calling the teen and letting her know.

I'm still missing Molly, the sorrel mare, but I know I will get over it.

I brought the two geldings in from free ranging on the ranch.  The mustang, Buddy and the appy, Will.  Took Bud for a pleasurable ride although he seemed a bit off somehow.  Today, I noticed some cloudiness in his right eye.  The side where he has partial paralysis from an accident as a youngster.  I then noticed a lot of blinking going on.  I then pretended to slap him without actually touching him.  He didn't flinch.  I think he's now blind or at least partially blind.

The vet had originally said that might happen, but that was almost 10 years ago, and I thought he meant in the near future.  Tough luck.

It wouldn't have changed my choice which horses to keep.  Buddy is  my buddy and I'm just hoping that we can work through this change together and that our bond will even grow closer.  I love this crooked faced horse.  I'm a bit sad, but I know... I'll get over it.