Stray horses??
@CritterKeeper (519)
United States
April 5, 2007 4:22pm CST
Well I just had a very interesting experience! I let my dogs out and settled down to look through the site here when all of a sudden they went crazy barking and someone was yelling at them. I ran out ready to tear into someone and it was my neighbor leading a young paint horse with only one eye! My neighbor is a great guy but has severe PTSD so he stays drunk as a skunk 24/7s and doesn't know a darn thing about animals! What with my dogs barking and him choking up on the horse's halter so tightly, jerking him around, yelling, and slapping at him, the poor thing was in a panic!
But there was another horse loose so I left to try to get him. I was walking along after him talking soothingly and almost had him when someone's well intended attempt to run him down in their car made him run off. I lost him so went back to the paint.
He was still in a panic and trying to bolt, my neighbor was really in danger and didn't realize it! I tried to take him but my neighbor was all furious yelling "no, I called the cops and they said to just let him go! I want animal control to come get him and get rid of him!" NO!!! I'm usually a VERY mild mannered person but I couldn't see the horse hurt so I snatched the lead from him just as the police showed up. He said the owners were on the way so I walked the horse over to a large field near the entrance to our park.
I had to circle him over and over in his panic until he walked it off a bit. Slowly he calmed down except for repeatedly looking up from munching grass to call for the other horse.
I was so glad I was in a position to help! These two horses were rescues that this lady took out of bad situations. She's got a good fence but some jerks have been taking down sections of her fence to ride dirt bikes on her property! They found the other horse while we were waiting on the trailer, everyone got home safe and sound, I got the chance to work with a horse again (I was in serious horse withdrawal!!), and she invited us to come see the horses anytime! Until we get our house built and fence off our 24 acres for a few horses of our own playing with someone else's will be a real treat!!!
4 people like this
6 responses
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
9 Apr 07
Thanks :) She did seem grateful and to be a very nice lady from our talk while waiting on the trailer. I didn't tell them that I got a little kick on the elbow when I was bringing him over to the grass at first. I didn't know if the owners would get in trouble for that, it wasn't bad (just a bruise and soreness), I've been kicked before so it's just a hazard of working with horses, and I understood that the poor thing wasn't being mean. He was just so panicked and didn't have the freedom to really run it all out! A horses instinct when it's afraid is to RUN unless cornered then fight free so they can RUN! LOL They aren't real good at holding it in. I was really pleased to see that letting him circle around and around in an open space without me pressing to get closer to him than the end of the lead calmed him down nicely. He's a sweet horse that just got pushed too far.
1 person likes this
@raydene (9871)
• United States
8 Apr 07
It sounds like those poor horses were lucky you were there.Horses like that have trust issues anyway and to have someone yelling and slapping at them...they probably thought they were back at their abusive owner's again...I'm in upstate NY .I have 6 horses..1 is 2 weeks old today...His name is Sable Hill Sunrise and we call him Sun.
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
8 Apr 07
Ooohhh what a little beauty!! I've been horse crazy all my life so while I'd never want to see a horse loose and in danger like that it was really pretty nice for me too to spend some time with one again.
1 person likes this
@raydene (9871)
• United States
8 Apr 07
Wish you lived closer..I'd be more then happy to share mine..Sun is so special..2 weeks old but will come running to me when I call to him..He is really a sweetheart..Below I have some of my horses on these sites...
http://public.fotki.com/labatore/silk_and_baby/
http://public.fotki.com/labatore/sheilana_and_jazzy
http://public.fotki.com/labatore/horse-pics/
http://public.fotki.com/labatore/sables-new-baby-boy/
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
9 Apr 07
Oh they're so lovely! I'm very jealous now LOL I'm all the way down in Tx. No chance at all for a daily drive up to visit your wonderful babies but the offer was so sweet!
@AmbiePam (120692)
• United States
10 Apr 07
Kudos to you for not hurting your drunk neighbor who was hurting the horse! I have a hard time keeping my calm when I see animals mistreated, even unintentionally. That's really great though, you can see those horses again. And hopefully that lady can put up some sort of shock fence that only shocks people trying to take it down! : )
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
11 Apr 07
LOL Oooohh it was tempting but I also knew that he was well intended, just ignorant, and it would've gone in one ear and out the other so I wouldn't waste my breath. With all his problems he's really a nice guy but knows jack all about animals and thinks he knows more than he does, a really dangerous combination. I ran my own rescue for many years and got very used to keeping what I really thought of some of those monsters in my head while smiling so that I could take the poor animal in to help it.
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
5 Apr 07
Good for you! And you get the reward of visiting some horses while you wait for your own.
Our horse used to sneak out of sections of our fence to go visit the neighbour's quarter horses and the first few times we'd be in a panic wondering where he'd disappeared to. Thankfully, since they were breeders, they knew how to handle a young gelding, so they would usually grab him and bring him home..
I'm happy it was them and not some of the other neighbours who'd be more likely to play target practice on a horse than bring him home.
@magicalmerlin (1623)
•
9 Apr 07
Wow, I was worried at the start of the tale about how it was going to end. It was like a fairy story ... and they all lived happily ever after. You must be busy with so many horses and dogs to look after. Thank you for sharing with us. I love to go horse riding but cannot afford my own.
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
9 Apr 07
I am very blessed to be able to retire at age 36 and have a retired fiance to help so I can keep up with all my critters!! We can't afford our own quite yet either but it's a lifelong dream of mine and it's just aaaaallllmost in reach now!
And as a horse addict who had to wait so long to realize this dream of owning horses I do so solemnly swear that I will help others less fortunate who love horses to spend some time with these magnificent animals!!! LOL
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
10 Apr 07
Thank goodness you were there to step in. I used to have horses down in Texas too. I am now in PA. My mom and dad rescued a dog in a way..... A German Shorthair, bird dog, showed up at their place, had a terrible place on his neck, tail tucked under and very timid. He had obviously gotten away from whoever was treating him badly. Mom talked to him daily and feed him, and he finally started to trust them. He is still with them today, 4 yrs now, and he's been a great companion to them. He has 14 acres to run and chase rabbits on, and his neck has improved greatly. I'm like you... I can't or won't just stand by and watch someone abuse an animal of any kind. What you did was wonderful.
@CritterKeeper (519)
• United States
11 Apr 07
Sounds like they did a wonderful job with the dog!! I've found that that's key, be available but let the animal work up the nerve to come to you. Non-animal lovers just don't believe it but rescued animals seem to have some kind of special sense that you saved them. I've seen many of them turn out to be the best pets ever.
