SUBSCRIBE TODAY Smiley face  Get updates via email! 




We Are Flying Solo

October 10, 2021

We Hit A Dead End

 A few weeks ago, with a heavy heart, I took Echo to his new home.  

His foot just wasn't getting better.  When he first started having problems, I said I'd give him a year, trying to give myself some boundaries since I don't have unlimited resources.  I gave him a year & then I gave him more time after that.  The vet & farrier & I poked & prodded & tweaked & tried, but there didn't seem to be any real progress.  I found myself, emotionally & financially exhausted, at a crossroads.

I'll miss this face
There wasn't much more we could see down in that foot without doing an MRI, which was well beyond what I was financially capable of & even if I did it anyway, there were no guarantees it would even offer any information we could do anything about.  Echo wasn't comfortable doing work, but he didn't have any problems enjoying himself in the pasture.  He'd take a wonky step or two on a hard spot, but otherwise was perfectly happy to play with his friend, canter in for meals, & be his bright-eyed, goofy self.    

So after much agonizing over the spring & summer & finally admitting that denial wasn't going to magically become productive, I decided to try to find him a new place where he could just be himself & do what he was best at:  making friends & looking decorative.  He'd turned out to be a really good companion horse:  he submitted to authority, he didn't have an aggressive bone in his body, he loved to play so would be good to keep a senior horse active, & he loved human attention & was pretty easy to handle on the ground.  

I put my nose to the ground, in search of the right person, while making sure I was clear on what he needed & what his limitations were.  If I was unsuccessful, I'd have to re-examine my options, but it was worth a shot.  It took time, but we finally met a wonderful person who is exactly right for the Baby Monster.  He is living his best life with another TB-lover who adores his ridiculous personality & her older mare, who was going to lose her aged companion, is enamored with this flashy new boy-toy.

I feel so grateful & fortunate to have found a place where I know he will be safe & loved.  But this gratitude coexists with the inevitable sadness & my own frustration that my time with Echo ended this way.  Apparently, sometimes these foot injuries just don't resolve cleanly no matter what you do & it's difficult to predict when that will be the case.  I'm sure his physiology didn't necessarily do him a favor & I learned that I won't buy a small-footed horse again -- sometimes they do fine, but not this time.  It's just a bit gutting after working so hard.

It is possible that eventually, Echo's body will find a new equilibrium & heal or compensate successfully.  I hope that's the case for him, but even if it isn't, his new mom will still take great care of him.  If he does come riding sound, she got the horse bargain of a lifetime.  I had intended to sell him anyway once I'd realized he wasn't quite the right fit for me.  I certainly learned that one should immediately sell a horse upon discovering this & not wait for them to hurt themselves & lose all value.  Hindsight...

I do get some consolation in knowing that I improved Echo substantially.  I taught him to be a good farm horse, so you can throw blankets on him, handle him easily, do weird human things around him.  He definitely has a lot more skills under saddle.  His body condition finally blossomed - he grew to be a lovely horse, filling out his body, with a shiny, dapple-y coat, & I was finally able to reduce his feed a bit from "infinite."  I worked out the huge, deep knots in his hips & got his SI back where it belonged.  His back feet looked pretty darn good & even his mismatched fronts were vastly better than where they started.  All that took a very long time, but it's not nothing. 

Looking damn good this past June

Now it's time to try & look forward.  It's hard to do in my demographic of "fiscally challenged," but I'm keeping my ears open for a cheap, kind (sound, with proper feet!) gelding who is probably green but is looking for a good life.  Solo has the temporary company of our borrowed neighbour gelding, Gabe, but I  know he will be happy when he can be the boss again.  I'm trying not to get too frustrated with the crazy horse market right now, telling my stir-crazy brain to try & be patient while I find the project it desperately needs.  

Life would be easier if I could just care about something like knitting.  Doesn't make nearly as interesting stories though...    

14 comments:

  1. I know you've always done the very best you could for for Echo. Doing the right thing can be so painful sometimes. Hoping the stars align for finding Solo's next bud. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Intellectually I know we can't succeed at everything, but emotionally...failure still sucks.

      Delete
  2. Knitting really is MUCH less interesting. Though less of a rollercoaster, too. Good for you for finding Echo just the right place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Knitters just seem so content -- and if your yarn breaks, you just tie it back together! Curse my silly brain!

      Delete
  3. I am sorry that it didn’t work out. You did well with him and he’s going to have a good life because of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for these kind words, they mean a lot. He definitely is already getting spoiled rotten.

      Delete
  4. Ah, what a difficult situation. I can see how much time and thought you put into rehoming Echo. It sets a good example for other equestrians who find themselves in similar situations. Thank you for sharing your story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for that. It took me a long time to get it posted because it just takes me a while to process big things (ok, and little things). But I did want to share that it is possible to find good companion homes, as I think that gets stigmatized sometimes. To me, it seemed logical that companions don't last forever & horses don't usually have the courtesy to all perish at the same time, so people need replacement companions & bonus if they can know it won't beat up their existing horse or be hard to handle. It IS possible, but it's not quick. I wasn't going to just chuck him at the auction house around the corner & have some poor soul try to trail ride him after he hasn't done anything for 1.5 years, that's not a win for anyone.

      Delete
  5. i'm so sorry :( he's lucky to have had you tho, and esp lucky for your dedication to finding him a soft landing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, emma. I wish I could have gotten him better, but it helps that I think he has found his person.

      Delete
  6. I'm sorry about Echo. You did right by him.

    On a loosely related note, I took up knitting when expecting my third child and caring for my fully retired heart horse. Turns out knitting has its challenges and nuances, just like riding. It can be quite satisfying, if you are the tactile sort. Unfortunately, the knitting doesn't respond or connect or look into your dreaming eyes, so its a temporary amusement for those of us enamored by the horse.

    Good luck on your search.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Val. My mom did teach me to knit when I was a kid (and she is an excellent crochet-er). I made a scarf. Uh, for a mouse. Because I could not maintain interest after it was about 2" long, LOL. My brain just doesn't allow it. But I have great appreciation for the folks I know who are good at it, it is definitely a very serious skill!

      Delete
  7. I'm sorry that it ended this way, but I'm glad you found a good place for Echo and I hope you find your next partner soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Hoping for some luck as race meets are winding down & hay purchases are underway....

      Delete