Just Pictures

Willow is doing fine. Here are some new pictures.

A Ride on Willow

Today I rode Willow...sort of. I wanted to see how she was to tack up. I had to hunt up a snaffle, put together a headstall and add reins. I haven't rode in a few years. I dug out my hunt seat saddle and dusted it off. I don't ride hunt seat but I am lazy and they are light and easy to put on.

It was very easy to saddle and bridle Willow. She just stood there for the saddle and put her head down for the bridle. I walked her around and decided to get on her. So I led her to the picnic table
and hopped on!

We just wondered around the yard for a few minutes then I got off. She neck reins so next time I will pull out the western saddle and curb bit and see what she knows. It was a lot of fun.

Michelle

Willow at One Month

It has been one month since I brought Willow home. She is a wonderful mare. She is gaining weight and has a wonderful personality.

Sometimes she is kind of touchy about her head but if you just take it slow she will let you wash, clip, etc. without a fight.

Pixie and her like to make ugly faces at each other. For the most part they get along fine. Willow is kind of bossy and likes to move Pixie around. That's good for Pixie, she is too fat.

Willow doesn't go anywhere slow. Gallops out to the pasture, trots to get fed, runs to get out of the heat. She is one speedy mare. hehe

Michelle

Willow's First Trim

Willow had her hooves trimmed today. She was very good. Willow is an ears forward, take everything in stride kind of girl. Even at 28 she is very flexible and shows no sign of stiffness.
In the pasture she runs and bucks like she is half her age. Decorum(blogger id), my barefoot trimmer, says she has good feet but it will take a few trims to get them in shape. I should mention that she has been my trimmer for over 12 years and I just love her. If she ever retires I will have to rehome my horses, lol. Here are some before and after pictures.

Michelle

Willow's Float

Willow had her teeth floated today. They were in pretty bad shape. She has three bottom teeth missing on the left side and one missing on the right side. She was very well behaved for the vet. I don't like it when they have to sedate them. Watching her trying to keep her balance was hard.

After she perked up, I went out to feed her and Pixie. It is like the middle of winter here tonight, stormy. So I just threw hay to Pixie in her stall and fed Willow just outside her stall. Willow ate all of her food then chased Pixie out and ate her hay. I guess her teeth are working fine.

Frogs and Horses

No float for Willow yesterday. The vet had an emergency so it was postponed until next week.
On the lighter side my 3 year old grandson thinks I should get frogs for the horses. He said frogs eat bugs and flies. The ultimate in green horse care. lol

Michelle

Not much happening with Willow. She is gaining weight nicely. Tomorrow the vet
comes for a check up and to have her teeth floated. Will post details after the visit.

Michelle

Who Willow is

I finally got around to clipping Willow's freeze mark to see if it would make it more legible and it did. I could now read the symbols quite well. I went to this page then logged on to Arabian Horse DataSource and found her quite easily.

She is Khejora-AHA 206572, a 1980 edition by Jora Honey Ku++ out of Khelala. Yes, she is 28 years old. Willow (I am going to keep calling her that) was never really transferred out of her breeders name. It appears her breeders had alot of horses in the late 70's and 80's, they were based in Virginia. In 1989 she was transferred into the women's name and they ended up in Issaquah, WA., that's where the trail ends.

I think she was just part of the fall out of the 80's tax shelter scam.

I wish I could find out more about her. Willow is a very nice girl. I she is well trained, she clipped without any problems and she has wonderful ground manners. What happened between 1989 and now is any ones guess.

She has an unusual injury to her right hind hoof and pastern, that looks like it took time and effort to heal.

I have a theory on how is ended up at the feed lot. Willow has a callous on her withers. I think maybe she was left in a blanket all winter, no one bothered to check her. Maybe they didn't notice she wasn't eating right or maybe they just didn't care. Anyway, when they did take her blanket off and she was so thin they probably decided not to spend any money on a 28 year old horse. They hauled her to an auction.

Had I known Willow was 28 I may not have got her, but I am very glad I did. She is a gem.

(if you click on the pictures they will enlarge so you can see the marks more clearly)

Michelle

Feeding Willow

Feeding Willow is a full time job. She gets fed 3 lbs of orchard/timothy pellets and about 2/3 lb beet pulp 6 times a day. Every 3 hours. It takes her 45 mins to finish this. I moisten the pellets and soak the beet pulp then spritz it with molasses very diluted with water. She also gets vitamins and a pro biotic. She gobbles this mixture right up. As soon as she hears me scooping pellets she is in her feeding spot, dancing around.

I really like the Mid Valley Milling pellets, they are kind of soft, but the feed store was out of them until late August. The other feed store doesn't carry them so I am using Standlee Hay Pellets. They are working ok.

Willow will be getting her teeth floated next Wednesday, I hope it will make a difference. She cannot eat grass or hay. It just falls out of her mouth.

Tomorrow I have to work. Luckily I work across the road from where I live. I will be able to keep Willow on her feeding schedule and get lots of exercise running back and forth.

Michelle

Bringing Willow Home

My Friend, Karla, and I left town Friday afternoon and drove 7 hours to SOS Equines to pick up Willow. We got lost on the way but with Shawna's help we finally got there. It was great to me her, Lucky, and all the horses. I am in awe of Shawna, I don't know how she does everything. I think she needs about 10 of herself.

We left early Saturday morning and arrived home around 3. Willow loaded and hauled great. Every time we checked on her she was looking at us with her ears up. She hopped off the trailer and announced her presence to the world.

Willow met Pixie with no drama and settled in like she has lived here all her life.

I think she will do fine here.

Michelle

Firsts

Saturday, Willow's first roll in big pasture.
Sunday, Willow nickers at me.
Tuesday, Willow's first nice formed poop since she got here.(Only a horse person would know how exciting that was. lol)
Tuesday, Willow is now the boss of Pixie.
Wednesday, Willow runs and bucks in the big pasture.

Michelle

Finding Willow

One evening I was browsing through local rescue sites and came across SOS Equines.
On their website was an Arabian mare that caught my eye. I wasn't looking for another horse, I really wanted a pony for the grand kids. I couldn't stop looking at her so I filled out the application and sent it in. The next morning I took pictures and sent them in. Emails flew back and forth. That evening I was Willows new owner.

She came off a feedlot so had to be in QT for 21 days. I was beside myself with excitement, I could hardly wait for her to come home. This was something I wanted to do for a long time. I limit myself to 2 horses and our gelding died 18 months earlier. Besides Pixie was lonely and needed a companion.

I must admit though having 1 horse was alot easier to take care of. Alot less expensive and time consuming. Oh well, I think I am crazy at times.

Anyway the purpose of this blog is to chronicle Willow's return to health. I have never done this before, it will be interesting.

Michelle