Well it's been a while since I last visited here and what a time we've had.
My brother-in-law Steve succumbed to the cancer on April 14, 2008. My sister along with my husband and I were there by his bedside during the last few hours of his life. It all ended too suddenly. We are still in shock and grief.
Don and I sang about 20 songs at Steve's memorial service on April 19th. We both held up pretty well but I lost it while singing "A Picture of Me Without You" which I had dedicated to my sister and Don lost it while singing "Go Rest High Up On That Mountain" which was requested by Steve's family.
So now here we are 5 weeks later and life goes on but not without it's many struggles......
Three weeks ago our 7 year old German Shepherd named Scooter was diagnosed with Perianal Fistuals... a really nasty disease. She's been on steroids and anti-biotics since the original diagnosis was made and yesterday her vet decided to put her on Cyclosporin is a fungal peptide ... a pretty expensive drug that will hopefully give us some quality time with her. The prognosis is very grim!
And I still have my 5 horses, who are eating me out of house and home!! My husband reminded me that I could have a pretty nice car or truck for what it's costing me to care for these 5 horses. A minimum of $500.00 a month for hay... and God forbid if one of them gets sick.
I would like to build a barn... but I can barely afford the hay let alone build a barn too! And now summer is upon us and I need shelter for them so they can get some escape from the heat. Don and I did construct a metal double carport that provides shade for Spook and Ebony.
I visited a Thoroughbred race horse farm not far from me. She has 5 of her own horses and another dozen that she is boarding. She has a beautiful stallion and the rest are brood mares. She loves horse racing, while I, on the other hand do not like horse racing one single bit!
She and I had a friendly disagreement about the pros and cons of racing. For her it's the thrill of seeing your horse win and the money that comes along with that. For me, it's the heartbreak of seeing what happens when a horse goes down or is injured and considered a throwaway and/or unwanted by many.
I'm out here in "cowboy" country where the only animal that is considered a "real horse" is an American Quarter Horse. Well I understand that but keep in mind, I am only about 30 miles away from Prescott Downs... a new state of the art horse racing facility! So herein lies the dilema. I haven't met anyone who wants any of my Thoroughbreds for a pleasure horse. I've been told I'll be lucky if anyone would want one for free and the only breeding opportunity would be if a Paint Horse breeder wants a Thoroughbred mare to pair up with her Paint Stallion.
My newly acquainted Thoroughbred friend suggested that I breed my mares with her stallion (beginning in February 2009) and sell the foals as potential race horses... well of course that is not an answer in my book! Gee do all Thoroughbreds have to be race horses?
I did see that Big Brown won the Preakness (in front of over 100,000 adoring fans) ... making him a contender for the Triple Crown title. If I only had a nickle from each ones of those adoring fans, I wouldn't have to worry so much about being a real "rescue" business. But while these fans love to win, I wonder how many of them give one hoot about what happens to those horses that don't win?
Check out what they say is being done to some race horses in Puerto Rico:
Losing racehorses killed in Puerto Rico
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0518racehorses0518.html
How can this be happening????????
I guess there are a lot of people in this old world who don't carry that "horse loving gene" (as my husband calls it! Though I don't really think he'd kill any of our horses cause he couldn't feed them) I've heard that some folks are just turning their horses loose to fend for themselves on the open range. That has to be very difficult for domesticated horses!
Well I guess I've blooviated enough, so I'll end for now. But I would like to thank everyone for their recent comments and love and support for me and my family! The prayers are appreciated and if you've got an extra nickle or two.. could you send it my way?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Theresa
I found your blog via Rising Rainbow MiKaels Mania and thoought I would come take a look see. This is a subject very close to my heart at the moment. We or shuld I say my husband has been breeding horses for the pleasure alll his life and I came into it 7 years ago. I have loved horses all my life but never had one of my own.
The first few years we kept breeding hoping that the market would improve which it hasnt and now I have bred none, one maybe two mares in the past 3 years because I have 18 horses, my husband would have sent them to the local sales but my first experience at a horse sale left an indellible mark on my conscience that has become a bit of a compulsion really.
As you delve into this especially what goes on with the horses transported to Mexico now that the slaughter houses have been closed you will be horrified at what you find. The way they are treated, transported, butchered and used in cruel "sports" for entertainment.
I applaud you on taking on your 5, I can only offer one suggestion, Shredded Beet Pulp which is dried and you just add hot water and soak it before you feed it with their grain ration, it is high in fibre and calories and at the moment here in Indiana costs $10.99 (a month ago it was #8.99) for a 40lb bag. This may help you cut your feed costs. If I didnt have so many of my own I would gladly try to help financially but I am in a far bigger hole than you are and struggling to survive so that my horses dont suffer the consequences of man's cruel ways.
I could go on all day on this subject LOL but just wanted to check your site out, I am sorry for all your family problems recently and am glad you are getting back to normality. Please feel free to check out my blogs, I have 3 they are listed in my profile I would love to hear from you.
Lori Schmidt
I'm sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. That cancer is bad stuff. I will continue to pray for your family as you work through your healing. I know what a rough time it can be.
As for racing I love to watch the great horses run but I would never want to be in that business. And the people who do that are like those anywhere else, there are good ones and bad ones. It's unfortunate that is how life goes whether we want it to or not.
We cannot make those people be better people or take better care and love their horses as much as we would like to. Those of us who love horses can't figure those people out, nor they us. I don't know what the answer is.
Hi and thanks for taking time to visit my blog and leave your comments. I appreciate the commardarie from two other women who appreciate and understand what I am going through.
I can't imagine having more than 5 horses... it's so expensive to feed them because I do feed quality hay and grain. I have not found beet pulp here at our local feed store. (we're in a small rural town and I asked them to find some for me... so we'll see if they do or not)
Best wishes to both of you with your horses too. Thanks again for your thoughts and heartfelt prayers.
It's nice to know that there are other people who feel the way I do too. Horse ownership is a passion that is hard to describe to those around us who just see the expense and don't realize the joy. Each one of the horses in my life is special to me in one way or another.
Post a Comment