I think I may have posted our story before but I love telling it so not sure if I have or not. When I was 15 my dream was to go to Texas A&M and graduate as an Equine Veterinarian. So when my aunt, who worked as a Vet Tech for a very well known clinic, Waller Equine, who works closely with A&M; offered me the chance to tutor there I was ecstatic! I spent every moment I had learning first to do the basics, cleaning wounds, wrapping hurt legs...the grunt work as well. As I was there longer, I was allowed more privileges, watching tests, assisting in surgeries, getting IVs started. I learned so much for being that young. One day, while I was at school, a chestnut QH gelding was brought in. His story was quite shady, but the problem was he had an eye that was severely damaged. Probably from a fence post...one of our vets instructed them that in order to stop the infection and give this horse the best life possible, the eye needed to be removed. Well, they had it in their mind that a horse without an eye was no good and requested the horse be destroyed. Our vets refused. They gave them the option of signing him over to the clinic where he would become their responsibility or take the horse somewhere else. They, thankfully, decided to sign him over. When I came back to the clinic I met this now one eyed boy. He was handsome and seemed very much a ham! I cared for him as i would any other. My aunt, is a Halter horse breeder, and one particular evening she asked me to go to the front, a horse was being delivered. This wasnt unusual as horses came in and out quite frequently. As a trailer parked in front, I opened the door and to my surprise, saw the one eyed gelding. I turned around as my aunt said Happy Birthday? I stared at her and blinked. My birthday wasnt for another 3 months...she explained that she had paid the surgery fee and that he was a gift. She had contacted the previous owners who had signed his AQHA papers over. He was all mine. I cried...this horse represented so much. All of the horses I had helped nurse to health, all of the ones that never pulled through those rough nights, and all of the broken hearted little girls who had been handed the news that their old pony wouldnt go home again. So our journey began. I spent the entire night in the stall with him, trying to decide on the perfect name...Dakota was what I came up with, but a friend he would be. So we spent the next couple years together. Getting into trouble for riding too far, getting yelled out by our instructor for numerous things, and most usually random run aways from scary things on the blind side. Then as my senior year of high school was nearing my mother announced that we were moving out of state and the horses couldnt come. I had to sell my friend. I chose a neighbor of my aunt to sell him to. Someone who would be close where she could keep tab on him. She told me if they ever needed to sell him, I would be the first call. Years went by and Dakota spent his days with Heidi. They cared for him and kept him healthy which was all I could hope for. Then it finally came...the day I got the call. Summer of 2013...I was 21. Heidi called and said she needed to sell the horses and would sell Dakota back for $100. Obviously, I said YES! So arrangements began. It would be a couple months before I could have him shipped to Missouri, so he was sent to a friend to be cared for in the meantime. When the time came for him to come, I was so elated. I couldnt believe my friend was coming home. When he stepped off the trailer, my heart broke for him. He was all bone, had some sort of rotten infection, he smelled like death. I walked him to the pasture and let him go for the night as it was late. The next morning I got a better look. This horse was not the bright eyed (bright eye) horse I remembered. I immediately set in on operation restore the pony. 3 months in he was becoming my boy again. Now, one year later, we are back to the incredible pair we were. Both a little older (he is now 11) and both a little less goofy. But he is my soulmate. Our journey was long and windy, but he is home again. And home he will stay
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 21:22:25 +0000
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