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Comment by lesley bruce on September 17, 2008 at 2:33am

Amanda,
Dottie's story just brought a lump to my throat, what a absolute star, what a darlinhg. I'm proud of you both.

Cheers
(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸Lesley¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Comment by Amanda Facchini on September 16, 2008 at 11:08pm

My horse Doc's Dot Face, aka Dottie, and I have worked long and hard at our dreams, and through a rough summer have been able to accomplish our number 1 dream, grasping the title of Ontario Dodge Rodeo 2008 Pole Bending Champion. It was a long and hard summer for both of us. I was just coming out of school, out of shape and so was Dottie. But we worked hard and quickly got into shape for our first real rodeo season. Half way through the season, we were doing great sitting in first overall after 2 rodeos, then the night before our 3rd rodeo, Dottie is kicked in the head, after a few hours with the vet my baby mare comes out with 10 staples in her head, swollen and sore we retire her to her stall for the night for her to get some rest. The next morning (day of the rodeo) we show up at the barn to grab our rope horse and head to the rodeo, Dottie is very quick to realize we are leaving her behind to rest, and just wont settle down. So we decide to bring her along for the ride. Once at the rodeo she is calling out constantly once the rodeo starts, she shows no signs of being sore at all. We tack up and she excitedly gets warmed up for our 3rd pole run of the season. She ran her little heart out, my baby with a sore head, ran like nothing was even there, like the ten staples she had gotten the previous night didn't exist. We placed 2nd by 0.002 seconds. We kept our first place spot and continued to place 1st/2nd for the remained of the season, winning our title as the 2008 Dodge Pole Bending Champions. We were also honored at the last rodeo by receiving both Horse of the Week, and Cowgirl of the week ( http://www.ontariorodeo.com/NEWS.html). I am so proud of my little mare, she is the real athlete, she never lets me down.

Comment by Linda on September 16, 2008 at 6:20pm

Thought of another one.

When Salad was younger I'd a mare that I wanted to cover with him, she was on a different yard (one had no stallion facilities and the other no mare ones) So I decided to hack him over to cover the mare. Arranged his date to be waiting for him wearing a red carnation and carrying a copy of the times (she was a classy bird :-) ) got to the school where she was waiting having been teased thoroughly beforehand, slipped his tack off, and took him in. He was very cautious, and made sure she was very happy with his arrangements before getting on with the job. All over in a manner of seconds (males - all the same lol), helpers walked the mare off and I took him out of the school. Just after we left the school, he stopped, turned and looked at the mare for a long moment, and I swear he said "Thank you beautiful lady" before walking on to be tacked up. Rode him home, and I reckon if that boy could have had a ciggie he'd have asked for a light....

He's the sort of horse thats very expressive, standing at the gate at teatime checking his watch, and asking me if I'm aware what time it is. Take a bananna on the yard - he smells it at 50 paces and will have his head twisted upside down waiting for his dues - the whole thing doesn't so much get eaten as inhaled.

If I don't turn him out first, he turns round and puts his head in the corner of the stable and sulks! I have to go in and get him.

Riverdances well enough to rival Michael Flately with me but he's been ridden by novices and children like a beach donkey, will fly through water jumps, but ask him to put his foot in a puddle???? "Shudder" he might get muddy!

Comment by Linda on September 16, 2008 at 5:56pm

Oops - forgot his piccie!

Comment by Linda on September 16, 2008 at 5:50pm

I've owned Salazar (Salad) for 11 years since he was imported from the former soviet union as a 3yo. Until he was 9 he was entire and a dressage horse, but we got bored with that and Salad became a hunter instead.

The first time I took him out was the Bramham Boxing Day meet just after the ban. We missed the meet but knew they would be stopping at another farm so we cut a corner went to 2nd farm and unloaded. Got on Salad who naturally assumed he was about to do the roundy roundy dressagey bit. 5 mins later there was a howling and yelling, clatter and horns, as hounds and over 120 horses went past (I mean within arms length) at warp speed nine. There was a moments silence then a loud CLAAANNNG!!! as poor Salads jaw hit the floor - this was dressage like he'd never seen before!!!! Face was a picture!

In for a penny in for a pound, we followed gamely, and he was very good until we stopped for a break, wherein Salad decided these horses obviously needed educating in the art of roundy roundy - everyone was standing still - just not cricket you know! He proceeded to canter 20m circles all by himself - backwards! I couldn't stop him so caught a glass of port that some brave soul passed me on the way past and promptly spilled it all down my white stock.

(He has become a wonderful mannerly hunter now btw)

Another time, out with the Readyfield Bloodhounds at Edwinstowe, again there was a field of over 100, having jumped several fences we came to one that had a muddy take ouff. Just as Salad started to jump, his back legs slipped and he came down on top of the post and rail with his fronts, I sailed over the fence and he scrambled backwards. The front half of the field turned right along the fenceline after the jump and carried on, Salad saw this and took off after them along the fence line, I picked myself up while the 50 or so other riders looked on. I saw the tail disappering into the distance, then this little ? appeared above it''s head - "there's something missing!". He slowed to a stop, turned round and looked bemused. I yelled "Salad" at the top of my voice, and bless him, he galloped right back to me. "Wondered where I'd put you!!!"

The watching field all went "awwwww" I'll always remeber that day, love him, he jumped 69 fences and I jumped 70....

Comment by KT on September 16, 2008 at 5:18pm

These are my kiddos, Paris & Al (Paris has the big white blaze, Al is the redder chestnut). They came to me via an organization that takes in unwanted horses. If the horses are fit for her program, she takes them in and re-works them to become safe mounts for less than fortunate, inner-city children.

Al & Paris came to her with a large group of others. I had contacted her, looking for a project, and went out to visit. They were waiting for me in a pasture with a broodmare ... It was love at first sight! They were big buddies, although I was only looking for one, and brought them home a few days later.

When I got them home, I realized the poor condition they were in. They were both covered in rain rot, from head to toe, and looked like they hadn't had groceries in months. Their feet were 6" too long, split and flared out. After a good grooming, it was apparent that Al's rain rot was infected and bubbling in spots ... So his coat, from his neck to his hindquarters, fell out. In February. (Yikes!) Paris wasn't in very good shape, but was 100 times better than Al was.

It took a few months, but I turned them into fat, happy horses. When we started our training schedule, I found out that I was pregnant. Go figure!

Comment by Weezy Lamb on September 16, 2008 at 4:13am

I am not as clever and creative with words as a lot of the tales already posted on here, but they have been a joy to read. I shall certainly work on some tales of my own from my mare Porridge - the under-performing super star that she is!

Comment by Heather on September 15, 2008 at 8:20pm

Oh, I should add a little more of Andy's personality. He can be walking along as calm as an old hack and suddenly see a chair in the distance, that has not moved in days, and half jump, stop in his tracks, and snort away, as if it is the great giant horse eating chair all of his friends have told him about. And of course the horse eating picnic table, and the scary monster wheelbarrow being pushed by the all of a sudden there human. He can see the same thing for days, weeks at a time, but all of a sudden act as if he has never seen it before and it is green with 10 eyes, and about to suck out his brains. Of course once he realizes it is not going to get him, he puts his head down as if to say, "see mom, I told you I would scare it away"

Comment by Sue on September 15, 2008 at 7:48pm

This is Delilah, our Highland pony who, sadly, went over the rainbow bridge a month ago due to complications from Laminitis and Metabolic disease. We called her the Love Pony because she never met a horse, dog, pony, donkey, child that she didn't bond with. She was a nosey nellie, always watching the driveway for the car, the back door for someone coming out of the house, or someone passing through the stable yard, nickering until she got the attention she was looking for. She taught me a valuable lesson about living with a chronic disorder and occasional bouts of hoof pain. She was never short tempered or nasty through any of her Laminitis ordeals and right up until the last days, when her coffin bone sunk to the point of no return, she was sweet, friendly and always there with a nicker or a snuggle. What an amazing lesson she taught our family about living with dignity, kindness and a sweet nature right up til the end. Godspeed, Delilah.

Comment by Heather on September 15, 2008 at 7:47pm

Here is the story of me and Andy. We met in October, 2007, a broken hearted horse person and a broken spirited horse...I had lost my horse of 20+ years, "Taxi", approximately 3 years before I met him, and had basically given up on horses, and never thought I could love one again. For whatever reason, the bug hit me again and I began a quest, very hesitantly, for another horse. I came upon Andy, by a stroke of luck. He was out in a humongous field and his owner knew he didn't like it. His coat was dull, his mane was long, and his eyes were sad and empty. I took him, cautious about what he would become. I have had him for almost a year, and we have both awakened each other. He is only 7, and part TB, so he can act like a youngster and a TB at the same time, with his silly, goofy, attitude. He has gained weight and muscle, his coat is shiny, and the sparkle has come back into his eyes. When I took him to his first horse show, he was nervous, but was great through it all, even getting 3 ribbons. The best part of it all, and the crux of our story, is that he has awakened the part of my horsey heart that I thought was dead. I never though another horse would inspire me as much as Taxi did, yet he is so much like her, and shows me so much love, I have found her equivalent in the living horses. He has the same attitude she had, and acts much the same as she did. He is so loving, and we have a connection that is noticed by everyone. When he gets frightened of things, I pat him and talk him through it, and he responds as if he is totally comforted by me. I noticed on quite a few occasions when riding him that a butterfly would always appear, fluttering around us. He has cocked his head to the butterfly, as it hovers over his ears and around me. I've been told that nobody else at the barn ever sees this butterfly unless I am riding Andy. It is my belief that this butterfly is my old horse Taxi, comforting me and guiding both of us, and letting us know that we will both be great together, and that we were meant to be. One of my favorite pics is to the left, but my other favorite of him is above.

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