The winter solstice is near but some of the days are still clear and cool and just right for a run in the open field. Yesterday when the photo was taken, Bonnie Blue felt so good she could not resist the urge to run, kick and buck in the cool wind in the hay field.

The last few days Bonnie Blue has been testing the social order of the creatures here at the farm. Without question she is above all of the dogs and cats and she chases them around at will. She also has been testing the humans. So far, the humans have held their ground and refuse to be scared off by her running near them on occasions. In fact they  stood their ground and even make horse frighting gestures. But a horse has to check occasionally just to make sure she is not missing a chance to be the leader of the farm herd.

At now almost five months after she came to live with us, it is hard to believe the wonderful recovery she has made in both body and spirit. She continues to be a blessing to us every day.

At just over four (4) months after Bonnie Blue came to share her life with us she hardly resembles the horse she was when she first came here. The bones that were so pronounced are now all covered with beautiful coat and flesh. Her spirit is good and some times a bit sassy. She seems to know that she is safe and loved here and even the dogs do not seem to concern her anymore. She moves as she pleases between her stall and paddock near the house and her orchard / pasture a few hundred feet to the east.

This past week George Lupper the farrier and Vernell Falgout the trainer both came to she her. Her hooves are in good condition and all of the small cracks have grown out and been trimmed away. Both noted that she had filled out nicely and was at or rapidly approaching ideal weight. Bonnie Blue may be facing a new reduced diet after the holidays with the rest of the family. We have just completed her transfer from the "Senior" feed to "Safe Choice" standard feed this past week. For now she is still enjoying a bowl of alfalfa twice a day and two (2) cups of feed twice a day. I am sure you know that we would never spoil her, but she does get several carrots each day and an occasional corn muffin.

                                          Bonnie Blue 4 months after Adoption.

Bonnie Blue has been and continues to be a source of joy and wonder to us every day. She is a wonderful sentient creature. She may lack some of the function of the human brain and will never write her own blog, but she still posses a wonder spirit and communicates her sense of curiosity, trust, loyalty, joy, fear and so many more feeling common to all of us mammals. I have had many dogs, cats and other animals close to me in my life, but none have I developed such a caring relationship for so quickly as with this wonderful Bonnie Blue horse. There is no way to know what the future hold far any of us, but I am thankful every day for the opportunity that I have had to work with this magnificent creature. She is a joy and a delight.

This should be titled Bonnie Blue acts out.  Yesterday Robin took her across to the pasture.  She was perfect - no pulling -no moving to fast -did not have to turn around once.

After we got to the pasture Robin as I started to walk.  Bonnie looked up and saw us and started running toward me. She has done this before but always stops about 10 or 15 yards before me. I turned away just in time.  Playing Chicken with a 800 pound horse ain't my kind of fun.

Today,  we had high hopes of having a picnic in the pasture.  Robin packed a backpack of coffee, cookies and a blanket to set on. If I say she acted like a fool I would not be exaggerating. She slung her head back and forth. Tried to rear up and bucked.  Robin turned her around about 5 times and  as punishment we decided to take her  back to the stall. After she went through the gate to the paddock and the orchard. Robin unhooked her and she cut up again.  Would run off bucking and kicking and turn around and charge me. She did this about 3 times and each time I would yell and wave her off.

Having totally ruined our picnic, we decided to recoup and go sit under the pecan trees and try to drink our coffee and cookies. She came over like, "What are you doing?"  Acting as though she wasn't the reason we failed to have a nice picnic in the pasture. Finally we gave up and came in the house. Being good was just not in her game plan.

Bonnie gets a C- for her lessons today.  Maybe she can bring her average up with good behavior.
  . 
We will have to talk to Vernell when she comes in on Wednesday.

This article should be titled Bonnie Blue Cuts Loose.  For the past month Robin has been walking Bonnie across a neighbor's field and across the road to take  to our pasture (hay field) which is has about 30 acres of mainly Byhalia grass with some winter Rye starting.  After she figured out that there was  fresh Rye grass to nibble  and several rolls of hay upon which she could rub and scratch herself, she became  anxious to get there. Time out for some training on her parlor tricks.  When she would try to trot or kick we would stop and turn her around.  Well that's not fun.  Eventually she became better at walking with the humans. After all seems you couldn't get where you wanted to go without their corporation.  Last week we decided to take her to the pasture and allow her to see me close the gate which is the only real barrier to her running off, then unhook the lead.

At that time Robin unhook the lead.  Bonnie hesitated for a moment like she was saying,"Really?" and then took off in a gallop, shaking that head and kicking up her hind legs.  She ran for about 50 yard, stopped, turned and looked at us and then took off running again with her tail out straight behind her and the mane flying in the wind. She then stopped and started to eat grass. We were so happy with the first stage of our experience, but now we knew we would have to catch her at some point.  She grazed for about an hour moving farther and farther  away from the gate. Robin and I would take turns approaching her while she was eating  and giving her a rub. When we were ready to go Robin just went up to her and hooked up the lead   she walked her back to stall as thought she had been doing this forever. No drama for the Drama Queen .

Last Sunday our church had it's annual Seder Thanksgiving Service.  We use the Jewish style of Seder but adopt it to our Unitarian Universalist principles.  We have a ceremony where we recognized that Native American were displaced by us and then the many peoples who have struggled for freedom. Our church have also partnered with New Medina, a Muslin community near us. They came and took part in the service. Anyway, it's a big deal with lots of food and lots of clean up. Robin stayed behind to help clean up the kitchen and I went home. I'm sitting in a chair by the window and see this car drive by and go around by the stalls.  I got up to investigate and discovered it was a friend from the church, Mary Brooks and three of her friends.  When Mary Brooks saw me she said, "Robin told us we could come see the horse".  I replied, "I'll go gets some carrots." When Bonnie Blue, aka Drama Queen, saw that she had admirers she put on a show.  She walked out of her stall and allowed them to admire her and rub her soft winter coat share a few horse kisses. After the carrots were gone they said their goodbyes and went on their merry way. Bonnie Blue is so sweet and loving even with strangers.

I started this blog because my daughter, Santha, and dear friend, Carolyn Haines made me, but I am humbled by you who read it and take the journey with us.  I must confess I never thought that Bonnie Blue would survive let alone thrive. It has only been about four months since she came to live with us and she has gained over 160 pounds and is healthy in body and spirit.  If you look at her first picture and her picture now it is nothing short of a miracle. We have been so blessed by her presents here with us. She is a joy and delight every day.

Bonnie Blue seems to have figured out that she has a permanent home here with us. That being the case, she has advanced her training of us humans to the next level beyond the basic "get my feed on time" to "bonding".  We start the day with visiting, grooming and a discussion of the plan of the day. The plan often includes working on the lead, walking and grazing. By working together often we all get to know each other better and gain experience and confidence. Both horse and human seem to enjoy this bonding time.

It is turning cold here in Mississippi in the morning but warms up during the day.  Bonnie Blue is donning her winter coat and looking rather shaggy chic if I say so myself.

Vernell, the trainer, came this last Wednesday and worked with her right leg  training her muscles to  correctly walk.  She has improved greatly in her gait and hardly ever paddles when she walks now.  The exercise we work with her is a maze that teaches her to shift her weight when she has to make tight corners.  The gives her more body control.  We also threw down planks at random making her step through the open spaces. This helps her learn where to place her feet around  and through obstacles.

Robin says that she is 20 pounds to sassy.  She now shakes her head and runs to the paddock for the sheer pleasure of the run.  Sometimes she is running so fast that she misses the gate and has to come to a skidding stop.

I went to Virginia last week and was gone a week.  When I got home I walked out to the paddock and called her. She saw me and came up to give and get kisses.

Bonnie Blue has been in our family for less than four months and we can't believe what she has done for us. Robin calls her a big ole love muffin.

The Fall has been mild here in south Mississippi and the summer grass has remained green through early November.  Bonnie Blue continues to enjoy the fresh grass in the pasture.

Bonnie Blue at 3 months after adoption looks good with the winter coat starting to grow.
Her color is a bit darker and the cool days and additional weight seems to have help increase her spirit to near the sassy level. Her estimated weight is now 790 lbs, up almost 150 lbs from where she started.

Bonnie Blue is continuing to gain weight and apparently the monsters in the pecan orchard have been tamed. She goes out at night and when we are not here she will go out during the day.  If we are home she will stay in her paddock and wait on carrots or rubs.

Two weeks ago we started working with Vernell Falgout, an equestrian trainer from South Mississippi University. She has been a Godsend.  She is teaching us to work with Bonnie Blue using the Tellington Ttouch Training method. We have only been working with Bonnie Blue  about a week and a half but she is responding well.  If anyone is interested there is a website.

She is putting on her winter coat and is beginning to look fuzzy starting on the face and moving to the belly.  Falgout suggested we get her a blanket for the winter.  She said that she was so far down in weight that she might need the extra warmth.  Of course it has to be royal blue.

We have a pasture across the road from the orchard and we have begun to take her across the road to graze since the hay was recently cut.  We have about 40 round bales of hay and her favorite thing to do is go scratch her face, butt and side on those round bales. She get hay on her face and all over her.  Robin took her to the pasture Sunday and after the scratching and grazing she pooped  and peed ed in the road before coming across the street.

Robin has started our winter garden and it happen to be next to the paddock. He was plowing up rows today and Bonnie Blue left the paddock to inspect the garden's progress.  Robin tells her he is busy and has to time for face rubs. She leaves and comes back two more times.  The last time her knees buckle and down she goes in the dirt.  Rolling over and kicking her heel up in the air. This horse has come so far with food and love that we are amazed and find it hard to remember the horse they called Bones just over 2 months ago.

She has been a blessing to us.

Bonnie Blue 2 Months after Adoption

2 Months after Adoption,Bonnie Blue continues to gain weight and look better every day.

We are continuing to work with Bonnie Blue on taming the monster in the orchard.  Robin or I will take her out by calling her out of her stall and walking to the orchard.  She immediately starts to graze and our job is to horse sit.  We usually take something to read  with us.  This week I invented a new game with her.  After she settled  in and started to graze away from me, I try to sneak back to the house.  I was walking back slowly and she start after me by heading around the right  side of one of the pecan trees so I moved to the left of the tree to hide and she stopped and came around the left of the tree. Playing hide and seek with a 800 pound (and gaining) horse is a little bizarre but it made me giggle. Now I don't think I will try to play tag with her.  

She is continuing to gain weight and her coat is now the color of a new copper penny.  Some people would pay good money to have that hair color. 

She continues to hold the right fore leg up when she doesn't want to do something, like come out of her stall.

Drama Mama in spades. This week Robin and I went to a class and didn't get home until after 8 PM.  Guess who was in the mean scary orchard.  You got it.  So as my friend Cheyenne Johnson used to say, "Something  wrong with this picture."

I have found a trainer in Hattiesburg, Ms Vernell Falgout. When I spoke with her she said that she would come out and see Bonnie Blue.  I'll be calling her this week and setting up an appointment.  Maybe she can understand this Drama Mama.  

September 7, 2013
Dr. Rogers came today for Bonnie's checkup.  We have been concerned about her right foreleg,  We are having difficulty getting her out of her stall and into the orchard.  She will raise that leg up and paw like a dog trying to shake hand. Needless to say we have imagined all sorts of aliments.  When Dr. Rogers saw her he said," Impressive."  I said "Impressive good or bad?" He just shook his head and repeated ,"Impressive." He also noted that she is putting weight on that leg so there is not extreme pain involved.  He is thinking that tendons or ligaments might be involved.  To this he recommended  a steroids but not before he determined if she was pregnant.  Alas, Bonnie Blue  is  not pregnant which is a good thing because of her condition when we found her.

I have a friend who is an animal whisper who is coming tomorrow night. The first time he met Bonnie she held that leg up to him.  I didn't put it together until last week in the middle of the night, I woke up and thought that is why she held her leg up to him.  She had not done that to any of us before.

We are still getting her use to the orchard and as long as we are with her she is fine but the minute we leave she is out of there and back to the stall.  Must be a bad monster out there. We are making progress she has stayed behind in the orchard for an additional 10 minutes.

She had her first out of state visitor yesterday.  My friend, Karen Shea, called and said that she was traveling south and said, "I've got to see that horse!" Now Robin and I are known as Bonnie Blue's people.  That OK with me.

Update on Bonnie Blue

Yesterday I was chastised by my niece Susie Sanders at a family birthday party. When Susie takes that tone-- "RITA"  I know something is coming down.  It seems she had posted my blog to her friends and I let her down by not continuing to  post  I would like to say it was writer block or intellectual hiatus, but I hate to lie.
I just chicken out.
So now with the push from Susie and the technical help from my daughter, Santha. Besides my other daughter, Dorian. is the official photographer for the Bonnie Blue Blog. I'm in.

Dr Rogers the vet came the day after we got Bonnie and tested her for Coggins disease, vacated her and floated her teeth.  Floating horses teeth is a procedure to file down any spurs that may have developed in her teeth. He said for the condition we found her in she was in good shape and was a pure blooded Arabian  He said the abuse probably came about from putting her in an overcrowded pasture with other aggressive horses.  Hence the broken ribs ( the knots on her side are  the result of the ribs healing.)

We had been told that Bonnie Blue was 2 years old and Robin knowing that horses can live 30 to 50 years was wondering who was going to hold the horse when they scatter our ashes at Breezy Point.  After looking at her teeth, Dr. Rogers proclaimed Bonnie Blue to be about 9 years old. At this point my husband gave a sigh of relief which was short lived because the next thing Dr. Rogers said was, "I'll come back this winter and give her a pregnancy test." Robin gasp "Pregnancy test?" to which Dr Rogers said, "You don't know where this horse has been."

Two weeks later the Coggins test came back negative so if we are so inclined we can have another horse.  Two is always better than one. RIGHT!

We have a acre and a half pecan orchard  next to the paddock.  You would think that this bucolic setting would be ideal for a grazing chestnut Arabian. Well Robin, Tevi, (a friend) and yours truly started fixing the fence around the orchard. That is not an easy job-but she is my horse.  After fence work we put an electric wire in.  The first week we had the best looking pasture ornament in the area.  Unfortunately  Bonnie must have  rubbed up against the fence and gotten zapped. Now  she will not stay in the orchard with out a protector ( that being Robin or me). I would  lead her to the orchard and when I got to the gate unhooked the lead to open the gate.  Before I got the gate open she was back in her stall looking at me.

At this time we are going out to the orchard and having our coffee and just hanging around until Bonnie Blue has had pasture time

At this point Bonnie Blue has gains about 90 pounds and still need to gain another 110. Oh, what a problem to have.

Thank you Susie, Santha and Dorian for your support in this project

Bonnie Blue 5 weeks after adoption.
By using the online estimator, she has gained 90 lbs in five weeks.

Bonnie Blue 1 Month after adoption.

Bonnie Blue 3 weeks after arrival at Breezy Point Farm

Look what the "Monday funky blues" will get ya!

My husband and I moved to Mississippi in 2011.  We moved into a 100 year old farm house with 3 horse stalls behind a two car garage.  We expected to sell our house in Memphis and start building our retirement home.We have a family expression stemming from getting lost in downtown Memphis that goes: "See where you are, turnaround." The economy gave up a reality check so as of 2012 we have not sold our house in Memphis and we are sharing our cute but rustic farm house with 3 rescue Weims and 2 outside dogs and 3 cats.  Note: when you share a small space with pack animals and there is three of them and two of you  there is constant jocking for position. Frustration gives way to the funky blues which leads me into my next adventure.

On Monday July 23, 2012, I was having a really bad day. Every project I tried ended in the trash. My husband, Robin, and I go to yoga Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but on this Monday I was in no mood to calm my mind and stretch my body. As I surfed the web in my pjs I remember an an article in the Hattiesburg American about a Rescue Shelter in Moselle named Two Ton Ranch. I called and ask if I could just muck out their stall, and Rene, the owner said "Come on over".

When I got there there was no stall to muck out.  They had two corrals and a few pens.  Rene took me over to see the horse that was in the Hattiesburg American and said that her names was Bones and that she had been left tied to their gate. I never noticed her head just her emaciated body.  I had to have that horse.

When Robin got home I told him about Bones and that I had to have her.  He immediately started talking about fences.  I love that man!.

I grew up on horses but my daddy, Jeff Caldwell, died without passing the info along to me. I searched the web on starving horses and developed a rescue plan.  I also contacted my friend writer and animal lover, Carolyn Haines..  Her Bone Series of a failed southern belle who starts a detective agency and is haunted by her great aunt's black nanny is wonderful. I strongly recommend it.

We scheduled the vet to come on Friday . We took alfafa to Two Ton Ranch  and ask them  to feed her 2 pound every 4 hours and we would take her on Thursday.




This is her arriving at Breezy Pointe.

She immediately began putting on weight. This picture was taken five days later.

 

Ten days later!