Today was a sad day for all of us here at the farm.
Late yesterday afternoon Augustus was standing in the pasture near the road and something happened to him. He bolted and after a few steps went down. He stayed down with out trying to get up for about a half an hour. When he did try, he was too weak to rise. His strength failed quickly. We called Dr. Rogers and he suggested keeping him warm and comfortable. By 9:00 PM he could no longer get up off of his side. I stayed with him until 3:30 AM and he was generally quite with only an occasional thrashing of the legs and moving of his head. At 6:00 AM I called Dr. Rogers and asked him to come to the farm. He arrived before 8:30 AM and checked Gus. We all agreed to proceed with euthanasia to prevent any additional suffering. He passed quietly with his head in my arms and Bonnie Blue standing over us. We buried him on the hill top where some of our other pets have been buried over the years and where my ashes will join them some day.

He was only with us for a short while but we loved and learned from him. May his spirit find peace. Bonnie Blue and the rest of us morn his passing.

Bonnie Blue and Augustus were visited by Dr. Lowell Rogers, their veterinarian, on March 7th for their spring  checkups and immunizations. It was a good visit and started with Dr. Rogers complimenting Bonnie Blue on how well she looked. He said he could hardly believe she was the same horse he had seen last summer. We all agree, with her near perfect body weight of near 850 pounds, a shinny coat and a sassy Arabian attitude, she hardly resembles the old "Bones" horse that came to live with us seven months ago. So many blessings have come to all of us, we are very grateful.


Dr. Rogers checked Gus and found an older horse with some of the aliments common to older animals. His teeth were not too bad but were been helped by a good filling (floating). Gus has some knots and humps which may be cancerous and we will be watched these over the coming months. His heart is not the strongest and his circulation to his head is not symmetrical. However, none of these are live threatening at this time and we will remain focused on building his weight and strength. His Body Condition Score was assessed as a 3. Perhaps if he can get to a 5 like Bonnie Blue his other issues may improve also. His weight is estimated at 1040 pounds and he still need at least another hundred pounds.

Gus is a very different horse than Bonnie Blue. Gus is very low key. He is a large framed horse and he moves slowly and deliberately. He seems to be very happy being an older, slower, cooler, bigger and submissive horse. Though different, we love the big old boy already.

Bonnie Blue continues to be dominate but generally less aggressive with each passing week. However, she still has to show her butt occasionally and give him a hard time with a bite or a kick. I know this is a part of normal horse behavior, but I have not learned to fully accept it yet.

The nice reporter, Ms. Emily Ham, from the Hattiesburg American Newspaper published a "What ever happened to?" article on Sunday February 24,2013 entitled "Bones to Bonnie Blue: A Horse's Tale"
The article featured photos of Bonnie Blue from June 2012 and February 2013 and tells the story of her transformation back to health. This was a good story and we are thankful for Ms. Ham taking time to research and write it. Hopefully, it will help others move to adopt rescue animals and understand that these animals can recover and be as wonderful as any other.

This post is a lot of bits and pieces of information that we wanted to capture. The only thread of continuity running through this collage seems to be "love". Love for these wonderful animal that add so much to our lives. Yes, they can be a pain in the butt. Yes, they require time, attention and resources. Yes they are horses and can show their negative horse butts and bite and kick and generally act a fool. But, then whats new. Don't all living things that add to our lives do the same type of things? I look at these creatures and see so many similarities with humans. I see how they seek social status, how they express their affection, how they seek security and I think, wow, how similar we are. We can learn a lot from one another. All we have to do is look and pay attention.

Blessings to all.

Augustus has been with us for three weeks now and he continues to gain weight. His girth has increased by an inch from about ten days ago. The coat continues to shed heavily but he looks better as the old loose hair falls away.

In the last couple of days, we are starting to see some personality develop in him. He is more assertive both with Bonnie Blue and us, his humans. Yesterday, I was in the feed stall preparing the evening feed and Gus was outside with his head sticking in over the wall. I greeted him with a nose rub and turned to get another bowl. When I turned back, I see the first bowl in Gus's teeth and headed out over the wall. I grabbed the trailing edge of the bowl and tug of war ensued. I was able to get it back, but not without a struggle.
As I recall, Bonnie Blue's sassy Arabian attitude did not manifest itself until she had recovered in her body and had been with us long enough to feel secure. I hope Gus will continue to recover both in body and spirit.

Starting today, we have discontinued the light feeding in the middle of the day. They still have free access to both hay and grass at all times and get treats at noon. Gus looks much better and is probably about a three (3) on a Body Condition Score. I think he will be fine without the noon feed snack.

Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days, but the stalls are clean and they have a place out of the weather if they choose to use it. I don't understand horses some time. Today the weather was fair with some sun and they spent much of the day in the stalls. A couple of days ago it rained and they grazed in the field. I don't get it but then I ain't much of a horse.

Gus and Bonnie Blue 2/23/2013

Late winter is south Mississippi is very wet this year. We are all a little weary of rain and mud but alas there is no end in site. We are hoping for some dryer days next month.

Bonnie Blue and Augustus continue to get along well. Things change almost daily. On Wednesday (Feb. 20 ) I was surprised to find Bonnie and Gus standing peacefully together in the same open stall. This was a first and indicated to me that they are continuing to bond.
On Thursday (Feb. 21) while I was moving feed into to stall area, Bonnie Blue pushed open the gate that was closed but not latched and got out into the open yard. Now this horse has been here for almost seven months and every time she has been approached she would allow us to catch her without hesitation. And since Gus has been here, she has not gone out of sight of him. However, today was a new day and she would not have any part of being caught and Gus could just cool it till she returned. She walked down a trail leading away from the stalls and toward the pond. She had never been on this part of the property before but she was exploring it now. I followed behind her until she cut through some undergrowth that was thicker than I wanted to push through so I went around and came out of the woods near the stalls to find Bonnie Blue standing near the the gate she had pushed open a half hour earlier. With only a little encouragement she reentered the gate. There is no way to know for sure what was going on in her head, but I suspect with spring near and her in good health she may be thinking of love and checking the neighborhood of possible suitors.

We have been in contact with The Hattiesburg American newspaper which carried a story about Bonnie Blue (then called Bones) back in June 2012. The nice reporter gathered some information and said they may do a follow up on her. The story in the paper was the starting point for us that lead to Bonnie Blue coming to be with us. I am very thankful for that story and the chain of events that have lead us to where we are today.
Hopefully, another article will start others down a similar happy path.

 Bonnie Blue and Rita 2/21/13 

Bonnie Blue feeling good and looking the same.

Bonnie Blue & Gus Are Pals

                                                   Augustus 1 week after Adoption

Augustus (Gus) has been with us for a week and already he and Bonnie Blue are close pals. Bonnie Blue is the leader and Gus is a good follower. Both seem to be content in their roles. Gus continues to gain weight and strength.

Gus has been getting groomed at least daily by his humans. He is still shedding heavily. As the old loose hair comes out, he is looking less shaggy, more shinny and healthier. He seems to like the human attention of brushing and scratching provided the jealous Bonnie Blue is keep at bay where she can not get to him. There is love and attention enough to go around but Bonnie does not see it that way.

For the past several months I have taken Bonnie, a couple of time a week, to our 30 acre unfenced field to run, graze, roll and be a horse free in a large open space. The mode of operation is always the same. We walk down a path across a neighbor's field and into our field. Then I release her to run and play. After about an hour, the lead is reattached and we walk home. Yesterday, I took Bonnie to field, but to my surprise upon release she turned and ran back home to be with Gus. I think the herd instinct is strong with her. One thing for sure, she had rather be with Gus than eat fresh rye grass with me standing around.

I am thankful that they have one another and that they are both here with us.

Bonnie Blue 2/8/2013

Augustus (Gus) 2/8/2013

Bonnie Blue has a Pasture Pal

Bonnie Blue has a pasture pal. His name is Augustus (aka Loverboy) but we call him Gus most of the time. Gus is about 20 years old and comes to us through the caring folks at Trails End Horse Haven and the Hub City Humane Society. Like Bonnie he had suffered neglect and was near starvation when the court ordered him and other to be seized about a month ago. The kind volunteers transported him to a vet, paid for his immediate care out of their resources, and then moved him to a caring foster family. His foster family fed and cared for him and he gained about 50 much needed pounds over the three to four weeks he lived with them. The world is a better place with people like these in it.

On Friday February 1, 2013, he moved from foster care to here and his new "forever home". with us and Bonnie Blue. He still needs to gain at least 200 pounds more to fill out his large frame. We have taken notes from the foster family and will continue the good work they had started with him, e.g. feeding twice a day with Alfalfa and a complete grain based feed, plus all the hay he wants. The pasture / orchard has a good bit of rye grass and he will be allowed to graze that also. However, we will start with a couple of hours a day and move to full access to the pasture over the next week or so. We don't want too much of a good thing all at once as his system might not respond well to that much fresh grass all at once. His mouth and gums seem to be in good condition now. When he was seized and taken to the vet they found his gums were covered is sores from wood splinter. The poor thing had been trying to eat wood to have something to eat. The vet removed the splinters and he has healed wonderfully. I feel great sadness both for the animals who suffer such terrible neglect and for the sad people with such poor spirits that they can not have compassion for another living creature. May they both find healing.

Bonnie Blue seemed to be very happy to have him in the pasture. They are getting along well with just a minimum of jousting to determine who will lead and who will follow. For now Bonnie seems to be dominate. However, when he fills out he will be much larger than she is, so there may be some more negotiating later on. For now, both seem content to be where they are and glad not to be hungry or in any immediate need. We are happy too. Horses are herd animals and need one another just like humans. And as much as I love Bonnie Blue, I am a poor substitute for a horse. These first days together have been good days for all of us.

As we start a new year, Bonnie Blue is whole, healthy and full of spirit. To see her now, it seems impossible that she was so thin and weak six months ago. Blessedly those day are behind her. Her weight seems to have  stabilized at about 825 pounds. Her coat is good and her attitude is Arabian. We think she is grand.

Horses, like many of us, seem to feel more secure with a routine that provides for our basic needs.
Bonnie Blue starts her day with her humans at about 7:00 AM each morning. The first thing is to tolerate being brushed, rubbed, scratched and groomed. Though this seems a bother some days, it seems to be the only way to get to the next step which is the morning ration of alfalfa and feed. However, the more we do this ritual of grooming, the more it seems to be fun and an enjoyable experience. After feeding her, her water is refreshed and filled for the day and her stall is cleaned if needed. At this point she can release her humans to go about their morning human business and she is free to graze in her pasture / orchard or eat hay in the paddock or stall.

Since moving to feeding her twice a day (morning and early evening), she gets treats at noon and a short visit with the humans of her herd (that being Rita and Robin). Treats vary some but usually consist of two large carrots and two corn muffins. This seems to be really well received by Bonnie Blue and a good time to make sure the humans are given any instruction from the horse necessary to assure continued smooth running of the tending of the horse. (For example if the feed or hay is running low she can dispatch a human to pick up more before the store closes and the supply runs out.)

In the late afternoon or early evening, once again it is time for feeding and checking the hay supply for the night and tell the humans good night.

As you can tell, this is written light hearted and poking a little fun at ourselves for being so attached to this creature. But truly, we belong to her just as she belongs to us. Sure we humans are the dominate species but that does not make us her master. Love and respect for the interconnectedness of the web of live, of which all living things are a part, tells us to care for one another. She shows us horse love ever day and we try to show her human love and caring. This creature has blessed our lives and shown us an aspect of inter species love which we had not known before. We are thankful and blessed by her presence.