Wow! This is an awesome feature on this site! I loved reading about the furkids! I will start with two and add more as I can.

I love this little girl so much. I cannot explain to anyone how much this horse means to me. She is my pride and joy. She is an ex-racehorse, banned from the Fingerlakes track as she refused to race. She was the fastest in all the breezes and the track people thought she should have been a perfect racehorse. But on race day, she went over twice in the starting gate with the jockey (I am sure, he beat her for that one!). Then she would lag behind 50 horse lengths. I cleaned stalls to get her.


I wanted a horse my whole life. Then when we grew up, Mickey, my brother, has always had one. But I lived where I couldn't have one. So I never really was around them too much. Then when Larry and I got together, he had grown up with horses, and worked around them now and then. When we moved out here, he started training and caring for horses at a local farm, where they raised Thoroughbreds for racing. He took me to work with him and I fell in love with the horses there. But Georgie Girl, especially, won my heart. She would pace in circles in her stall. The stall gate was covered so she couldn't look out. She was not friendly at all. Very high strung.

I just took a liking to her. She had been their darling. She was the perfect racehorse, even the people at the track thought so. She would be the fastest in the breezes, no other horse could catch her! But, she did not want to be a racehorse. So she would show them how fast she could go, but the day of the races, a few times, she went over in the starting gate. Then when she actually did race, she'd lag, way back. The jockey could beat her with his crop, she didn't care. One thing, I have learned about her, is that she likes to be your partner - not your slave. And she is very smart. She doesn't "give" to anyone easily.

I started bringing her apples every day. She would hear my voice and try to stick her head out. When I gave her an apple, she would take a loud crunch and then look down the long hallway of the barn to see that the other horses saw what she was eating. Her and I developed a relationship and she seemed to really look forward to our time together.

At the barn where Georgie Girl lived, she and all the other racehorses were only allowed to be outside for about 15 minutes every day in a covered arena, while their stalls were being cleaned. They would race around and play. All of them got to be in there with another horse. Only Dark Shadow, who my husband ended up buying, was made to be alone in the arena. She could not stand it and would whinny at the top of her lungs and race full tilt around that arena like a crazy horse. She was never worked with or even had feet trimmed. Everyone was afraid of her. At that time, she was only 3 years old. When I first went there, I thought she was the stallion. She acted like one.



Larry did make friends with her. And he did get on her and she went over twice with him. He doesn't get thrown off a horse normally, he usually goes down with them. If they rear up with someone on them, many times they will lose their balance and it'll cause them to go over sideways. He did manage to talk his boss into letting her go out in the pasture with the "wild horses" (as we called them). They were not wild (my Tawny was one of them), but horses that were not used for racing so they could go out on the 50 acres that was fenced on their hill.

The first week Dark Shadow went out there, Sally, the lead mare (and my Tawny's sister) just ran her down for the whole week. Dark Shadow went into that little herd of 10 horses like gangbusters! She wanted to run, and Sally did not let up on her. By the end of the week, Dark Shadow was friends with Sally and pretty tamed down. That's how it is for a new horse joining a herd. They have rules!

When the owner offered to sell me Georgie I could not believe it. Then one day he came to me and told me since she is now my horse, I can let her out with the wild horses that are out all day, if I wanted. He warned me that she might get burdocks on her if she did though. Larry and I looked at each other for half a second then ran to her stall to get her! She walked along with Larry like she was a little girl going somewhere......or she thought he was making a mistake and she didn't want him to know!
Larry led her out to the group of other horses waiting to go out for the day in the pasture. They all smelled her, as they might live on the same farm, even in the same barn.....but they did not know her as the racehorses are kept separate. So she just walked along with them in the group and they seem to have accepted her. I was a little worried about her as she was the newest member of the herd......and in the horse herd that means she was on the bottom. And she was not used to being with others in a group like that.

So a few days later, I saw Sally, the boss mare and she seemed to be pushing my Georgie! I did not like that but there was nothing I could do if I wanted her out in the pasture with the others. She had to learn to take care of herself. But I worried about her after that. Then about a week later, the wild horses gathered in the paddock in front of the trail to the pasture and did not go straight up it. Usually when that would happen, I would take a hold of Sally's halter and lead her and the rest would follow, as she was their leader. I took a hold of her, and led her......nobody followed! ???? I looked at the rest of them and didn't know what to think. Georgie looked at me, then walked straight up past me.....and the rest just fell into place behind her................ My worrying had been for nothing.....my Georgie Girl had taken over the herd! She was now their leader!

katlupe

I love horses!!! Beautiful!

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Have a great day, Kelly

What a great story!

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Thank you so much, Kathleen, for sharing your Story. I hold a special place in my heart for horses. Majestic animals!

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Thank you Kitkat, Maggie & Rob for reading my story. I have many to tell about my critters here.

katlupe

Loved the story! I've never been around horses, but I love their majesty, such stylish creatures!
You are a very special person for taking in that wonderful horse. And thanks for posting pictures, they made my day.

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Nita

Georgie Girl is a beauty! And lucky she found you and vice versa!

I'm definitely a horse gal, and sure miss not having them in my life at this time.
Country living in the future hasn't been ruled out, and if it happens, you can bet your bottom dollar, I'll get a horse!(probably even before the barn is finished!) LOL!

thanks for sharing!

s

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Shelley


Visit Kassie's Korner


"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
--Antoine de Saint Exupery

I’m SOONER born,
And SOONER bred,
And when I die,
I’ll be SOONER dead!
GO SOONERS!
I be ready for some football!

One little walker-runner Dude for every 10 miles!

that was a beautiful story and, indeed, a very beautiful baby you've got there. highly photogenic!

thank you for sharing it with us...

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I received a call from my mother in August of 2000, and she told me to come to her house and she had a chicken for me. I thought she meant one in the freezer or something along those lines. She said to bring my cat carrier......??????? So when I got there, my niece was carrying a big Rhode Island Red chicken around under her arm. Now, I was into homesteading, but had no experience with chickens as of yet, but I had to act like I was not afraid of being pecked and know what I was doing. So I brought her home.

She had come onto my parents' porch the night before, and my father saw her and shooed her away. He had no idea where she came from. They live in the country, but do not have animals themselves. In the morning she was back on the porch perched on a bench with her head under her wing, sleeping. So the kind hearted Daddy that I have, fed her some scraps.

So I brought her home in the carrier and she seemed fine. I was cooking supper and my husband was sitting on our deck with the cats and our dog around him, when she just flew up onto his lap. She just sat there. I think she was trying to butter him up to letting her stay.

I was trying to figure out where to keep her. We live deep in the state forest in upstate New York, and there are lots of critters out in that forest that like chickens. So I dug our dog, Nikita's puppy kennel out that she had long ago, outgrown. Made a little box for our chicken to sleep in. Added newspapers on the bottom and fastened a water and a feed dish on with one of those little bungee type hooks. I named her Lil' Red. Her and I bonded almost instantly. She followed me everywhere. Even met me at the car when I got home from shopping or anywhere. She was noisy when I was gone. My husband said she'd cackle like crazy if she heard me drive in the driveway and she was inside in her kennel.

I knew absolutely nothing about chickens. So I went to our local feed store and bought a bag of laying mash and crushed oyster shells (they told me that I needed it for her). Soon it became apparent that she loved being a house chicken! I had read that you can't really keep one alone as they like to be in a flock and they won't lay if they are alone. Well, our Lil' Red made us and our other animals at the time, 2 cats, 2 horses and especially our dog, Nikita her flock. She would go out with the horses and they were fine with her there picking up their scraps. Nikita and her hung out together. She loved to be out there with Nikita when she was eating a bone, so she could pick up the bits that would drop from it. Nikita would growl at her, and it never phased her one bit.......she'd just scratch and peck her heart away.

Then we got different cats. One in particular, Callie, really liked Lil' Red alot and hung out with her. Though there was a period in Callie's life where she got real sick and almost died. I nursed her back to health and she is good still today. But while she was sick, she would not turn her back on Lil' Red and acted like she did not trust her. Once she was okay again, she was back to playing with her and rubbing on her beak.

Lil' Red lived with us for over five years. We never knew how old she was. She was beautiful, but very demanding! She was always out in the garden with me. I'd get after her for eating on my plants or digging in the raised beds and she'd run. She knew what she wasn't supposed to do.

She laid beautiful brown eggs almost daily......so big they would not fit in the jumbo cartons! I really miss her eggs. Of all pets I have ever had, she was the most unique. She always looked to me for help. We had gotten another horse, a small horse that is almost pony size, Tawny. Well she tried to kill my Lil' Red. We were standing in our driveway talking to friends and Lil' Red always went out in the horses' paddock and the other two horses have always been around her and never hurt her or even tried to. They seemed to like her. But Tawny all of a sudden just went after her and she knew she was in trouble, and looked to me. But I was on the other side of the fence and could not get to her in time! She did get away with getting stomped just a little, because my horse, Georgie Girl who is the boss mare, knew I was distressed and went after Tawny! She never ever went back in the paddock or near the horses again.

She died in April of 2003, in my arms in the living room. She hadn't seemed right for awhile and had stopped laying. That morning she fell over in the cage, and I quickly scooped her up and just held her. She just lay in my arms looking at me and then closed her eyes and died. We buried her in a coffin my husband quickly put together and buried in our little cemetary in the woods behind our house. My husband brought a big flat rock from the creek and put her name on it. I still miss her terribly. Soon though, I hope to have a small laying flock of Rhode Island Reds. She taught me everything I need to know about raising chickens and I will never ever forget her.

I guess you'll have Noah's Ark before you're done collecting pets. LOL That was a very lucky chicken!

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you are obviously a true-blue animal lover, Kat. I'm enjoying your stories!

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I am an animal lover. But we have agreed that when our present animals die, we will not be replacing them.Though our horses could possibly outlive us. They are very expensive to keep. Horses are now being given away and sold for pennies. My friend's mother had 11 horses and one day she went out to feed them and there was a beautiful paint horse wandering around. Someone who had taken very good care of him just dropped him off there knowing she would take good care of him and would not turn him away!

I do want to develop a laying flock, but a small flock of about 3-4 hens, as they are hardly any care. For the eggs. Homegrown eggs are outstanding and I miss that. I get them when I can from my homesteading friends.

I have a whole group of friends who have just about every animal you can think of from rabbits to sheep to goats to horses, etc. and it is alot of work especially in this climate and as you get older. So I will treasure these animals for now but they will be my last. I have always had cats and considered myself a cat person, but now I worry about what would happen to my cats if something happened to us. So they will be my last also.

katlupe

My horses and my dog, Nikita are loving this cold, snowy winter we have had and are still having here in NY. The horses are running, bucking, rolling, jumping, kicking and just having so much fun. Later in the afternoon they are wiped out and their heads are just about hanging on the ground.

My little horse, Tawny is a sturdy little thing. She is the low horse in our little herd, but she is ten times tougher than the other two, even though she is smaller. She is a Shetland Pony and Thoroughbred cross and the Shetland makes her very hardy. You can go out there in the coldest days and she will have ice on her coat and mane but not a shiver. She has the option of going inside but chooses not to. The other two girls, especially Georgie Girl, tends to shiver if she gets too cold. She stays inside most of the time in wet or windy weather.

One time an elderly man got lost in the state forest that surrounds our home. His wife was frantic as she was waiting in the car. She called 911 and people were searching for him. My husband was out riding Tawny and he rode through areas where there were no paths or trails and nobody would have taken a horse or a four wheeler. Horses are much tougher than a four wheeler but most people like the gas powered vehicles nowadays. The man was finally found clear on the other side of the forest picking mushrooms! He came to our house to thank my husband for searching for him. Turned out that he was one of the hunters who used to own our house when it was a hunting camp!

If you came to my house, my little red pony, Tawny would come right to you and give you a hug.......while she was nuzzling around in your pockets, bags or purses to see if you had a goody for her! A goody for her is an apple or a carrot. But.......she is not a low carber! Hay and grain (oats) are her choices......plus the fresh green grass of spring.......not in limited quanities either!

I cant tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your animal tales
I love your horse story and want some hens my self one day
Thank you for sharing, I hope you share more

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