08-23-06, Atlanta Airport, Georgia, USA
The truth about horses:
So, this is something that I wanted to write for a while, I got an hour and a half left until my flight back to my beloved Orange County and family, so here it goes: Chelsea has been crazy about horses since she was 6 years old, when she rode her first horse. Chief was a paint pony, who did a pony merry-go-round at Irvine Park. We paid our two dollars, and strapped her into the saddle, never expecting that this little five-minute ride would change her and our life, and eventually turn us into horse-owners. First, let’s get one thing straigt; there are two kinds of horse-owners in Orange County, CA; the very wealthy, and the totally crazy. You can well imagine what category I belong in, yes you guessed right; I’m in the insane crazy camp. This means that a ridiculously large percentage of our family income goes to the upkeep of a 1,200 pound pet, who could never live in the wild. But, this is not about me, it is about a horse-crazy kid and her horses, and how our life has changed in the last five years, and yes indeed, it has (and continues to be) been one of the best things that we have ever done.
So, Chelsea started in 4-H when she was 9 on the campus of UCI, or University of California, at Irvine. This was about 1997, and UCI still had a bit of a working farm on the campus, and what have now been turned into student housing was still acres and acres of open fields. Chelsea started riding Minne, a 20-year old Arabian mare, who had a surprising amount of spunk still left in her. What started out as a lesson a week, eventually turned into hours and hours of cantering around the arena, with Chelsea smiling the whole time. In her free time, she would read kids horse-novels, she must have read a 1,000 of them, with the “Pony Club” series being a perennial favorite. Of course she wanted her own horse, but we were sure not in any way shape or form ready for a horse in our life. I was working two jobs, trying to repair my credit, and save for a house. But there was no question that Chelsea was bitten by the horse bug, and it would probably only get worse. However, we had talked to a few people that had bought their 9-10 year old girls horses, only to have them loose interest by the time they turned 12, when the malls started to be much more interesting than some large brown animal that needed daily care. So, in a weak moment, we promised Chelsea that, if she was still interested in a horse by the time she was 12, we would buy her a horse sometime between her 12th and 13th birthday. Lo and behold, after some two years of lessons (she was probably 11) she started to loose interest, and I thought “Whew, I ducked that bullet”. Lo and behold again, by the time she was 12, all of a sudden her interest started coming back, and again started talking about her own horse. She also keenly remembered my promise, and being the good dad that I am (well, at least at times), we finally gave in. We had bought a town-home in Irvine, our credit was again excellent, and things looked very good.
Now the craziness really started in earnest. Having absolutely now experience with horses, we had to rely on the judgment of a 13-year old, who was ready for any horse, the sooner the better. Only problem was our limited finances, so after talking to Chelsea, we decided to “adopt” a retired Thoroughbred race-horse from Pegasus Horse-Rescue out in Hemet, CA. I think Chelsea had found out about Pegasus on-line, and when she presented us with the idea of rescuing a horse, we just could not resist. It sounded like such a noble idea, we could get a great horse, do a good deed, and the kid could ride whenever she wanted, however much she wanted. So, we went out to the rescue place, and were introduced to Fibonacci, a beautiful bay 6-year old retired racer. Fibonacci was the most gorgeous horse I had seen, he was tall, lean and just sooo chiseled. He looked like the equivalent of a male gymnast, just perfect!!!! He had been born in Ireland, raced in France, before being shipped of to the US. He had also won some money, somewhere between $100,000.00 and $300,000.00 (the facts are murky, but at least a hundred grand), mostly racing on the soft turf in France. After being settled in the States, he started racing on sand, and got injured. He had bone-chips removed from his left-front knee (this is the leg that most race-horses have problems with, constantly going around in that crazy counter-clockwise circle), and there was some evidence that he had been “fired” (a disgusting method wherein hot needles are jammed into an injured muscle, in order to induce “healing”, no, I’m not kidding, this happens on the track), in his front-right “armpit”. So, due to his injuries, he had gotten slow, and a slow Thoroughbred is unfortunately worth more dead than alive (selling for about $1.00 per pound for dog-food, glue and horse-meat for Europe). However, the owner of Pegasus had trained Fibonacci, and subsequently rescued him from slaughter. Well, Chelsea had fallen in love, and there was no turning back, so we paid our $2,000.00 (a bargain, or so we thought), and we brought him to El Toro stables, were we had been lucky enough to get a stall for the most gorgeous horse ever!!
Well, things were good for about a month, Fibonacci was reasonably well-behaved, and like idiots we trusted Chelsea that she would be able to train him herself. She wanted more than anything to have a jumping horse, and she had been told that even though Fibonacci had been injured, he would probably be able to jump a foot or so. So, Chelsea started to have him going over poles and small jumps, and for a short while it looked like that things would work out. However, after about a month, his right (yes, you guessed it) front lower leg stared to swell up, and it was obvious that he was again injured. We still believe that it was probably an old injury that flared up, since Chelsea rode him very lightly, and hardly jumped him. (Oops, they are boarding, better get on that plane…)
Irvine, 08-26-2006
So, the veterinarian came, and the prognosis was a pulled suspensory ligament in the left, or maybe even both front legs (Kathy chimes in…). The cure would be a long lay-up, four to six months, with hand-walking his only exercise. This is a race-horse remember, an animal that is trained for nothing but running like his life depended on it. The recovery was very heart-breaking; in order for Chelsea to walk him, we had to use Ace, a tranquilizer for large animals. In the beginning it worked OK, but as the months wore on, he developed a tolerance toward the drug, and got increasingly antsy and crazy. Chelsea suffered, here she was with her dream about having her own horse turning into a nightmare, and no end in sight. I was amazed that she did not loose interest, we would drive her to the stables every day, so that Fibonacci could get out for his walk (more like a crow-hop if you ask me), and to get his legs wrapped and his food supplements. Fortunately, there were people at the stables with horses that she could ride, so at least she got some riding in, 3-4 times a week. Of course, by this time Fibonacci had turned into a large pet, and even though he was crazy, we still loved him.
Finally, after about 7 months of convalescing, he was ready to be ridden. We had hired a professional trainer, and the trainer started riding him some three times per week. Slowly, Chelsea started riding him again, but very reluctantly. He continued to be spooked by anything; flying birds, garbage cans, dogs, other horses, cars, trucks, people, kids, cats, raccoons, well you get the picture. Chelsea soldiered on, she got a bit delusional, always making excuses for his crazy behavior; “He can’t be ridden in that arena, or this arena, or with other horses, or on Tuesdays, or when the sun shines, or when it is foggy, or humid, or hot, or cold, or windy, or early or late”. Other than that, he was the perfect horse!
Well, things finally came to an end, when he had to be moved from his original stall (which was quite secluded), to a common pipe-stall out in the open. Now, he was surrounded by other horses, mostly polo-mares. Fibonacci had been gelded late in life, since at least in the beginning of his career they though that he could be a stud prospect. Now, with his jowls still filled with bubbling testosterone, he got insane. The mare next to him got in heat, and he spent 24 hours doing nothing but alternately trying to climb over and dig under the pipes to get to the mare, neighing and crying the whole time. A few weeks later it all came crashing down (literarily), when Fibonacci got spooked on a Saturday evening, and got away from Chelsea. He had gotten increasingly unruly, and Chelsea had gotten off him, trying to drag him by the reins out of the arena. He would have nothing of it; instead he broke loose, and half-jumped and half-stepped over the 4” PVC pipe that surrounded the arena. Of course it broke, and a jagged piece cut him down the chest and belly. I would say afterward that if he was not gelded already, he would have been gelded at that moment, with pieces of cut skin hanging between his back legs. Serendipitously, there was a veterinarian at the stables (at 6:30 PM on a Saturday!), and she had a chance to take a look at him, and confirm that no major arteries were punctured, and that he would live and be fine, at least his broken skin. Chelsea was in hysterics, crying as much for her self as for Fibonacci. We all realized that it was time to give him back (the rescue place has a policy that one can bring back a horse, but the adoption fee is forfeited) and Chelsea stopped making excuses for him. A few weeks later he was loaded up on the trailer, and back he went. But what a heartache, he had become our pet, and we all cried over this wonderful, crazy and dangerous animal. I can still see his face looking out of the back of the trailer, neighing as if to say “what are you doing to me?” and I get a knot in my chest. After that, I told myself that I would never again have a thoroughbred!!!!
We stayed cool for a while, Chelsea continued to take lessons, but we did not talk much about horses. But a promise is a promise, and after a few months we started looking for another horse. To show that we were still very naïve, we went from looking in the $2,000.00 range to the $5,000.00 range (we were still crazy, hoping to find a good jumping horse for that price, but once you are horse bitten, you’re bitten). We saw some really weird horses, where you wondered if the description and the picture in the Horse Trader (our local horse selling magazine) was that of the horse that was for sale! Kathy and Chelsea must have looked at some 20 horses, but finally we found Slinky, a wonderful large bay thoroughbred!! Yes, I’m insane, I said no more thoroughbreds, but this one is truly different! Of course we had to pay quite a bit more for him, but he is worth every penny! Slinky was only five when we got him, he was still green, but he had never been at the track (no lip tattoo!), and he is a good-natured sweetheart, and Chelsea loves him to pieces!! We have had him for about two years now, and all-and-all it has been a great experience. Heartbreaks? You bet, I’m beginning to realize that if you own a horse, you exist somewhere between elation and despair, depending on the overall health of your horse. Even with a great horse like Slinky, there are numerous opportunities for injuries, both to horse and rider. Just four months after we got him, he pulled some ligament, and was off for three months. In the meantime, Chelsea got on him bareback (she was supposed to just walk him to speed his recovery), he got spooked, Chelsea fell off, and fractured a vertebrae. She was out for six weeks, wearing a back-brace and fighting pain. In the meantime, Slinky got crazy from no exercise, and we had to work him back. We changed trainers, we moved him from the El Toro Stables to Sycamore Trails down in San Juan, got a great trainer, and finally Chelsea was in a horse show with her own horse!!! A great day, but for another injury (a splint, he was off for six weeks), but he eventually healed up, and Chelsea was back in another show. Then he got a cough, was off for another few weeks, and currently he is lame in is front right leg, and the vet coming out (again!!!). But that’s the way it is owing a jumping horse, you would think that a horse would be one of the sturdiest animals on the planet; instead (probably through selective breeding), they are quite fragile, like the athletes they are.
Moral of the story? Chelsea is now 18 and in college, she still sees her horse every day, and she has a great sense of responsibility and pride. Has it been worth it? You bet, I would not trade it for anything, having a horse has been one of the great life experiences that I have had, but nothing can prepare a person for the work, the tears, the joy and the incredible extravagant expense. But hey, we only have our kids once, and by God, if we can give them an experience of a life-time and a fulfilled dream, we owe it to the kids and ourselves to do what we can to make it happen. And one thing is sure; I would never sell Slinky, since he has given Chelsea so much joy. Instead, we will take one day at a time, and look forward to that day again when the kid is in the saddle, smiling from ear to ear, and Slinky is just perfect! Now that is the Good Horse Life!!!
The truth about horses:
So, this is something that I wanted to write for a while, I got an hour and a half left until my flight back to my beloved Orange County and family, so here it goes: Chelsea has been crazy about horses since she was 6 years old, when she rode her first horse. Chief was a paint pony, who did a pony merry-go-round at Irvine Park. We paid our two dollars, and strapped her into the saddle, never expecting that this little five-minute ride would change her and our life, and eventually turn us into horse-owners. First, let’s get one thing straigt; there are two kinds of horse-owners in Orange County, CA; the very wealthy, and the totally crazy. You can well imagine what category I belong in, yes you guessed right; I’m in the insane crazy camp. This means that a ridiculously large percentage of our family income goes to the upkeep of a 1,200 pound pet, who could never live in the wild. But, this is not about me, it is about a horse-crazy kid and her horses, and how our life has changed in the last five years, and yes indeed, it has (and continues to be) been one of the best things that we have ever done.
So, Chelsea started in 4-H when she was 9 on the campus of UCI, or University of California, at Irvine. This was about 1997, and UCI still had a bit of a working farm on the campus, and what have now been turned into student housing was still acres and acres of open fields. Chelsea started riding Minne, a 20-year old Arabian mare, who had a surprising amount of spunk still left in her. What started out as a lesson a week, eventually turned into hours and hours of cantering around the arena, with Chelsea smiling the whole time. In her free time, she would read kids horse-novels, she must have read a 1,000 of them, with the “Pony Club” series being a perennial favorite. Of course she wanted her own horse, but we were sure not in any way shape or form ready for a horse in our life. I was working two jobs, trying to repair my credit, and save for a house. But there was no question that Chelsea was bitten by the horse bug, and it would probably only get worse. However, we had talked to a few people that had bought their 9-10 year old girls horses, only to have them loose interest by the time they turned 12, when the malls started to be much more interesting than some large brown animal that needed daily care. So, in a weak moment, we promised Chelsea that, if she was still interested in a horse by the time she was 12, we would buy her a horse sometime between her 12th and 13th birthday. Lo and behold, after some two years of lessons (she was probably 11) she started to loose interest, and I thought “Whew, I ducked that bullet”. Lo and behold again, by the time she was 12, all of a sudden her interest started coming back, and again started talking about her own horse. She also keenly remembered my promise, and being the good dad that I am (well, at least at times), we finally gave in. We had bought a town-home in Irvine, our credit was again excellent, and things looked very good.
Now the craziness really started in earnest. Having absolutely now experience with horses, we had to rely on the judgment of a 13-year old, who was ready for any horse, the sooner the better. Only problem was our limited finances, so after talking to Chelsea, we decided to “adopt” a retired Thoroughbred race-horse from Pegasus Horse-Rescue out in Hemet, CA. I think Chelsea had found out about Pegasus on-line, and when she presented us with the idea of rescuing a horse, we just could not resist. It sounded like such a noble idea, we could get a great horse, do a good deed, and the kid could ride whenever she wanted, however much she wanted. So, we went out to the rescue place, and were introduced to Fibonacci, a beautiful bay 6-year old retired racer. Fibonacci was the most gorgeous horse I had seen, he was tall, lean and just sooo chiseled. He looked like the equivalent of a male gymnast, just perfect!!!! He had been born in Ireland, raced in France, before being shipped of to the US. He had also won some money, somewhere between $100,000.00 and $300,000.00 (the facts are murky, but at least a hundred grand), mostly racing on the soft turf in France. After being settled in the States, he started racing on sand, and got injured. He had bone-chips removed from his left-front knee (this is the leg that most race-horses have problems with, constantly going around in that crazy counter-clockwise circle), and there was some evidence that he had been “fired” (a disgusting method wherein hot needles are jammed into an injured muscle, in order to induce “healing”, no, I’m not kidding, this happens on the track), in his front-right “armpit”. So, due to his injuries, he had gotten slow, and a slow Thoroughbred is unfortunately worth more dead than alive (selling for about $1.00 per pound for dog-food, glue and horse-meat for Europe). However, the owner of Pegasus had trained Fibonacci, and subsequently rescued him from slaughter. Well, Chelsea had fallen in love, and there was no turning back, so we paid our $2,000.00 (a bargain, or so we thought), and we brought him to El Toro stables, were we had been lucky enough to get a stall for the most gorgeous horse ever!!
Well, things were good for about a month, Fibonacci was reasonably well-behaved, and like idiots we trusted Chelsea that she would be able to train him herself. She wanted more than anything to have a jumping horse, and she had been told that even though Fibonacci had been injured, he would probably be able to jump a foot or so. So, Chelsea started to have him going over poles and small jumps, and for a short while it looked like that things would work out. However, after about a month, his right (yes, you guessed it) front lower leg stared to swell up, and it was obvious that he was again injured. We still believe that it was probably an old injury that flared up, since Chelsea rode him very lightly, and hardly jumped him. (Oops, they are boarding, better get on that plane…)
Irvine, 08-26-2006
So, the veterinarian came, and the prognosis was a pulled suspensory ligament in the left, or maybe even both front legs (Kathy chimes in…). The cure would be a long lay-up, four to six months, with hand-walking his only exercise. This is a race-horse remember, an animal that is trained for nothing but running like his life depended on it. The recovery was very heart-breaking; in order for Chelsea to walk him, we had to use Ace, a tranquilizer for large animals. In the beginning it worked OK, but as the months wore on, he developed a tolerance toward the drug, and got increasingly antsy and crazy. Chelsea suffered, here she was with her dream about having her own horse turning into a nightmare, and no end in sight. I was amazed that she did not loose interest, we would drive her to the stables every day, so that Fibonacci could get out for his walk (more like a crow-hop if you ask me), and to get his legs wrapped and his food supplements. Fortunately, there were people at the stables with horses that she could ride, so at least she got some riding in, 3-4 times a week. Of course, by this time Fibonacci had turned into a large pet, and even though he was crazy, we still loved him.
Finally, after about 7 months of convalescing, he was ready to be ridden. We had hired a professional trainer, and the trainer started riding him some three times per week. Slowly, Chelsea started riding him again, but very reluctantly. He continued to be spooked by anything; flying birds, garbage cans, dogs, other horses, cars, trucks, people, kids, cats, raccoons, well you get the picture. Chelsea soldiered on, she got a bit delusional, always making excuses for his crazy behavior; “He can’t be ridden in that arena, or this arena, or with other horses, or on Tuesdays, or when the sun shines, or when it is foggy, or humid, or hot, or cold, or windy, or early or late”. Other than that, he was the perfect horse!
Well, things finally came to an end, when he had to be moved from his original stall (which was quite secluded), to a common pipe-stall out in the open. Now, he was surrounded by other horses, mostly polo-mares. Fibonacci had been gelded late in life, since at least in the beginning of his career they though that he could be a stud prospect. Now, with his jowls still filled with bubbling testosterone, he got insane. The mare next to him got in heat, and he spent 24 hours doing nothing but alternately trying to climb over and dig under the pipes to get to the mare, neighing and crying the whole time. A few weeks later it all came crashing down (literarily), when Fibonacci got spooked on a Saturday evening, and got away from Chelsea. He had gotten increasingly unruly, and Chelsea had gotten off him, trying to drag him by the reins out of the arena. He would have nothing of it; instead he broke loose, and half-jumped and half-stepped over the 4” PVC pipe that surrounded the arena. Of course it broke, and a jagged piece cut him down the chest and belly. I would say afterward that if he was not gelded already, he would have been gelded at that moment, with pieces of cut skin hanging between his back legs. Serendipitously, there was a veterinarian at the stables (at 6:30 PM on a Saturday!), and she had a chance to take a look at him, and confirm that no major arteries were punctured, and that he would live and be fine, at least his broken skin. Chelsea was in hysterics, crying as much for her self as for Fibonacci. We all realized that it was time to give him back (the rescue place has a policy that one can bring back a horse, but the adoption fee is forfeited) and Chelsea stopped making excuses for him. A few weeks later he was loaded up on the trailer, and back he went. But what a heartache, he had become our pet, and we all cried over this wonderful, crazy and dangerous animal. I can still see his face looking out of the back of the trailer, neighing as if to say “what are you doing to me?” and I get a knot in my chest. After that, I told myself that I would never again have a thoroughbred!!!!
We stayed cool for a while, Chelsea continued to take lessons, but we did not talk much about horses. But a promise is a promise, and after a few months we started looking for another horse. To show that we were still very naïve, we went from looking in the $2,000.00 range to the $5,000.00 range (we were still crazy, hoping to find a good jumping horse for that price, but once you are horse bitten, you’re bitten). We saw some really weird horses, where you wondered if the description and the picture in the Horse Trader (our local horse selling magazine) was that of the horse that was for sale! Kathy and Chelsea must have looked at some 20 horses, but finally we found Slinky, a wonderful large bay thoroughbred!! Yes, I’m insane, I said no more thoroughbreds, but this one is truly different! Of course we had to pay quite a bit more for him, but he is worth every penny! Slinky was only five when we got him, he was still green, but he had never been at the track (no lip tattoo!), and he is a good-natured sweetheart, and Chelsea loves him to pieces!! We have had him for about two years now, and all-and-all it has been a great experience. Heartbreaks? You bet, I’m beginning to realize that if you own a horse, you exist somewhere between elation and despair, depending on the overall health of your horse. Even with a great horse like Slinky, there are numerous opportunities for injuries, both to horse and rider. Just four months after we got him, he pulled some ligament, and was off for three months. In the meantime, Chelsea got on him bareback (she was supposed to just walk him to speed his recovery), he got spooked, Chelsea fell off, and fractured a vertebrae. She was out for six weeks, wearing a back-brace and fighting pain. In the meantime, Slinky got crazy from no exercise, and we had to work him back. We changed trainers, we moved him from the El Toro Stables to Sycamore Trails down in San Juan, got a great trainer, and finally Chelsea was in a horse show with her own horse!!! A great day, but for another injury (a splint, he was off for six weeks), but he eventually healed up, and Chelsea was back in another show. Then he got a cough, was off for another few weeks, and currently he is lame in is front right leg, and the vet coming out (again!!!). But that’s the way it is owing a jumping horse, you would think that a horse would be one of the sturdiest animals on the planet; instead (probably through selective breeding), they are quite fragile, like the athletes they are.
Moral of the story? Chelsea is now 18 and in college, she still sees her horse every day, and she has a great sense of responsibility and pride. Has it been worth it? You bet, I would not trade it for anything, having a horse has been one of the great life experiences that I have had, but nothing can prepare a person for the work, the tears, the joy and the incredible extravagant expense. But hey, we only have our kids once, and by God, if we can give them an experience of a life-time and a fulfilled dream, we owe it to the kids and ourselves to do what we can to make it happen. And one thing is sure; I would never sell Slinky, since he has given Chelsea so much joy. Instead, we will take one day at a time, and look forward to that day again when the kid is in the saddle, smiling from ear to ear, and Slinky is just perfect! Now that is the Good Horse Life!!!
posted by PeterLeif at 6:26 PM
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