Animals

Pete and RePete

Today I would like to introduce you to a new horse.

"What? A new horse?" you say.

Well, ok, then....not an entirely new horse,

but a "remodeled" horse, let's say.

Dear friends, I would like you to meet the new and improved Pete.

If you are new to this blog, then you might not know that

Pete is (supposedly...but who knows!) an off the track thoroughbred.

Dr. Becky (Hubbs sister and equine vet) rescued Pete

who was on the brink of collapse from starvation, rain rot, injuries (you name it)

and the like. She nursed him, fed him and loved him back to good health.

And I would love to tell you that Pete repaid her by turning into a magnificent riding horse.

Unfortunately, Pete remains a diamond in the rough...

a work in progress so to speak.

Pete is kind and gentle and tries so hard to please,

but Pete needs a lot of work!

Finally after months of care, he has gained enough weight to be saddle-worthy.

Becky has spent hours working on his hooves, shoeing him, and floating his teeth

so that he would be comfortable with a bit in his mouth.

And so, this weekend, she put a saddle on him to take him for a test ride.

He made it through the "tacking up" just fine with lots of peppermint treats for standing still.

However, he was quite nervous around the mounting block

and proceeded to dance his way around it.

Over and over they walked around the arena...

each time stopping at the mounting block.

A reward for standing still...

and Becky climbed the block.

It was obvious after about 45 minutes of just ground work,

that it will be quite a while until Pete is ready to be ridden.

Becky has the patience of a saint with horses, though,

so I have no doubt that at some point Pete will be ready to ride.

So, for now they will work on ground manners and building trust.

And hopefully one day Pete will relax enough to be ridden.

If you have been following my blog,

then you will agree with me that the change in this horse over the past 3 months

is nothing short of miraculous!

He still needs to develop a lot of muscle,

but he is so very much healthier than he was.

I had hoped to tell you the story of woman and her beautiful rescued horse

riding off into the sunset....

but that would be a fairy tale.

No, this story will be much more interesting than that...

with twists and turns in every direction.

Stay tuned to see how it all works out!

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Animals