The Offer of Another Horse

A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from a dear friend, one of my best friends. Her horse needed a new home, and she wanted to know if I would take him. Yes, I would love to take him, but I don’t have the room. My husband insisted that we build only a three-stall barn, stating, ?If you build a barn with 20 stalls, you’ll have 20 horses in no time.? I guess he was right. So, I had to say no to this beautiful, kind gelding. What stumped me, though, was when she said, ?Do you have a friend you would trust to take this horse’?? Wow. One person immediately came to mind, but I knew she already had a full barn.? I thought of two others, but they, too, had all the horses they wanted/needed. Now, I know a lot of horse people, so I thought it would be easy. I couldn?t believe it wasn?t. Interestingly, my friend also knows a lot of horse people, and she couldn?t think of anyone else she knew either. No, we’re not nuts. If you love your horse the way I love mine and my friend loves hers, you understand. A horse is a huge responsibility, and the condition was, ?If you can give this horse a new home, ride him and enjoy him, I’d like to put him in your care. If it ever doesn’t work for you, I want to take him back.?? Nothing wrong with that, as it shows love and acknowledges responsibility to that animal. The person you choose to take your horse has to be trustworthy, caring and experienced enough to properly manage a horse. Think about it. How many people do you know that you would trust implicitly with a treasure as dear as your horse’ Look into your horse’s eyes, also full of trust,?without a clue as to how horrible life can be for some horses, and try to not worry about his future and well-being. When I bought my two dogs, I had to sign agreements with the breeders for the care of these dogs (and they didn’t come from the same breeder, it was simply similar contracts). I underwent an inspection to be sure I had the facility and background necessary to give the dogs a good home.? And I had to sign, stating that if I could no longer care for the dogs that they were returned to the breeder. Last summer, we bought two horses, both of whom were sold to us for a small amount because the sellers knew we were offering a good home. That was important to them, as they were responsible sellers. In fact, neither horse was even being advertised for sale. Both were by word-of-mouth. But it wasn?t that way with my precious Sally, whom we purchased several years earlier. The seller didn’t ask anything about us beyond if we were paying with cash or check. I shudder to think what could have happened had she ended up with someone who didn’t care. I’m glad my friend is taking the responsible way with her horse, too, because her gelding is also a treasure. In fact, every horse deserves a chance, and none deserve to end up with someone who doesn’t care what happens to that animal when they no longer need, want or can afford him or her. If you?ve got a horse who needs a home, whether you’re selling him, leasing him or giving him away, you owe it to him to ensure that the new owner is deserving of something as incredible as?that horse.

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