Post by Whitewolf821 on May 24, 2008 2:42:57 GMT -5
I suppose this probably isn't the place for this, but here's my story.
When I was a little girl, I was extremely close to my grandparent's horses. They had two registered quarter horse mares (I have no idea what their registered names were). These were, essentially, my "first horses." I remember being led around on them with my grandpa leading us around the property. I remember walking out into the pasture with treats filling my hands and calling for them and hearing their hoof beats on the ground as they came around the corner. Every time I went to visit grandma and grandpa, I made grandma cut up a bowl full of treats for me to take out to the horses. These mares were beautiful, well-behaved girls that I have many fond memories of.
Fast forward a few years, and I moved away with my dad. We were within a few hours of grandpa, so we'd go back to visit and it was like the horses waited for that moment that they'd see me walk out to the pasture with the bowl from the moment we drove up. Then, my grandpa became ill and due to a mass infection had to have a leg amputated. Shortly after that, my grandparents had to sell their property due to all the medical bills, and the people that bought it offered to keep the horses and take care of them. By this point, they were pasture pets as they hadn't been ridden in quite some time, and they were content to mow and be brushed.
My grandparents both passed away within 6 months of each other in 2004. It was a hard time for me because of how close we were while I was growing up. A couple years ago, a friend of mine mentioned that they were looking for a pasture pal for some old farm animals, and for some reason, something clicked in me. I was off on my quest to find out what happened to grandma and grandpa's old horses. I figured it was a pretty slight chance of finding any good news since the mares both would have been 25+.
I started calling the small town that I grew up in trying to get information on who purchased the property. I was (miraculously!) able to track down the owner who had purchased the property from my grandparents. On a side note, I'm sure that was a strange call for that gentleman! Anyway, I was told that within weeks of my grandpa passing away in October 2004, Maudie came down with a strange sickness. They at first thought she was foundering, but the symptoms changed and progressed until she passed away about a month after my grandpa passed. She was given a dignified burial on the property she had loved.
I am still searching for the other mare. She would now be approximately 27, by my estimation. I know she was still alive at the end of 2004, and I suppose the strangest part of that is that she was given away to a family in the town my grandpa was buried in. This town (Troy, Idaho) is about 100 miles away from the property she was left on when my grandparents sold it. She was a chestnut mare with a star on her forehead, and she answered to Fancy. I don't remember her registration info, but she was an extremely well bred mare. If anyone knows anything about her, I would love to know what happened to her. I was told she was given to a friend to pony their children on, and I'm quite positive she would have loved that. After all, she ponied me many times as a little girl!
I can post pictures of both Maudie and Fancy, but I want everyone to be aware first that my grandpa was one of "those" people. He used barbed wire, and it shows in those old pictures. The only ones I can locate of the horses were taken about 17 years ago and by a "budding" 8 year old photographer (me!), so the quality isn't very good.
When I was a little girl, I was extremely close to my grandparent's horses. They had two registered quarter horse mares (I have no idea what their registered names were). These were, essentially, my "first horses." I remember being led around on them with my grandpa leading us around the property. I remember walking out into the pasture with treats filling my hands and calling for them and hearing their hoof beats on the ground as they came around the corner. Every time I went to visit grandma and grandpa, I made grandma cut up a bowl full of treats for me to take out to the horses. These mares were beautiful, well-behaved girls that I have many fond memories of.
Fast forward a few years, and I moved away with my dad. We were within a few hours of grandpa, so we'd go back to visit and it was like the horses waited for that moment that they'd see me walk out to the pasture with the bowl from the moment we drove up. Then, my grandpa became ill and due to a mass infection had to have a leg amputated. Shortly after that, my grandparents had to sell their property due to all the medical bills, and the people that bought it offered to keep the horses and take care of them. By this point, they were pasture pets as they hadn't been ridden in quite some time, and they were content to mow and be brushed.
My grandparents both passed away within 6 months of each other in 2004. It was a hard time for me because of how close we were while I was growing up. A couple years ago, a friend of mine mentioned that they were looking for a pasture pal for some old farm animals, and for some reason, something clicked in me. I was off on my quest to find out what happened to grandma and grandpa's old horses. I figured it was a pretty slight chance of finding any good news since the mares both would have been 25+.
I started calling the small town that I grew up in trying to get information on who purchased the property. I was (miraculously!) able to track down the owner who had purchased the property from my grandparents. On a side note, I'm sure that was a strange call for that gentleman! Anyway, I was told that within weeks of my grandpa passing away in October 2004, Maudie came down with a strange sickness. They at first thought she was foundering, but the symptoms changed and progressed until she passed away about a month after my grandpa passed. She was given a dignified burial on the property she had loved.
I am still searching for the other mare. She would now be approximately 27, by my estimation. I know she was still alive at the end of 2004, and I suppose the strangest part of that is that she was given away to a family in the town my grandpa was buried in. This town (Troy, Idaho) is about 100 miles away from the property she was left on when my grandparents sold it. She was a chestnut mare with a star on her forehead, and she answered to Fancy. I don't remember her registration info, but she was an extremely well bred mare. If anyone knows anything about her, I would love to know what happened to her. I was told she was given to a friend to pony their children on, and I'm quite positive she would have loved that. After all, she ponied me many times as a little girl!
I can post pictures of both Maudie and Fancy, but I want everyone to be aware first that my grandpa was one of "those" people. He used barbed wire, and it shows in those old pictures. The only ones I can locate of the horses were taken about 17 years ago and by a "budding" 8 year old photographer (me!), so the quality isn't very good.
