Deeds - 1996 bay 16.2 TB gelding - AVAILABLE

[ecaitlynn]

Thanks, Redmond!

[shekaberry]

I love that picture! Deeds is kind of a princess and liked having his shelter, I bet he LOVES having a stall. He would stand forever for grooming. He loves to be loved!

[jaybird]

I had a nice visit with Deeds today and met a great new SAFE volunteer!! Lucy is a somewhat recent transplant to the Kitsap area from Kentucky. She works as a small animal vet tech and is also in school getting her certification. Somehow she has decided that she has the time to put in volunteering for SAFE! Because of her riding experience and ability, we have set her up as with Mr Deeds and she plans to work with him twice a week while she is in school.

So we went to Deeds' boarding barn this morning to introduce her to the horse and to the barn owner. We spent some time brushing Deeds, who seemed to like that quite a lot. He is in fine shape at the moment, just lacking muscle over his haunches and along his topline. He was a pretty good boy in the crossties, except for his incessant pawing, and Lucy got him all cleaned up and tacked up in her dressage saddle. She rode him in the little outdoor arena at his barn, and he was such a good boy for her. Like Schwung and Shekaberry have both said, he is the least Thoroughbred-y Thoroughbred you will ever meet. He was bright and interested in his surroundings, but he stayed relaxed and did not misbehave for an instant. Nothing bothered him. Lucy rode him in the walk and the trot and then did a little bit of calm cantering. He was a bit off at the trot at first but he seemed to work out of it so general stiffness might be playing a part. Lucy reported that he was responsive to her aids and seems pretty well trained. And he looked smashing all tacked up on such a pretty day. I am kicking myself for not bringing a camera.

I hopped up on his for a couple of minutes and just walked him around the arena. He is a very nice horse, and pretty comfortable to sit on. A steady-eddie for sure. I hope that we can find him a nice home where he will get some light riding and he would probably do really well on the trails because he is so laid back and easy going.

Afterwards, we undressed him and let him have some free time in the arena. He rolled three times until he really really got the sand ground back into his coat, and then he spent the rest of the time poking around looking at things, wandering back from time to time so that we could pet him. He is really a nice horse, very friendly, sweet and terribly handsome.

Lucy plans to work with him to improve his suppleness which should make him very comfortable and happy. We will keep you posted on his progress. A big welcome to Lucy and a big thank you for helping with Deeds. He seems to really enjoy interacting with people so I am sure that he will be happy to have visitors on a more regular basis.

[jennywho]

Wow, Deeds sounds like a great horse. The perfect TB, all of the good things, minus the TB moments. I love it!

Thanks Lucy and welcome, I can't wait to read more.

[ecaitlynn]

Thanks for the update on Mr. Deeds -- and that's wonderful that Lucy will be working with him! I'm sure he'll love the attention!

Beth Thompson (WA)

[jaybird]

Mr Deeds had a slight bout of colic over the weekend. He became upset when the mare from the next paddock was taken out for turnout, and he worked himself up into a bit of a lather....started rolling and groaning and not eating his breakfast. The barn owner where he is staying called me and I called Slew and we both headed down there to see him. Fortunately, when we got there he was pretty much over it.

I went to see him this evening and he was completely his normal bright eyed, curious self. As a precaution, I brought a tub of Sand Clear for him to start getting....his paddock was recently redone with builders sand, and he's been tracking it in to where he eats. But all in all, he seems fine now. So whew!!

also here's an update from Lucy who saw Deeds on Friday:

Deeds was a good boy today . . . I felt like I could really start working with him on his weak points now that I know what they are. Deeds is such a cool horse . . . he goes like the typical off the track baby who has been jammed face first into a frame - - meaning he is stiff as a board and behind the bit consistantly. BUT, he is so smart!!! We worked for about 30 minutes today - about 2/3 of that was walking and the rest trot. He was really listening and seems like he really wants to please his rider. The long walking and streching excercises really helped and when we did start to trot he was still feeling stiff, but he trotted out sound from the first stride! That alone was exciting. But the other really cool thing is that at the very end of the ride he was willing to start slowing his rhythm and start reaching for the bit. These were really slight changes, but most horses take much longer to reach those first thoughts of self carriage.

I know that Deeds will always need some vet maintanence (like joint injections and so forth) but I really think that if he gets fitter and more supple he will be a much more comfy horse.

I guess my point of all this rambling is that we had a blast, Deeds is seeming a bit more comfy in his surroundings (he followed me into the grooming area after his roll in the arena) and I am really glad I stumbled apon this organization because it is giving really amazing animals a second chance and that is really exciting and motivating to me. The more time I spend with Deeds, the more I am baffled by his previous owner's wish to euthanize him. What a loss that would have been!

So thanks for letting me be part of this horse's transition to a forever home! I will keep you updated on his progress and don't feel shy about letting me know if there is anything else I can do to help!

[Angel62197]

Glad to hear he came out of it well! I would hate to see him finally on the right track, and then just gone...

He sounds like such a charming guy. His looks says "distinguished (not the be confused with old!) gentleman."

[shekaberry]

That is so nice to hear! Hopefully with consistent work he will loosen up. He is a joy to work with and a fun ride. Glad that he made it through his bout with the dreaded colic. He gets pretty attached to horses around him and has little (OK, not so little) meltdowns when they're taken away. I think that's the most thoroughbred-y part of him!

[jaybird]

Deeds update from Lucy:

I'm sorry to hear about Deeds' colic episode! I saw him today and he looked good. I think the pelleted bedding is helping a bit because there was less sand in his stall. He was really perky and excited to be getting out of his stall and move around some. While grooming him, I did notice that he appeared to be a bit stocked up on both his left front and left hind legs. This seemed odd to me as horses generally stock up on both sides. There was no heat of tenderness to the swelling so I decided to work him a bit and see how he was moving. He was stiff as usual and we did lots of streching at the walk and then trotted a bit, also focusing on streching. He was off when he started trotting, but warmed up out of it after a few minutes. When we stopped, the swelling was gone from the left hind and significantly decreased from the left front but not entirely gone. Again, there was no heat or tenderness.

So anyways, I will keep an eye on those legs and his weight (he is a bit thin, but I don't think he has lost much since I have known him) and I will let you know what he is looking like on Saturday! Let me know if there is anything else you want me to do in regards to his legs or anything else!

[shekaberry]

JB - We need pictures!

[ecaitlynn]

have Mr. Deeds picture on the wall here at work -- love this horse! Hope he continues to do well and I love reading any updates about him!

Beth Thompson (one of Mr. Deeds' sponsors).

[ecaitlynn]

Would sure love to hear how Mr. Deeds is doing! I'd still love to visit this boy, if that's possible.

Beth Thompson

[jaybird]

Deeds update from Lucy:

Deeds is doing well and continues to be a pleasure to work with. So far he is still a bit on the thin side but doesn't seem to be losing. We have been doing the same slow work with lots of streching, which he seems to really enjoy. He is starting to seem increasingly enthusiastic about my visits, which is neat. I gave him a bridlepath because the bridle was getting tangles in his mane (it is really narrow and not really noticable). I also got him a head stall that fits properly. I am going out to see him here in a few hours, so I will give you more of an update then!


I saw Mr Deeds myself on Monday, and he seemed bright and cheerful.

[shekaberry]

I am surprised hs hasn't been snatched up yet! He is sucha sweetheart to work with and beautiful to boot.

[jaybird]

another Deeds update:

Deeds was fun today . . . with all the windy weather, he brought out his get-up-and-go! I was really excited because today was the first time he really accepted contact (rather than being behind the bit). So it appears we are making progress on that front. I think he would make a great training and first level dressage horse one of these days. He still has a ways to go because we are just getting flashes, nothing consistant yet. But I think he will physically hold up to that level of work and he is a very willing learner. He is such a blast to play with!