On January 27, 2000 True Innocents Equine Rescue was blessed with the gift of having a beautiful, 18 month old paint gelding placed in our care. Thanks to Nicki who paid his ransom fee, he was rescued from a feedlot and commenced to fill our days with sunshine. We named him Jordan in honor of Nicki's son. Jordan came to us with a badly healed broken shoulder, he had foundered in his front feet and also suffered from contracted tendons due to his shoulder injury. We worked diligently with veterinarians and a special farrier to assist Jordie in being more comfortable.

Jordie was our "Dennis the Menace" at TIER. He would run, buck, kick and pester the heck out of the other horses. His pasture and turnout buddies were Pearl, Callie and Jake. The horse he spoke with quite often was Moses and the buddy he played with side by side was Pilgrim.

Jordie gave us smiles, laughter, frustration and deep concern. He was always glad to see us.

We love him more than words can convey. We have worked hard to help him be comfortable and pain free so that he could be the best he could be. Jordie's
recent growth spurts were not comfortable for him. He was not a candidate for surgery due to the badly healed broken shoulder...yet, he always had a
sparkle in his eye and a playful nature.

It was evident that his physical quality of life was deteriorating while his mental attitude remained undaunted. Because we love him and are responsible for his well-being......Jordan was assisted across the Rainbow Bridge on October 8, 2001. We feel his absence tremendously.

I brought each horse out to say goodbye to our dear friend once he had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Moses kissed his face, eyes, ears and then repeated the gestures. Moses then looked out in the distance for some moments and then looked at me as if to say "It's okay mom.....he's running through the heavens and he is whole."

Jordan....we love you so much! Thank you for the unconditional love you gave us. Thank you for the gift of YOU!

Farrier took a little more off his heels this time and trimmed up the toes some. Jordie is doing really well too! The farrier and our chiropractor have given us some stretching exercises to do with Jordan. He really didn't like them at first, but he is fine with them now. And......they seem to be helping him! What a boy!

The vet and farrier came out and they are working together to try to help this cute, cute boy! The x-rays show that Jordie's left coffin bone is rotated and tipped. Very close to coming through the frog. The farrier cut, trimmed, cut, trimmed, rasped. Between the vet and farrier, it has been determined that 1) Jordie definately needs to grow more hoof 2) He needs his toes cut back and his heel angled more (this will be done gradually as Jordies suspensories are straight up and down) 3) Work on the feet, then the suspensories and it is doubtful that anything can be done for the shoulder. The farrier will return in a couple weeks.

TIER's veterinarian took a look at this lovely boy 2/1/00. His comment? "Fix his feet!" Jordie, of course, will never be rideable due to the damage to his shoulder. Our vet doesn't recommend surgery for the shoulder problem. His comment about surgery was "Why put him through all the pain of surgery and recovery? He won't ever be 'normal'." He told us that once his feet are taken care of, Jordie will be okay to run and play a little more comfortably than he currently is. The "Natural Horseshoer" will be out Friday.

Due to the generosity and compassion of several people, Jordan (or Jordie as he will now be called) will be coming home to TIER on 1/27/00!!! Yee Haw! Jordie would have come to TIER sooner, but with the recent rain, I was apprehensive about him sliding around in the mud because of the excitement of a new home. A wonderful lady has offered to assist TIER with costs of medical treatment. The vet will be out this week and I will keep everyone updated on the results of the visit and further treatment for Jordie. As you know, Jordie has a broken shoulder, has foundered in the front and looks to have suspensory problems. These issues (and any others) will be evaluated by our vet. Thank you so very much to those of you who felt that Jordie deserved a chance!