Second Chance
Second
Chance - White
Gelding, 16+ years. Appx. 15 hands. This horse has been to the
camps this summer and he is very, very thin. He rides well.
Currently he is having diarreahea. I do not know if this
due to the feed change or if he has an intestinal problem. I
will watch him to see how he is doing. These horses do not get
vet care at these feedlots.
This
lovely old gentleman is now named Second Chance and will going
home to Michelle and her family! Michelle's children had seen
his picture on our website and said "He looks like he needs
a home, mom. Let's give him a home!" So, Second Chance
now has a home with a wonderful family! Thanks Michelle!!
Chance
arrived about 5:00 today (10/26/99)! He stepped off the trailer
and looked pleased with his new home. Chuck (Haulin Hoss-see
webpage) said he traveled well and was a perfect gentleman!
The boys went crazy over him, he had an apple and a carrot before
he even got to his new paddock. He walked around, checked out
his shed, sampled the water, sniffed his new filly friend Ginger,
test-rolled his new dirt and took to his hay. He thinks equine
senior is pretty tasty. We brushed him down and he really seemed
to enjoy it. He looked comfey in his warm blanket! It gets really
chilly when the sun goes down. He did not seem to mind the sheep
or the poultry. He has his own little area for now as Ginger
is a speedy eater and certainly does not need the equine senior!
Our vet will be out Thursday to do his teeth, give vaccinations
and worm him. That should help him out.
I
could NOT BELIEVE that anyone would even consider putting a
saddle on him let alone let kids ride him all day when he is
all bones. How can these people live with themselves? They can
put shoes on them but not hay in them? These are not mechanical
merry-go-round horses, they have feelings. You can just look
in his eyes and see. My heart goes out to all of Chance's buddies
from the camps.
I
did not realize he was that big, he looked smaller in the photos!
{smile}! Even more to love! He picked up his head from the hay
every time the back door opened. I just checked on him after
900 and he came over to get his neck rubbed.
I
took a picture of my sons hugging him and will send update photos/stories.
In no time he will be a new horse!
Thank
you Gail for getting us together, Chance needed a home and we
needed a new horse buddy. Just think of the horses who will
soon get new homes and people to love them like Chance does!
Update
11-2-99:
Hope things are going fine your way, hope you make out fine
and dandy with your surgery! Chance is doing super, he even
looks like he is starting to fill out. He seems to really love
his new quarters, is really interested in sheep, (maybe in his
varied past he had been around sheep before?} He plays in the
water trough and licks his feed bucket clean. He really loves
his super horse for seniors! He is also a big fan of apples
and carrots. He gets pretty nosey when we clean out the corral,
have to watch so he dosen't tip the wheelbarrow and make you
start over again!
He
loves to be brushed, the kids get various heights and mom finishes
the leftover spots. He closes his eyes and really seems to enjoy,
especially when we get just the right spot. He even puts his
head down to get the halter buckled/unbuckled. He lets Brandon
lead him where-ever but especially if it has to do with snacks!
He is very vocal now at feeding time, he prefers to be first
and let the others voice their opinions while he munches away!
They all get their turns at being first; sometimes its the sheep,
sometimes the horses, sometimes the chickens. If my husband
Gary is feeding he always gives Chance his goodies first, he
can't resist his whinnys!
We
wormed him and the vet will be out Saturday to float his teeth
and vaccinate him. We were happy he did not get diarheea with
all the new feeds. We started out gradual with the superhorse
and he is now up to his recommended amount. He also is getting
hay but he won't touch that until his favorite is gone, crumbs
and all!
Update
2/8/00 - Oh, that Chance! He has made himself right at home
and seems to love everything
about it. He has put on weight and looks like a "normal"
horse instead
of a walking skeleton. He has a coat of hair like a bear.
We have not had as much snow as we normally do (YAY!) but he
decided that
the snow was pretty tasty--especially when that snow is a
snowman with
a carrot nose! The boys love to ride him, especially our
oldest, 6
1/2 yr old Brandon. He and Chance are registered with the
4-H Cloverbud
program to start this April. Brandon and Chance are all
over the
yard and out in the pasture. He leads him to the fence or hay
bales if
we don't get him up quick enough. He plays he is a superhero
and Chance
is his superhorse. He even put Chance's name on his riding
helmet. He
is a very vocal horse--he wants the attention...or snacks...or
brushing. He has done everything asked of him and more--we
couldn't
ask for a better family friend.
Update
5/19/02 - In October of 1999 we adopted a wonderful horse
with your help from the feedlots. Chance was a super friend
to all who came to know him. Our oldest son Brandon used him
for 4-H horsemanship and Chance loved the attention and being
out in the crowd!
He had advanced cancer which spread extensively and also Cushings
disease. Sadly on the morning of May 3rd he was unable to rise
to greet us for breakfast as he always did. Our vet did all
he could but it was in the best interest of Chance to help him
on to a better place with no pain. Our son Brandon held Chance's
head in his lap and we talked with him to help him on. Brandon
stayed with him until dad said it was time to come in. We buried
him the next day out in our pasture and had a little service
for him (that was important to the kids.) Brandon took a lock
of his mane for his memory book. Chance was not in our lives
very long but he had a significant inpact on everyone. Thank
you for putting us together so that his last years were great
not only for him but our family as well.