Monday, December 28, 2009

A Brief Update

Thanks Phaedra96 for asking about my girls. I'm glad you've enjoyed reading about Filly, Mama, & their friends.

While it's a few years off, Filly will one day be my #1 trail horse. Dare I hope endurance horse? She's quietly bold & not much bothers her. I expect her to be a very easy horse to start under saddle once she's mature. Because she's had such a rough start in life, I plan to give her plenty of time to catch up & finish maturing before I begin to think of starting her. She requires more groceries & special care than the others right now because she's trying to grow & catch up at the same time. She's going to be a big girl as she's already the same size as Blondi, who's 3 months older with the same sized parents. I have to admit that Filly is near & dear to my heart & she can do no wrong. Well maybe when she bit me she did wrong, but I've already forgiven her.

Grey Girl will also someday be a trail horse. In the meantime she will most likely go to a few shows to strut her stuff. She's very flashy & is a gorgeous mover. She has that WOW factor that people notice. She's lively & her eyes just sparkle. She's the first to greet me when I go in the pasture & she demands attention. I still feel guilty for not giving her much attention in her first month or so, but I was so consumed with saving Filly that I was overwhelmed & not ready for another foal. GG & I make up for lost time now & she's just a little love. There are times when I can be caught blowing softly on her muzzle while she blows on me.

Mama has never picked up beyond where she was when Filly was weaned. She will always require special care & probably never gain a body condition beyond 3+. But while she'll always be an extremely hard keeper & thinner than normal, she has a gorgeous coat & a sparkle in her eye now. She's handling the winter weather a LOT better than she did our summer heat. Her health issues make it hard for her to regulate her body temperature so she has to be monitored closely. She'll always require extra TLC, but she's worth the effort.

Mommy Dearest is doing fine. She's fat, happy & running with her herd on 20 acres. Fortunately she had no health issues other than being a little under fed when she came to me.

2009 sure was a tough year for the mommas & fillies. Here's hoping 2010 is much kinder to us all.

4 comments:

  1. Filly sounds like every inch what an Arabian Horse should be and so many are not. She will repay you a thousand times over I am sure. I am so sorry for Mama but she has her home with you until the end comes for her. A better end than might have been for her. I would so love to see photos of Filly and how she grows. I just love her personality. I know a couple of Arab breeders and I know neither of them would have poured their hearts and souls into that little girl to not only save her life but make her a useful life. Sorry to be so wordy, but had she been mine I think I would have done the same thing. Worst I ever had was a foal with windswept legs and he straightened up before a week was out--even before the farrier could make it out to see him! Thank you for answering me. Please do continue to update us with her progress.

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  2. I will continue to update her progress & post pics. Filly was actually windswept as well & is still a little today. But she improves all the time now that she can run, play & gain strength. Plus I have a wonderful trimmer working to keep everything balanced. By this time next yr she'll be totally straight (well before then I'm sure). That's when I'll have to post before & after pics side by side.

    To be honest if I hadn't had such a wonderful friend who came over every evening to help re-splint &/or medicate Filly, I wouldn't have been able to save her. She definately wouldn't be straight & have a future ahead of her without my friend's help. There were many times when I seriously thought I was losing her & my friend would say "just one more day". Sometimes I just want to snuggle my face into Filly's winter woolies & smell her. I know it sounds silly but sometimes it just hits me that it's a wonder she survived against all odds. Thanks for "talking" with me as you've made me look back on 2009 with the thought that it wasn't such a bad year after all.

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  3. No, it was not. Look at the little darling now. She survived because of you. Do a "how far she has come picture blog for her birthday. If for nothing else, to show yourself what love, faith, and hard work can accomplish.

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  4. I'll do that. And maybe have a birthday party as well. :)

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