She had me from hello......

Beautiful day today.....warm and sunny......what a treat for all of us...horses and humans!
Yesterday we decided to go and get our blind paint mare from the slaughter yard kill pen. We had made arrangements for Saturday, but I just felt like I could not leave her there another night...so Susy and I got in the truck after work, hooked the trailer up and went to get her.
She was way in the back of the yard, locked in a smaller area. I could hear her neighing before I could see her, as we were making our way through a myriad of locked gates, pathways...a crazy connnection of metal fencing somewhat like a maze...and then there she was. A slightly odd tilt to her head.......listening.....and then I started talking to her..approached her, touched her gently and haltered her. She was filthy, lots of raw patches, scratches and little wounds.....I teared up a little thinking of how scared she must be......handed over to strangers again, in a little more than a week....who was taking her now? Susy talked to her on one side and I led her on the other, making our way out of the maze. The mare walked right along, hesitant when the footing changed, but walked on when encouraged, occasionally bumping us with her nose gently..to "see" where we were. I felt some anxiety because.......well..what the hell do I know about blind horses? Nothing. Never had one. I had no idea if she would load easily or just what might happen. I had a lump in my throat...pulse pounding in my head......those moments where you say to yourself "what the hell am I doing?" "what if...what if????" I kept my thoughts to myself, afraid to speak outloud to Susy...Susy who is game for anything...who doesn't realize how things can go bad.......I walk along, pat the mare and listen to Susy, who keeps talking to the mare...
We finally got out to the trailer.......I had Susy open the loading door, then drop the drop down window...I asked the mare to come forward and I was amazed when she lifted her front hoof up in order to step up way before we got to the bumper of the trailer......I asked her to come forward a little more, she lifted up the hoof again and rested her weight, then lifted the other foot and then boosted herself in.....what a good mare.. my gosh..big sigh of relief...2000 lbs off my shoulders....I brought her forward, shut the divider on her and she stood like a statue. We clipped her halter to the trailer tie and shut the trailer up.....got on the road and headed home. The big slaughter truck passed us on the way out of town. I hated the thought of it.
Once home, we led her down the driveway, up into the barn, walked her around the perimeter of the pvc fencing, splashed the water, threw some hay and then got her some beet pulp/grain (which she was really thrilled with) We also applied liberal amounts of louse powder as she was crawling with lice and then I was too......so gross!
This morning, I arrived to find she had eaten all of her hay, and apparently stayed in the stall for quite a while last night. When she heard my voice this morning, she made her way back into the stall and right to the grain dish.....I guess she has me pegged for the grain person. She has a great big whinny to greet you with...

Later this afternoon, I went back and bathed her, conditioned her mane and tail, used show sheen to take all the knots out and then let her hand graze for about thirty minutes. She loves the green grass. I put her back in her stall and she made her way outside, where she promptly rolled (both sides)....so there are apparently no differences in blind horses and seeing horses after a bath.LOL>

We have named her Iris. Even though I am not a mare person, she had me from hello.....I am wrapped around her hoof and she is wrapped around my heart.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow.

Change for the good......it works.