Patriot deserves a mention and a big thank you for bringing me to this point in my journey with horses. In 2018, Patriot will be ten years old. I adopted Patriot when he was approximately 18 months. Cute, gentle, kind and ... yes, cuddly, sort of summed him up. He was a feedlot baby and the experience left him with strangles, a hairline fracture in his cannon bone, a bone chip in his fetlock, and his own personal glitch - an umbilical hernia. When he arrived at PMR he was extremely malnourished and naturally very small for his age - it was anticipated that he would be pony size. Needless to say, he quickly found his way to my heart and it was soon after that my learning process began. It was also about the same time that he began to grow, and grow, and grow! Patriot very quickly bypassed pony size and almost over night, sweet and cuddly began to transition into adolescent, opinionated and suddenly very big. I think you know where I'm heading with this. In all fairness, I'd been warned, but I never thought all those warnings would ever apply to me and "sweet little P"! My most memorable words of advice, (that I didn’t listen to), were: “If it’s not cute at a 1000 lbs, it’s not cute at 200!” If only I had listened!
I don't think any species escapes adolescent attitude, and that especially includes horses. At this point I realized I was way in over my head and needed help. Luckily, I did find that help and the next few years things began to change for the better. Sometimes you just have to realize and admit that you just don’t have the skills and that this is about to go really bad for the both of you and admit that you need help. And, then ask for it!. Like I said, I found the help Patriot and I needed and life soon took a dramatic change for the better, but for a while, the stress we were both feeling was huge.
Out of this experience an idea began forming. I had always wanted to start a rescue or sanctuary, but had always leaned towards the older souls. It was now that I began to see a real need for not only rescuing young horses from disastrous circumstances but taking it a step further and giving them a good start at becoming willing and safe partners for life. I remember the day I asked my trainer that one breathless question. “Would you be willing to help me start a rescue that not only saves these young horses, but also gives them a really great foundation?” She thought for what seemed like a very long moment and said “yes”. With a great sigh of relief, the concept behind Blue Horse Rescue was born.
Although not a part of Blue Horse Rescue, Patriot is definitely the ongoing inspiration and, like Blue Horse Rescue, a work in progress. Our journey together is a life long commitment - he keeps me out of my comfort zone and on my toes! Because of my relationship Patriot, I strive, with the help and dedication of others, to be able to give once ‘unwanted’ young and older horses a healthy and confident opinion of life and the desire and willingness to become the best human/equine partners they can be.
