People express their love of horses in different ways. I’d love to claim to be a “horsewoman.” But I’m not…at least as I would define “horsewoman”…as someone involved in the care, training and riding of horses. Though I have loved horses for as long as I can remember, I didn’t become actively involved with them until I was in my early 40’s. Since then I have taken many riding lessons and found riding thrilling…and scary. I usually felt I was going to go flying off in space and was relieved and a bit proud of myself to survive each lesson. It wasn’t the falling off that scared me…did that quite a few times and without much discomfort, other than having sand embedded in my face…but afraid of just losing my balance and being tossed to the winds. Until we moved to our ranch in 2001, I had boarded my horses and others did the care while I either took lessons or watched them eat…yes I would watch them eat as if entranced. A seasoned shoer once commented: “you just love them and want to be near them.” After my three horses (2 Thoroughbreds and an Arab) came to live here at the ranch, I learned how to care for them and realized how much pleasure that gave me. When my Thoroughbreds died of age related causes and as my law practice slowed moving towards retirement, I got the idea for Sky Ranch..a sanctuary for older or unwanted horses. So being a horse caregiver is my calling. I get some bittersweet feelings at times watching videos of horsewomen galloping on the beach or achieving amazing athletic things while partnering with their horses…but that’s not me. There are many ways to support and enjoy these remarkable creatures. Sky Ranch Sanctuary gives me a chance to do it my way.
Memory
There is a belief among many horse admirers that horses remember everything from the day they were born. I’m not sure how one could verify that belief and must admit I haven’t researched it. But it rings true in my experience.
Before my experience with rescue horses I didn’t have much reason to think about it. When a horse comes into your life in his or her 20’s from a life you know little about..and the few details you do have do not depict a comfortable life….the horse’s responses to the new environment draw more attention.
Sheldon is a good example. He was found wandering and abandoned…desperately thin. (He’s a very easy keeper, seems to put on weight just looking at food, which suggests he was out there on his own for some time.) When I put the bucket of feed and then the hay in his feeder twice daily, it never fails. He dives into the bucket, grabs a mouthful of senior feed and then sticks his nose in the hay, seemingly to make sure it’s really there.
He has been here now for a few years and still he seems so relieved to have food available. He is such a sweet guy it’s hard to imagine someone just dumping him off and leaving him on his own. Beyond cruel. I try not to judge since I don’t know the circumstances that would put someone in the position to do something like that.
And Spirit: apparently her owners moved away and left the horses. She’s a sweet tempered horse, but always a little worried, pacing back and forth. Wonder what her memories are?
Co-existance
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The pasture renovation went well. Lots of “coyote brush” removed and lots more room for the horses to move about. Coyote brush (or chaparral as some call it) can serve as a cover for coyotes, and a few weeks ago, that would have been reason enough to have it removed. A family of coyotes made it’s home directly behind the shed near the barn.
Aside from the racket the young ones made at various times a day, it was becoming somewhat alarming that the juveniles didn’t seem afraid of humans and were awfully comfortable hanging around the barn and napping on the manure pile. Concerned for human safety and barn cat safety motivated a call to a local live trapper who shocked me by saying the only alternative was to shoot the coyotes or live trap them and euthanize them! (Apparently it’s against the law to re-locate them.) That was beyond disturbing so I made a call to a local wild animal rescue where I was given the name of a man who teaches at Cal Poly who is an coyote expert. I called him and he said he doubted killing them was necessary. He told me so much about their family structures, how different family groups lay claim to certain areas, etc. And he introduced me to “coyote hazing” which consists of chasing them rattling and banging noisy objects. He said to make them believe humans are unpredictable.
One night as my husband and I arrived home from dinner out, we saw one of the juveniles (they are cute) lounging on the manure pile. Scott chased him and threw clods of dirt at him and they have not been back! Amazing. Of course we have coyotes on our property. They live in this area and have lived here a lot longer than we have. But they are back to being rarely seen and certainly not a menace. Every now and then a beloved barn cat (we are unofficially a feral/unwanted cat sanctuary too it seems) disappears, but that is life on a ranch. So far coexisting is working.
Adjustment
Snitch, our always busy Arab, had a visit from his chiropractor/acupuncturist yesterday. Dr. Greg Ugarte gave him a treatment which Snitch seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Snitch is a horse that never stands still..especially in the cross ties, but he was really ready for an adjustment and just stood there, as calm as I’ve ever seen him. Dr. Ugarte said even horses who remain calm during chiropractic at the rear and don’t seem to mind the needles going in can be sensitive to neck adjustments (horses often get their injections in the neck area). But Snitch just stood and seemed to welcome it.He had been exhibiting some discomfort with movement, and he seemed to welcome the help. A perfect patient.
Some Words About Ditto and Poco
The inspiration for the establishment of Sky Ranch Sanctuary came from two beloved Thoroughbred horses who came into my life when I lived in Los Angeles in the 1980’s. They moved with me and my family to Michigan in the 90’s and got a taste of four seasons living (ie: how to walk in a snow drift!), and then moved back to California with us in 2001.
Ditto, a high strung chestnut gelding, with a great and funny personality lived here at the ranch until he died of age related causes when he was 33. Poco, a beautiful, spirited chestnut mare, lived here until she died suddenly of a paralysis in her spine at age 27.
These two wonderful horses did not initiate my love for horses (think I was born with that), but they made the dream come true for me. Maybe because I was privileged to know them in their later years, I gained a special affection for horses needing care with the challenges that come with old age. This sanctuary is dedicated to them and to all horses needing to be treated with care and respect due to their age and/or prior mistreatment.
