Living in a rural area, there is more opportunity to have space from people. I try to go to the barn when the other people associated with it are NOT there, and I carry sanitizer for before and after chores, as some of the tools are shared. One thing I do pretty routinely is exercise the older horses I have or take care of. I'm so lucky to be able to do this in relative safety.
This fellow nicknamed "Bud" (actually Swifty's Taylor Made, a giant Quarter Horse) is 29 years old, or a very fit 82 years old in people years. His owner retired him with me. That means I take care of him but she pays his bills.
I try to ensure he gets a few minutes of movement most days to keep his light arthritis from causing him discomfort. Tomorrow we will probably go for a very light ride for the first time this year. No running, just some very light exercise for maybe an hour, and we'll see how he does. Most people (his farrier, etc.) think he appears younger than he actually is - that's because he's had a lot of good care.
This year we worked to get some extra weight off him - probably about 70 pounds or 32 kg, which considerably helps his arthritis and wellbeing.
More than you likely wanted to know, but I'm very pleased so far with how well he is doing.
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What a great job you have Wallowa. You must never ever get fed up of going to work. He is absolutely beautiful. He is stunning in fact. It's great he's lost some weight to help with his arthritis. He certainly doesn't look 29 years old. It must be down to your good care of him. 😊🐎🐎
Thanks! His original owner took great care of him, but we've been watching him very closely and I'm quite pleased with how he is doing. He's more of an agreement than a job, but I am getting lots of benefits from the agreement. So is his person. She and her husband moved to a lower elevation because of COPD and it did help him tremendously. She would have had to board him somewhere that costs at least twice as much - and with her husband's health, going to a barn with multiple people coming and going would have been more of a risk than here. So we all win!
Fantastic looking specimen! I like the idea of a loving home for retired horses. You are doing a wonderful, rewarding job. Oh, I love your line drawings too.
It's true Wallowa. There are so many advantages to being a country person at the moment, and a preferred way of life always for so many.
Very good to make Bud's acquaintance and heartwarming to read of your care of him. Not more than I wanted to know at all! It's really delightful to learn more of your life. Thank you for sharing so much of it with us. 🙏
Lovely picture Wallowa. What an interesting life you have working with horses like you do and in such a beautiful setting. Do you have dog/s? Thanks for sharing this by the way.
No, I have the 2 horses and a couple of inside cats at the house. I feel so lucky. PS... today we did our first ride (on the big light colored horse "Bud") and he did really well!
Yes, that's a round pen! He's registered. He actually has a lot of thoroughbred in him as he comes from racing horse stock on the dam's side. I looked him up once on a pedigree site. If you go back far enough (1700 ish), he's actually related to my Arabian mare, as thoroughbreds are largely descended from 3 Arabian foundation sires. Both of them go back to all three. But she's tiny and he's very tall.
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A morning with Howard Keel