My family already owned a handful of horses and I certainly wasn’t looking for another when I worked for Days End Farm Horse Rescue. I was hired to be the one full time staffer at their satellite facility when Royal came in. He had been found in a stall with three feet of manure, had slipper feet, and was a body score of a two. He was grumpy. He pinned his ears and threatened to bite and kick often. I quickly discovered that he was all talk and respected the people who recognized that.

The first few months of rehab for horses in his condition are the hardest and most critical. He had to be fed several small meals a day while gradually increasing the size of each meal over time and also needed his feet wrapped with medicine daily. While he was only a body score of a two, he was still able to throw you around like a rag doll while tending to his feet. The dude was STRONG!

As his personality continued to show, the more I appreciated him. Over the next year and a half, we bonded heavily. I had gotten permission from the trainer that I could evaluate him under saddle. The vet had cleared him for light work and said that it would help with circulation in his feet. He was tattooed, so he had definitely been ridden before. I ended up riding him semi regularly and it only strengthened our bond.

My fellow staff and the volunteers constantly asked, “When are you taking him home?” I would just laugh it off and say something like, “Yeah, right! I have enough horses at home!”

Finally, the day came for me to move on from DEFHR to start my own business. As soon as that decision had been made, so had another. I couldn’t leave him behind. In the two years of being there, our bond was undeniable and unique. I made him a promise to always do everything in my power to keep him happy and comfortable.

He finally came to live with me late spring of 2013 and I couldn’t be happier to have him home! I don’t ride him anymore, but he still requires more attention and food than any of my other horses. Keeping him sound is both an art and a science, but seeing him happy and comfortable makes it all worth it.

I made him a promise, and I intend to keep it.

What #RightHorse means to me

Sometimes the #righthorse doesn’t mean just one. Sometimes it’s that undeniable bond that you refuse to ignore.