Horses

Ever since I can remember I have loved horses. I took riding lessons for years thanks to my parents and my grandparents. My grandma would drive from Conyers to Doraville to get me, then back to Conyers then back to Doraville then back to Conyers-she did this weekly and for a long time. Well now we have three..and boy are they a lot of work. We couldn't do it without my in laws help. They have helped us with fencing, hay, vet bills..if it wasn't for them I don't know how we could take care of them. My husband has never been around horses and gets a little nervous with them. They sense that and mess with him on purpose, which is funny to me but not to him. He is getting better with them though.

All three of them were given to me, they weren't abused or neglected really bad but the folks that owned them just let them hang out in the pasture. No maintenance was done as far as wormer, yearly shots, grooming...they had grass but that's it. There were plenty of mornings I woke up and busted frozen water so they could drink during the winter. When I moved they told me to take them. None of us had a clue how much money and time it takes to really take care of them. It's been and continues to be a learning process.

Twinkle Toes-aka the Queen



Twink is the oldest at 25 and the boss. She limps some due to arthritis but don't let that fool you. If one of the other horses gets to close to her food she will buck and kick like a wild Mustang. Usually all she has to do is put her ears back and they  know to back away. She is a great horses but seems to be getting a tad cranky in her old age. Anything you do, feeding them or grooming Twink has to be first. But you don't have to catch her and have her haltered to groom her. She just stands there. 

Savannah-aka Miss Thing

This is her pose when she is waiting on feed. She is the second oldest at 20 and is an Arabian. She was a little girl's show horse for years. But the girl got another horse and Savannah was given to my landlord. She is very smart and very sensitive. True to her breed she is a small horse and fiesty. She is usually pretty good about letting me catch her but sometimes she likes to run around for awhile. Once you catch her, she stands perfectly still and lets you groom her.

Jack-aka Goofball

Jack is the baby at 8 years old and is a Tennessee Walker. I have always wanted a black horse. He is beautiful. I call him my black stallion, my husband calls him the big black sissy because our mares pick on him. He is  very goofy and loves to play. He loves the dogs and will stand by the yard swinging his head up and down while they bark. He will do this for hours. You have to really watch him because he loves to get your stuff and take off running. He takes fly spray, brushes, hats..anything he can snatch and take off with. One day I laid his halter and lead rope down and walked off for a minute..turned around and it was gone. He had picked it up and thrown it in a dog yard. When we feed them in the morning and evenings he always runs over to Savannah's bowl, takes a huge bite of her food and takes off.

People always tell me they want a horse. There are a lot of reasons people can't have them-money, time and land are some of the main ones. If you are one of those people please think about volunteering at a horse rescue. There is a great one in Cumming called Save the Horses. Their website is http://savethehorsesnow.org/savethehorsesnow/Save_the_Horses.html.

They are in desparate need of volunteers. Do you have a few hours each month to spend with these horses? This would be a great thing to do as a family. If you don't have the time but would like to help them monetary donations are always needed. You can even sponsor a horse. It will break your heart reading what these horses have been through but will make you smile knowing that they are safe now. All the information is on their site if you want to check it out. We only have three and it is a lot, can't imagine how much goes into taking care of the horse they have but I am very thankful to have people like them giving horses a second chance.