This I know is true.....

I've been a horse owner for many years caring for not only my own but also as a boarding stable owner a wide variety of horses owned by other people.  I thought I would share with you during this 'lull' inbetween artwork some tips on horse ownership.  At some point in time if you've owned horses you've also sold horses.  Today's tip will deal with a phenomonon of horse ownership that often occurs during the fun process of procuring a buyer for your horse. 

Murphy's Law and horses..... Or Helpful Tips for Horse Ownership

Have a good buyer for your horse? A mysterious illness, sudden lameness, cough, hives, nose bleed high spiritedness, uncharacteristic spookiness .... and a multitude of new and ever changing variations will materialize on your previously healthy, sound, sane horse as the words leave your mouth while speaking to the buyer.... no, my horse has never blah, blah, blah. Your horse will immediately prove you wrong by doing whatever it is you said it has never done. This I know is true when selling a horse!

I had it happen to me again! Maybe my horses just like living with me so much they converge out in the pasture sharing secrets on how to discourage any potential new owner! LOL!

This time I am happy for the sudden turn in a new direction.

I had a wonderful home lined up for my tb mare. She was due to go to a great home in about a month. I still would be thrilled if she went on to them but I don't think its going to happen because her yet undiagnosed 'mystery' illness is still a mystery.

Last week things looked very grave for her. Very grave. I won't bore you with the details other than saying she had some strange symptoms. After numerous vet calls and visits I called her new owner to tearfully let him know what was going on. I waited to make this call until I was sure things looked bad and the vet more or less confirmed for me that this was not going to just clear up. 2 days later she is turned out in the pasture doing flying lead changes and galloping from one end of the pasture to the other. I am not yet ready to say all is well but things definitely do not look as terrible as they did last week. I don't know what the future holds for her but things look much better than last week. Funny though how these mystery illnesses, strange behaviors, sudden goofiness pop up and then go away just in time for a sale to be cancelled. And funny too how it is always the horse for sale... not one of the others.... hmmmm. The horse that always loads except this time.... the one that never bucks but did.... the one who has been healthy as a horses comes in the barn covered with hives just as the buyer is pulling in.....the one that never spooks but looks at the buyer like he is a space alien!

I can tell you stories of how this same scenario has played out with different horses and different 'surprises' over my years of horse ownership just in time to ruin a sale! And then the horses go on to be symptom free for years..... so moral of the story is.... if there is something odd, strange, peculiar, unusual that you have never seen your horse do before, the first time you will see it is with a potential buyer as they are driving up the lane to your farm! This I know is true!
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I will share with you the boring part of new painting projects. I am priming MDO board for a series of outdoor, life sized horse and donkey murals.

You can see in the photo below my horses conspiring in the pasture on how to dupe me the next time I get the brainy idea to play matchmaker and pair them up with a new owner! You can see in the distance a new run in shed in the distance my daughter and her boyfriend have been building for our horses. I have a run in off my barn but it will be nice to have another in the pasture. If I leave the corral gates open for them to use the run in off of the back of the barn they come up there to do their business! LOL! Does not seem fair to have to clean manure when they are turned out! Hmmmmm..... makes a person wonder who is running the show here! Me or them? I think we both know that answer.

take care!

Sue Steiner
horse and animal artist, life sized horse paintings!


Sign up to this blog to get more practical advise for horse ownership! Tomorrow's Tip- Staking Your Claim and Standing Your Ground in the Battle of Barn Space! Scary Preview Photo below showing happy, non-horsey members of the family with their new 'toy' that needs a place to stay for the winter! Lines are being drawn the the barn... stay tuned.....