Reader Story of the Week: Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!!!

Reader story form submission from: Orcas Island Trail Rides

How long have you had horses?
all our lives

What is the funniest thing your horse has done?
We had put out a new mineral block for our horses and went out to feed in the evening and they were lined up behind each other (8 of them) like they were waiting for their turn to get to it!!! We unfortunately didn't get a pic as I had dropped our camera and broke it. It was pretty comical.

When you're worn out, what motivates you do get out and spend time with your horses?
We love to ride and train our horses.

Describe your dream horse
A red roan with champayne mane and tail.

Have you ever had to say goodbye to a beloved horse? Tell us about it.
Yes, we had a great trail horse who ended up being older than we thought (when we bought him, the owner didn't know his exact age, so guessed it) and after the 3rd season he started going down on weight--we tried everything to bring him up to no avail--then winter set in and he just got weaker and weaker. He was one of our main trail horses and was a lot of fun to ride--always wanted to go--had a lot of energy and stamina. We miss him terribly.

Sometimes horse owners have to improvise. Whether it's homemade halters to catch a runaway or making trail obstacles out of whatever's handy, what have you done that's creative with your horse?
We used my husband's belt to catch a horse and bailing twine to mend a broken bridle on the trail.

How have you shared your love of horses with others?
We do trail rides for people here on Orcas Island on beautiful trails in an old growth forest.

Anything else you'd like to tell us about you and the horses you love?
We have a horse we would like to give away to a loving home for a little girl or boy so that they can learn to love horses like we do. We can't use this horse on the trails anymore and would like her to have a good, loving home with someone who will treat her with tender loving care.