Another Suitcase, Another Hall

When I woke up this morning there was a text on my cell phone saying my offer on Wanda had been accepted after all and when did I want to come and get her.

So after I made a few calls: first to my husband to see if he was still serious about us doing this, second to my friend to see if I really was crazy, and third to see if the offer of a place to put her still held; I called back and said OK.

And thus the day of WTF was born.

What am I doing? Exactly how crazy do I have to be? I mean, I'm paying twice as much as I got for her to bring her back into my care where she won't be ridden. I'm spending perfectly good money for a broodmare I can't afford to breed.

But folks, I couldn't leave her there. Not when I could do otherwise. So, as of Saturday evening, I will be Wanda's official owner again. My husband suggested I look at it as though we'd just boarded her somewhere else for ninety days. Yes, good point Jon. We sent her to the anti-trainer where they taught her to rear and flip over and get into fights! It's all the rage this year, aren't you doing it? I'm not sure what I'll be brining home. From the sound of things she could very well be in tremendous pain. And it sounds like any ground manners she ever had have gone out the window.

So, you know how much I like planning and the current one looks like this:
Saturday evening-go get Wanda and bring her home to the farm where she was born. The folks there kindly offered to take her in and I've accepted. She can live outside with some other mares for a month or two while I evaluate her and figure out what I'm going to do. The nice folks also volunteered to help me find her a home.

Next week-get a vet out to look at her. Her previous owners want her checked over by their vet and I'd like someone to take a look at what's going on now-especially palpating her back. I asked her current owner to gather back up her vet records (which I gave her when I sold her) and any new records for me and I'll look over them with my vet. I'm not planning to do any more diagnostic work at this time. There's nothing that can be done ulitmately for the arthritis so we'll have to evaluate her pain level and see where that takes us.

Then I imagine we'll need some rehab. At the very least I plan to work on ground manners and perhaps do some longeing to work on obedience and respect.

Before the winter rains come I need to find her somewhere I can leave her out with a run-in. I've bought a couple of months of breathing room but the farm doesn't have turnout in the winter so we need to be moving along. I have a friend in Illinois who breeds paints and I think I may find out if she could board one in retirement long-term. I could probably afford the board there more easily and if she wanted to breed her or use her for a nursemaid she could.

In the meantime, I've bought a couple of months of breathing room to try and get things figured out. I'm so grateful to her previous owners for allowing me someplace to bring her home to. And I wouldn't feel comfortable taking her anywhere else at this point. I don't know what she's like or how she's likely to react and until I figure that out I cannot in all good conscience board her anywhere else. Only the fact that they've known her all of her life lets me feel good about imposing upon them, even for a little while.

Looks like I'm back in the horse business doesn't it?