My horse's Anniversary

This week my horse Kismet has been off the race track for two years. Kiz was underweight, angry and very unhappy when he came off the track. He was donated to Friends of Ferdinand and they placed him in a barn where I was taking lessons. I have ridden and had horses most of my life and was learning Dressage. He was a 'train wreck'. He was sore all over, hated people and just wanted to be left alone. I believed there was a sweet horse under all the anger and I was able to get him to let me halter him and take him for 'walks'. Eventually, I was the only one not terrified of him an I began giving him daily 'hand walks' and getting him used to being handled.

The photo below is Kizi a little over a year later with my then 9YO son. Kiz will always distrust people who are around his food, but he is really a doll. I ended up with Kiz just by fate and now that he is in the pasture behind my house where he belongs it just seems RIGHT.

The top photo is the first few weeks off the track and from that angle you can't judge his weight, but notice the difference in the shine on his coat.

This last picture was his first winter during his 'rehandling' time. It took a long time to get him to drop his head and not always have that ready to fight stance. This is one of our first good pictures. It is far from a great picture of me, but who cares with a cute pony on your arm!

As for Kizi and I, we take in other Foster horses from time to time from FFI. None will ever be like Kiz, he was a rare horse. He did not become shy and withdrawn when his back and legs began to hurt, he lashed out at humans and blamed them, maybe rightly so. Since adopting Kiz we have fostered three horses. Ruby lived her final years with us she was one of FFI's horses before they chose to focus on Race horses. Highway Hero a gorgeous grey horse who went on to steal the heart of his new owner in Northern Indiana where he happily totes her around the trails. Unbridled Soldier who just last month found his new home in Chicago and Mr Bartlett who is now becoming a well rounded saddle horse and looking for his new home.

If you have a heart for horses and live around here, lend us a foster home. If you are further away donate to FFI or a charity near you. These race horses give from when they are babies and then they are often 'trash' to the industry, but make great second careers. Before donating locally do your research there are as many 'bad' rescues as good, sadly!