Thursday, January 30, 2014

Throw Back Thursday...

Today I am going to tell you about my very first horse.  Not horses that were on my Grandfathers farm .. but the very first horse I bought and cared for on my own..

His name was Trojan - aptly named because of his enormous size as in the Trojan War Horse.  He was a Tennessee Walking Horse and a full 17 hands high at the withers.  The horse behind him was standing on higher ground.  He is the strawberry roan colored horse on the left side of this picture.  This was a typical sight .. as he was the favorite neighborhood horse and rarly only had 1 rider!

I met a man where I worked whose Father needed to sell a horse.  Trojan was living in a sand lot all by himself.  It just all felt right when I went to see him.  He was not registered... so when I first saw him, I was told he was 8.  When I agreed to buy him a week later, he was 10.  Then when I picked him up - he magically turned 12... (ahem)... No comment...

No worries - I had that wonderful feeling deep inside me that this horse was mine and I was right.  He was a great family horse...a gentle old soul.  Although he was not affectionate towards people - not liking to be fussed over, he was the most obedient and gentle natured animal we could ask for.  He was the highlight of every birthday party we had and everything I could ask for in a trail horse.  I learned a lot from Trojan.  I learned how to care for an aging horse whose teeth were useless or gone.  I learned how to manage a horses feet with and without shoes.  I learned how important it is for tack to fit the horse as well as the rider and so much more..

Recently at a family dinner, our daughters reflected of the things they loved the most about their childhoods and the 2 things mentioned first were growing up in the country and having the horses.  From there they launched off into multiple memories of sneeking out in the middle of the night for 'tackless night rides'; the time they felt guilty for riding him in the heat of the day - so they brought him into the house .. allowing him to cool off under the ceiling fan in the den!; .. or the many rides with their friends as pictured above..

Towards the end of his life, he survived a massive heart attack and lived an additional 5 years as 'yard art' before he passed away at the ripe old age of 30.  We had the priviledge of loving Trojan for 18 years.  He had a stroke and could no longer stand for any lenght of time without falling.  Our hearts broke as we had to make the decision to have him put down.  To make matters worse, it was just 6 months prior to moving to our farm, so we were unable to bury him here...but he will forever be in our hearts. 

Thank you Lord for such a Blessing - one packaged with 4 hooves and an orange mane and tail!  We could not have asked for a better companion for our daughters!!

1 comment:

phaedra96 said...

What is it with those big,old, red roan Tenn Walkers??? I purchased a "rescue" for my oldest daughter who was traumatized by totally bratty pony mare. Rudy was offered as 18, farrier put him at 20 and when we had to say good-bye five years later....probably 30. Sis rode him everywhere and anywhere. Towards the end, my little ones would coax him over to a tree trunk and climb aboard. He was 16 hands and a heart even bigger. We loved him dearly and because we did, he stayed with us until the bitter, sobbing end. RIP, Rudy. You were the best!!!