Back Yard Horses

"Back Yard Horses" that is the term we use for horses that the people who own them don't have much land or funding for the big pastures, or whos barns don't have wash racks and there wash rack is a garden hose and a hitching post on there front lawn or who have indoor arean's, the barns are mearly glorified sheds sitting on 2 acres of land with a few horses.

Nothing wrong with it. In fact my nautrual Dad use to tell me some of the best horses ever to go to the Kentucky Derby came out of a little rat hole for a barn and did just fine. He said that alot while I was getting his old red Mare back in shape the summer of 1996 so my Sister M.J. could use the mare for her high school equistrain team. I think what he was saying was it didn't matter what was on the outside of the barn, but rather what mattered was what was on the inside of the horses heart and the hearts of the people the horse was surrounded by that was going to deturmind  how good the horse would do.

Having been around this thing for a while now, I see what Dad was saying. Some of my favorite places to dump shavings or make a horse run with either Terry or Kris are those back yard places. Where the owner barn manger and stall cleaner are the same person. These are the people doing it for the "love of the game." Not a tax write off, or something to show there friends. Nothing wrong with those people either, the horse industry needs those people as well. Just I can relate with the back yard people better and apreciate what they are trying to do.

Last winter Kris and I finished up a horse hauling run for Terry. One of the horses he hauled was a white little Arabain mare from Arazona that was probably in her late teens. Sue bought the horse from the Gene who had fouled the mare, then Sue moved to Arazona years ago. It was the last foul from Gene's  horse Lovely who has since passed on, Sue always said if she ever got rid of the horse she wanted Gene to have it, since it was Lovely's last baby. Well what ended up happening was Sue became terminally ill with cancer and said  if Gene would pay for the hauling expense back to Michigan Gene could have the mare.

So there Kris and I are in the big truck and trailer with the coolest Sheltie ever riding in the sleeper, cruzing along a country highway with this pretty all white Arabian mare, looking for Gene's place. The house was so small and I know the barn was bigger then the house. There wasn't a big fancy driveway to pull into. We ended up pulling off to the shoulder of the road and unloading the mare there. As we where slowing down three kids covered in dirt started running towards the road as Gene followed closely behind them.

The first thing Gene did was pull out her checkbook and starting writting us a check for hauling the horse. As I  was heading for the truck with the check. Kris started opening up the trailer. During this I noticed a little girl probably seven or eight  years old who reminded me a lot of my Sister M.J. at that age. She had on a dirty pink winter coat with a camo stocking hat and a toothless grin. Kris said to her "she's pretty isn't she." That's when the little girl said with her hocky player smile said "Yea, she's mine" All I could do was smile and I said to myself "this is a pretty good business." As Kris and I along with her dog Yogie started to pull away, this is what I saw in the side mear of the truck. Gene leading the mare down that gravel driveway with three kids at Gene's and the mares heals. Even in that big deisle truck on that cold winter day, you could feel the love and energy as we drove away.

No that mare won't ever be bathed with hot water, have a chriopactor work on her, get the latest supplements in her feed, have a heated barn in the winter or be hauled in fancy horse trailers to shows. She probably won't see the big show ring again or have to stand for hours while they groom her for a show...... But I know dam well that for the rest of that horses life it will be loved and appreciated by a little o'l country family just off the main drage. In the end I think that is what Sue wanted and that is why she sent the horse back to Michigan.

As for Sue, which by the way isn't her real name. (I didn't know her name and made it up so it would be easer to read.) I don't know what ever happend to her. But I do know that in a world full of coal, if you endure enough dust you will see the dimonds that come of it.