[Caterina]

Back story...


From July 2005

When I worked at a big barn last year, I met Wallce.
A beautiful bay TB gelding who had kicked *** on the track untill he hurt an ankle and had to be retired from racing. He was sold a few times and retrained English.
He was purchsed by a girl i knew who soon sold him to another girl who i got to know.
When ever his owner would be away for more then a week, she'd ask me to lounge and work him. Which I always did...
I gave them advice when I found something that worked with him..he did have some issues...
Anywho when this girl graduated high school she decided she wanted to travel, she leased Wallace to teh stables who leased him out to someone else.
He was your typical TB, at times he could be very unpredicable. Two times he reared and struck me in the shoulder on the way down (i honestly dont think he ment to hit me, I was jsut in the way and he was too scared notice). He was very reactive, and the more time I spent with him, the more he started to come around...
After I quit I heard off and on that Wallace had a leaser. yadayadayada....
He also weaved and cribbed, (it slowly got worse over time). I dont blame him as he get only a couple hours of turnout a day and lives in his stall the rest of the time, only being ridden infequently.
I remember so many times sneaking him out (his owner know...just not my boss) into one of the big hog fuel paddocks, it was almost magical watching him run, god could he run.
Hed gallop for like thirty minutes then walk himself till he was cool, just doing this a few times a week kept him sane....obviously this never happened after I left....
His behavious deteriorated and he started acting up more undersaddle, bucking, rearing, bolting...etc...I guess it was bad, so bad that putting him down was a choice as my old boss who had since bought him from the girl, didnt want to put him in the hands of someone who would get hurt...
She tried selling him, but oddly noone wanted a horse that was that dangerous...

Then interestingly, a lady who my boss knew, my boss refused to sell Wallace to her. so this lady got someone else to pretend to be interested in Wallace and buy him and then get the orignal lady to replace the purchase price or something to that effect.

Now Wallace is owned by someoone who will jsut lease him out to people, just to make money, or maybe to resell down the road.

After finding this out this morning I went down the street to see for myself if it were all true, and there he was...he looked so unhappy. I almost lost it right then and there.
He's gonna hurt someone or just act up and get the snot beat out of him for acting up. or he's gonna hurt someone!

I know its not my fault, but I'm just so angery.
If Wallaces old owner knew this is what had become of her horse, shed be devestated. I'm devestated, and I only knew the horse for like a year or two and hadnt really seen him much since I quit last year. But I everytime i think of him i see him galloping in the paddock, the speed, the power.
I saw the video of him winning one of his races, hed have gone far as a race horse.

I get that you cant save them all, that I can't save them all, and sometimes I just have to get mad then move on. But I guess its because I worked with him, and I would probably feel this way for any of the horses that I knew while my time at that barn.

I remember one time while turning him out, I had coyotes following me, surpsingly he didnt spook, he jsut kept walking slower to put himself berween me and the coyotes. He was a good boy, jsut needed some love and time, now I fear that will never happen.
He's gonna just hurt someone and then his life will end, or he will get passed around some more.
My poor Wallace...

I guess all I can do is try...
I know I'd feel differently if I hadnt known him personally.
But every single horse (with excpetion of most of the boarders--cuz really all i did was turn their spoilt brats out) at that barn hold a place in my heart.
I remember one time, they were going to put one of their arab school horse down, as he was older, didnt work as a school horse and nobody would buy him.
I offered to take him and work with him and hopefully find some little girl who just wanted a pony.
My "friends" went behind my back and took him, and now he lives with some Icelandics.
I know with another arab mare they had, I tried to "rescue", she wasnt working out as a school horse and sometmes they feel its better just to put them down if they have issues like that.--thankfully it never got to that point with her.

I guess you get to know the horses from working with them on a daily basis and so when stuff like this happens it breaks your heart. Cuase sometimes theres not whole lot you can do.
I cant save them all, and that makes it worse. I watch the school horses loose their minds from being locked in stalls for 22 hours a day, i watch others get sold to homes where you know it wont go well, its all so infurating!

Shortly after this, Wallace was offered Free to Good Home--with soundess issues...
When I told his owner I would take him, and could be there with a trailer within the hour, she said that *I* had to buy him.
She was willing to give him away to some stranger, but I had to pay for him... which I didnt have her askinging price at the time... So to some stranger he went.
I lost track of him for awhile, untill one day I found someone who was asking about his past.
From this owner, I learned that Wallace again, didnt have a good time of things before she got him.
I saw pictures of horrible wounds left from a cribbing collar and a bag of bones, that was once a beautiful tb.
This owner changed his name, to give him a new start.
I wanted so badly to adpot him, when he was ready to go, but I just couldnt. I even tried to get my friend to buy him....
The most glorious part was, he was quite... dead broke, easy to handle... just a gentleman... (its so shocking what turnout and proper food will do)
But just like before, I lost track of Wallace. This was roughly a year or so ago
Then the other night, my eyes see it flipping thru a horsie mag... he is up for sale once again. (at least Im almost 99% sure its him... same name, same specs, etc).
He looks VERY well cared for, its just it still bothers me that he is being passed around.
I hate that every few years I see him back on the market...
I want him as my own, just so I know that he would always have a home.
Its almost like a carrot being dangled... just out of reach... no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I want, or dream or pray... Ill never get it...

[Canadian Sage]

I am sorry to hear that.

he sounds like an amazing animal.

How old would he be today? Maybe someday? You will be able to get him into your hands.

I know it is tough seeing a horse you wish you could get, being tossed around and around...and around, especially when he deserves so much more!

[Caterina]

Originally Posted by Canadian Sage

I am sorry to hear that.

he sounds like an amazing animal.

How old would he be today? Maybe someday? You will be able to get him into your hands.

I know it is tough seeing a horse you wish you could get, being tossed around and around...and around, especially when he deserves so much more!

I believe he is a 1992 model TB

[Xiphias]

That is so sad....I hate to see horses passed around like that too...mine have a forever home with me...no matter what their problem would be...

Cathy

[FallenAngel]

Aweee poor guy!

[jhalton]

I hope you get him one day - hopefully sooner than you think. Has his price gone up? Sometimes I wonder why certain people have horses. Best wishes.

[Carly]

awe!... what mag is he in? can you PM with details?.. maybe I can help in even a round-about way?..

[Caterina]

Originally Posted by Carly

awe!... what mag is he in? can you PM with details?.. maybe I can help in even a round-about way?..

k firing you off a pm