It’s been a year since our story began. I saw an ad on our local Kiijii website telling us about a rescue organization that was trying to save 115 young horses in Manitoba. I went to the website and was flabbergasted at the number of beautiful, young horses that were at a feedlot awaiting their demise.

When I showed the website to my husband he showed an interest in possibly rescuing a couple. One of the horses, a buckskin colt had caught his eye and I had my eye on a pretty chestnut filly with a white blaze. Our thoughts turned to our farm that hadn’t been used for livestock for about 15 years. The barn was falling apart and the fences were non-existent. In order for us to rescue these horses it would be a mammoth undertaking. It was already September and we only had about six weeks before the snow started to fly. At one point we said there was no way we could do this, there just wasn’t time to do everything that needed to be done….but neither one of us could get those two horses out of our mind. I felt a deep connection with the chestnut filly and I felt as if she were calling to me “Please Rose, save me”.

We decided to take the plunge and do the best we could to get things ready in time for their arrival. We had mentioned our dilemma to Helen and she told us that anything would be better than where they were at. We needed help to accomplish this task and thanks to our friends, neighbour and family who gave of their time to help us, we got the barn repaired, fenced a field and built a round pen all in six weeks time. We never would have been able to do it without them. We now were ready for them to arrive. They traveled for 24 hours through all kinds of weather to get to us. They arrived on November 10, 2008. We were relieved to see them arrive safely.

The buckskin colt (Buck) was the first one off the trailer. The driver told us the horses were all wild and that Buck was the worst one of the bunch. Oh great!!! That made me a little nervous!!! He came off the trailer and immediately began to eat the grass. He didn’t look very wild to us and oh my goodness... he was so beautiful. Next Jenny came off the trailer. Oh, she was so beautiful too! She started eating the grass right away too. The trailer left within about ½ an hour of its arrival. Well, that was pretty easy we were expecting a lot worse. Our babies had arrived, now the fun began.

Right away we noticed their feet looked as if they had never been touched. They resembled duck feet more than a horse’s hoof. The horses were scared of us and wouldn’t come near us and wouldn’t go near the barn. I don’t think they knew what a barn was. For the first week or so they slept out in the field. We have an open end of a barn where they can go for shelter and we wanted them to use it to get out of the weather. We coaxed them bit by bit with grain and hay to come closer to the barn. Finally they realized that it was a safe place for them. Next we would open the door of the stable area and just let them wander in and out. We wanted them to feel safe and that we weren’t going to hurt them. Bit by bit they went into the stall until we finally were able to shut the door behind them. I’ll never forget the first time I patted Jenny. She felt so soft. Tears welled up in my eyes. I instantly felt a connection with her and I believe she did with me. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever.

By January we finally had them calmed down and trusting us enough to call in the vet and the farrier. Both the vet and the farrier thought they were beautiful horses.  The horses were fearful but co-operated enough to get the necessary job done. The farrier told us that they were about the worst feet she had ever seen.  Since then we have had both the farrier and the vet tell us what different horses they are now from that first day that they met them. Buck has now been gelded and has calmed down a lot. He is not that wild horse that the driver warned us about. He really loves kids and is a real character. He is one smart horse. I’ll never forget the first time I was cradling his head and humming to him and I felt his head get heavy in my arms. He was falling asleep in my arms! In the spring when he was resting on the ground I was able to go and sit on him. That was another very cool moment. I’ve been able to do that with both him and Jenny. Another cherished memory!

I have been on Jenny’s back a few times now and she is ready to start some serious training. Buck has had a few bad experiences with the saddle so we’ve had to take a step back and work with a bareback pad. He’s coming along. Between a horrible summer (weather wise) and being very busy we unfortunately did not have the time we wanted to spend training them. We have loved them and spend time with them daily and these horses have responded positively. All they needed was some patience and some TLC. People are amazed at what different horses they are now from when they first arrived. My brother once commented that we shouldn’t have gotten these horses, that they tie us down now and asked if I regretted it. My response was “not in the least” and he asked “why?”. My answer to him was that this has been the most rewarding experience of my life. To take an animal that is so afraid of people and turn it into one that enjoys being around you is the most gratifying experience ever. I don’t regret it at all!

Rose and Wes Bailey

Ontario, Canada

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BUCK
& JENNY

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