Its hard to explain the feeling you get when a horse is led out of the barn and he is nothing but a weak shaking skinny rack of bones. It is less shocking when one steps off a trailer from a killpen or a meat truck... , no less sad but less shocking - its kind of expected that they have been thrown away but to find one that has walked out of a barn in someones backyard is sickening. This guy was let down by so many people. In his younger days, it is believed he was part of the morgan show circuit, perhaps strutting his stuff at halter as a yearling and then moving on up to the pleasure classes. When he was replaced by something flashier, younger, better trained, he may have gone to a youngster who he taught the ropes to, toting them around the ring patiently teaching them that bouncing hands and pounding heals are not the best way to ride... but still he tried to please his people. Who and when was the first to let him down is anyones guess, this guy has been through alot and everyone seems eager to blame someone else - guess what... i really dont care and if those that failed this poor old man want to pay him back then dont get another horse - When people are happier to point fingers then actually do whats best i really have no use for you. We have been told by 3 different people that someone else was to blame - that means you all knew what was going on - that means you are as responsible as the next - stolen, then found tied to a porch - leased out - not fed - not checked on - moved on to the next person - again - not fed - used - left in a stall for 24/7 - filthy - fallen down and unable to get up twice - left down for hours on end - still not let out of the stall - he chews the wood - he is un handleable - he is a bully in the pasture - he runs through fences - always the horses fault and never the person - wake up people - horses are not born bad - they have to survive in a world that is totally dependant on us and if we dont take care of them they will do their best to survive and that may not be how you want them to behave - Take care of your horse - love him and know that if he is doing something you dont like it most likely is because of something you are doing not because he is a bad boy ! grrrr i am so sick of people right now - if you have information on this horse - keep it to yourself because i really dont care - if you didnt try to help him you are the problem.
Its hard to explain the feeling you get when a horse is led out of the barn and he is nothing but a weak shaking skinny rack of bones. It is less shocking when one steps off a trailer from a killpen or a meat truck... , no less sad but less shocking - its kind of expected that they have been thrown away but to find one that has walked out of a barn in someones backyard is sickening. This guy was let down by so many people. In his younger days, it is believed he was part of the morgan show circuit, perhaps strutting his stuff at halter as a yearling and then moving on up to the pleasure classes. When he was replaced by something flashier, younger, better trained, he may have gone to a youngster who he taught the ropes to, toting them around the ring patiently teaching them that bouncing hands and pounding heals are not the best way to ride... but still he tried to please his people. Who and when was the first to let him down is anyones guess, this guy has been through alot and everyone seems eager to blame someone else - guess what... i really dont care and if those that failed this poor old man want to pay him back then dont get another horse - When people are happier to point fingers then actually do whats best i really have no use for you. We have been told by 3 different people that someone else was to blame - that means you all knew what was going on - that means you are as responsible as the next - stolen, then found tied to a porch - leased out - not fed - not checked on - moved on to the next person - again - not fed - used - left in a stall for 24/7 - filthy - fallen down and unable to get up twice - left down for hours on end - still not let out of the stall - he chews the wood - he is un handleable - he is a bully in the pasture - he runs through fences - always the horses fault and never the person - wake up people - horses are not born bad - they have to survive in a world that is totally dependant on us and if we dont take care of them they will do their best to survive and that may not be how you want them to behave - Take care of your horse - love him and know that if he is doing something you dont like it most likely is because of something you are doing not because he is a bad boy ! grrrr i am so sick of people right now - if you have information on this horse - keep it to yourself because i really dont care - if you didnt try to help him you are the problem.
Thor
Summer of 2020 update
I can not tell you what a sweet heart this old boy is. We had a sponsor who paid for his DNA testing and we found out who Thor really is.
We had a sponsor who paid for his DNA testing : sired by Cedar Creek Harlequin and his Dam is Cabot French Radiance
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· Meet Thor, a horse that went from riches to rags and somehow landed in our pasture at Bagaduce River Equine Rescue. Standing a little over 15 hands, Thor gives the impression of being a much larger horse, his proud Morgan stance makes it seem like he towers over his handler but in reality... he is a simple sweat soul. Born into the morgan show world a little over 20 years ago, Thor must have been a beautiful sight. His trot is larger then life and he glides, swallowing the earth beneath his giant hooves with every reaching stride. When he was around 10 years old he became a young girls best friend. They rode bareback through the woods, had fun in small Maine shows, not working too hard but spending his days enjoying the love of his girl. Like alot of horses, Thor started spending less and less time with his girl and more time waiting for her. The day came when school and sports took over and Thor needed a new home. This is when the rags began to happen. He bounced around from person to person, sometimes not being allowed to leave his stall, he must have been hungry and scared to have acted the way these folks described him, a mean horse that charged others in the fence, he threw his handler up against the barn on several occasions, they stopped feeding him hoping that would calm him down, they couldnt understand why he ate the barn down when he wasnt allowed to step outside his stall. The spring of 2020 Thor fell twice in his stall, being cast and down for hours both times. The vet recommended to his caregivers to find him a new home, one where he would be able move, one with a pasture. .
When Thor walked out into the sunlight on that April morning, we weren't sure he was strong enough to make the trailer ride home. He was shaking and weak from having fallen twice. The lack of muscle tone gave him the appearance of being much older and his skeleton could easily be seen under his shaggy winter coat. We loaded him on the trailer, it was like he knew he was going to a better place. No hesitation, no fuss.Just following the hands that led him.
As the weeks and months passed, Thor bloomed into the horse he is today. His liver chestnut coat shines in the sunlight. Allowed to run with the herd, he is actually our 'babysitter' for new horses that come to the barn. Never aggressive, never biting, definately never pushy with his handler. Thor is what i would call a perfect gentleman, constantly asking 'is this what you want?"
Thor deserves to spend the rest of his days being loved, being cared for and allowed to run in a field and stretch his legs.
Our hope for him is to find a person who will respect the fact that his body still needs time to heal. At 21, the muscles and joints dont bounce back from starvation and immobility the way a younger horse would but he is gaining. With time Thor will most likely be able to carry his rider on those trail rides through the woods once again. His days of heavy riding, of showing every weekend, of working till he sweats are over. Thor needs a best friend that will share calm adventures and hours of just being together. If you are looking for a sweet nose to nuzzle, a warm neck to pat and a partner that would love to go on walks with you..
April 24, 2020 Thor found himself at our barn. He was so weak we weren’t sure he would make the trip home but there was no way we were leaving him behind. Thor was and still is a fighter. He fought to survive when his body was too weak to stand in a stall, he fought to survive when somedays the only food he got was the wood his stall was made of. His life consisted of 4 walls – no freedom to move, no freedom to search for his own food and water. He was at the mercy of those that kept him captive and only thought of him when it was convenient. Thor is a survivor.
8 months is a long time to pour your heart into an animal, nurse them from the brink of death and watch as their dull coat sheds replaced by a shiny new color of Liver Chestnut. Thors ribs gradually started to fade behind a little layer of chunk and his nose dent where his too small halter had been left on began to fade. His eye developed a twinkle and his personality began to pour out of his huge heart. Rather then the killer we were told he was, the unmanageable terror in the pasture who got out every chance there was, the menace and herd bully…… Thor was the most gentle, tolerant, babysitter we have ever had. When someone new came to the herd, they stuck close to Thor for protection, he was a gentleman on a leadline and the first horse I would grab when kids came to brush. He made sure his giant hoof never crushed a little foot and although he could mimic a giraffe at times, when there was a child around his head would come down and his nose would softly search their pockets for something sweet.
8 months later Thor finally found the person he had been looking for his whole life. We took him to his new home Saturday November 12. We saw him with his new Mama and was greeted by Midnight. We watched as he explored his new home, munched on some hay and said hi to the goats and chickens. Thor is finally home and as bitter sweet as it is for us to say good bye, for Thor it is the happiest of endings. We miss him like crazy but Ruth has given us updates daily, he has rolled in his sandy ring, he has shared apples with his new girlfriend Midnight (who evidently likes him quiet well) and they have all roamed his new home together – exploring and simply being happy. From the wobbly old man that we feared wouldn’t get up when he first rolled here at BRER to the home of his dreams – I promise you will never be forgotten in a stall again, fallen and unable to get up, you will never be hungry, lonely or scared. From this day forward, you will be loved Thor.
May you never remember your past and always look forward to tomorrow.
8 months is a long time to pour your heart into an animal, nurse them from the brink of death and watch as their dull coat sheds replaced by a shiny new color of Liver Chestnut. Thors ribs gradually started to fade behind a little layer of chunk and his nose dent where his too small halter had been left on began to fade. His eye developed a twinkle and his personality began to pour out of his huge heart. Rather then the killer we were told he was, the unmanageable terror in the pasture who got out every chance there was, the menace and herd bully…… Thor was the most gentle, tolerant, babysitter we have ever had. When someone new came to the herd, they stuck close to Thor for protection, he was a gentleman on a leadline and the first horse I would grab when kids came to brush. He made sure his giant hoof never crushed a little foot and although he could mimic a giraffe at times, when there was a child around his head would come down and his nose would softly search their pockets for something sweet.
8 months later Thor finally found the person he had been looking for his whole life. We took him to his new home Saturday November 12. We saw him with his new Mama and was greeted by Midnight. We watched as he explored his new home, munched on some hay and said hi to the goats and chickens. Thor is finally home and as bitter sweet as it is for us to say good bye, for Thor it is the happiest of endings. We miss him like crazy but Ruth has given us updates daily, he has rolled in his sandy ring, he has shared apples with his new girlfriend Midnight (who evidently likes him quiet well) and they have all roamed his new home together – exploring and simply being happy. From the wobbly old man that we feared wouldn’t get up when he first rolled here at BRER to the home of his dreams – I promise you will never be forgotten in a stall again, fallen and unable to get up, you will never be hungry, lonely or scared. From this day forward, you will be loved Thor.
May you never remember your past and always look forward to tomorrow.