Elliot a Horse rescue (Easter 2018

Being in the rescue world for so many years it just becomes part of you. It is so natural that I don't even have to think about what I am doing I just push on. I am stepping down from my rescues board as I prepare for the final chapter of my life, Retirement.  I have been searching and preparing for this time for a few years now. I have chosen to start a small homestead to keep me busy and allow me time to enjoy a different laid back life.
     By the time I found my retirement home on an island in the North bordering Canada I was dreaming of all I could do and how I would live.  I spent many nights a week reading and educating myself on homesteading and animal care.  I wanted to raise a few goats and chickens and needed to do lots of homework.  As time gets closer to my retirement in Oct. 2018, the home work turns into dreaming about all the choices of goats and chicken I could raise.  Who knew there were so many different kinds of goats and chickens to choose from.
    With all of the Internet searching I was doing, I came across different cows and horses that where also very different than I had ever seen before. One night I came across a Miniature Carousel Horse and it intrigued me so much I went on a new search for these amazing little guys.  I had no idea there were many kinds of small horses, So on a trip to Iceland I saw the Icelandic ponies and became smitten with them. When I returned home I found Face book pages with miniature horses and ask to join to learn more about them.
    The first night I was excepted into one of these pages I came across a few pictured of different horses and mules that appeared to be in an on line auction. I scrolled down and found a miniature horse and the caption was "If this little guy was any smaller he would fit in your pocket". Well that caught my eye and I started to read more, then moved down to the comments. The first thing I read is "some one needs to help this little guy". Wow! what the hell is this.  The comments just kept going with help this guy, who can transport, where is he, wish I lived closer, and so on. These are the comments that smack of a rescue, but I have no idea what this is I thought auction????  I searched the page that made the post and was shocked to find it was a kill pen, just one more place that made me loose my mind. I went back to the post in hopes to learn and understand the need for a kill pen.  I posted in the comments how does a person get these horses. That was the point that I fell off the edge of the rabbit whole, the point of no return.
     I learned that night March 27 that if these horses where not bailed out my March 29th they would be loaded up and taken to some place to be euthanizes and used for God only knows what.  I did not sleep well that night knowing the fate of these horses. The next day I found that I was being  tag by others on the post to contact the pen and get more details to bail a horses out.  I sent a message but did not hear back. I was tag late in the afternoon to see what I found out. I said I was not contacted. 15 min later I was contacted. Many folks were really wanting some one to bail out this mini. A few messages back and forth and the ball was in my court. I either said no, I can not help and the horse dies or I dig in and bail this guy out. I have no idea how to take care of a horse no matter what size.  Now I know I can learn but where could I keep it till Oct. It is after noon on the 28th and I have to pull a rabbit out of my hat quick.  Through a flood of "How and where" in less than 5 hrs. I had to make this happen. All my horse friends live in other states my friends close was not ringing any bells, when I remembered a post on the face page for the island I will move to. I saw a fellow islander shoeing a horse and thought they may have horses or know the folks that do.  My worry about asking folks I barley knew for help was a long shot but I had to try.  I believe that if it's meant to be it will happen and happen it did.  Turns out my fellow islander once raised minis and was happy to help me out and board Elliott till I make my final move this fall.   The kill pen held him for 24 hrs. and that gave me the time to prep van for horse transport of 700 miles. I drove to Kentucky met a man who had the horse in the bed of his truck, we loaded him in the back of the van and drove back home. At 4 AM getting the horse into my back yard so I could get a few hours sleep was a little more difficult than I thought.  Then it started to snow and I new I was never getting him on the porch out of the snow. My life with hairless dogs would not let me leave him in the yard with out something to keep him warm. You know Necessity is the Mother of all inventions, so I grabbed a hunk of fleece and tied it around him and went to bed. 5 hrs later when I woke up and looked out back, Elliott was munching on grass in his fleece blanket, I fell out he looked so funny. All I could think of, is what my neighbors are going to think seeing him out there. Now getting him back into the van was, well lets just say we could have won a nomination  for best comedy. We got him to the island safe and sound and we got home at 1:30 in the morning.
         My higher power truly takes care of me and watches over me as I jump into animal rescue.
        Thank you to Deb and Greg you are truly good people.

Clean up at check out..

     The day started out pretty benign, nothing out of the norm. I only  had to chase the goats once, my luck may be changing for the better.  I was ask to help judge the costumes at the Halloween party for the kids on the island. I needed to pick up my new FLIP phone as my old one's screen changed and I had to read everything back words. I needed paint to finish painting the trim and new wall between the living room and bathroom. couple of food items and back home. It seemed to be a easy task and only take a few hours.  Not...

     I wanted to catch the 3 o'clock ferry and ran my mouth 2 more minutes than I should have, I arrived as the gate was being hosted and the ferry was taking off.  This was the first of BS that consumed the next 5 hours.

     As I was leaving the ferry I knew I was due at the cell phone company at 4.  So as I am driving my car, it goes into its preprogrammed drive and I caught myself at Meijers. Well phone company can wait now as I am not backtracking 5 miles to get there.  I run in to grab a couple of things and end up doing my weekly food shopping as I tell myself I don't want to come back in a couple of days to do it. So an hour later I am at check out get all my stuff on the belt and wait for the lady in front of me to finish, which took an eternity.  The clerk gets a big hunk of my order scanned when I look in my purse to see,I do not have my wallet.  "Stop" I said I don't have my wallet. I have no card, no checks and no money.  Every thing comes to a grinding halt while the clerk makes a call to see what to do.  It was decide that they would finish scanning the order and hold it at customer service desk and I would go back home to get my wallet.  

     I wanted gas but thought I will skip it for now as I need to catch that ferry.  I am not sure how fast I was going but I know if I got stopped that ticket was going to kill me.  I got a couple of miles from the ferry and knew no way in Hell I was going to make it and I was not sitting at the dock for 30 min.  I turned around and went to the phone company to get my phone. Now that was even worse than not having my wallet.  In the past they put the cost on my bill and I pay it when it comes.  NO, not this time, I still do not have the faintest ideas what BS that guy was giving me but it sure was not the same as he did when I ordered the Damn thing.  I spent more than my 30 min. arguing with the guy. I wanted to pay cash but he said it would be spread out over 24 month. Are You kidding me?  I just want to pay the whole thing and be done with it.  Well you can but you lose the 100$ promotional deal and will pay full price, he says. I lost my ability to speak English at this point and went straight to Sailor.  "Fine" I said,  Then he brings a paper over and says there is a 40$ upgrade fee. WTF!  You don't make that phone any more and I had no choice but to buy up!!! and now your going to charge me for the forced upgrade. "FINE!" I said. Then I find out that I need to buy a new car charger.  I feel like I am going to stroke out now and tell the guy just transfer my contact list and I need to go.  I stick the charger and new phone in my bag and start to leave, he says that I still need to pay him 28 bucks for, hell I don't know what. I start speaking Sailor again and reach for, F$#k, I don't have my wallet.  I take the stuff out of my bag and lay it on the counter and tell him I'll be back I need to run home and get my wallet. Back in the car I am racing to catch that ferry again.  No, again I just miss the damn thing and so I need to wait 30 minute.

     As I am getting my ticket punched I tell the crew member get me off as fast as you can I need to be back on the ferry before it goes to main land. I told him I left my wallet at home and need to get it. He laughed and said he would.  I got home in record time and ran in grabbed my wallet. I ran back to the car to see it swarmed by the chickens who think I am going to feed them. Out to the barn I run to grab some chicken scratch to throw so I can get the car out of the drive. GAWD, I could not believe I made it just in time and got a thumbs up from the crew.

     It is now 6 PM and I am getting off the ferry and know I can not get back to the phone store as it is closed now.  I just went on to Meijers to pay for my groceries and get gas.  I left there and headed to Walmart to get paint.  

     It took a few minutes to decide on the shade of red paint I want to trim the barn in and paint the dog house with.  The young man was very helpful and I learned that I can now buy paint that has primer in it so the 2 and 3 coats of paint is not needed.  So this gets me to thinking I can correct the mistake that was made by the paint company 2 weeks earlier.  As he mixed the paint I picked up the white I needed and some brushes and rollers.  I was very happy with the matching of the paint to my color choice.  I told the young man I would be back tomorrow to get the correction paint for the living room.  I carried the 2 gal. of paint all the way to the front and ended up in the self server check out lane. I scanned the rollers first and the read out said knit, I call the clerk to tell her something was wrong, I did not have any knit.  She explained they give items a code name and when I scanned the brushes they were call chips.  What ever, as long as the price is correct.  I scanned the paint but it did not work so I tipped the can so it would scan and then looked at the read out and it said paint. I laughed and said it know what this is. I started to pull the can off the scanner and the clerk said "stop". I looked at the scanner read out and it seemed fine to me. The clerk grabbed the paint as it spilled all down the scanning machine and me.  The top was never hammered down it was just sitting on the can.  I tipped it to scan it and it ran out but we didn't see it at first.  Between clean up, mixing another gal. of red paint and getting costumer service to pay for a new shirt, I again was going to miss the Damn ferry. So I just took my time and sat at the dock waiting for the ferry.  I love riding the ferry and have never been so frustrated trying to catch it. I got home after 9 Pm and chaos erupts again as no one got fed, goats are running amok and I am missing a chicken.  

  

Chickens poop and glasses

     I have miss placed my glasses enough times that I try to put them where I know I will find them.  Now that the weather has gotten cooler I have a hoody, jacket or long sleeve shirt on most the day.  I go out to tend to the animals and have my glasses on which become a pain as the chores start so I stick them in my pocket or I will lay them down and loose them. 
     I am having some home remodeling, inside and out going on and it is taking much longer than I thought so my life is really up in the air one day to the next.  I do not have a routine any more and neither do the animals.  So life is hectic to say the least.  I have animals running amok.  Traffic in front of the house has changed as they are all in the road.  UPS driver complains and always need help getting back out of the drive.  Love them critters or not I still get complaints about animals in the road.  One friend corners me and tells me that her husband had to stop and get the goats out of the road. I started to apologize and she abruptly stopped me and said  "Now he wants some." 
    I need my glasses to watch TV but take them off to do chores.  A couple of weeks ago I got up to go and do chores, and after I could not find my glasses.   I spent hours trying to retrace my steps, now I'll never get that time back. At my stage of forgetfulness trying to remember things is fruitless.  So I just started to look under, over and around everything. Again days I will never recoup in time spent.  I even had the contractor looking for them. I gave up and just wined about loosing them.  I am so sure I wined to everyone about the damn glasses.
      As a person who refuses to except trifocal lenses, I have many pair of glasses  for different uses.  One for watching TV laying down, one for computer, one for reading and one for far and near vision.  That would be the glasses I use for driving, shopping and any activity that does not require middle vision. When I worked I had 2 pair of computer glasses. One at home and one at work and always left them on my computers so I would not forget to move glasses from one place or the other.  
     I now wore my sunglasses to drive, not a good idea at night.  I sat close to the TV and wore my computer glasses to watch TV and play on my laptop. I put them on and take them off constantly as I can not see what the hell the critters are doing out side with them. 
    It now has been going on for over two weeks I tried to get another pair but I needed to get eye exam again and then the coast of the glasses.  I don't have an extra 350 laying around for a cheep pair with all this remodeling going on.  I just in-braced the fact that I would have this inconvenience till next year. 
     Yesterday I was working in the coop trying to get a light in there so the chickens would start laying eggs again. They stop laying when day light hours shorten, turning a light on for a few hour solves problem.  My focus was up, as I was trying to hang a light on my tip toes and holding the roost with out putting my hand on the chicken poop. Lots of coordination is needed for this job and I have little of this these days.  I even tried to balance myself with one foot on the chicken roost. As I lost my balance I started to do the hot foot shuffle when I felt the strangest hard not crunchy something under my foot. This cause another hot foot shuffle going the other way. I was sure it was a chicken leg and all I could see is  $$$$$ signs in my future.  To my surprise and glee it was my glasses all shit cover and missing a lens.  As I contemplated the task of sifting through chicken shit to look for the lens, I thought go get gloves. Then right on cue the chickens show up.  I told myself to just do it.  I am sure the look on my face of I just stuck my hand in shit was priceless even if no one but the chickens saw. 
     I sanitized  the glasses and my hands but some how wearing them still makes me cringe. 

The day Elliott went walk about

As I have learned, Elliott does just walk off and keeps walking.

I left the gate open one day and I have no idea how much time passed before I discovered my error.  I knew he had taken a liking to the wood behind my house.  He never went far but he seem to always gravitate to them. In the most part the land behind me is low land and has many wet marsh areas in them. the trees are not big enough to block the sun from the floor of the woods so it has lots of brush, seedling trees and weeds.  Lets say it is thick and humans really do not want to walk in it. Elliott on the other had loves the lush choice of greens growing and does not mind walking up to his belly in water.

     I immediately took off in a direction I thought he might go.  Not knowing how far or how long he had been gone. I was not dressed for walking in the thick underbrush and wet lands. I got far enough to start the panic of what I was doing and needed to do.  

     I lost sight of my feet and the mosquito grew in size with each bite.  The other flying bug were in my face and hair.  The spiders had webs built between every twig, branch or blade of greenery that was face high. The summer humidity and my own internal furnaces had me dripping.  Hyper venting caused a few of those flying bugs to get swallowed.  The more I swatted and tried to cover my face with my arm the more I lost sight of where I was at.  My feet dress in sandals has stepped in every bud bog in the directions I chose.  I finally stopped to collect myself and realized I have no idea where I am at or what direction I was going. There is literally over a mile of this stuff behind my house all the way to the ferry and it is a half mile wide. My panic grew into a full blown panic attack. I knew I lost my horse but I will die if I can not get out of here.  I knew I was close to my house but just could not see it and did not know the direction  to go in. I moved about, I'm sure in circles till I finally came out of the woods South of my home. I walked the road home and sat on the porch in total fear of loosing my horse.  I did not know if he would get stuck or just be lost in all the woods. It took a bit to get over the panic attack.  I then decided to call a couple of my horse friends to see if they had any suggestions on how to find him. 

     The first person did not answer and the second friend did not answer my calls.  I then jumped into the car and road up and down my road a couple of times. I thought he may have done the same thing I did when I got out of the woods. You then have to do some soul searching to get ones shit together as you realize it is totally up to you to find this horse. So, I Googled it.  To my surprise  there was lots of info on finding horses. Who Knew?  The one thing that I read that made me think is "New horse owners under estimate how far a horse can travel." That got me to think I should drive down the ferry road.

     Back in the car, I headed toward the ferry.  About half a mile down the ferry road I see something on the side of the road. As I got closer I realize it is Elliott just munching on the tall grass growing along the road.  He was 3/4 of mile down headed home.  I can not imagine how he got through all those woods. I made a U turn in the middle of the road and blocked the lane on the South side of the road as the ferry was about to unload and those folks are in a hurry to get home.  I jumped out and was trying to get his halter on when a car came up on the other side and ask if they could help.  I told them yes, could they dive my car home so I could walk my horse home.  The young men where happy to help and they drove off in my car.  

     We started to walk when the traffic started.  Now there is no shoulder on the the road tall grass grows right up to the blacktop.  Elliott is still trying to eat and I am moping  my face from all the dripping I am doing.  Some folks honked as they went by, some slowed to see the strange woman walking her horse down the ferry lane.  

     We got home and I put him in the barn so I could take a shower and sit for a bit with the peace of mind he was safe and not going any where.  I just got out of the shower when the phone rang and it was my friend telling me my horse was at another friends house a mile behind me as the crow flies. She then said her husband was on his way to my house to help.  Just then he shows up. I told them 

 " No, Elliott was in the barn." We then walk to the barn and there he was.  So he left and I was so surprised that they thought he was at my friends house on the river behind me.  

     I learned later that he in fact was at their house but they where out fishing. When they came home they found his hoof prints by their dock.  So when they got out of the boat they where so surprise to see these small horse prints, they called the other friend to see who had a horse around them and why was it at their house.  They realize quickly that I was the only horse owner close enough it must be Elliott.  

     To understand how far he traveled is still strange to me.  They live a mile behind me on the river.  No houses, roads or clearing between us.  They have at least a mile long drive way out to ferry road, with nothing between but woods.  He had already done his two miles and was on his way home down ferry road when I found him.  

     {New owners under estimate how far a horse can travel}

     The second time he got a way I along with my friends on the river scoured the area thinking he would make the same trip.  But no he stepped out back made a left turn and ended up a quarter mile down at the new neighbors house.  They tied him to their porch and posted in the island face page that a horse wander into their back yard and did anyone know who's it was.  Now every one on the island is having fun with this horse and me.  

Goats vs Ford

It appears that the goats are way smarter than I thought.  I have in the
past always just called out “kids” and they came running from wherever
they were. Sometimes it took them a few minutes to get back as they would
be deep in the Nature Preserve or the square mile of woods that loom
behind my place.  I never worried about them because they do not attract
predators of the day time variety. Night time would be a different story.  

      As time has moved forward they have taken a liking to the weeds along
the roadside.  I now worry as people are speeding like hell to get to the
ferry. They don’t want to wait another 30 minutes for the next one.  I have
tried many things to no avail. Keeping them out of the road has proven a
complete failure on my part. I have tried to keep them in the fenced pasture and three of them just jump the damn thing. I have blocked the gates as this is their preferred point of exit. It is always good for a day at best.  I spend most of my day chasing them or the chickens to keep them from the road. I have put up electric fencing, enticed them with food, literally chased them waiving and banging whatever I can get in my hand. I get them back and put them in the dogs fenced in area, as it has a 5 foot fence that at this point has not been jumped. They have wised up to my tactics and now will not come to me.  If I try to run down the drive to chase them the chickens all follow me and now I have the chickens and goats in the road. Chasing 5 goats and 51 chickens is a frustration that consumes me to the point I just want to shove a pencil in my neck.  

     A few days ago I decided that I need to stop the madness and just get
into the car and drive the 100 feet or so to the road honking the horn all
the way.  The results were amazing as they just ran like hell to the barn.
Well it was only amazing two times, then they just looked at me like I was a
fly buzzing my horse.   Yesterday they are all up at the road and it is raining
like End of the world, need an Ark kind of rain. I now have to put boots and a
raincoat on , then run to the car across the barnyard. This is not as easy as
it seems because those boots are muckers and I need a wall to lean on. 
That raincoat is a poncho and getting it over my head with hair clips in, lets
just say this is taking me longer than it would if I just ran up there with all
the chickens in tow.   

     As I get into the car I see the little bastards start trotting down the
middle of the road.  By the time I get down the drive, honking all the way
they are not turning into the yard they are on a straight course to the curve.
I know that who ever goes through that curve will not see them.  Now I am
testing that little Fords turbo. It works great I sent gravel and dirt all over
the place as I spun out. Thought for a minute I was going into the ditch,
honking all the way. I got the car under control and all I see is ass holes and
tails moving at lighting speed. I hit the brakes so I wouldn’t hit them. They
jumped the ditch that ran along the front of my place as if they were  Evel
Knievel, jumping the canon. I backed up and turned around they were in the
barn when I got down the drive, honking all the way. 

     Later I was asked if I had herd all the honking...

And now it starts

When I decided to start a small novelty farm the only thing I wanted was to experience one winter before bringing on the animals.  Now Elliott the horse was already here so just getting fencing up and a stall made in the barn seemed like plenty to keep me busy the first winter.  Well when it starts it just keeps coming.

 

We just finished this when the weather started to turn bad.  I have become a frequent shopper at Tractor Supply and this is where the next animal came from. It was a little chicken running around the parking lot of tractor supplies. Rescue is a big part of me that being said I just could not leave the little chicken there so I brought it home.

   

Elliott and the chicken became good friends from the get go. I soon just stated calling the chicken Tractor Supply baby and a week or so later. One of my new friends on the island sends me this add for Free chicken food and tells me it is close by check it out. Well that landed me 14 more chickens and no food. That's another story. 

 Now life with a horse and 15 chickens is a trip as I am clueless about being a country girl and need to ramp up my learning.  I was just getting use to how to feed them and what, then the eggs start. They are laying them every where. I am told I have 2 roosters. That's wrong there is 5 roosters and 10 hens. Those Damn Rooster are constantly jumping the hens. It is almost an X rated barn any more. Well to keep ahead of the chickens I had help getting a roost made for them and some boxes to lay them eggs in. Life is settling in the holidays came and went had lots of company and good times. 

 Now comes the next add, re-homing three dwarf Nigerian goats.

 Well I never made it through the first winter to get every thing ready for the animals.  I am scrambling to get everything set up for all. Now they are all in the same barn but I have decided another building is necessary for all the chickens. I have learned the hard way they do well in cold but no moisture in the coop it cause frost bite. So the horse and goats along with the chickens create a lot of moisture and the frost from this was my battle. I drilled holes all over the barn, left two window open and the doors never sealed tight. I could not keep the moisture out and two roosters got frost bit. They are now in my kitchen for a little more than a week while they heal up. The cock-a-doodle-do shit every 5 minutes will be the death of me.  I have survived the arctic vortex. As soon as we can reach at least the teens these boys are going back to the barn.  

My first rescue since I got to the island

I am on my weekly trip to town to do laundry, buy food and get a wheelbarrow. My last stop is Tractor supply to get a wheelbarrow. As I walked to the register to ask about the wheelbarrow I see the door open. The door opens again and I see a bird walking in front of the doors. I did't know what it was but thought it was strange hanging around a business. As we looked up prices the door opens again. A guy says you have a chicken out here. Clerk says ,"not ours". The next person comes in and again tells them there is a chicken outside. Now it has been raining all day and the chicken is trying to stay dry up by the door that opens when it tries to get shelter, scares it and then it runs away. I had to go out side to check the size wheelbarrow I wanted and watched as the chicken dodge rain, people and a steady moving door.
I went back in paid and came out and moved the van to get it loaded. The whole time watching all the foot traffic that went by this chicken, thinking who leaves a chicken in a shopping plaza. I got all loaded and went back in side and told the clerk I am going to rescue this chicken if someone come looking for it give them my phone number. She replied I don't know who you are Sue. So Rescue has no limits. Who knew, a chicken in a shopping plaza. It looks like all my farm critters are going to be rescues too.

 

 

She now has the name of Tractor Supply baby