Beauty and I, 2008

No, I haven't forgotten my sweet Beauty. My desktop crashed and I'm having to use hubby's laptop and he doesn't have a lot of my photos on it. Here are some pics of Beauty and I, from 2008. She certainly did live up to her name! She WAS a beautiful mare, not only physically, but also mentally. She was calm, patient, trusting, and confident. She was wonderful, especially for me, as a beginning horse owner. She was everything I could have wanted in a horse. I miss her every day.

Beauty's first saddle~Camera Critters 110709

I had a couple of trainers with Beauty. Her first trainer was Angi Keitel, who is an excellent horsewoman and trainer and trains mustangs. She has been in the Extreme Mustang Challenge for about 3 years now and always does very well with her mustangs. THANK YOU, Angi! Anyway, Angi was Beauty's first trainer. Beauty was untrained when we got her off a slaughter feedlot in WA state, as a two year old. She was such a beautiful mare and had such a wonderful, calm personality, that Angi didn't think it would take much to saddle and then ride her. She was right. Beauty gave a couple of bucks, some kicks, and ran around the round pen, then stopped, faced Angi, let out a sigh, and that was it! My cousin, Valerie, took over her training here in Southern California when we moved the entire herd closer to us and she took Beauty out for 9 months of training. HA! I almost didn't get her back! Valerie fell in LOVE with her, saddle broke her, and took her out on trails. Beauty was curious, intelligent, and calm. She would have been the perfect horse for me with my bad back as she didn't spook. But, alas, nature intervened and I lost Beauty. But, here are some pics of the day that Angi saddle broke her a couple of years ago. Camera Critters for November 7, 2009. I miss her every day.

Beauty at play~Camera Critters October 24, 2009

Beauty was so full of life and enjoyed EVERYTHING! She especially enjoyed going down to the arena and kicking up her heels. On this day Sunni was with her and she chased him ALL OVER! I managed to capture this shot of her at play. I miss her every day and I still can't understand why she died. I do picture her in fields of green grass, far from the slaughter feedlot which I rescued her from. She was a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL horse and companion. RIP, my sweet one.

Beauty having fun~Camera Critters for 100309

I remember how Beauty used to love to get into the arena and RUN! I had several people tell me she looked like an appendix QH. I don't know her history or breeding as I found her on an online rescue organization, now defunct, up in Washington state on a killer buyer's feedlot. Imagine Beauty on a KB's feedlot! Nobody obviously assessed her. If they had, they would have seen what an obvious gem she was~! She had a great personality, she was intelligent, willing, and loving. It makes me wonder how many other "Beauties" are on feedlots today. Please, if you can, support the horse rescue of your choice and give another horse like Beauty a chance to live a decent life instead of experiencing the horror of a trip to slaughter. The other horse I rescued off that feedlot, Gigondas, I am now training for riding. She, too, was dumped and she is a beautiful red thoroughbred. Camera Critters for October 3, 2009.

Confession 100209

Beauty's death was so unexpected and sudden. I never got to say goodbye to her. Two days before she died, my ferrier came over and did all the horses, including Beauty. I remember he got tired and gave her a couple of thumps. I thought, "Don't do that to my Beauty!!!", but he did. The poor guy had just spent an HOUR trying to get Sunni to stand still, with no success, and he was tired. I didn't see her the next day and the following day, when I drove up to the ranch early one morning, she was dead. Gone. She laid on her side and never got up. No thrashing marks. It appears she got cast, tried to get up, and hit her head on the metal pipe in the corral. That was it. She was gone. I feel so bad that I never got to hug her again, I never got to smell her, or greet her. I never got to hear her nicker. I'm so sorry, my Beauty. I still miss you every day. There is one empty corral at the ranch now and I'm thinking about rescuing another horse, like Beauty. That's all for now. 100109

The tractor and the herd

Beauty, Gigo, and Cali investigating a tractor when Beauty was with us up in Lancaster.

3 amigos~Camera Critters for 091909

That's Gigondas, Beauty, and Sunni when we boarded them up in Lancaster, CA. I couldn't find a boarding place for Gigondas and Beauty down in the desert and my friend didn't wish to take on 2 more horses for boarding, so we moved Sunni up to Lancaster and the herd was there for 8 months. This is the three of them waiting at the gate for their apples and carrots!

Beauty, Memorial Day, 2007

These pics are all from the Memorial Day weekend in 2007. See what a beautiful color Beauty was?

I miss you, my sweet one!

On a personal note, it is hard for those of us who have horses to lose one. I know now how hard it is. Our horses are almost like our children. They have different needs and personalities. Beauty didn't need much, just human affection. And she, in turn, returned that affection. She was a loving mare. She never nipped anyone or did anything bad. I would drive up to the ranch and she would see my car and nicker. My morning greeting! I would go over to her and talk to her and give her a morning hug. She was patient and wise, even though she was so young. I miss you, my Beauty.

Beauty, Sunni, and Mom in Lancaster

My two quarter horses, Beauty and Sunni. I'm not sure which one of them was more jealous in these photos! Beauty chose me as her human, and I will always remember that. Sunni, of course, was my first horse, and until Quad came, was my only "boy". Now I have two geldings, Sunni and Quad.

Every day I think of Beauty and realize how much I miss her snuggles and warm breath.

Beauty and Cali, April 2007

That's Beauty, will Cali in the background behind her, so this would have been April, 2007.

One month today that Beauty has been gone July 25, 2009

It's been one month now that Beauty has been gone. Sometimes when I look up at the clouds, I see a running horse, with a beautiful, flowing mane or tail, and think of her. Actually, most mornings when I take my morning walk, I can look up and see this. Of course, it takes some imagination, but I like to think she is still with me. This is one of my favorite photos of her, taken when she was up in Lancaster. I MISS YOU, my sweet girl! I hope you are running free in the green pastures of Heaven. We will be together someday.

Love,

MOM

Beauty and Gigondas, Lancaster, February 2007

At the same time I adopted Beauty, I also adopted a thoroughbred from the same rescue, Merryana, who my husband renamed Gigondas. They were both together during their quarantine in Washington. On the day they were scheduled to come to So. Calif, the boarding place where they were going changed their minds (they were friends of ours)...the key word being "were"! They said "Absolutely NO!" two days before the mares were scheduled to be transported. I had to call the transporter and tell them the bad news. AND, I was stuck with NOWHERE to board these two mares!!! That was in November. Gigondas came down with a little cold and was given SMZs. It wasn't until January of 2007 that I was able to secure transportation, again, and find a boarding place for them. It was up in Lancaster, a drive from our home of OVER 3 1/2 hours! But, it was the only place I could find for them. They arrived late one night and were unloaded and the next morning, when I saw them, I was so happy! They were both beautiful, chestnut mares! Beauty appeared to be an appendix QH/TB and Gigondas was a HUGE, red thoroughbred. They had been together since September of 2006 and were used to each other's company, so we kept them in the same "mare motel" which was part of a larger corral. We hired a trainer, Angi Keitel, to work with both of them. Beauty was much easier to work as she had a beautiful, calm personality. We could tell right away that Gigondas did NOT like humans and that she had been badly mistreated. We would have to earn her trust! But, Beauty trusted and enjoyed humans. Here are some pics of them from February, 2007.