Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Lost and Found

In my post about people bragging about low end accomplishments, I mentioned a horse who another person (we will call her M) had been searching for, for quite some time.

M had known the breeder and the horse back when he was a youngster, had taken a shine to him and there was just something about him. The horse had been sold at one point, sat around doing nothing for 6 months and was bought back by the breeder. Later he was again sold and wound up here in Arizona.

It was rumored that horse had broken his navicular and was unsound. The owner deemed him a 'killer' and claimed he had injured a few people because of his bad behavior. So she she put him up for sale. The breeder offered to buy the horse back, but the owner balked. Refusing as she thought her purchase of the horse was part of a scam. M had seen the ad and contacted the 'seller' in hopes of bringing him back home. Both M and the breeder were offering to take him in. **I also wish to note- the breeder also has the first right of refusal written into all of her sale contracts.**

The seller however, upon learning M was also in the same state as the breeder, was having no part of it and stated something along the lines of "I will send him to the auction before letting him go back there!" In other words, she would rather the horse die a horrible death than go back to a loving home.

*Go ahead, vent your frustrations and speak your mind. Probably similar to what others are thinking anyways.*

Fast forward a couple of years.

A while back M contacted me after reading and posting on another blog- FHOTD where a lot of us initially met... She was looking for Al, he was last known in this town, I would love to find him and just know he's ok.

Well drop me an email- I live there! I'll see what I can find out. Happy to do so, know a lot of horse people across the spectrum of disciplines- you just never know.


Missing, as if on a milk carton...

So over the past year and a half or better, M and I have emailed back and forth about a number of things, sent Horse for Sale ads back and forth and been in touch pretty frequently. Recently we started texting, which is great because a couple of weeks ago in digging for the 'dirt' I was asked about, there on the one website pops up a picture of a horse similar to what I remember Al looking like, as being described and listed under the same 'alias name' she had mentioned that miss "I'll send him to the killers" had given him. WOW!

I text her that "OMG! I think I just found your horse!" I fire off an email with links and tell her where to find him on the website. She in turn fires back the picture above and we both start comparing the markings.



We find one thing that throws us off. The front sock. In one picture it's on the left, the other it's on the right. What the??? So we both look closely and are skeptical and critical. We determine that's gotta be him or that horse has remarkably similar markings! What are those odds? We also consider one of the pictures being flipped around... Something has to explain it!

In looking up the listed owners name, I came across their address and phone number. Copy, paste, chanting "Google maps is my friend" and BAM! They live almost directly behind one of our friends. How's that for a small world?

But it doesn't end there...

M looks up the owners info on USDF and finds an email address. Types away in excitement and tells the new owner where she seen pictures of the horse and asks if it is him? I knew him as a youngster and he's always been "the one that got away". That was last Monday.

A few days go by and she receives an email from the current owner that YES! It is the horse she has been looking for all this time and he is just as sweet and wonderful as M described and remembers him. Saturday I received a text from M- "OMG! That horse IS Al! You Rock!" or something like that. (Honestly I don't remember word for word and since I had to reset my phone because it had issues- poof it's been erased. Phooey for technology sometimes!)

So M forwards the email where I learn, the new owner has had him almost 5 years now. Yes, when she bought him he had hoof issues, but since moving across the country to the Carolina's, he has dramaticly improved. They are both there while the owner is on a temporary assignment. So Al's owner is wishing to contact the breeder and has attempted to do so, to let them know that the horse is fine and doing great. M has offered that if he ever needs a new home- he's got one waiting for him. No question about it!

The twist you are all waiting for? The new neighbor 3 doors down from them, came by one day. Turns out she had bought this horses full sister a couple years back!

How is that for a GREAT story and a happy ending?

22 comments:

  1. Now I've got to redo my make up dang you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have to say I really like the way he's moving in that first photo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is SO AWESOME! A nice birthday present to start the second half of my life (after which comes the third half, like on Car Talk).

    Why are there so many batshit crazy horse people? (That's purely rhetorical.)

    He's a PRETTY horse, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1st picture is from his young days (3 yr old) about 3rd ride with a Dressage trainer in Austin Texas. It's a frame from a video. During video a dog shoots in front of him from under the fence. Al NEVER even flinches..just goes along doing what he's asked.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1FH- you have to promise me that you guys will all keep in touch now. Don't make me go flying around on my broom trying to find this horse again! The broom could use new bristles as it is. Sheesh.

    ReplyDelete
  6. st WOW !!! wonderful ! and what a gorgeous horse! So cool! The idiot that wouldn't let Al go back to the breeder?? whatever ,you can't fix stupid
    So glad this story has a happy ending .Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Birthday CP! Soooooooo your 29 today? The girls will be the big 1 on Saturday! Can you believe it?

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is the 11th anniversary of my 29th birthday.

    ;)

    And yes, I'm getting a horsie. hee hee

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats CP! That too is great news. You plan to post pic's of the new guy, right?

    So it looks like the entire week has been a good one for everyone. I love it when that happens.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Woohoo! What a great story! Glad Al is in great circumstances.

    I have found that someone who doesn't want the breeder to buy the horse back...doesn't want to have to admit that they screwed the horse up. It's just way easier for that someone to claim that they 'rescued' the horse from a 'terrible background' than to accept being outed as the incompetent fool that they really are!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kestrel... good observation.....

    Yep, I will get pix of Chip up soon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kestrel- That's the conclusion both 1FH and I came to as well.

    In a lot of cases though, what is odd is that most people when they figure out the horse has issues, they are more than willing to dump the horse off on whoever wants it. Kind of like saying "Good you pay the bills and deal with the issues! I'll go find another one to ruin." Which they do. Or several. UGH!

    The other thing about the story though, just because you live in the same state, doesn't mean you know or even like the other person. Anyone know others around them that they can't stand and for good reasons?

    ReplyDelete
  13. YAY!!! We shall dub thee The Horse Diviner.
    Yes...Absolutely.
    I am so glad that Al landed in clover.
    WhooHoot!!!
    Happy Durings Rock!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. applause and kudos.

    Happy endings need more press time:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dena- Happy Durings. I like that. I like that a lot! Where it all goes from here is up to those involved.

    GL- I agree! That's why I posted it early and will leave it up over the weekend.

    I still get a smile looking at the pic's and thinking about the whole thing. I am happy the new owner loves him and that he is doing well. That alone, is smile worthy and makes my day.



    ****************

    Anyone else caring to submit stories like this, I will gladly put them up or else we can make an entire blog of it's own dedicated to just such things. I have before and afters of one of my own horses I will post or submit. Raises my glass to toast the memory of the Mighty Mo!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy Birthday to the Twins!!!!

    I'd sing, but they haven't learned to read yet, have they?

    ReplyDelete
  17. "Everything always turns out OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end."

    ReplyDelete
  18. Did you ever figure out why the front socks are on opposite legs? That's really throwing me here...

    ReplyDelete
  19. the front socks are not the same.

    the one picture the sock kinda goes up the back of the leg and the other one doesnt..

    ReplyDelete
  20. The only thing we can think of is b/c the 1st picture is from a video clip..it somehow got reversed. Per new owner has the papers and believe it or not..it is the same horse. And yes totally agree that he looks better in first picture

    ReplyDelete
  21. Now if someone can find a 11ish yr old TB mare somewhere North of Des Moines name Velvet. Reg name BrownedValentine. Papers lost at a track. Was a broodie for years. Sold to a lady named Bonnie? from Huxley IA.

    Would like to find her...anyone??? CNJ????

    ReplyDelete