My first heartbreak....

                                                        It begins like this....

                                                        Well,  This shopping trip was unbelievable!  And, when we finally got to the ranch,  unloaded Lady into her pen,  

the horses all RAN over and wanted to see this little mare who was coming to stay for a while!  Cody, had his head stretched clear around the post to see her, that's where it began, and this relationship never stopped.  He LOVES Lady and will follow her anywhere!  

I've been bursting at the seams wanting to share this with all of you, but due to vet checks I was waiting on, I didn't want to announce anything till we were sure.

I now know what adoptive parents must go through.  They bring their new baby home, love everything about him, they just know he's a perfect match for their family, but....until those papers are signed and everything is completed, they have that worry that "they might lose them, don't give your whole heart yet, because he just might have to go back."  We had some friends who adopted a child and I remember her telling me that's how it was....she was scared until the mother finally signed over all rights etc....

The trip:

We literally ran our A---- off over a two day period.  Worked, rode, tested and looked over several choices, then narrowed it down, and planned to do a trail ride the next day.  Only to find out this woman had not told us the ones we wanted to ride were in desperate need of shoes.  One guy was missing one shoe!  So Desert Rose played the "bad cop" and told her "how disappointed we were as we drove 7 hours to see these horses, and we can't even take them out to get a true evaluation of them!"  I said "we WERE planning on spending the day riding/shopping at her ranch, but if she can't get a shoer out tonight, then we will go look at the ones in Pasco."  I left her my cell number and we left.  Well she got someone out that night and got it done.  So the next day, we went and took this Cody, Blue and Lady all for a trail ride.  Blue spooked when a car went by and Cody (behind him) didn't even react.  Desert Rose rode him first, but then we switched and I rode, I led and I opened a gate while on him.  He did great the entire ride!  I had really had my heart set on Blue (based on our previous visit there) but for some reason, he just acted naughty on everything during this visit.  

So,
We left, and back at hotel, talked for hours about which one is best for me....Then we arranged for a vet to meet us tomorrow for a vet check.  This was not easy....calling all around for an objective one who could get us in!

We went to dinner and had a STIFF DRINK,   and discussed our strategy.   The next morning we went to her ranch, told her Cody was my choice, but we wanted to get him vet checked first.  We made the deal, wrote the contract up "contingent on the vet check and blood results" I collected his registration papers and loaded him up with Lady because we just knew everything was going to turn out great, this way, we'd be all packed and ready to head home!

Thus began the nightmare. First, we couldn't find this place, then we were frantic because we were late....Then his receptionist called and said HE was gonna be late!  Whew!  We waited in 95 degree heat, NO SHADE ANYWHERE!
Finally, he arrives.  He did a long thorough vet check with blood draw too.  But it was while in the round pen, that we first heard he felt something was wrong in his hind end....But, he kept wanting him to TROT, and TW's don't trot, they gait.  He couldn't wrap his head around this....still wanted her at a slow gait then, which he wasn't doing for him....So, we compared him to Lady, we had HER run around the pen for him.  He saw it in her too "he thought" but admitted he doesn't really know much about TW's.....He specializes in race horses.  Big disappointment....We just couldn't believe this was going downhill....He seemed to be SUCH a perfect match for me!   And then I have the BRIGHT IDEA to say "Well, what if he was being ridden and maybe we could get him at more of a trot?" He said that would be great.  I looked at Desert Rose and said "Will you ride him?"  "I just feel too anxious right now"....It was at this very moment that I found out how MUCH Desert Rose loves me... You see, she has terrible motion sickness.  She doesn't even lunge her own horses because she gets so dizzy especially in a round pen!  She takes a motion pill just to ride her horses!  And she looked at me, sighed and said "If you'll saddle him up."  So, I did, and she began an ordeal she will NEVER let me live down.  Around and Around and Around she went.  Slower, then faster, then the other direction.  (STILL 95 degrees!)
She must've gone around 50 times....when finally he said "That's enough", and.... he stuck by his original comments...he still felt Cody was off in the hind end.
 We needed this vets documentation anyway, so we drive to his office, wait for an hour (remember we have horses in back, and it's hot!)  Finally get the results, everything else was good on him.  So we call the owner and negotiate a week trial to find someone who KNOWS TW's and can give us a better idea. We were still believing it was just because this guy didn't know TW's.  We got the week trial and decided to head for home!  It's 5:30 p.m. now.... Ugh!  It's gonna be a late one!

And then, Oh crap! I'm looking for his registration papers and realize that the last time I saw them, they were laying on the wheel well of her trailer, while we were vet checking!  Mind you we are hungry, HOT,  and need to get heading home!  We look at each other and realize "they must'v blown off when we drove out of there!  You know the cuss jar was filling up about this time......We HAVE to head back out to the barn where we did the vet check....We NEED those papers!   Off we go, like two crazy women hauling horses.  When we get there, I have to jump out, open the gate so she can drive in, and she says "I think I saw something white in the ditch up there, go look see!"  So I go running up the ditch, saying "Please god let me find these papers!"  And all of a sudden, I see the contract we had written up, AND a white envelope that says "Cody" on it.  OMG!  I found them all!  Lying in the ditch!   I come running up the ditch to Desert Rose yelling "I got them!"  Remember, its STILL 95 f------ degrees out!  We have sweated through these clothes now, 3 times.  We have to get these horses some water, so we drag them out, water them, hose them down, hose ME down and load back up.
NOW!  We are finally headed for home...Tired, dirty and sweaty.  We make a mad dash for home, over the mountain pass, and wouldn't you know it?  A big flashing sign that says Road Closed for Rock Blasting at 8:00 p.m.  I look at the clock, its 7:55p.m.....This is when Desert Rose looks at me and says....Why is it when we are together, we ALWAYS end up like this, Dirty, sweaty, exhausted and hungry?  And it ALWAYS has to do with mountains!!????  What can I say?


Note: On the way home, my seller textes me that "maybe it could be that the people who owned him before had a guy shoeing him who was known to be a bad one.  Not even a real shoer!"  Great....


So, we roll into the stables at 10:00 p.m. Unload the horses, and JUST as we are starting to bring them out....someone in the neighborhood sets off an M-80 or a gunshot!   They both come out "pretty big" but Cody was fine if he was following Lady.  they settle in and  we head for my house.  My sweet DH had a drink ready for the both of us.  Awww....shower, drink and off to bed....

ONE WEEK OF BONDING WITH CODY, The family all meets him, we take pictures etc. It was a great week....

I think Miss Brooklyn looks like she's planning a thievery don't you?

And, I truly thought that I was going to be bringing the newest pony cousin over to our Annual Pony Cousin Stampede this weekend.

I wanted to give him all the benefit of doubt by taking him to a highly recommended shoer who KNOW'S Tenn. Walkers and he DID make sure he was level. Here is a picture of him standing so good while an entire horse show was going on around him.  He didn't even need to be tied.

So, this morning, I had high hopes.  This was his appt. day!
I took him to a vet (over here) a highly recommended Vet who is "The person to go to" if your horse has a leg, hip issue, and she was very familiar with TW's.


 I said prayers, that he'd come out clean.....but it just wasn't meant to be.....She too, said he was off, had swelling and "just didn't move right.  He didn't pass the flexion test, and he wasn't symmetrical.

Many tears.....
So, thank you for letting me share him with you, because I am actually really hurting over taking him back.  I've only had him a week, but spent everyday at the barn, working, riding lightly so as not to injure him if something was wrong, and most importantly.....the B word!  Bonding....
He began greeting me immediately.  He listened to me....I could calm him if necessary.  Example:  One time, I carelessly let go of his lead line, while cross tying him, dropped the tie and because I made a fuss and grabbed for him quickly, he startled, and SLOWLY RAN out of the barn! I thought "Oh shit, I have a run away horse!"  But, I remembered to not panic, I yelled "CODY WHOA!"  and can you believe he stopped?  He waited for me to come get him, I did, and with a soothing voice, walked him back.  He really did trust me.....
He would snuggle into me gently, and he really let me know that he wanted to please me.

Ya know, I went into this with my eyes wide open, saying "I'm not gonna be stupid and just buy a pretty face."  And, I really didn't, he had the disposition I needed in a horse.  But, I ended up thinking, "Wasn't I just lucky that he was pretty too?"
When I told the kids I was taking him back if he didn't pass this vet check,  I'm sure they thought I was pretty cold....after all, they had all fallin in love with him.  But,  "I have to be smart about this, not emotional."

So, Im blessed to have many horse people around me who are keeping their eyes out for me for a good horse.  I know it will come my way and this will all pay off.

In the meantime, I have to load Cody up, all by myself, and drive him back to the farm I got him from.  Something tells me this is going to be a hard trip.

But, after I drop him off, I will head over to the Flying Horseshoe Ranch where I will spend several days with my cousins and I'm sure they will help me to see this was the best thing......I guess.