Sunday, August 30, 2009

I'm shorter!

Hey everyone.

Well, I am shorter today. Yep, you read that right. I'm shorter. By about an inch! A nice guy named Bobby came out. Apparently he's the farrier who helps Jennifer with the rescue horses' hooves or when she's having a problem with her own horses (she normally takes care of their feet herself). He trimmed Magic, Judge and Zezz and then he trimmed me.



I have to tell you, I wasn't too sure about him at first. I danced around a little after Jennifer tied me up, but he just quietly talked to me. He asked Jennifer what happened to me - I'm so skinny he couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed off my shedding hair and seemed pretty upset by what he saw. But then he got to work. He took off over an inch of each of my hooves. Man, I feel so much better! I have a little thrush but Jennifer's going to treat that. It has been so long since I last had a pedicure. I forgot what it felt like!



It sure is nice to have people take care of you. Now I'm just waiting for the visit from the vet. Jennifer tells me that he and she are playing something called "phone tag" and that he'll be out to see me soon.



Tex from Bluebonnet

Saturday, August 29, 2009

A Benefit for Bluebonnet is a Benefit for me!

Good evening!



Jennifer bounced into the barn tonight all cheerful and happy. I looked at her like she was a bit crazy, so she slowed down, came over to pet me, and told me she had good news. Apparently there's going to be a big concert in College Station, and Bluebonnet is going to be one of the beneficiaries. That means Bluebonnet will receive a donation for a small portion of the proceeds from the concert. That's good because it takes a lot of money to care for all of us horses! So that's pretty awesome, right?



She's even happier because the company who is putting on the event may also do more events in other cities and make Bluebonnet the recipient of donations. Well, I have to tell you - there's an awful lot of horses out there needing help. I hear about more and more cases every day. Right now, Jennifer's working with her volunteers on one case involving several horses who really need to get out of their negligent home. She says local law enforcement is dragging their feet and this might be a tough case. I sure hope we can get those guys some help.



You know, I had just about given up on life when Bluebonnet showed up. And now look at me - a whole family to love me, food three times a day, and great care. Every horse deserves that!



Well, the other horses are hollering about something. I ought to go check it out. Those youngens sure get stirred up sometimes!




Tex from Bluebonnet

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Good morning everyone!



I just finished up breakfast. All I can say about that is yuuuummmm! I do love my food. Now, I really, really love the pellets. Beet pulp and chopped up hay are ok, but pellets are the best! In fact, Jennifer's been feeding me in a tub on the ground, and if the pellets are not on top, I use my foot to flip the bucket over. It makes Jennifer so mad. She says my food gets all dirty and it isn't healthy to eat off the ground. Well, the other horses eat grass, and it grows on the ground! So what's the big deal??? Today, she put a bucket in my stall and tied it so I cannot flip it over. I am not pleased. No not one bit! In fact, I kicked the bucket to tell her what I thought of that little plan. But then I relented and ate my yuuuummmmy breakfast!



Now today, I do have some seriously good news. Well, it is kind of sad news. The sad part is that Bluebonnet had to go pick up three new horses last week. Apparently, their owner just left them on some land and didn't come back. The grass burnt up and the girls started losing weight. Then the pond dried up. The nice livestock officer started hauling water for them while he tried to locate the owners. He gave up and called us, Bluebonnet. So one of the volunteers went out and picked them up. And today one of the directors went to court and Bluebonnet got awarded all three horses. They're bay mares but I haven't seen their photos yet. They need to gain weight and one isn't halter broke. But I'm pretty sure they'll recover quickly. The Bluebonnet family is very loving!



Speaking of the Bluebonnet Family, have you joined us yet? You know, there's nothing like having a big, loving family for all of us horses! You don't even have to be in Texas to join. Heck, you don't even have to be in the US! You can join the Bluebonnet Family and support and love all of us horses. Come on, you know you want to! Go to http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/joinbehs.htm and join today!



Well, I'm signing off now. It is nap time and then lunch time. I sure do love lunch time!




Tex from Bluebonnet

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hmm... maybe I should be a silly boy, too!

Hey everyone.



So today I watched Jennifer work with Judge. You know, I think I should act spooky, scared and insecure. Because Judge acts that way, and he gets TREATS! Treats I tell you! I mean, I get more food than anyone else, and that's awesome. But I want treats, too!



So today Jennifer got him out of his stall and lead him around. Every few minutes, she stopped, backed him up, pet him and gave him a treat. Before long, he wouldn't take his eyes off of her. This evening it was the same routine. I think I'll pretend I don't know how to lead and see if I get treats, too!



On another note, Jennifer is apparently on the search for a vet. Since she's new to the area, she hadn't had to use a vet yet. But I need my Coggins and she wants a vet to check my teeth. I'm not real crazy about this idea - but I guess I'll deal with it. She's got to find a new vet. I hope it is a nice vet. A vet with treats!



Wanting treats,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Introducing Judge

Hey everyone. I know I've introduced you to Zezz - he's one of the other rescue horses here at Jennifer's place. But you haven't really met Judge yet.



Judge is a twelve year old, Arabian gelding. He came from the same group as Zezz. He was locked in a stall where he had to stand on top of 3-4 feet of manure. And his water bucket was so full of manure that it was muddy - but that's all he had to drink! AND the latch of his stall was rusted shut. Can you believe that?


He says he had completely given up when Jennifer and her crew got there. Even when the other horses started whispering that some humans had showed up in uniforms and other humans showed up with horse trailers and were taking horses out of there, he didn't believe it. When the humans walked into his barn, he didn't believe it. He said then Jennifer climbed into the stall with him, put a halter on him, and rubbed his head and told him it would be ok. He wasn't sure if he believed her then, either, but he hoped it was true.


When Jennifer climbed back out of his stall, he almost panicked. But a little later, someone else came. They beat on the latch until the rust broke free and then put a halter on him. When they led him to the open door, poor Judge was terrified. He didn't know what that green stuff covering the ground was and he didn't know how to step down off of his mound of compacted manure. He just stood there shaking while people talked to him and told him it would be ok. Eventually he jumped down and then shook some more. The people were kind and took him to a trailer and then to another barn.


Poor Judge panicked again when those people left. But the next day a nice lady came with feed. And she visited him every day after that. She brushed him and got the tangles out of his mane. And she petted him and promised him it would be ok.


Then Jennifer came back and told him they had WON. She told him he would be going to see a vet soon and then he would come live with her at her house for a while. He started to get a little hopeful then.


When a trailer took him to Jennifer's house, he was excited but a bit scared. He didn't know what to expect. Jennifer put him in a stall next to Zezz and brought them good food and he slowly settled.


But poor Judge hasn't been left unscarred by his experiences. He's really insecure now. When he meets a horse he likes, he really bonds to that horse and doesn't want to ever leave him. So he and Jawhari are pals now, and Judge panics anytime Jennifer takes Jawhari out of the pasture. Or if she tries to take Judge out, he won't listen to her and they have an argument. Tonight Jennifer told me she's going to have to change the way she handles Judge. The poor guy is so insecure and so scared of being left without a human or horse friends again.


He really needs to find his own person - you know, an adopter? Someone who will take him home, take the time to win his trust, and show him life is good and not scary. He's not a bad horse - just insecure. And I feel bad for him. I mean I've had a rough time of it, don't get me wrong. But I know that all humans aren't bad. Judge has had more sorrow in his life than joy so far - and he needs an adopter who is going to change that for him. I hope the poor guy gets that soon. Jennifer will be real sad to see him go - but she'll be happy if he's happy. That's what fostering is all about, she tells me. You have to let go so they can go find their own person and you can help another horse.


Maybe we horses need to foster people? We can find the person who needs help and coax her along. And then one day she can go off with a horse of her own. I'm gonna have to think about that a little.



Back to my food,



Tex from Bluebonnet

Monday, August 24, 2009

Grass. Glorious grass!

Hey everyone.


Have you missed me? I haven't been able to post for a few days because Jennifer was gone and took the computer with her. I told her she could leave it with me and I would just keep on posting. But she didn't listen. She said something about me ruining the keyboard by dribbling my soupy gruel across it. As if I would!


She had rescue stuff to do this past weekend. Apparently, the rescue isn't all about work. Sometimes they have some fun get-togethers where they eat and sit around and talk about all of us horses. Kind of nice that they devote an entire evening to talking about us, huh?


But she was back yesterday and had to get the stalls back in shape. And after she did that, do you know what she did? She put on my halter and lead and lead me around. She kept asking me to stop and back up. I don't know why - I KNOW how to do that. And I led really nicely last night - stopping whenever she stopped. But who can really understand how a human thinks? Not me! After the leading around, she wanted me to bend my neck to the left and the right. She called it "flexing". I didn't get the point at first, but then my neck crackled and popped and it felt a bit better. So I don't mind that "flexing" stuff too much.


But the next thing was the best. She let me have grass. Glorious, green, yummy, wonderful GRASS! I only got to eat for a few minutes because I'm not used to having grass. But I grabbed big mouthfuls an gobbled them down. I hope there's more grass tonight!


Dreaming grassy thoughts,



Tex from Bluebonnet

Thursday, August 20, 2009

You can own a piece of me!

Ok. It is official. This woman is crazy. Do you know what she did this morning? Well, it started out pretty normal - she made breakfast for everyone, brought Chips into his stall and brought Elvis into the barnyard. I get my breakfast last because it has to soak and get soupy, but I can wait. So she finally brought me breakfast. All was well.



Then she walked around to my tail. She started combing the knots out, and that was ok with me. And then... and then... she CUT out a piece of my tail! I swung around my head and asked her, "What the heck???!" Jennifer can't speak horse, but I know she got that.



She quickly explained that she needed a lock of my tail. I'm famous now, thanks to Nightline, and I guess when you are famous everyone wants a piece of you. The rescue is participating in a fundraiser at a place called SpecialHorses - it is an auction with items to benefit different groups and Bluebonnet is a beneficiary. So she took my tail hair and a photo of me the day I came to BEHS, put them both in a pretty silver frame with the Bluebonnet logo engraved on it and is putting it in the auction.



I guess I can go along with that. After all, I'm a lucky horse. I'm getting my three meals a day and petting and life is good. There's a lot of other horses out there who aren't so lucky. So my little donation of tail hair can help raise money so we can help them.



In fact, a BEHS volunteer is supposed to be picking up three starving mares right now and getting them to a safe house (well, a safe farm really since they can't live in the house). These poor girls - their people moved away on July 4th and left them. And no one has fed them. And their pond dried up. The livestock officer got involved and called Bluebonnet and now we're helping these ladies. I'll tell you more about them when I hear more.



So, if you want to own a little piece of me, don't forget to look for my framed photo and tail hair over at the Specialhorses auction. Bidding starts Sept. 1st. Don't worry - I'll be reminding you! I expect my tail hair and photo to be the highest seller. And you folks better make sure of that!



Loving being a star,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Well. Hmph.

Hey guys. Well, I'm more than a little put out with Jennifer today. You see, breakfast is at 8-8:30 am. Lunch is at 2pm and dinner is 8-8:30 pm. Do you know when I got my lunch today? At 3. Yes, 3 pm! I mean, what's up with that? Why make me wait an hour? I'm starving. I mean it, I'm literally starving!



She did apologize and tell me she got carried away working on this fundraiser thing called the Bluebonnet Horse Expo. Apparently it is some big to-do that is supposed to raise money to help the rescue pay bills and help horses. I mean, that's all well and good. But I'm hungry right now!. Seriously.



So when she finally got herself out to feed me, I gave her the cold shoulder. Yep. I did not put my cheek next to hers. Nope. And I didn't let her pet on me at all. And I gave her what-for. I know she doesn't exactly speak horse, but I'm pretty sure even the dog knew what I was saying!



I'll forgive her by dinner time. But really, when a guy is starving you can't just forget to come out until an hour later. How would she feel if she had to wait an hour for her lunch? I bet she wouldn't like it!



Eating my late lunch,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Let me Introduce you to Zezz

Hey everyone!


I keep writing about myself and the Bluebonnet Family, but I really need to introduce you to some of these other horses out here. Zezz is a neat old guy. He's about 22 and he says he's had a life full of ups and downs. See, as a young horse Zezz was a racehorse. He's an Arab. Did you know Arabs could be racehorses? I didn't. I thought it was only those long-legged Thoroughbreds. But no, Zezz says he was a racehorse and he has a tattoo to prove it!



It doesn't sound like he was the best racehorse, though. He only raced twice and didn't win too much money. But he said he loved racing. He got to run run run! And he got lots of attention and people cheered for him. That's pretty cool. No one has ever cheered for me.



But after he retired from racing, he moved on. He was a stallion and I guess someone planned to use him for breeding. But a few years ago, things just fell apart at the barn he lived at. They missed meals and horses even died from starvation. It sounds so sad. He was kept in a dark stall and it was dank and wet in that barn. He never got out of his stall. He was miserable but he kept his spirits up.



One day a bunch of people showed up and started loading horses. Someone came into his stall with a pink halter. He says he snorted at that pink halter. I mean, he was a stallion! Not some silly mare. The lady told him she knew it was a pink halter but she felt he was so handsome he could wear pink. He wore the halter proudly after that. She petted him, told him he was beautiful and that he would soon be safe.



Before long, he had to walk onto a trailer and go to another barn. The stalls at this place were smaller than his old barn, but they had little runs with grass. He says he gobbled up the grass. People brought him feed daily and groomed him and got the knots out of his mane.



Then one day several people showed up. Zezz says they were smiling and excited and couldn't stop talking. They said the court case went well and that all the horses were safe. And that he would never have to go back to that dark and smelly stall again!



A few weeks later, he got gelded. He is still a little grumpy about that. It doesn't hurt him anymore, but Zezz says he was a magnificent racing stallion and now he's a stupid gelding. I pinned my ears at him and reminded him that I was a gelding and I am not stupid!



He apologized and went on to finish his story. He got to Jennifer's a week after being gelded and started getting a lot of food. He is still a little skinny now but he's gained a lot of weight. Jennifer has been working with him. Today she climbed on his back for the first time.



She's being so goofy - telling people she rode a racehorse. But the truth is that they just walked in two circles and she made him whoa and walk on a lot. that's not racing! Geez. Humans are silly.



Zezz is a little worried. He said Jennifer says that after she rides him a few more times he can go up for adoption. He really likes it here, and you can tell Jennifer likes him, too. He's a little scared to move to someone else's house. He's worried they won't take care of him. I told him Jennifer won't let that happen.



Anyway, life keeps getting better here. I get my three meals per day and today Jennifer brought me some grass. Yum! Grass is sooooooooooooooooo wonderful! You should try some!



Longing for more grass,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Monday, August 17, 2009

I'm tired of being in quarantine!

Hey guys. It is Tex here. Did you know I've been stuck in a stall every since I got to Jennifer's place? I don't mean to complain because I am loving my three meals. But being in a stall is BORING. I'm a horse, I'm made to run out on the plains! Ok, I know if I was running out on the plains something would eat me right now since I'm still weak. But this stall thing is boring.


I hope you aren't thinking Jennifer is a big meanie. I mean, I thought that, too, at first. Then she explained to me that I'm in a stall because I'm in quarantine. I didn't know what quarantine is, so it is my new word for the day! Quarantine - that's a big word. And it means I'm kept separate from the other horses for a few weeks.


Since I'm in bad shape and Jennifer doesn't really know my history, she worried that I might be ill. She doesn't want the other horses to get sick (and they told me that they don't want to be sick and stuck in stalls all the time, too!). So she has to keep me separate from everyone for two weeks. Then if I stay healthy, I can start going out.


So I'm in a little barn thing with two stalls. The stall next to me is empty, but I can see the other horses in the pasture. Sometimes they call over to me and tell me about themselves, about Jennifer and about the Bluebonnet Family. That's pretty cool. It is shady and I get to avoid the hot sun, and Jennifer brings me my three meals a day. Do you know I'm the only horse who gets three meals? Everyone else only gets two! I tried bragging about my extra meal but Judge told me he would kick my butt when I finally got out in pasture if I didn't knock it off. Those young guys can be such bullies!


Jennifer said that once quarantine is over, I can't just go out on grass all the time. Since my system isn't used to grass, I have to start slowly. First she'll lead me out in an area that the other horses don't go in and walk me around and let me eat for 10 or 15 minutes. Then over time, she'll slowly increase the amount of time I get to eat.


To help me start getting ready, she's given me a few handfuls of grass. And I forgot how awesome grass tasted. Oh yum... I'm drooling just thinking about it. You should try a bite. Really. Its better than sweet feed!


Well, I guess I better sign off for the night. I just wanted to let you know about this quarantine thing. I just have a few more days and then quarantine will be over! And I can meet the other horses up close. I can't wait!


Dreaming of grass,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Can you believe those humans??

Does anyone here understand what's going in the minds of humans? I mean, really. I just don't get them sometime. There are some humans like Jennifer and the Bluebonnet Family who are nice. They take great care of their horses and other critters. They ride and train, but they treat their horses well. They worry about them and love them. Those humans are great!


My previous human Liesa was pretty good, too. I know I lost a lot of weight at her place. But she didn't do that on purpose. She wanted to feed me, but after she lost her job she couldn't. And she felt awful. And sometimes she even cried.


But then there are some awful humans out there. It seems like there are a lot of them. Jennifer spends a few hours out in the barn most days. She comes out in the morning to feed breakfast. To do that, she has to bring Chips into his stall and has to bring Elvis into the barnyard. Then she feeds everyone. While we're all eating, she also mixes up my lunch. Then she fills waterbuckets and cleans stalls. Once we're done, she puts Chips back out with Magic and puts Elvis and Jawhari back out with Freckles. In the evening, she comes out to ride one of her own horses or work on ground work with Zezz or Judge. Zezz is still too thin to ride and Judge doesn't know what a bridle is. She's teaching him about that. Then she has to bring Chips into his stall and Elvis into the barnyard and feed us. While we eat, she works around the barn.


And while she works around my little shed/barn, she talks to me a lot. I like the sound of her voice. It is nice to have a human paying attention to me. But today, she sure told me an awful story.


There's a member of the Bluebonnet Family named Cullens. He's a horse. He's only eight months old. Do you know what that means? It means he's just a baby. Well, he came to the rescue almost three months ago now. Seems like he and his mom and some other horses were living out in a pasture. And this stallion (that's a male horse for those of you who don't know) started chasing him. And when he caught Cullens, that stallion bit him and attacked him. He torn chunks out of his back and his legs. The poor little guy got really beat up!


So animal control got a call because he was bleeding. And they called someone named Kim with Bluebonnet. She's a police officer, and she tracked down the owner. And the owner said... are you ready for this? Really? She said she didn't care! Kim explained that the little baby would die if he didn't get moved out of that pasture and didn't get some help. And his owner, his person said she just didn't care what happened to him!


So Kim told her that maybe she should let the rescue have the horse. And just like that, Cullens became a part of the Bluebonnet Family.


Of course, Kim had to rush him to the vet and he spent several days there getting treated. And poor Cullens had never really seen people before, so he was scared. And he had to go back to the vet and have some minor procedure done and get stitches and a cast on his leg.


Now Cullens is in trouble. The vet's afraid he has a bone infection from the wounds. They're trying to treat it, but if they can't get it under control, they're going to have to send him on to greener pastures. And by greener pastures, I mean he'll be euthanized and will be crossing over.


What the heck was wrong with his human? He was her responsibility. I'm not upset that he got hurt - accidents do happen. But I'm really upset that she didn't care!m Can you explain that to me?


On a good note, I'm liking life again. I'm feeling a little stronger. Jennifer rubbed on my cheek this morning and we just stood there quietly together. It was nice.


Not quite as hungrily as before,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Saturday, August 15, 2009

I'm a STAR!


Did you see me on the Nightline show? Apparently it was a good one. Jennifer was still giggly and goofy when she came out to the barn this morning. She petted my cheek and told me I was a star. I wonder if I can get more meals a day if I’m a star? What kind of service does being a star entitle me to do you think?


Apparently the show talked about this horrible drought we are experiencing. And man, it is bad! It is over 100 degrees most days. I’m glad I’ve got a covered stall to hang out in and lots of clean water to drink. And the show talked about all the horses who are suffering. Apparently the Bluebonnet Family has grown by over 98 horses this year – and there’s still a lot of year left! Jennifer is really scared they won’t be able to help all the horses who need it, and she told the people on TV that.


She said she’s gotten emails and phone calls from people who want to help. Apparently a bunch of people want to foster or adopt me. I’m flattered – but I know I’m still too weak to go on a long trailer ride. But if you are one of those people, please still help out! Jennifer tells me that BEHS has several neglect cases that might turn into seizures, so they’re going to need foster homes. You can get an application to foster a horse who is probably just as skinny and needy and grateful as me at http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/foster.htm


There are also nearly 60 horses at Bluebonnet who need forever homes. That’s a lot of horses! Many of them were skinny like me but are now gorgeous. Look at http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/horses/available.htm and see if you wouldn’t like to give one of them a home.


For right now, I’m going to hang out with my new friends and my three meals a day. Unless I can convince Jennifer to give me four meals a day. Do you think I can?


Dreaming about four meals a day,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Friday, August 14, 2009

Jennifer's excited about something called Nightline?


Wow. Jennifer just came out to give me dinner and something’s gotten into that girl. She was giggling and almost bouncing through the barn. She told me I was going to be famous. Hmm… now not that many horses are famous. I mean there’s horses like Barbaro who are famous for his suffering, but I don’t want to break down on a racetrack. Besides, I’m too skinny to run! And there’s Roy Rogers’ Trigger, but I don’t want to have to run around fighting the bad guys. I still want to eat and eat and eat! I wonder if I looked a little worried because Jennifer said, “Don’t worry about being famous. It won’t be hard!” She went on to tell me that a TV show called Nightline was airing a story on the rescue and how they’re being flooded with neglect cases. And I was going to star in that story.


So I hope you tune into your TV tonight to see me on Nightline. I don’t have a TV set out in the barn, so I won’t get to see it.


Still feeling a little more hopeful,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Getting a Bath - and it feels GOOD!


Hi there again – today was a Big Day. Jennifer added something else to my meals – alfalfa! I know I told you I can’t eat hay, but this stuff is chopped up real fine and mixed in with my soupy stuff. And YUM! I can slurp it down and it doesn’t hurt my teeth!


And guess what? I’m starting to feed better. Jennifer was really excited today because she said I had “poop balls” instead of diarrhea. And you know what that woman did? She gave me a BATH! Wow. I haven’t had one of those since I was younger. She tied my at the wash rack and started hosing me off. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I tried to stand still. She then gently rubbed some soap into my dirty coat and covered my tail and back legs with it. You see, that nasty diarrhea had coated my back legs and it didn’t feel good. Jennifer told me she knew my skin was real sensitive since my bones were sticking out everywhere, so she gently rubbed with a brush until all the nastiness came off. And now I’m so clean!


You know what else? I’m starting to feel better. Getting three meals a day, plenty of fresh water, and other horsey friends is making me feel better. I know my old person did her best for me, but this is the place to be. I love being part of the Bluebonnet Family!


Hey! Do you what to join my family? You know, you can… just go to http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/joinbehs.htm and join the rescue! We can be part of the same big family helping horses!


Feeling a little more hopeful,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Meeting the Other Horses Here

Hi there! I guess it is time I introduced you to the other horses who live with Jennifer. There are five that she calls her “permanent residents” – they’re not rescue horses and they give to live with Jennifer always and forever. Four of them used to belong to one of her best friends, Susan. Susan gave Jennifer one, a show horse named Elvis, and then a few years later Susan died from breast cancer and bone cancer. Chips, Freckles and Magic were sad to lose their human, but Jennifer and some of her friends brought them back to Texas and they really like her now. The fourth horse is one Jennifer bought many years ago, trained to ride and show. She still rides him sometimes, but he hangs out and keeps all the rescue horses company.


But there are two other rescue horses here. One is named Judge and one is named Zezz. They’re both Arabians, but they’re ok for silly Arabs. Apparently, they lived at a farm with 56 other horses. But like me, they didn’t have grass or enough food. And Zezz and Judge were stallions, and they were left in stalls for MONTHS. In fact, they had to stand on top of 3-4 feet of manure in their stalls. And the latches on their stalls rusted shut. And no one brought them food or got them out. One day, one of the outside horses, a red mare, died because she had gone too long without food. Do you know what happened then? Well, the next day Jennifer and the Bluebonnet Family showed up with some sheriff’s deputies, a police officer, and another rescue called True Blue Animal Rescue and took all of those horses out of there! They had to bust the rust lose from the stall doors to free Zezz, Judge and many of their buddies. But they got out!


A few weeks later, Zezz and Judge moved here to Jennifer’s house. They told me they were super-skinny and hungry, too. But Jennifer and her husband took good care of them, and they’re looking much better. They’re not completely done with rehabilitation yet, but Judge just went up for adoption. I tell you, he’s a little nervous about this. He likes it here and worries that someplace else won’t feed him well. But Jennifer keeps telling him he’s going to find his perfect person, someone who will love him and train him and feed him and ride him. I sure hope so!


Hey, do you know of anyone looking for an Arab? He’s a gelding now, and he’s bay. He thinks he’s real handsome with his white legs. He’s proud that he knows how to carry a saddle but Jennifer is having to teach him about a bridle. He doesn’t have a blog, but he has a webpage if you want to see him.


Waiting for dinner,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Helping other horses

Howdy,


I had an interesting experience today. Most importantly, Jennifer gave me breakfast, lunch and dinner so I am guessing this is going to be a new habit. None of the other horses get lunch – but they do get to go out and eat grass and eat hay, so I guess that’s ok with them.


Anyway, on to the interesting thing. While Jennifer was out giving me lunch, two women showed up with a horse trailer. Jennifer stood around talking to them – seems they’re involved with another rescue called Meadow Haven Horse Rescue. I didn’t know there were more than one group helping horses! Anyway, a while later, another truck showed up pulling a trailer. Apparently, there were three young starving horses in the trailer. I whinnied at them and they whinnied back. It seems that Bluebonnet was involved in a neglect case. Someone was starving eighteen horses and Bluebonnet and the sheriff’s department had to go take them. But Bluebonnet is just overrun with horses right now, so they asked two other rescues to help out. One group took four horses, Meadow Haven took these three guys, and Bluebonnet took the rest. It sure is nice to hear about all these people working together!


Those little guys were pretty scared – they had never left the property before they were seized, and they didn’t know what was going to happen now. I told them rescue people are good people and that they’ll get lots of food and love and pets and everything will be ok. I hope they believe me. I sure am liking the rescue life now!


I wish someone would give me a mid-night snack.


Hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Monday, August 10, 2009

A Nice Surprise Today

I guess by now I don’t have to keep on telling you I’m Tex. You should know by now who I am – this is MY blog, isn’t it?!


So Jennifer is back today, and she brought a surprise today. And I sure liked this surprised! You see, so far she or Laurie were feeding me two times each day. They gave me stuff called beet pulp, sweet feed (yummy!) and pellets. And they mixed it up with water so it was really soupy. This way, even though my teeth aren’t working right I can eat it pretty good. Jennifer says this will help me gain weight so I can get stronger and have my teeth worked on.


Well, anyway, I’m liking my soupy mix and slurp it up. I’m really enthusiastic and that makes Jennifer laugh. So today, I got my breakfast and then Jennifer went back into the house. I didn’t figure to see her again until dinner time. But in the middle of the afternoon, she came back out and fed me. And she told me that this was lunch. And then she came out and gave me dinner, too. That’s three meals in ONE day! I sure hope she keeps up this kind of service. I might actually gain some weight!


Well, it is getting dark and I want to talk to some of the other horses. Talk to you tomorrow!


A little less hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Bluebonnet Family Thing


Hi again. I am getting used to this new life. Laurie was back this morning because Jennifer is out of town for something called her anniversary. Apparently she’s been married to Spencer for a while and they like to go celebrate that. Well, I’m a horse and I don’t really get the whole “marriage” thing or “anniversary” thing. But if it makes her happy, I guess that’s ok.


Laurie is pretty good to me. Jennifer had given me some hay, but I just can’t eat it. It is too hard and scratchy. So Laurie started putting my hay in water. So now I try to eat the hay. The water makes it softer, but my teeth aren’t working right to grind it up. So I suck on the wet hay for a bit and then spit it out in a wad on the ground. I think Jennifer said I needed to see a vet for a teeth float. Do you know what that it? Well, it is when the vet sticks a file in your teeth and files down the sharp edges so you can eat better. But Jennifer said I’m too weak to undergo a dental procedure right now, so I have to wait until I gain some weight. I’m not sure how I can gain weight without eating hay, but she has done ok by me so far. I’m sure she’ll explain it later.


I told you about that Bluebonnet Family thing yesterday, didn’t I? Well, I learned a little more from some of the other horses today. Apparently a bunch of people got together about four years ago and decided to help horses. They formed this organization and their entire goal is to help horses who are abused, abandoned, starved or found wandering stray. Did you know there are stray horses just like stray dogs and cats? Yep, there are! Sometimes owners just don’t care for their horse anymore, and they turn him loose on the road! Before groups like Bluebonnet came around, the sheriff’s departments would catch those horses and send them to auctions. And a lot of the time, they went to horse slaughter. Can you believe it?! I am glad stray horses have some help now.


Hmm. Laurie is a little late tonight with my feed. Where the heck is she? I think I’m going to go bang on my stall door and remind her to get here and feed me. Talk to you tomorrow!


Hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Saturday, August 8, 2009

How I got Here


Hi again!


I sure hope you are enjoying my Blog. I don’t think I’m that interesting, but my new person sure thinks you will enjoy this. Since she’s got food and water here, I’m trying to keep her happy.



So I’ve been telling you my story to get you caught up. Like I said, I am pretty skinny and I thought I was going to lay down and die of starvation. But on Thursday, Liesa came out and told me that I was going to go on a trailer trip to someplace new where people would take care of me. She cried a little but told me it was for the best. She still hadn’t found a job and didn’t have grain for me and the grass was all dead. I perked up at the word grain, but when I didn’t actually see any grain I hung my head again. I really didn’t care where I was since I didn’t think I would be on this planet much longer.



So a little while later, I saw a couple of cars, a truck and a truck and trailer coming. I wondered why so many people were coming to get me. I am not a bad horse and I don’t need a crew of people to put me in a trailer! The doors to the truck pulling the trailer opened and two people got out – Laurie and Jennifer. And Jennifer introduced herself to Leisa. The other cars and truck opened their doors and more people got out. One even had a camera. This was pretty weird if you ask me.



I watched them while Jennifer approached me with a halter. I really didn’t care what happened to me, but she put the halter on and told me I was going to go home with her. She said she had other horses, plenty of hay and grain, and a stall all for me. And she had grass, too.



The guy with the camera and another guy came over. The guy without the camera, Ryan, asked Jennifer some questions about me. She told him I had about a 50/50 chance of making it. I almost snorted at her – because I didn’t feel I had any chance of making it. But she was petting me and getting the knots out of my mane, and she seemed sad while she talked so I gave her a break.



After a few minutes, Leisa hugged Jennifer and then Jennifer lead me towards the trailer. You know, I really didn’t think I could load into that trailer. I had to take a big step up, and my legs just shook. Jennifer asked me again, and she sounded sad and worried, so I gathered my little energy and stepped up into the trailer.



They shut the door and Leisa thanked Jennifer again for taking me. In a few minutes we were on the road.



Jennifer just told me today that I’m part of a big family. That family is called the Bluebonnet Family and it is made up of horses and humans from Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society. Apparently BEHS is a “horse rescue”. It is a bunch of people who go around helping horses to have better lives. I’m hoping to learn a little more about Bluebonnet. I wonder if I can help?



Ooo! Laurie is here to take care of me tonight. I need to go remind her how I like my food made. Talk to you later!



Hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Friday, August 7, 2009

Telling my story


Hey, it is Tex again. This new place isn’t so bad. I’ve gotten two meals already – they’re small meals, but it is more than I’ve had to eat in a while. And I have a stall of my own and no one is trying to steal my food. Wow!


So, I ought to give you a little background about myself. Like I said, my name used to be Cisco and I’m an older guy. When I was young, man was I a looker! I’m a chestnut paint and I’m flashy! When I was clean, my white sparkled and my chestnut hair shone like a penny. And I was no little guy, either. I was a big, stout horse. When I was young, I was well-trained too and spent my life well-cared for.


I don’t know exactly what happened, but at some point my people sold me to other people. And those people sold me again, and I ended up with people who didn’t like to ride me or take care of me. They didn’t feed me enough and I started loosing weight. I was looking kind of puny when a woman named Liesa showed up. She gave the people $300 and loaded me into a trailer and took me home.


At first, things were pretty good there. There was a lot of grass and I even got some grain to eat. I started gaining weight. Then one day Liesa came out and told me she lost her job and we were running out of grain. But she said I could eat all the grass I wanted, so I wasn’t too worried.


Then the grass started dying. And there wasn’t much to eat. And I started losing weight and getting weaker. I really thought I was going to lay down and die soon and then the new person showed up.


Speaking of her, here she is with a bucket with FOOD in it! Talk to you later – I gotta eat!


Hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Welcome to my new blog


Hi. My name is Tex. Actually, my name was Cisco until just an hour or two ago, but the person who came to get me changed my name to Tex. She said she always changes a horse’s name when they arrive at her place because when they arrive at her place they’re starting a new life and they should have a new name for their new life.


I guess that doesn’t make a lot of sense unless I tell you a little about myself. First thing you need to know is that I’m a horse. Are you surprised that a horse has a blog? Well, my new human said my story is an important one and she set up this blog so I could share it.


I’m not a young horse, either. My previous person said I was 18, but my name person doesn’t believe I am. She thinks I might be older. And I’m in pretty bad shape. To tell you the truth, I really don’t think I can last much longer. My bones are sticking out every which way, my hair is rough and falling out, I have diarrhea and my mouth is swollen. When this new person came to get me, she asked me to step up into a horse trailer. I wanted to do what she asked because she seemed so nice, but my legs shook. Then she promised me I was going someplace with plenty of food, so I put all my energy into getting into the trailer.


Hey, my new person is coming with a bucket! And it smells like food! I’ve gotta go! I’ll talk to you later.


Hungrily,


Tex from Bluebonnet