Farewell to our TV Star

Hi everyone,

My name is Cloudy. I lived with Tex, the grumpy old man I wanted to let all of his fans know that he's gone. Early this week, he stopped eating. I asked him what was wrong but he snapped at my to mind my own business. He could be such a grump! But our foster mom saw him not eating, and she got worried. Jennifer, who Tex used to live with, told Kristin to get him to the vet. And so two days ago Kristin loaded Tex and Trella up in the trailer to go visit the vet. Trella came home a few hours later, but Tex did not. Trella said the vet kept Tex and hooked him up to some machine and had a tube going from him to a bag hanging from the ceiling. I asked her what was in the bags - did she think it was liquid carrots?! She rolled her eyes me (sheesh! Mares!

So this morning, our foster mom came outside with tears leaking out of her eyes. She fed and pet us and then said she was going to get a couple of peaches to take to Tex. She said he wouldn't be coming home.

She said something about him being old and just giving out. I know Tex has a big group of fans, so I snuck in some computer time so I could let you all know. Tex now runs free and healthy.

Cloudy

A saddle! I've been attacked by a saddle!

Hello to all of my fans!

Today is a gorgeous day in my world. The sun is shining, the grass is green and plentiful and I have people who love me. But I've got to have a little talk with these people - because my foster "mom" Kristin let a saddle attack me.

Here I was, minding my own business, eating on my favorite patch of grass when Kristin came out to see me. I figured she wanted to marvel in my beauty and awesomeness. After talking to me for a minute, she put a halter on me. So I figured she wanted to go brush me and make me even more handsome. You know, a guy can't be too good looking.

So she did brush me - and she managed to scratch all the right spots. That woman is GOOD! I was into my little massage and then she stepped away. Before I knew what happened, a saddle blanket flew onto my back. Umm.. hello? Do I look like a common riding nag? No. I am Tex! International TV and internet star! Beloved by millions! Who did this saddle blanket think it was?

But folks, it gets worse! I thought if I stood real still the saddle blanket would get bored and leave. But nooooo! It called its little friend the saddle over for a party. Before I knew it, that saddle had attacked me and wraps its evil cinch around my belly. Really. Where is my foster "mom"? Is she just letting these things attack me?

I guess she was part of the evil plot because then she put a bit in my mouth and pulled a bridle over my ears. Sheesh. The things I put up with. Kristin told me to come on and be a good guy and to go for a little ride. But I looked at her and she knows how to get to me. She scratches the right places and tells me how handsome I am. I figured a little ride couldn't hurt, could it?

So we rode around the farm a bit. You know what? The ride wasn't so bad. I think I even had a little fun. It is nice to feel useful again. And now maybe someone will decide they want me. I'm not just another pretty face - I've got skills!

So if you want a super-handsome, international television star to go riding with, just give me a chance. Ignore my age. It is only a state of mind - and my mind says I'm young! Heck, you should see me run like the wind!

I'm hoping Kristin comes out with the saddle again. I'm ready for another ride.

Handsome international TV star,

Tex from Bluebonnet

Why doesn't anyone want me?

Hello everyone,

I know I haven't posted in quite a while. Well, quite frankly my heart just isn't in it. I'm feeling a little down. I know you are asking yourself why a beautiful and talented horse like me would be feeling the blues. I know, I know... I have a lot to be grateful for!

And I am grateful. I am grateful to the rescue people for getting me out of a bad situation. And I am grateful for the buckets and buckets and buckets of food. And for the glorious spring weather and the green and yummy grass. I am grateful for the love and care of my adopters. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but..

Since I came to the rescue last summer, a lot of horses have been adopted out. I mean a lot! So why hasn't anyone even come to look at me? Come on, people, have you seen me? I'm gorgeous! Look at my paint coat. Look at my coloring. I know, you are saying, "But you are so old!" Do I act old? No! I think age is a state of mind - and my mind says I'm only about 5!

Surely someone out there wants me... it really stinks to be passed over again and again!

Looking for my forever home,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Great news!

Hey everyone,

I've got some GREAT news! Are you ready? I'm so excited I'm having a hard time typing. I think I might be giddy! Are you sure you are ready? The good news is - I am up for adoption!

Boy, that's so cool to say. I've been with BEHS since August and now I am finally healthy enough to go up for adoption! Those Bluebonnet people say I've gained a lot of weight - and everyone can finally see the real me.

So, would you like to take me home and give me a home of my own? A family of my own? Someone to love me? I know, I know... some of you reading this are saying: Who wants a 25+ year old horse who doesn't even have any teeth? Well, when I was a young whippersnapper, I would have said the same thing. Now I'm older and wiser. And I'm telling you, I would be an awesome horse. First, I'm gorgeous. Have you seen my gorgeous paint pattern? Anyone would be lucky to have that in their pasture! Then, I've been on TV people! National TV! People all over the world saw ME and loved ME! You could have a famous horse in your pasture! Maybe you could even be a little famous, too. Pretty cool, huh? Plus, I'm a nice old guy. I am not going to give you any trouble. Unless you are later with my dinner, then I might have to give you a little grief.

So, think about it... wouldn't you like to take me home?


If you live too far away, have too many horses or don't have room for a horse, there's another alternative: adopt a little me! Yes, you read that right. And Little Me doesn't need a barn or even need grain. He's a little stuffed horse - cute, huh? And I think he kind of looks like me, so I'm telling Jennifer to call him the Tex Horse for Bluebonnet. Good idea, don't you think? He's available on the Bluebonnet Website at http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/store.htm - and the funds from his sale help horses like me. You know you want one - so go order one! Don't be shy! I would order one if I had any money... but the credit card company won't give a credit card to a horse. Hmph.

Ok, I think I see some new green grass coming up - and it has my name on it. I'm going to go chow down while you fill out your adoption application or buy a little me. Go ahead. Do it. There's no time like the present!

Loving life,

Tex from Bluebonnet

Howdy everyone!

I know, I know! You all have missed me right? I haven't written anything in months - but it isn't my fault! It has done nothing but rain and rain here, and my foster humans just refuse to bring their lap top out to me. They say I'll get it all muddy. Really, how rude of them! Don't they know I have an adoring public who wants to hear from me??

Well, I finally got a little break and am getting to use the computer. We've had a lot of excitement around here. First, some very sad news. A month or two ago, my foster human Kristin came out to de-worm me. Yuck. That stuff is super-nasty and I don't know why humans feel the need to shove it down our throat! Well, she shoved it down my throat and I spit it out. It fell on the ground and her dog gobbled it up. She didn't think anything of it, and I was just happy someone else ate that garbage and I didn't have to eat any more. But a few hours later, her dog started to have seizures. They rushed her to the veterinarian but lost her the next day. I feel so bad. I should have eaten my ivermectin and not let the dog get any. Kristin and her husband cried and I felt even worse. So now... I want you to know that dogs and ivermectin doesn't mix well! Apparently some breeds are very sensitive to ivermectin and it kills them. You can read one story here: http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsetalk/2009/06/warning-your-dogs-and-ivermectin.html


On a good note... I'm putting on weight and I've become such a handsome man. Look at me, would you even recognize me? And now that I'm putting on weight, I feel so much better! I can buck and run and play! I might be an older guy, but I've got plenty of life left in me! I hear the rescue is going to put me up for adoption soon. Is there someone out there who would like to give me a home for the rest of my life? I might be sassy sometimes, but I'll make you smile!

Now, I have to go run and buck a little. But seriously, think about giving me a home of my own!

Dreaming of my own family,

Tex from Bluebonnet

It has been a long time...

Hi guys! Did you think I had forgotten about you? Did you forget about meeee? It is awfully hard to get to a computer around here. I have a pretty full schedule all day. First, I get up and eat some grass. Then I spend a little time yelling at Kristin to hurry it up and feed me. Then I spend an hour or so eating my huge breakfast. Then I need to eat some grass. Then it is nap time. Then time to roll. Then time to eat grass. Then I have to yell at Kristin again. You know, you have to keep after these humans. If you don't demand your food, they just might forget. And believe me, I missed a bunch of meals in my life Before Rescue. And I don't plan on ever missing a meal again!

In addition to spending my days eating and keeping Kristin on her toes, I have to spend some time getting better. I'm eating everything in sight, trying to gain weight. And Kristin took me to a veterinarian. I'm not a big fan of vets. They like to poke and prod you. But this one wasn't too bad. We went on a trailer ride which was cool. And when we got there, everyone really fawned all over me. They were mad anyone let an old guy like me get skinny. And they wanted to help me get better.

BUT part of getting better is something called "teeth floating". I don't know if you know this, but horses have teeth that keep growing through most of our lives. And the way we eat makes our teeth grind back and forth against each other, and that grinding can make sharp points. And those points can cut your mouth all up and make you sore. It really is painful. So vets and dentists open your mouth and put in this file thing and file down your teeth.

Sounds pretty awful, huh? The worst part really is having your mouth held open by this metal deal. And having to stand still. But these vets were nice. They gave me a little drug that made me sleepy. Then they padded up the thing that held my mouth open. And the dental work only took a few minutes. That's because I don't have many teeth left. I could have told them that if they had just asked! But those humans never remember to ask the horses! Sheesh!

Anyway, here's a picture of me. It looks like torture, but it wasn't so bad. Afterward, they washed my mouth out with something that tasted good and the drugs made me feel good. And everyone was petting me and telling me how sweet and good I was. A guy can get used to that kind of treatment!

After the dental work, the vet also removed a little growth from next to my eye. NOW that's healed up and I feel much better!

Well, I'm late for my scheduled nap. I'll write more later!

Sleepily,


Tex from Bluebonnet

Big Changes for Me!

Hey guys - Have you missed me? It has been weeks since I could get near a computer! I've had some big changes in my life that I need to share with you.

First, the super-big one. I no longer live with Jennifer. You are shocked, right? Well, so am I! I knew she was just a temporary home because she told me so. But I had no clue when I would be leaving. One day about two weeks ago, she came out in the morning, just a few hours after breakfast. It wasn't lunch time, but I reminded her anyway about how hungry I was. She had two strangers with her, and they were talking about me. Of course, I stood up straighter to show them how handsome I was!

The one stranger looked a little sad when looking at me and asked a bunch of questions about my health, what I ate, what to do. And then Jennifer handed her a halter and asked if she wanted to grab her new boy.

Umm... what? Me? Her new boy? I was a little shocked as I was enjoying my three square meals a day. Did Jennifer know these people? Who were they? Did they have enough food?

So the lady put the halter and leadrope on, and she and Jennifer walked me out to a trailer. of course, I'm a trailering pro so I jumped right in. That told me what a good boy I was (of course I was!) and shut the door. Jennifer told me to be a good kid. As if... I'm not a kid anymore! But then the stranger asked her if she would be sad, and she said yes. But that it was her job to find new foster homes.

So they got me home. And I found out that they did have plenty of food. And grass. Lots of grass. I can't really eat the grass well since I don't have many teeth, but let me tell you... I sure try! And I like the taste of it a whole heck of a lot.

So the new digs aren't bad. Instead of a stall, I now have a round pen to wander around in. And the new people, Kristin and Wheat, they sure seem to make a big fuss over me. There are no other horses here. I thought I might be lonely, but really I don't mind. I get all the food and no one tries to steal it!

Now that I'm settled in and back in a good routine, I'll try to write more. Who knows what exciting things might happen next!

Loving the grass,

Tex from Bluebonnet

So I'm Negative

Howdy folks,

Jennifer tells me that we got some good news in the mail today. I had to take a Coggins test last week when the vet was here. A Coggins test isn't a written exam, though! It isn't even an oral exam! Nope, for a Coggins test the vet sticks a needle into you (ouch!) and pulls out some blood. He then sends it to a lab and they run this test. I don't know how they run the test - something to do with vials and machines and tubes and stuff. I'm sure it is interesting. But they won't let me in there to see it! I don't know why and I don't think that's fair.

Anyway, the Coggins test tests for a disease called Equine Infectious Anemia or EIA for short. This is a Bad Disease. If you get this Bad Disease your owners will probably put you down. See, there's this government thing called the USDA. They make all these rules about animals. And one rule is that if a horse has the Bad Disease, he has to live his life in isolation (over 200 yards away from all other horses), he goes to slaughter (!), or he gets put down. And horses normally get tested once per year. Although I don't remember when I was last tested.

Luckily this Bad Disease is pretty rare. So I wasn't worried. And Jennifer wasn't super worried... except since I'm not gaining weight, she keeps worrying something bad is wrong. So she was glad to get her little piece of paper that said I was negative for EIA.

Like I said, though, she keeps worrying that something is wrong because I'm not gaining weight. I keep telling her I'm fine. I just want more food! I am pretty sure I would gain weight if she just dumped a bag of feed into my stall a couple of times a day. I could eat non-stop!

She tells me that I can't eat nonstop as it would make me sick. She says that I'm getting 20 lbs of feed per day and that's a lot of feed and I should be gaining weight.

She has a soft spot for old guys like me. That means I can take advantage of her, give her sad looks, and she'll give me treats. It is really kind of funny to push her around that way. Do you think I should feel bad about that?

Oh, look! Here she's coming! I've got to hang my head and look sad or run around in circles so she'll give me a treat!

Begging for a treat,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Wow. Look at that mud! Here it squish when I walk!

Howdy everyone,

So you know that drought we've been in? I forgot what rain looked like and felt like. And now I've remembered I don't much care for it. Of course, I love the grass even though I can only kind of suck on it since I don't have many teeth. But I'm not sure it is worth it.

See, it started raining on Friday. And it rained. And rained. And rained. It rained Friday. It rained Saturday. It rained Sunday. It rained Monday. It has flooded my stall because the roof leaks. Now, to be fair to Jennifer she just bought this place and didn't know how badly the roof leaked. And she told me she is going to fix it. But that doesn't help RIGHT NOW. No, right now, I'm ankle-deep in mud.

Now, I have threatened to call animal control and report Jennifer for abuse. I mean, I'm standing in MUD for goodness sake! But she has pointed out that ALL the horses in this part of Texas are standing in mud unless they have barns to go into. Barns with non-leaking roofs. So I guess she's right. But still....

She has sent Spencer to the store to get some bags of sand. She's going to dump sand into my stall to try to help with the water. And she's fixed it up so I can move from my stall to the next stall and back again. They're both flooded, but at least I have some extra space.

The rain has also made my "rain rot" worse. Rain rot is a skin deal that often strikes horses who are skinny, old or otherwise compromised. Right now, I'm compromised in every sort of way! So this means that I have to get a bath every few days with shampoo to help get rid of the rain rot. Tonight is a bath night, too. ugh. Bleck. I don't like baths. Haven't I gotten wet enough lately?

Anyway, I think I'm going to go explore the other stall for a while. Jennifer will take the laptop away if it starts raining again. So if you don't hear from me, don't worry that I've drowned. Nope, it is just raining and Jennifer took the laptop away.

Wetly,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Yuck! Bleck! Ick!

Yuck! Ick! I cannot believe that that woman did to me today! She stuck this tube in my mouth and squirted the most foul-tasting concoction down my throat! I think she was trying to POISON me!!

So, Jennifer walks into my stall today and puts a halter on me. I thought maybe we would finally go out and eat some grass. Or maybe she was going to bath me again. Or something else nice would happen. She pets me a minute and smiles at me sweetly. That's when I started to get suspicious.

Then all of a sudden, she has this tube near my mouth. I can smell the garbage in the tube. It smells like poison. Really. It does. So I start walking off. Well, her sweetness starts to fade a bit and she gives me a tug on the rope. Ha! I was weak when I got in, but I'm stronger now and the tug on the rope makes me more determined to escape the foul junk in her tube! So I walk off. She grabs the halter and pushes me into the wall. Well, I do not appreciate that! No sir, not one bit! So I swing my head and walk away. She pulls the rope and turns me in a small circle.

We fought for a while. I can tell I've strained her patience. She's not smiling so sweetly now. Oh no. She's grimacing. She's told me I'm going to take my medicine like all the other horses. Well, apparently all the horses are a bunch of fools! I know the truth! She's trying to do me in!

She took a deep breath and calmed down and then tried rubbing that tube on my nose. Who does she think she's dealing with? I'm an experienced horse! I've seen these human tricks and they don't impress me! So I try to run over the top of her. Oops. I think I might have made a bit of a mistake there as she's no longer being "miss nice guy".

So she pushes me into a corner, shoves the tube in my mouth, and sends the poison down my throat. I give her the dirtiest look I can manage while trying to spit that garbage out before it kills me. She shoves a horse cookie into my mouth. Does she really think a horse cookie will fix this? Does she think I'm going to forget???

If you don't hear from me again, then you know she's killed me off.

Suffering through the poison,




Tex from Bluebonnet

P.S. Her highness, the Poisoner, says I'm not being fair. She wants me to let you all know that I wasn't poisoned. She claims that the nasty stuff was something called de-wormer. Apparently, worms like to prey on us horses. Kind of gross, huh? I mean, how would you like to have worms growing inside you? Ugh. It makes you ill to think of it, doesn't it? Well, she's worried that because I'm in such poor condition that these worms are feasting away. So she gave me the de-wormer to help kill them off. Apparently, this was a wild de-wormer and in another 2 weeks she's going to give me a stronger version and then another tube a few weeks later. She says that should help a lot.

Apparently, most healthy horses get de-wormed once every 6 weeks to three months, depending on where they live. I think maybe I can remember being de-wormed. But it was a long time ago. It seems like another life.

I'm not 100% convinced I believe her though. I can't believe those other horses let her shove that junk down their throat without a fight. She's going to have to get stronger, too, because I'm going to eat all my feed, get stronger, and give her a MUCH harder fight next time!

Jennifer's home...

Good afternoon!

Jennifer's home, and we have a load of work for her to do around here! It rained - yes, real rain! But that rain meant the stalls flooded. So the stall that Freckles and Zezz alternate in is a total disaster. And my stall is pretty nasty, too. And Judge is stuck in his stall because of an abscess and his stall is somewhat icky. Jennifer just grumbles and grabs a pitch fork. She'll be cleaning up this mess for days! But it is good for her. You know? It builds character!

So today I had the dreaded visit from the vet. I shouldn't have been so worried. It really wasn't that bad. He gave Jennifer a bit of a hard time because I have rain rot. I wish I could tell him that she's taking great care of me and explain that the Bluebonnet Family really does a great job at rehab. But he didn't listen to me.

He did look at my teeth. I wouldn't let Jennifer look at them. I worried if she knew how old I was that she would not want me anymore! But that sneaky vet had his ways and he got a look. So now they know... I don't have many teeth left. Jennifer said she guessed that since I couldn't eat hay. But now she knows for sure.

The vet told her I was 25 or older, too. We horses don't really keep track of our age and we don't celebrate birthdays, so I don't remember how old I am. But I'll take the vet's word for it.

Jennifer is worried because I'm not gaining any weight. So she asked the veterinarian to pull blood and check and make sure everything is working well internally. I don't know what they'll do if it isn't. And Jennifer isn't going to tell me - I can tell she's worried and a little sad about that. But we'll just see.

When we get my blood work and coggins back from the vet, Jennifer said I can start going out with some of the other horses who are calm. I'm looking forward to that!

So that's my news for today. Oh, some good news - one of Jennifer's former foster horses, Trigger, got adopted yesterday. She's excited about that and his new family love him. I sure hope I find my own person to love me.

Dreaming of a person of my own,




Tex from Bluebonnet

Another day, another case!

Hello everyone!




Have you missed me? I've been off-line a few days! Jennifer went to visit her mother, and her husband is taking care of me. He's nice enough, but he doesn't bring the lap top out. I really had to beg for him to bring it out today.

He is pretty nice, I guess. We finally got rain - real rain! And it flooded my stall. So he moved me to a dry stall. And Jennifer doesn't give me hay because I can't really chew it. He gave me hay, though, and let me try chewing on it. Unfortunately I can't chew well so I end up spitting it out. But I like to try! I hope he talks to Jennifer and she starts giving me hay to try chewing on again.

There was another neglect case today and we have another new family member. Apparently a sheriff's department called and had a horse in bad shape for us. His owners couldn't afford a vet and gave him to the rescue. He's not too skinny but he was left tied up with no water. And his halter grew into his face. He's at the vet now having his wounds treated. He's part of us yet - I hope someone tells him soon about his loving family!

Well, I'm going to go back to gumming on my hay for a bit. I hope you all have a great weekend! Jennifer will be back Monday and then I can be on-line more.

Gumming my hay,




Tex from Bluebonnet

A sad day

So we got some sad news today. There's no easy way to say it, either. But we lost a member of the Bluebonnet Family. It is kind of funny. Before I came to Bluebonnet, I wondered if anyone would notice if I died. And now I see how the whole Bluebonnet Family mourns when one of the horses dies. People who have never met the horse mourn. People who don't live in the same city, state or even country mourn. It is pretty awe-inspiring to be part of something so big.

This horse had been in BEHS since 2005. He was one of the first horses to arrive at the rescue. Apparently some people found him starving, bought him and helped him gain weight. Then for some reason they couldn't keep him and asked BEHS to take him. BEHS doesn't have room right now for "donated" horses, but luckily they did at the time. So he moved in with his foster "mom" Joanne. Joanne's been fostering for many years. She reported that Moonshine was pretty withdrawn. He didn't really seem to interact with her, but she worked with him and found out he was broke to ride.

She kept trying to win him over, but he really never was interested in being friends with Joanne. Then he met his girl. She was a little thing and her mom was looking for a small horse or a large pony for her to use in Pony Club. When he saw his girl, he fell in love. He wasn't ever found of humans, but he loved his little girl.

When she started riding him, he took super-careful care of her. He refused to canter until he decided she was steady enough in the saddle. He didn't want her to ever get hurt! She loved him right back, of course. Who wouldn't love someone so devoted to them? And they were an awesome pair.

She renamed him Moonshadow and took him to Pony Club events. There were some pretty big, fancy and expensive horses there. But Moonshadow was a star. Everyone wanted to ride him! He and his little girl were both so proud. And everyone in the Bluebonnet Family was so proud.

But then the tragedy struck. He began stumbling and the vet came out. Moonshadow had EPM. His adopters treated him and his little girl hoped and prayed for his recovery. She got to ride him for a while but then he began stumbling too much. For a couple of years, they treated the EPM. But finally it became too much for him. He got weaker. He lost weight. And his little girl and her mom agreed it was time to let him go.

So they loved him and hugged him and told him how wonderful he was. And then he had a small poke in his neck and got sleepy. He's gone now and everyone is so sad.

This is the first Bluebonnet Brother I've lost. I never met him, but I know we were both part of something huge. It is hard to lose a family member - but I'm so grateful I have this huge family around me. We'll be sad together, but we know he's waiting for us on the other side.

Good bye Moonshadow.




Tex from Bluebonnet

Own a little piece of me - and help the horses of BEHS!

Happy September 1st, everyone!

Today is Day 1 of the Specialhorses.org auction. There's a framed picture of me along with some of my tail hair for sale. Go visit http://www.specialhorses.org/auction/?p=40 and bid on your own little piece of me!

This is just a short post. I'm waiting on lunch and the internet is being funky. Funny how attached I am to the internet! A month ago, I didn't know what a computer was. To be honest, if I saw one, I would have tried to take a bite of it. But now I've got my own blog. And I'm irritated when the internet doesn't work.

Impatiently waiting for better internet service,




Tex from Bluebonnet

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

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

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

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

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

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