An Adoption Testimonial
In May of 2015, after working with my darling Mustang rescue for two years trying to get her under saddle, I made the difficult decision to retire Twila to a life of leisure as my pet horse and companion animal to my husband’s gelding.
Thinking about acquiring another horse felt rather daunting, especially if the next horse I fell in love with could not become a good trail horse. I heard horror stories from a good friend of mine who drove hundreds and hundreds of miles to look for a trail horse only to find the horse that was for sale was nothing like the owner described. And we’ve all heard about the horse that was so sweet and calm for the “test drive” but becomes a maniac when you get it home (thanks to a little Bute or Banamine). On top of that, I had a limited budget. Where oh where could I find a trusted source from whom to purchase a great horse at a reasonable cost?
Then Fate stepped in. One day in November of 2015, now six months after retiring Twila, I was watching my husband ride his gelding, Moose, and happened to start talking to a lady standing next to me. I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a horse to ride. She excitedly told me she had just adopted a great mare from the Colorado Horse Rescue. I couldn’t wait to get home and get on the internet and research CHR’S website.
That night I thought I had found the horse of my dreams at CHR: a little paint named Dreamer. I love horses with color…
I have never wanted a sorrel with a white blaze. How mundane. I made an appointment with Sarah to view the mares at CHR, but most especially Dreamer. I also had read the bios on the other mares and noted one other possibility, a mare named Kai. The morning of my appointment I watched a video of Dreamer and my heart went pitter patter. I just new she was The One.
When I arrived at CHR, Sarah took me straightaway to meet Dreamer. Imagine my disappointment when I walked up to her and knew immediately she was not The One. I turned to Sarah and said Nope, it’s not her. Sarah then said, “Well I have another mare you might like; her name is Kai.” The whisper in my ear said, “she’s The One.” Sarah then introduced me to Kai, a sorrell with a white blaze, who she described as rather cranky and standoffish. It was love at first sight. I started the adoption process that day.
It is now just over a year since I adopted Kai and this continues to be a great love affair. She is my perfect horse. She can still be cranky and stubborn, but that is far outweighed by her great heart and mind, her willingness to learn, her calm nature. She is becoming a great trail horse and we continue to grow as a team. I transitioned her to a bitless bridle six months ago, which she greatly appreciates. We ride in areas with lots of farm equipment and she never flinches when a tractor goes roaring by her. One of our rides takes us by a house with at least a dozen insanely barking dogs and she looks the other way. I ask her to lead out on a new ride and be the confidence horse for my husband’s gelding and she does what I ask.
All that may seem rather ordinary to most people. What you don’t know about Kai is that she was an older mare, about 10 years, and had never been broken to the saddle prior to her arrival at CHR. When I adopted Kai, she had about 30 days of training with Sarah. But what incredible training. Sarah knows how to start horses and she gave Kai an incredible foundation for me to build upon. I cannot give Sarah enough praise for her horse savvy and the training process she follows.
CHR is a great organization. It takes in horses of all kinds and gives them homes until they can be placed. One of the most valuable aspects to adopting from CHR is that you are given as much information about the horse that they can give you, regarding health, temperament and physicality, so you can make an informed decision about the horse. I would highly recommend this organization and Sarah to anyone seeking to adopt a horse.
In closing, a few days after adopting Kai, I looked up her name on the internet. The name Kai can be found in many languages, but one predominate translation of Kai means “safe harbor.” As I ride down the trail on my trusty, far from mundane, sorrel mare with a white blaze, I give thanks to all the forces that put us together.
Sincerely,
Laura