I first met Big Boy when he came to me as a two year old to be started under saddle. He was still nursing on his mother and not halter broke, he was friendly,he had no manures because his owner had no clue how to hand horses, using grain to get them tame but never doing the work that needs to be done.
He was tall and lanky mostly white and wasn't much to look at. I had him in training for about a year. I always liked the stallion for his sweet disposition but he didn't fit into my program at the time because he wasn't an open horse, he was kind hearted but lazy and didn't have much desire to preform. He was perfect for his owner because anyone could ride him anywhere. The owner sent me another stallion to train that was a Smart Little Fred baby and he was a talented little horse and so we set our hope on him for the show pen and sent Big Boy home. Now when this little stud came in training I noticed his shoulder muscling was uneven and ask his owner about this, he assured me he had been seen by his vet and was good to go into training, the horse had and injury as a yearling but was sound. As time went by the little horse started having problems but never limped. He fell down running a large fast circle and them fell again a few months later. I started noticing something wasn't right in him back end but couldn't put my finger on what was the problem. I call the owner and told him I wanted him looked at but because he wasn't limping and could do everything I asked of him he didn't see the need, I was affaid to ride him the horse had already fallen down tree times. Then one day I put him out in the round pen while I went to town and when I got back he was dragging his front leg and couldn't bring it forward. I call his owner and he wanted his vet to see the little stud witch was fine with me. As the vet walked over and saw the little horse the first words out of his mouth where. This horse well I told you he would never hold up in training. I was so mad this was the end of our business relationship. I had broke this pore little horse down, he had never bucked or was mean just spooky, he tried so hard for me that his hip finally gave out for over compensating for his injured shoulder. The only problem I was having in his training was wouldn't stand still when I tried to mount but he was a fire ball of a horse so I didn't see the sings. Felt really stupid after.
Now five years had past and last year I ran into this owner by chance and he wanted me to help him out, he had always payed his bills and he given me quite a few horse in training in the past so I agreed to go pick up the stallions because he told me they had broken out several times and he needed time to put up another barn.
As I arrive at the ranch I see the owner had been busy breeding and had way to many horses on his land now. The place was run down, fence falling down and the stallions kept in a 12/12 stall that had never been cleaned. This was really sad, these horses had a shit mound all the way around each stall so high you couldn't get the panels to move and they where wired shut. Covered in their own crap, feet a mess and malnourished, they hadn't been let out of their prison in three years. I knew right then that these stallions couldn't come back here and so I kept my mouth shut about the condition they were in and loaded them into the trailer. The mares where better having pasture and he had some nice looking babies. All the babies where still nursing and not halter broke but the looked healthy. Big Boy's mane had grown down to his knees in a tangled mess of crap and had to be cut. He had an open sore on his flank. When I cleaned Little Fred all his hair on this back came off with the matted crap and he was bald and skinny.
I put the them out in paddocks to let them find them legs for about a week. Little Fred played so hard he made himself sore and had to put back in a stall and hand walked. The first time I got on Big Boy he remembered everything, it was like he had never left, he was skinny and out of shape but his mind was good, sweet and kind.
The owner of these horses came to me crying and said he needed my help, he had to get all his horses off his land because he was in trouble with the law and ask me if I would house them for him for a bit and not to worry he had money for everything. I did have many horse in training so I agreed to help him out. As things started to unravel and he started not paying trying to give me all the horses and I kept telling him I can't, I'm broke I can't take on these horses, I realized I was in a little bit of trouble. I decided to put on a sale and try to find homes for them. I halter broke the babies and found a home for Little Fred. I realized that Big Boy was a special horse himself and he passed his loving personality to his foals. I breed sports models horses, ones that excel in the show pen and are not suited for the general public but Big Boy is more like a Minni van and perfect for the average rider. I can sell that kind of horse in any market I thought. I decided to kept this lovely Stallion as a lesson horse and breed him to my two mares who are related to my Stallion Cody.
The Horse Sale was a bust and I returned the mares and babies back to the ranch but the owner changed the lock and I was unable to return all the horses. I hoped their owner would help me out seeing how much I helped him but I was left with two more horses to feed over the winter, I kept trying to find homes for the other horse up at his ranch and sold one but got kicked in the arm when picking her up. The owner reassured me when he got money he would help me out it was just going to take a little bit longer so I trusted he would, I mean really after all I halter broke all his babies some as old as six year for nothing and found homes for five horses, surely he would help me when he could.
Big Boy colic the other day and even with the vet calling him asking to help he refused and all we could do was keep him drugged and wait and see if he would pull through. I lost him in the early morning of 3/15/2011.
I'm not sure why thing happen the way they do but I do know it was my privilege to have shared a part of this horses life, one year when he was two and now this last year, he won my heart with his kind nature. I'm not sure if I have any mares in foal for I only breed two mares last week and it's early in the year. Nothing can replace a special horse and he was very special to me. My hear is heavy but I'm thankful to have given him his freedom to run and play.
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