A pearl is a thing of natural beauty, formed by grit, and when polished up and shown off is a understated symbol of class and elegance. And a wild pearl (not farmed) is rare, highly sought after, and highly valued. - Jessica DabkowskiJay and I have been keeping a secret. We fell in love with one of Jessica's makeover horses and decided to bid on her. Jessica pretty much always places in the top ten and as a general rule, her horses go for good money at the adoption auction.
We were looking for a spare horse - one that the kids, nieces/nephews, and L.E. could ride - and thought she would fit the bill perfectly. We had the opportunity to meet her while Copper was still in training at Jessica's and she was every bit as sweet as we'd hoped. Jay and I talked it over with L.E. and she agreed to let us bring a third horse onto the property. Then she surprised us even more, by offering to go in on her with us!
The three of us were pretty nervous at auction. The first horse on the block went for way outside our budget and we were certain that there was no way we were going to get her. After the first horse, though, prices came down to a more affordable range and we started to feel some hope again.
Jay did a great job of bidding, and waited until just the right time to jump in. We got her for a great price; not so low that Jessica didn't make any money, and not at the top of our budget.
Our trailer is not BLM approved, so we borrowed another neighbor's stock trailer to bring home our new little girl. She's five years old, a 2011 model out of the Divide Basin HMA (Herd Management Area) in Wyoming. Copper's from the Adobe Town HMA, which is just across I-80 from Divide Basin.
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| Bringing her home |
(Turn off the volume - there's a fair bit of wind noise and some inane chatter.)
I didn't realize how much Skeeter and Pearl looked alike until we turned them out together. Skeeter is a true black, but with the sun bleaching looks like a dark bay, which is what Pearl is. Neither of them have much in the way of chrome on them except for their different facial markings. Thank goodness for the semi-permanent 16 on Pearl's hips.
I was concerned slightly on Monday that she wasn't being allowed to drink because Copper kept moving her off the water, so Jay pulled her from the pen and took her back over to Estes' pen. Oh boy, did I make a mistake in suggesting that! All hell broke loose. I figured that because Copper and Skeeter kept moving her off the food and water that they wouldn't give a damn if we moved her.
I was WRONG.
Wrongwrongwrongwrong.
Despite Copper being the one to keep moving her off the water, we moved him over to be with her in Estes' pen. He does not do alone well, and Skeeter throws a fit, but does alone slightly better.
They hollered back and forth and generally raised a ruckus for about half an hour. Then it got quiet. Like, suspiciously quiet, so I snuck out of the house to make sure Copper and Pearl hadn't jumped the fence and made a break for it.
They'd decided to make peace and each of them were face down in the grass. Even Skeeter finally quieted down once she realized they hay was all hers.
After another half hour of peace and quiet, we took Copper and Pearl back to the pen and turned them loose. Immediately, Copper started moving her around again. I kind of threw my hands up and said, "screw it". My biggest concern was that Pearl wasn't getting enough to drink, but after grazing on fresh grass and drinking in Estes' pen, I knew she'd be fine for the day.
I felt much better when L.E. posted a picture of the three of them laying down in their pile of hay.
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| They called a truce. |
I look forward to all of our adventures :)
4 comments:
I am so happy for you. I am also thrilled you have some Wyoming blood. Those horses may be from my hometown area. We used to have wild horses stampede the ranch once a year. It was so magnificent. Our livestock was corralled during this time and our corrals were 8 feet high...2 x 8 rails on railroad tie posts. Strong as an ox. Never lost one of our own. My dad and I really respected them even though we knew it could be a disaster. It truly is something to behold. You are good eggs. They are lucky to have you and vice versa. Enjoy!
Congratulations, she's beautiful. Has a very nice trot, too, very floaty. So, because you got her at auction rather than adoption does that make her yours (and L.E.'s) immediately or do you still have to go through a waiting period before getting her paperwork? I look forward to seeing more posts on her.
We have to go through the waiting period, just like any other adoption. Having been through the year waiting period a couple of times now, I'm not worried - it'll be here before we know it.
I got to go to the auction - and the final performances - with them and was totally amazed at all the talent and great looking horses there. It was wonderful to see the kids 'get' their new horse. I think there are a lot of fun times ahead for all of them.
Bionic Cowgirl
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