Did the picture surprise you? Well, if you were expecting the Ford classic you're at the wrong site. No, I'm talking about another classic, the American mustang. These are the wild horses of the West, a vibrant part of America's heritage that are sadly disappearing by action of our government. Slaughtered in large numbers, many horse lovers have adopted and saved them from this fate and, in the process, the breed has been assured that they remain a part of America's vast heritage.
Stocky and hardy, they are extremely smart. My wife has always wanted one but we decided that our herd size was as large as we could afford. The answer? A trade. One of our excellent school horses, a wonderful Arabian named Beaularra will be traded for a mustang that has been trained and broken, Vegas. From the videos we have seen of him he is quite a horse with much talent. Beaularra needs an owner who rides her regularly to keep fit and proficient, and the owner of the mustang is looking for just such a horse. Vegas on the other hand has also been trained to jump and paticipate in eventing and there is a great demand in North Florida for trained mustangs.
Who knows where this will end up? Will my wife fall in love with the new horse and want to keep him long term on the Ark or will he end up in a different home for show purposes? I would bet that he'll be a keeper, but our options are certainly open and we will have plenty of time to learn about this wonderful breed and experience having one in our Ark family first hand. It should be a fun experience and I see it as just another learning opportunity with God's wonderful creatures. That's what our life at the Ark is all about.
So my wife will be off this morning to the Orlando area to look at Vegas and, if all checks out well, she will return without Beaularra but with our new addition. It will be a bitter-sweet moment, for we have grown to love Beaularra as do all of our animal family, but it will also be interesting and exciting to experience some of the heritage of our nation's past as depicted by the beautiful mustang.
But I only have one question as I prepare for his arrival. What will Angus the Shetland pony think? He'll probably be a little bit jealous since he thinks he's the center of attention but he'll be fine. And besides, he'll be putting his attention and energy into our leisurely pony cart rides in the very new future. His place of attention is assured.
God bless all of the wonderful animals around us and God willing, we will be here to care for them and enjoy them for years to come.
STATUS UPDATE: Sometimes those great ideas and dreams don't come true. When my wife went to look at the mustang, he appeared to have some significant health problems needing attention and his medical records weren't readily available. So she is returning home with our little Arabian mare, Beaularra. Well, Beaularra has been with her since the horse was born so I guess she'll be with us for the rest of her natural life. Maybe that's just what God intended and I will look forward to seeing the truck and trailer coming up the entryway later today. There's a reason for everything that happens, folks, and we just have to know how to make the most of it.
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All of the animals at the Ark are part of my ungoing story of life with animals: Honey, We Shoulda' Bought the Ark, available from outskirtspress.com/honeyweshouldaboughttheark and amazon.com/author/jamesdick. Kindle and Nook versions available as well. Animals: A Wonderful Gift from God.
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Stocky and hardy, they are extremely smart. My wife has always wanted one but we decided that our herd size was as large as we could afford. The answer? A trade. One of our excellent school horses, a wonderful Arabian named Beaularra will be traded for a mustang that has been trained and broken, Vegas. From the videos we have seen of him he is quite a horse with much talent. Beaularra needs an owner who rides her regularly to keep fit and proficient, and the owner of the mustang is looking for just such a horse. Vegas on the other hand has also been trained to jump and paticipate in eventing and there is a great demand in North Florida for trained mustangs.
Who knows where this will end up? Will my wife fall in love with the new horse and want to keep him long term on the Ark or will he end up in a different home for show purposes? I would bet that he'll be a keeper, but our options are certainly open and we will have plenty of time to learn about this wonderful breed and experience having one in our Ark family first hand. It should be a fun experience and I see it as just another learning opportunity with God's wonderful creatures. That's what our life at the Ark is all about.
So my wife will be off this morning to the Orlando area to look at Vegas and, if all checks out well, she will return without Beaularra but with our new addition. It will be a bitter-sweet moment, for we have grown to love Beaularra as do all of our animal family, but it will also be interesting and exciting to experience some of the heritage of our nation's past as depicted by the beautiful mustang.
But I only have one question as I prepare for his arrival. What will Angus the Shetland pony think? He'll probably be a little bit jealous since he thinks he's the center of attention but he'll be fine. And besides, he'll be putting his attention and energy into our leisurely pony cart rides in the very new future. His place of attention is assured.
God bless all of the wonderful animals around us and God willing, we will be here to care for them and enjoy them for years to come.
STATUS UPDATE: Sometimes those great ideas and dreams don't come true. When my wife went to look at the mustang, he appeared to have some significant health problems needing attention and his medical records weren't readily available. So she is returning home with our little Arabian mare, Beaularra. Well, Beaularra has been with her since the horse was born so I guess she'll be with us for the rest of her natural life. Maybe that's just what God intended and I will look forward to seeing the truck and trailer coming up the entryway later today. There's a reason for everything that happens, folks, and we just have to know how to make the most of it.
_______________________________________________________________________________
All of the animals at the Ark are part of my ungoing story of life with animals: Honey, We Shoulda' Bought the Ark, available from outskirtspress.com/honeyweshouldaboughttheark and amazon.com/author/jamesdick. Kindle and Nook versions available as well. Animals: A Wonderful Gift from God.
l
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