Aurora is the one of the newest additions to our family. I got her via the Internet for Rondell as a wedding present. It was a total surprise for him. He was not expecting her at all. I had a whole lot of help keep the secret from him. My friends at the barn, Jenny, Joel, Chris and Lea, and most of the barn girls, helped me keep the secret from him while I looked for the preceding 6 months trying to find a horse like her. I looked at a horse in NY (too expensive to move her down here), in KY (horse was not sound enough), in VA (tried her out for 30 days, but no go) and then found Aurora here in NC.
I have to admit I was a bit concerned about her when I went to visit her. Aurora is a Percheron/Quarter Horse cross. She should weigh upwards of 1500 lbs, but when I first saw her she was significantly under weight, had a big belly (I though of worms... boy was I wrong!), and was obviously not being handled well by her former owners. (Watching the owner/trainer ride her was enough to make me cringe). But the little (15.2) mare had lots of potential. She was very mild mannered, regardless of the poor handling she was receiving. She had the kindest eyes, and was quick to learn. I figured at 2, she was old enough for me to work with and young enough that what ever problems she might have could be addressed. Her price was also within my budget. So, she, along with a neglected though very sweet Afghan Hound, Cane, were delivered the following Sunday. Jenny took one look at the mare, felt her side, and determined that she was about 9-10 months pregnant. So, we got two horses for the price of one. Unfortunately, because of the pregnancy, she will probably not get much taller than she is, but we have been able to fatten her up a little. She is still 200-300 lbs shy of what she should be, but she is gaining weight fast, and is getting accustomed to being handled and loved by lots of people.
Now all we have to do is teach her to let us mess w/ her feet. :-)
-Mel 2001 |
