ANIMALS DO CARE

People often compliment my view. It is not spectacular but is nice and was one reason I bought this place. I have tried to capture it on film but lose the depth. I have a nice pasture behind me with cows, horses and a pretty little pond. Then off in the distance there is not quite a mountain but a high ridge. There are many layers of depth and I like it.

One thing in my view which is not so neat is a rather worn out shed with a make shift corral. The roof if rusted and is a bit of a blight on the landscape. Good thing for me I rather like old barns. That said, I really don't care for its purpose.

The gentleman rancher who owns the property and animals, uses that barn as a clinic or place of isolation for sick animals. Once for two months, he kept a filly there for weaning. She was precious and screamed for her momma for most of the two months. It was so sad.

Recently, a calf who was puny stayed there for about a month. I really thought it would die but it eventually recovered and was turned out with the herd. Phew. I felt so badly for the little creature. Cows are herd animals and to isolate such a young one seemed painful.

Night before last, a large brown horse was put behind bars. He has been pasture buddies with a mare and her daughter, the same filly I listened to for months. He seemed listless but not un-thrifty. When I got up yesterday, I thought he was gone but then I saw the gate still tied shut. Looking closer I saw him on the ground not moving.

I got my binoculars to see if he was breathing and I saw no expansion of the rib cage. I felt badly for the loss. He was a sweet fellow that would walk up to me whenever I was in the back yard.


 If you click on picture, you can barely see his brown body  between the girls. The girls stayed just like that the whole day

Later that day, I heard the sound of boards banging out back. The horse appeared to be trying to get up but couldn't. I was stunned for I had thought he was dead.  Watching his attempts were his friends who must have known all along he was just sick.  

I called the owner at his work, but they said he was all ready on the way home. Soon, he and his sons were wrestling the animal up to his feet and he eventually stood on his own.

I didn't talk to the owner but I am suspecting Founder.



Once his friends saw him on his feet, they dropped their heads to eat for the first time all day and ambled off.

Will he make it, I have no idea. What I do know is that he was not alone the whole day. Those two stayed as close as they could get, not eating, just watching.


Even though I had seen this behavior with my own horse when his pony died, it still surprises me. Those who say animals have no rights for they have no conscious awareness or any real feelings, need to see what I just saw.

Do you believe??