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The Newcomer
(by Della Bacon - April 27, 2009)
It could have been her birthday, my birthday, or Mother’s Day—many years ago, when my only begotten daughter said, “Mom! I want a horse of my very, own. Pretty Pease!”
So be it. Grandma and Grandpa pitched in and helped with the finances, horse trailer, and later arranged for green pastures. He was a beautiful, two-year old Arabian Stallion. What a wonderful treat. You should have seen that little girl jump for joy.
I didn’t think about the tremendous responsibility of caring for a large animal. Nor did I consider the cost of food. We lived in Redwood City, California. Dugan would live in Round Mountain. We planned on visiting weekends. But, didn’t give it thought as to who would accept the daily duties of feeding, grooming, and training. I was the grown-up who had worshipped Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in the movies. Naturally, I expected everything would fall into place, and we would all live happily ever after—just like in the movies. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.
A horse is a horse. An animal is an animal. People are people. Pets are not toys. Like our own household companions, pets, big and small, need food, love, and medical attention. They need to be brushed and their stalls kept clean on a regular basis. Adopting a pet is serious business.
How much do you think it costs to feed a cat, dog, bird, or horse? Too often parents, like me, indulge children, like “Dee,” without realizing the responsibility, or the needs of the animal. Cats are independent and adorable when they are tiny kittens. Puppies grow into their big feet. Colts can grow to be a horse from 15-19 hands. Animals get hungry, just like people.
Why am I telling you this? My daughter is grown and left town to marry a cowboy in Texas years ago. I am sharing with you a part of our family history that should have been forgotten, long, long ago. That gorgeous, wonderful, handsome horse was put out to pasture on some stranger’s property in the North State. It wasn’t long until he died a miserable death. We knew he developed the habit of cribbing (ate the wooden fences and eventually lost his teeth). That little girl grew up. To this day, her Dad and I feel shame for starving that poor horse to death.
Do I feel regret? You bet! If given the opportunity to abide by the wishes of a child, not again, not like before. I would think of the options available today! I would still adopt a horse for my little girl, but I would investigate my options more carefully, and probably find a family that knew and understood horses. We just weren’t able to tend to Dugan’s needs. Because of our ignorance, that little girl suffered the loss of her horse, before the two of them ever got acquainted.
Horses in this area are more fortunate due to Donna and Jim Kyle’s “Home At Last,” a sanctuary for horses, where equines (51 currently in residence) can live their years receiving love, care, good food, and medical attention. I call it Yankee Hill’s Horse Heaven. (Well, it’s not far from the town of Paradise.)
Their mission statement is the following: “The mission of ‘Home at Last’ is to eliminate the causes of equine abuse, neglect and suffering through education, rescue and permanent sanctuary.” As a policy, once an equine’s title is transferred to ‘Home at Last,’ the equine spends the rest of its life at the ranch. (The ranch, by the way, is completely “off the grid,” using only solar and wind power.)
You can help. Become a member. Serve as a volunteer. Sponsor an animal. Provide special feed and/or medication. Provide financial support. To learn more, contact the Kyles at Home at Last, P.O. Box 4129, Yankee Hill, CA 95965 or call 514-1439 or 533-4330.
Go visit them. I think you’ll be impressed. I was.
Don’t forget downtown Oroville’s First Friday on May 1 featuring the movie “Back to the Future”in the Bicentennial Park at sunset, and don’t forget to email me at della@diggernews.com or drop a note to me at the front counter of The Digger office, 2057 Mitchell Ave. (corner of Mitchell and Myers) in Oroville.
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