Adopting my first Standardbred

A new Chapter

Part I

After my approval from Omega, I proceeded to set up a time to visit the farm with the Barn manager, Samantha. She explained that the scheduling was about two weeks out and appointments were done on Mondays or Fridays at 10am or 1pm. It was mid-July at that point, so the first available appointment would be Monday, August 1st at 1pm. I agreed to that date and mentioned that I was most interested in meeting Villager. 

    Samantha asked me about the type of riding that I was planning to do and assured me that Villager could be trained to ride English and eventually start jumping; she mentioned that they had been calling him "Auggy" at the rescue and that the name had kind of stuck. I brought up the fact that I had never worked with a Standardbred before, so I was a little unsure about re-training one, but I liked Auggy's profile so much that I was determined to at least check it out. 

    I was encouraged after talking to Sammi about trying a Standardbred; she spoke highly of their agreeable nature and athleticism, which confirmed what I had been reading about them online.  I had two weeks to get everything in order before my visit, which included mentioning my plans to my mother. At that point in my life, her approval was no longer necessary, but since we share a barn and a pasture, I was kind of obligated to give her a heads up. I didn't know if I would take Auggy home or not, but I was definitely going to get myself a horse at some point in the upcoming year.

    The late July heat was taking a toll on old Tony. At 36 years old, he was a super senior and barely had any teeth left. The pasture was drying up and the days were long and dusty. He was losing interest in eating his mush and drinking a lot less water from what I could tell. I decided to put him in the paddock next to the house to keep an eye on him more closely. We hosed him off frequently and offered more liquid feeds to him throughout the day. He seemed to be getting worse with heat, and I began to face the possibility that he might not make it through the drought. 

    As my appointment to visit with Auggy drew closer, Tony seemed to be declining despite my best efforts, and I decided to call the vet to evaluate his condition. He was on his feet, so figured it was worth a shot.   I realized there wasn't much that could be done to change the trajectory of his condition at his advanced age, but he was still making the effort, so I was going to keep him going as long as he kept trying. 

Old Tony recovering from the heat

  I postponed my visit with Auggy until August 5th, while I had the vet out to work on Tony. Dr. Lin arrived at our barn and did a full examination of Tony, from his teeth to his neurological status and decided that the old horse wasn't ready to go just yet. The heat was certainly wearing him down, but he was still determined to live. She advised some dietary changes and keeping him on pasture as much as possible. When the heat finally broke about a week later, Tony seemed to turn a corner and bounce back....