My Texas Boy

Born in 1991, he's now 22 years old....originally from Texas, Ft. Davis to be exact.  He's stocky, very muscular and a super sweetheart....we should all be so lucky as to have one just like him.  

These days Joey is out to pasture.  He has some health issues and can't be ridden {by an adult} but who doesn't have issues once reaching that older age?   This boy is my pet, acts like a dog at times and comes trotting up when he sees me.

Like a child, he enjoys chewing on things he isn't supposed to be chewing on.  He likes to test his owner to see how far he can take things before I stop him.  

He's well behaved when placing him in 'solitary confinement' is necessary for his health.

And just a week or so ago, I learned something about Joey that no horse owner ever hopes to experience.  Joey listens in an emergency situation.  The 12 years that I've owned Joey, he's never been in an emergency situation, until a couple of weeks ago.

He was tied, where he is in the photo below, with me standing at his side waiting for the farrier to arrive.  I have always tied him at this spot, for years but never did I notice the small bolt pointing down under the wooden platform at his nose level.  On this particular day, Joey decides to scratch an itch he had on his face by rubbing it along the wooden platform.  His rope halter was caught on that small bolt, pinning his face up against the platform without an inch to spare.

Joey pulled all 1200+ pounds of his body weight backwards to try and escape the frightened feeling he was experiencing.  My heart was racing, beating out of my chest.  I didn't have a knife on me to cut him loose so I just firmly and loudly said "Whoa"....and you know what?  He froze.  Just like he was supposed to.  He trusted me enough to think I might be able to get him out of this situation he had gotten himself in to.

Trying hard to remain outwardly calm, I carefully, being sure not to get my fingers pinched off in the process, pulled the rope halter off the bolt it was stuck on, and it was like nothing ever happened.  He just stood there, stared at me for a moment and went about his business waiting patiently for the farrier to arrive.  

This situation could have ended oh so different....he could have not listened to me and broken his neck.  He could have pulled so hard to where something snapped free and landed on me.  But instead he trusted and listened.  

I love my Texas boy.