I’m sure that many of you have been wondering, “What has happened to River?” I
don’t blame you for asking that question. It has been a long time since I have
posted here on River’s blog, and a lot has changed over the last months. Don’t
worry - River is healthy and happy. I know the next path that River’s journey was to
have taken last time I wrote was for her to go into training for a month or more at
Pine Creek Ranch, to see what may have caused us to part ways on my last ride with
her, but that never happened. Tina and Dan were happy to take her, but there
happened to be a few weeks before they would have room for her at their ranch.
During that time I did some soul searching, and also gave myself a reality check,
with the result that things have taken a drastic re-routing (again) from my original
plan with River.
During my thinking time, I had to face the fact that I simply can’t afford to send
River anywhere for training. When I wrote last I said that we had moved my mother
into an assisted living facility after she broke her leg. She is in a wonderful facility
and they take great care of her, but it is very expensive, and none of it is covered by
any insurance. On top of that, I have essentially lost a room mate, because she and
I shared expenses here at the house while she was living here. In other words,
things are tight in the finances department, and I can no longer afford to carry on
with River’s Journey. So…….what to do with River?
To put it succinctly, River needs to find a new home. This was the original plan, that
I would foster her, train her and find a forever home for her at the Cowboy
Dressage Finals next month. However, I find that I can not follow through with that
plan, so I’m having to change course in some ways - I will not be offering a
“finished" horse to a new owner, but if you look back at where she came from last
February, “She’s come a long way, baby!"
River could stay here at Blue Fountain Farm and continue to live in the pasture with
other horses, and that would be great for some horses. However, anyone who
knows River knows that she thrives on human interaction, and she still has so much
to give. I no longer have that time - my two businesses of running the ranch and
my photography, plus taking care of all my mother’s needs - keep me hopping. In
August River participated in an open house here at the ranch which was held for our
new program for veterans, Heroes Astride, which is under the auspices of The
Wounded Warrior Project. She and I did round pen demos, and she was a great
tutor for several people who wanted to see what it was like to interact with a horse
(most of these people had never been around a horse). She was fabulous at that,
and she also walked through crowds of people (some in wheel chairs), and waded
through all the tents and color and noise that day without missing a beat.
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| Photo by Melanie North |
I had an equine body worker look at her at the beginning of this month, because I
was concerned that there might have been something wrong that caused her to buck
that day back in July. She needed some minor adjustments, but was deemed fit to
go. This means that River is still able to be a riding horse. She will need someone
who really knows what they are doing, or someone who can afford to send her to a
good trainer, such as Tina and Dan at Pine Creek Ranch. I truly believe that the
incident I had with her this summer was a one time thing, but I’m too old to find out
that I might be wrong.
I had a long conversation with Cori at Safe Haven Horse Rescue about all of this,
and this is our plan: They have entrusted me with finding River her happy-ever-after
home. We have decided that there will be a $1500 adoption fee (which is way less
than I have put into her in medical expenses, shoes, trims, etc etc), and ALL of that
money will go back to Safe Haven to benefit their other horses. I have designed a
simple Application for Adoption Form which, when filled out and sent to my email,
can get the ball rolling for anyone who is interested in taking River into their heart
and home. Trust me, she will steal your heart!
So, here is your chance to let River become a part of your life! It is very hard for me
to let her go - I will miss her, because she is so easy to love, but she deserves more
than I can give her at this juncture in my life. River is not the only one whose life
has changed course recently, and I feel badly that she has been affected by what is
going on in my life. My hope is that she can find someone who loves her as much,
or more than I do, and carry on with a long and happy life.
I just ask that, before you fill out an Application for Adoption Form you do some
soul searching yourself, and be sure that you can take on the responsibility of
an equine life as special as River. You can contact me at the email on the
application with any questions you might have.
Thank you all for going on this journey with River and myself - and let’s hope that it
continues on a long and happy path for River!
If you click on the below images, you can right-click to download them and then print to fill them out.
