Well, I forgot I had this blog. So, I'm going to start using it. I'm going to start with posts regarding Top (aka Laptop 9). My latest rescue horse. He's a 16.2h Oldenburg gelding. Bay with 4 white socks. One of my students had rescued him. She and her girlfriend had spent some time with him, and had put quite a bit of weight on him. He still needs about 100lbs. I had a 16h 5 year old buckskin paint. Jasper was a starving and abuse case. He has some real issues. He was coming along pretty good, but still pretty unpredictable. I knew that I had to re home him sooner rather than later because I have a ten year old student that goes through his paddock at least once a day. Jasper had been there for close to two months. Everyday the wheelbarrow with food goes through his paddock with hay, and comes back empty to the barn. This is every day twice a day. I was in the barn watching my student wheel out the food, feed and as she is coming back with the empty wheelbarrow, Jasper spooks. He spooks so hard he hits the ground. All because he saw a wheelbarrow. Oh, not good with kids around.

A few days later I'm talking to my on again off again student. I'm telling her about Jasper. She says, that she really likes him. We go over all his issues. I'm baffled that she likes the horse, but okay. I ask her if she wants him. She asks how much? I tell her I've just started one of mine. If she'll just ride her to walk, trot, canter we have a deal. She's shocked, asks "Is that all? That's it?" Uh yeah. Nothing fancy, just time on the filly, no hurry. Deal.

Well, they have Laptop. They hate Laptop. (poor guy) They don't have room for Jasper, until Laptop gets a new home. Okay, no big. Call me when you find Laptop a home. So a month or so down the road, one of the girls calls me. Asks, so do you want Laptop? Uh, not really, why? Well, we can't seem to get rid of him, and we don't have a spot for Jasper until he's gone. So, if you'll take Laptop, we can take Jasper. Lets see...hmmmm? Psycho paint gelding, that runs backwards kicking at other horses, through a fence. Falls down when scared? Or an underweight WB, that has issues with manners, and being a giant Arab? HMMM....Yeah, I'll take the WB.

They picked Jasper up in the morning, and dropped Top off in the afternoon.

Laptop is a huge goober. OMG. He has no herd sense. Cant walk without sliding if it is slick at all. I find myself calling him Dork Boy. How terrible is that. I say things like, "Hey sweetie, hows my dork boy." He's all big doe eyes, happy to see you.

I had him in my small pen (100' x 150') across the fence from my horses for 3 weeks. I had everybody out of the field except Cami. Since Cat is at Sabrina's, Cami is queen at the moment. So, I catch Top, lead him into the pasture. I take him over to meet Cami. They greet, smell noses are quiet and seem fine. Cami walks a little ways off and starts to graze. So, I stand there holding the lead, letting Top graze. We do this for 5 or so minutes. I then unclip the lead, and he continues to graze for another 5 to 10 minutes with me standing there. Suddenly his head pops up, he looks around, sees Cami and runs towards her at full tilt. Scares the crap out of Cami who takes off. Now he isn't running after her like he's chasing her to be mean. He's running after her like he's trying to catch up. Cami is flying...she runs up to the barn, sits, slides does a rollback and is out of there. Top right on her heels tries to duplicate the move. You know, big warmbloods really don't rollback like a cutting bred qtr horse. He fell down so hard. Hopped up, looking surprised, and right back after Cami. I call Cami, and she runs over and hides behind me. Top comes trotting up and stops right in front of me, looking at me, "so, what are we gonna do now?" I clipped the lead line back on, and said you're going back in the pen. I then grabbed my 20 year old qtr mare, and put her in with him for manners and company.

He still makes goo goo eyes at Cami whenever she's around. He thinks she's beautiful.