Farah - Safely Back in Washington~

It was with great relief - that I received news from Renee that Farah had arrived at her farm about 3:15 p.m. WA time yesterday.  She looks tired & I'm sure she was.   The hauler told Renee Farah had; "Saved his bacon."  He had loaded a very fractious yearling - he thought was going to "Blow through the side of his rig."  Farah calmed the youngster down.  That was one of my worries, that she'd be injured by another horse, while in the trailer...

Farah is unloaded~

Meeting the farm dogs is as usual, the first thing to happen.  Word is that, Farah; "Marched right up the driveway, past the chickens & dogs to her pen & started looking for something to eat."  Renee is sure she remembers the farm.

Renee with Farah~

Renee said it was very emotional for her, seeing again a mare she'd bred, then sold at an early age.  How lucky can you be to have a breeding experiment go so well & produce such a fine mare.  Then - the true blessing of getting her back when you have time to further her training & enjoy her?

In the corral~

Seeing these photos, was emotional for me.  I like to think she was looking around for me.  I've always been there at the end of any journey... :-(  From the photos, it looks like she dropped about 100 lbs. on the trip out.  Not unusual at all - as Dean reminded me when I took a horse long distance.  He explained the loss is mostly water weight & they will pick it back up quickly.  We'd soaked beet pulp for over a week before she left & had been soaking Alfalfa for her all summer anyway.  She put on a little extra weight for the trip & I'm glad she did.

The green band on her foreleg I bought as a safety idea at one of the horse expo's.  It has my phone number in huge letters.  While we were waiting for the transport, I remembered it & it gave me a sense of security to know if something happened & she did get away - her owner could be identified.

I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow.  I'd planned the trip with our daughter last year, but after losing my vision, felt too disoriented to go.  Now a few months have passed & I've had physical therapy for my balance, I've decided that the timing is perfect in many ways.  My first trip abroad!

Thank you, Renee, for the photos!