Granny crossed over on the evening of October 11.

Due to her limited liver and kidney function it is believed that her body just shut down. Granny will be sadly missed by all of those who had the pleasure of knowing her.

I want to thank my wonderful vet Dr. Tom Lavelle for helping me keep Granny alive much longer than was ever thought possible, my farrier Bobby Dunn for taking the time with her and even getting on his knees to trim her on those days she just couldn't bend her legs high enough, the makers of the wonderful feeds and medicines that kept her as healthy and pain free as possible, my children who showed me that the best horse in the whole field is not the one who cost you the most but instead is the one that you love the most, my dearest friends Bobby and April Dunn who had the hardest task of all..making the decision to let her go with dignity, but most of all Granny herself who gave so much and yet asked for nothing in return.

Run free, play hard. I'll see you again someday. Goodbye Granny....We love you.

Granny's Story

Granny's true story is known by no one but herself. This is the best I can tell you of the life that she lived before I was blessed enough to find her... On my never-ending search for broodmares for my fledgling breeding program I ran into an "old friend" who mentioned that she had an older AQHA mare for sale if I would be interested in her. The mare was close by and very reasonably priced at $750.00 (Her bloodlines of Skipper W would cross well with my stallion) so we decided to go and look at her. We were also told that she had been exposed to this persons AQHA stallion so I was thinking what a good deal I would be getting.

I was told she had been "a little far from the feed bucket" but was otherwise fine and that she would make a wonderful addition to our herd. Figuring that we had nothing to loose by going to look at her we drove to the field where she was being kept and my nightmare began. Following my "friend" through the field gate I was pointed to a sorrel mare in the upper corner of the field far away from the others. From what I could see she looked all right but as we got closer to her I could see the terrible shape she was truly in. I could count all her ribs and her hipbones stuck out. She was also covered in rain rot and bite wounds and her feet were in terrible condition.

As I ran my hands slowly and carefully over her face I looked into her eyes and saw nothing...no flicker of hope..no nothing...it was as if she was waiting only to die. As I looked deep into her eyes I knew that I had to try and save her from her fate. I was sure there was a beautiful, wonderful horse inside that fragile shell and I was willing to do whatever it took to find it again. I held her face in my hands and promised her that I would take her home with me and love her for the rest of her life.

I agreed to my "friends" price and she agreed to haul her for us the next day. When Granny arrived at my farm she had fallen while in the trailer and was covered in sweat and sawdust and was hardly able to walk from the trailer to my yard where she was so weak from starvation. As she shuffled to my front gate I began to wonder if she was going to live to see another day. I didn't dare put her in the big field with my other horses so I turned her loose in my yard instead.

I called my vet and farrier to come out and see what they could do to make her as comfortable as they could. When the vet arrived and examined her she was found to have a body score of 2, which is indicative of severe emaciation. Her teeth were in bad need of floating and her front knees where huge and full of calcium deposits from numerous injuries over the years. She was given a very slim chance of survival. *After fecal testing she was found to be infested with worms also* I was told to keep her separate from the other horses and feed her whatever she could or would eat as often as I could. Good thing it was summertime and I had a big yard for her to live in.

Granny moved no faster than a slow walk and stumbled often and I wondered if each new day would be her last. She didn't appear to be getting any better and her weight gain was minimal. I struggled daily with the thought of putting her down. After 6 months had passed (with winter coming on) I called my vet out with the intention of putting her to sleep. There had been little improvement and only a slight weight gain. I thought that we had done all that we could but I would leave the final decision up to my vet. Upon extensive testing and examination she was found to have diminished liver and kidney function due to the extent of her prior starvation and her worm problem had returned (we had been reworming her on a monthly basis). We decided to try for a few more months and then if she had shown no more improvement we would set her free.

Slowly Granny began to gain weight and even started to trot when I called her to eat. I had finally found a mix of grain that was working for her and she was looking better by the day. The day she was able to canter in from the field to eat I knew she would make it.

It has been 3 years now since I was lucky enough to find Granny and she has filled my life with love. She has become well enough that my children have been able to ride her for short periods of time and she has become a surrogate mother to my orphan foal. She will never be a part of my broodmare herd per say as she is unable to conceive because of her past condition but she is a valuable addition to my life and to the lives of the people who know her. She may not be much to look at nor is she able to perform magnificent feats but she has much more than some other horses do. She has a little owner who looks beyond her outer shell and loves her just because. To me she is a miracle.

Pedigree for Skipa Lou Lady
Sorrel AQHA mare

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