In October of 1999 we adopted a wonderful horse with your help from the feedlots. Chance was a super friend to all who came to know him. Our oldest son Brandon used him for 4-H horsemanship and Chance loved the attention and being out in the crowd!
He had advanced cancer which spread extensively and also Cushings disease. Sadly on the morning of May 3rd he was unable to rise to greet us for breakfast as he always did. Our vet did all he could but it was in the best interest of Chance to help him on to a better place with no pain. Our son Brandon held Chance's head in his lap and we talked with him to help him on. Brandon stayed with him until dad said it was time to come in. We buried him the next day out in our pasture and had a little service for him (that was important to the kids.) Brandon took a lock of his mane for his memory book. Chance was not in our lives very long but he had a significant inpact on everyone. Thank you for putting us together so that his last years were great not only for him but our family as well.

Oh, that Chance! He has made himself right at home and seems to love everything about it. He has put on weight and looks like a "normal" horse instead of a walking skeleton. He has a coat of hair like a bear. We have not had as much snow as we normally do (YAY!) but he decided that the snow was pretty tasty--especially when that snow is a snowman with a carrot nose! The boys love to ride him, especially our oldest, 6 1/2 yr old Brandon. He and Chance are registered with the 4-H Cloverbud program to start this April. Brandon and Chance are all over the yard and out in the pasture. He leads him to the fence or hay bales if we don't get him up quick enough. He plays he is a superhero and Chance is his superhorse. He even put Chance's name on his riding helmet. He is a very vocal horse--he wants the attention...or snacks...or brushing. He has done everything asked of him and more--we couldn't ask for a better family friend.

Hope things are going fine your way, hope you make out fine and dandy with your surgery! Chance is doing super, he even looks like he is starting to fill out. He seems to really love his new quarters, is really interested in sheep, (maybe in his varied past he had been around sheep before? He plays in the water trough and licks his feed bucket clean. He really loves his super horse for seniors! He is also a big fan of apples and carrots. He gets pretty nosey when we clean out the corral, have to watch so he dosen't tip the wheelbarrow and make you start over again!

He loves to be brushed, the kids get various heights and mom finishes the leftover spots. He closes his eyes and really seems to enjoy, especially when we get just the right spot. He even puts his head down to get the halter buckled/unbuckled. He lets Brandon lead him where-ever but especially if it has to do with snacks! He is very vocal now at feeding time, he prefers to be first and let the others voice their opinions while he munches away! They all get their turns at being first sometimes its the sheep, sometimes the horses, sometimes the chickens. If my husband Gary is feeding he always gives Chance his goodies first, he can't resist his whinnys!

We wormed him and the vet will be out Saturday to float his teeth and vaccinate him. We were happy he did not get diarheea with all the new feeds. We started out gradual with the superhorse and he is now up to his recommended amount. He also is getting hay but he won't touch that until his favorite is gone, crumbs and all!

Chance arrived about 5:00 today (10/26/99)! He stepped off the trailer and looked pleased with his new home. Chuck (Haulin Hoss-see webpage) said he traveled well and was a perfect gentleman! The boys went crazy over him, he had an apple and a carrot before he even got to his new paddock. He walked around, checked out his shed, sampled the water, sniffed his new filly friend Ginger, test-rolled his new dirt and took to his hay. He thinks equine senior is pretty tasty. We brushed him down and he really seemed to enjoy it. He looked comfey in his warm blanket! It gets really chilly when the sun goes down. He did not seem to mind the sheep or the poultry. He has his own little area for now as Ginger is a speedy eater and certainly does not need the equine senior! Our vet will be out Thursday to do his teeth, give vaccinations and worm him. That should help him out.

I could NOT BELIEVE that anyone would even consider putting a saddle on him let alone let kids ride him all day when he is all bones. How can these people live with themselves? They can put shoes on them but not hay in them? These are not mechanical merry-go-round horses, they have feelings. You can just look in his eyes and see. My heart goes out to all of Chance's buddies from the camps.

I did not realize he was that big, he looked smaller in the photos! smile! Even more to love! He picked up his head from the hay every time the back door opened. I just checked on him after 900 and he came over to get his neck rubbed.

I took a picture of my sons hugging him and will send update photos/stories. In no time he will be a new horse!

Thank you Gail for getting us together, Chance needed a home and we needed a new horse buddy. Just think of the horses who will soon get new homes and people to love them like Chance does!