Pilgrim II

Pilgrim II - #90. Sorrell QH type gelding. Star. Enlarged left hock that doesn't seem to bother him. He is quite personable. 15 - 15.1 hands. Appx. 14 - 16 yrs. This horse was at the summer camps and ridden by children. He is a very nice horse.

This lucky, lucky guy is now named Pilgrim II. He was saved by a lovely lady named Meta who has a heart as big as all outdoors! She saw this beautiful horse on our webpage and knew he deserved better than what he was getting. Pilgrim II is now at TIER awaiting the final word on the vet check done today (10/23/99) to see if he is sound for trails. The farrier came out and it seems that Pilgrim II has a very bad case of thrush. We are treating this with Kopertox. This is one of the most gentle horses I have seen. He is loving, personable, gets along well with others and nickers everytime you walk into his pen with feed! HA!  He doesn't stop nickering until the food has been placed in his feeder.  A wonderful horse that has certainly paid his dues!!

My husband and I after much discussion and thought, have decided to bring Pilgrim here even though he is not sound. That is the only way I can be sure this guy has the love and attention he so deserves for the rest of his life. I would so hate for him to not be given the human touch and maybe end up back on the feedlot again. There are so few places for a horse like him to be useful and unfortunately, to most people, being useful is the key to keeping a horse. Me, I just fall in love with them and keep them no matter what. I can't wait to see him and give him a big welcome hug. Meta

Update 11/24/99: PILGRIM II IS HERE SAFE AND SOUND! The hauler called last night to say he would deliver him this AM between 7 and 8 . Needless to say, no one in this house slept much last night. My husband said I was worse than a child at Christmas. I set the alarm, silly me, gave up before 6 and got up. Pilgrim seems to be fine. He is so quiet, docile, and gentle, with such kind eyes. We let him stretch his legs; he rolled twice. He's been brushed twice already. He's a smart guy, figured out real quickly which pocket the carrots were in. He is where he can nose our gelding that he will eventually share lodgings with. I don't think it will take many days for them to be old friends. (Keep your fingers crossed.)

Have the vet lined up for Tuesday morning. Wanted Pilgrim to get settled in before shots, teeth checked, etc.. He does like his groceries. Thank you again for the chance to share our love with this special horse. We took pictures. Do not have a scanner, so will send them the snail mail when we get them developed. 

Update 11/25/99: Had to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and tell you Pilgrim is doing great. He is such a gentle horse. Lets me do anything even treat his thrush without a problem. We have kept him and our gelding, Rascal, apart until today. They have been able to nose each other over the stall door or fence, but that is all. Today when we put them together there was no biting, kicking or any hurtful activity. Pilgrim put his ears back when Rascal got too close, and Rascal, the weenie that he is, just said OK you are the boss. It is almost 9 PM here, and we just checked on them. All is fine. When it is dark and I can't see Pilgrim, I can always find him because of his low nicker. He is a very talkative guy. Nickers when he sees me, with or with out food. Always comes and meets me when I go in the pasture. His appetite is good. He seems no worst the wear from the five day trip. I was a little concerned when I learned he had not been out of the trailer the entire trip.  Expected him to be stiff. He wasn't . He does crack and pop when he moves. Started him on MSM yesterday. Will ask the vet about giving him Yucca too. He doesn't like our hay very much. We feed fescue. Hope he will learn to like it. He is getting Equine Senior and Alfala pellets. Wormed him today. He now is sporting a new black halter with matching lead. He looks great.  He loves to be brushed. Tail is tangle free and almost touches the ground. He got his extra carrots from my neighbor tonight. She took pictures when he was unloaded. I do hope they turn out. I was so overcome with emotion, had the camera in my hand, but forgot to use it. Dumb me.

I have been hand grazing him on grass for a few minutes each day. Wasn't sure how much grass he had been getting at your place. His color is perfect. He is really a beautiful old guy. It will be nice if I can ride him at a walk around our trails, but if not, he is definitely a keeper. My husband is in love with him too. He says we did great in getting him.

Update 1/25/00 - Wanted to give you an update on this special horse. He continues to thrive. I bought a quarter horse mare to ride. She is a rather large mare and after she was introduced to Pilgrim and Rascal, it was clear that Pilgrim was going to be boss. Again, he is not aggressive, but in his gentle way, with his ears back he has this mare back off. And she is quite fond of her groceries.

We had over a foot of snow in the last two days. Most unusual for this southern state. I don't know if Pilgrim has ever seen snow, but he did not let it bother him. Smart guy stayed inside the stall most of the time. I took some pictures during the blizzard of 2000 and if they turn out, will share with you.

I can't wait until spring and Pilgrim sheds out. I know how beautiful he is going to be. Right now he has a great winter coat and looks like a range horse. He continues to be real talkative...nickers every time he sees me in the yard, especially at feeding time. He is eating our fescue hay quite well now. The only thing I have found he doesn't like is when I worm him. I know the taste is not desirable and I really don't blame him. However, it must be done.

Will continue to keep you posted on Pilgrim's progress. He is certainly a jewel.   Meta

Update 10/19/06 - Wanted to let you know our Pilgrim11 is still doing well. He will be 32 this Thanksgiving and it has been seven years since you helped us rescue him. He continues to thrive in our warm South Carolina climate. We have bought a place in Florida with a barn and several acres and plan on taking Pilgrim and the other two (Rascal and Quincy) down this winter during our cold months. Pilgrim loves to have his tummy scratched and will follow me around the pasture like a dog.

Update 1/2/09 - Pilgrim II just turned 34 and is doing well. He is the boss of my other two horses and is a love.