I would like to take a moment to give a huge thank-you to an organization called One Horse At A Time. Here's the back story: Mark and I took on an Appaloosa colt this fall. The situation was pretty scary: his owner didn't have the funds to geld him or train him, and he was housed in close quarters with his mother and another mare. We started working with him up to get him manageable, but in the end, we had to remove him from the home because he was starting to show interest in breeding, and the nearest mare (whom he almost bred one afternoon) was his own dam. Not good, potentially dangerous for his owner. So we got him to a place where he could be put on a trailer — and it was amazingly easy, because the horse has a good nature — and brought him home. He spent a couple of days crying for Mama (3 years old, but still a baby at heart) and then we began slowly introducing to the rest of our herd, with an eye toward getting him into Buck's sphere of influence. He and Buck are now best pals.

But the real issue with Chief has always been that he needs gelding, and ASAP. I couldn't afford it any more than his original owner could. So I turned to the internet, and the horse rescue community, which recommended I go to One Horse At A Time. I applied, and within a short time frame, they came through — supporting Chief's gelding with a grant that covers the cost of the farm call and the surgery.

I can't stress too strongly how important it is to have this horse gelded. Stallions are not for the faint of heart, and they can be troublesome if you don't know what you're doing. After he's gelded, Chief will be trained to saddle, and either put to use for someone here to ride, or rehomed to a qualified long-term owner for use as a riding horse — something that is less likely for a stud than for a gelding. I am grateful as all get-out that organizations like this exist.