Blue Christmas: 'Drops of blood along the mare’s route'

Also by Karin Livingston

December 25, 2008 -- It a took a few attempts by the caller at our back door to make me understand that Blue, our resident Paint mare with a left blue eye, was probably at this minute dripping blood on the public bike trail -- at a dead run.

Blue had spooked at a loose blanket strap, bolted through the front of her day turnout, hung a sharp left, bolted down the turnout lane, crashed through the gate to the east pasture, galloped across the pasture and crashed through the four-and-a-half-foot city-built fence along the bike trail.

In 19 years, no horse has ever escaped our stable, let alone go through three fences to do it.

... running for the bike trail

My parents, my children and our guest dropped the last preparations of Christmas dinner, grabbed our jackets, and ran for the bike trail.

The client who brought the news to the back door ran ahead of us. I stopped at Turnout #1 and haltered my gelding Dell in case we needed equine support. People who saw me at our trail gate pointed and said, “The horse went that way!”

 

Bail out explained

Young Chuck in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. The next day he drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died."
Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."
The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Chuck said, "OK, then, just bring me the dead horse."
The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"
Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."
The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead horse!”
Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead horse?"
Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998."
The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"
Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."
Chuck grew up and now works for the government. He was the one who figured out how to "bail us out."

(One of this story's earliest postings appeared in the Iowa Gaited Horse Association newsletter.)

Sponsored by: Poudre River Stables, KarinLivingston.com