The JoyFull Story, as I call it,
actually starts a long time ago, but let's pick it up in August 2012. My beloved horse Dazzle died suddenly from
colic at the age of five. During her
illness I felt a special closeness to God and—strangely—did not mourn. However in the spring of 2013, I would be
working around the ranch and suddenly find myself shedding tears. I'd pray and ask Jesus, "Why am I weeping?"
The answer seemed to be: mourning for Dazzle.
After several months of this I was getting weary of how quickly the tears could come.
Then I began to have another thought—from scripture--"Those who sow
in tears shall reap in joy!” (Psalm 126:5)
I then
thought, “Well, I must have a very bountiful harvest in store, because I
certainly have been sowing a large crop!"
Fast forward
to late August, 2013. I was on my way to
the Parelli Instructor Conference by way of a couple of days of lessons when I got the
email announcing the Road to the Summit opportunity. I had long entertained the idea of doing something
like this, but this was way safer than taking on a makeover mustang. This was
almost like raising my own. To take an imprinted, gentle and already nearly
Level 2 horse with the great Atwood breeding and advance that kind of horse
seemed perfect... but since I was already on the road I had no way to print the
application and get it in before the deadline.
I prayed that if I was supposed to do it, a way to get the application would
show up.
When I
arrived at the Instructor Conference, I met up with long time friend, colleague
and study center director, Ann Kiser.
She said she would bring applications to the conference the next
day. She did...and many instructors took
advantage of the opportunity. More
applications came in than there were colts available. A committee would review the applications and
make selections. I prayed again that if it
was to be, I would be selected.
In the
meantime the colts arrived. I went out
to take a look and dream a little bit.
First I looked for fillies, because I have a strong preference for
mares. There was only one, but she was
grey. Even though she was a hand taller
than the colts and very refined, I wasn't sure I wanted another grey
horse. I had had two and they are a lot
more effort to prepare for exhibition because they show dirt so much more
easily. Nevertheless I was drawn to her
and her RBI horsenality--my favorite to work with.
I asked
about the horses in general. There were
4 other geldings that were quite nice, but I kept thinking about the
filly. Then Mattie told me her barn
name--Joyful! It was pretty much all
over after that! But I had to be chosen as one of the trainers
and....I had to be able to pick her.
I got word
the next day that I had indeed made the cut.
Over the next few days Joyful garnered quite a following. She definitely stood out in the group of
yearlings with her unusual color, size, and English look. I knew that in order to get her I would have
to have first choice. I prayed again, "If
you want me to do this, please let me get the first pick."
The
instructors filed into the arena after Pat showcased the herd of Atwood
youngsters at liberty. He began passing
the hat around for instructors to draw their choosing order. Four other instructors drew before me, but
none drew number one. I put my hand in
and came up with two pieces of paper. I
rubbed them together until one fell out and then unfolded the remaining
piece. I gasped! It said: 1!
Pat asked me
which one I wanted and I said the filly...the grey! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't stop smiling.
I changed
the spelling of her name to JoyFull because she was such a gift to me and a
testimony to God's love for me but that was just the beginning. Over the first few weeks that I had her, I
kept getting the impression that somehow she was going to be in my life on a
long term basis and specifically that I was "to give her my whole
heart." This was a great challenge
for me because I had learned many life lessons that taught me to protect my
heart.
As I got to
know the big grey filly, I discovered that she was very much like Dazzle...a
left brain extrovert that liked to argue, but she would show some RBI
tendencies when she was uncertain. She
learned quickly though and soon we were working on line through Level 3. She could do all the obstacles on my
playground including, inadvertently, the big log jump. I was just circling her one day not thinking
she would even give it a thought, when she sailed over it! At her young age I decided to avoid that, but
the thought of that kind of talent excited me!
Her training
went along at a good clip. I was
impressed most days with what we accomplished.
I wallered on her bareback a few times in December and was amazed at her
calm acceptance. We continue playing
through Level 3 online and liberty and began Level 4 by the end of March. I began to scheme about how I might be able
to buy her myself, but being in a situation where I was recovering from a
challenging business situation, funds were tight.
In April I
started her saddle training. Initially
she had some issues with the saddle as do many RBI's but we worked through it
and I began riding. On the fourth ride
she seemed a little off. I gave her a
few days off. She was then ok for a few
rides and then off again. I kept giving
her more and more time off after a lame ride, but after two days of riding she
would be off again. I scheduled an
appointment at the Colorado State University Vet Hospital. I decided to keep riding her in spite of the
lameness to make sure when I took her she would indeed be lame. After three days she got better and better
not showing any lameness. I cancelled
the appointment.
The next
week I had some great rides on her. I
had less than 20 riding hours and we were beginning Level 3! I decided to sell one or both of my other
horses in order to make a bid on her at the Summit.
Then she
turned up lame again. I took her to the
University and they diagnosed her with a lesion on her fetlock. A second opinion called it a cyst. Both said it would required surgery to the
tune of $2500. Even with the surgery the
prognosis was only fair. An alternative
was steroids with an even more bleak prognosis.
In either
case she was not going to be rideable for the Summit. I was stunned!...but was this how she was
going to be able to stay in my life?? I
was torn between sending her back to Parelli Education Institute or asking them
to sell her to me at a reduced price...I was secretly hoping I could get her
for just my investment in her. It really
did not make good business sense to take on a lame two year old--yet I could
not get it out of my mind the sense that she was supposed to stick around in my
life.
So…I emailed
Parelli Education Institute and asked if they would sell her to me at a reduced
price. After nearly a week and no
response I decided they must have some other plan for her. I was just sitting down at my computer to send an email asking
about where and when they wanted me to bring her, when I got a late evening call
from Lori Northrup. She said they had a
proposition for me. They were willing to
sell her to me for a very low price…and through the kindness of an anonymous
donor ultimately it did not cost me an extra penny!
You may or
may not be a believer, but I cannot deny God's hand in all this. I know he still has a plan for me and JoyFull
and I could hardly wait to see what he was going to do next.
Would he just heal her miraculously?
Or would he provide, just as miraculously, for the surgery?
JoyFull started on a special feed regimen suggested by a race horse lameness
specialist in late August. The feed
improved her lameness from a grade 4-5 at CSU to a 2-3. In late September, I started photonic
therapy. After 4 treatments she was sound! She was sound until NOV 13. On that day I brought
her in to brag on her progress to my farrier and she was grade 4 lame…
seemingly in both front feet...sigh! I
realized that because of the bitter cold weather we had been experiencing and
her great progress I had become lax in my photonic treatments. She had not had one for about a week. I treated her that day, then two days later,
then skipped a day and then 3 days in a row.
At the end of this sequence she was sound and sassy again!
I continued the photonic therapy through the middle of FEB, when I went to Costa Rica. She has continued to be sound. I rode her a little at the end of JAN and first part of FEB and took her to the Rocky Mountain Horse Fair in MAR. In late MAY I had the horse chiropractor out to check/adjust her, but he said her sciatica was inflamed and to take her to CSU to get in injected. When I returned from teaching in Pagosa I made the appointment and included a request to re-X-Ray the fetlock. When we arrived for the sciatica injection, she was no longer sore there and was clinically sound on the previously lame foot...but the x-ray was still suspicious...however the recommendation was to go ahead and ride her and see what she could do. So that's what we are doing! YEA, GOD!
I am not
sure why she is to stay in my life or for how long, but it is an exciting
journey!
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