 A Horse Named Blu by John Jeffries
Just a simple story of a bone bagged horse and a lost in mind
human lookin' for the next thrill he could find. It all started almost two
years ago or more. He wanted a horse for work, ride that pony to the top of
the ridges to get working faster, explore that country no one will walk to or
thru. Anyways it all started on craigslist, looking for a horse was easy 2
years ago, everyone had em and couldn't feed em or care for em.
Let's start out when the trip came to be. I’m from south NJ.Mays
Landing area born in Somers Point. I am a bay rat, born right on it matter of
fact. Love the ocean breeze and the smell of the salty bays and brackish
waters. I guess only way to say it was I loved NJ and all the trouble it had
to offer me… but there were just way to many people there to continue a life
I wanted to try out.
I went to high school out west in a town in Oregon called Baker
city. Well I came home for some four years or so an then just kept getting
into trouble, and just felt out of place. Sometime in July of the year 2005 I
moved out west in my explorer called “big Red” ironically. I had a friend
named Larry Vanscoy come out with me. We made such a trip outta it, had two
dogs with us and towing a trailer we remade in the back yard of a fellow
employers. It all was such a rush and totally new start feeling. If I could
do it again I would of done it ahead of time!!!! Anyways our travels were
safe, some mishaps, bent an axle in Missouri and blew out tires left and
right but we got there in just over a week. Home sweet home, Baker city,
Oregon. Can’t get any better or so I thought….
Those first months
were hard. I landed a job at a Mcds, well we both did, kinda funny because
that’s what we both left. Heck got a place to stay at fast and all that.
Honestly it was pretty boring at first, broke as a joke and just barely
making it but still fun. Ok so one day in the spring I had enough of the MCD
life, I quit gave two weeks' notice and in the meantime I was studying to get
an applicators license to spray pesticide/herbicides.
It was a smalltime gig
that seemed to start to be getting hot. Well I got that license started right
up at Grass Growers, a landscape do it all company run by a friends dad. My
old man lived out here previously and had known the old spray guy there and
hooked us up to get to working. This old guy busted his back crushing himself
with a Quad unloading it off a truck he was 3 hrs from any type of blacktop
road and all that. Anyways his name is Doug Boone, and yes related to Daniel
Boone from those stories back in the day. Pretty cool guy and I owe him a lot
for my new knowledge with plants and range land management.
So let's jump ahead a
bit, fast forward thru this normal basic living stuff, I met a few nice women
but always just seemed to be a bit “tweaked” or something. Who knows, never
was good with em anyways, guess I just can’t compromise well with humans
unless I trust ya. I worked my ass off because it was my first outside job
ever and I loved it, I rode a tractor 12 hrs a day and only took Sundays off
that whole summer, well that bad boy tractor bucked me off one day into a
rock, cracking some ribs and I am guessing jacked my lower back up a bit.
(those things BOUNCE AROUND LIKE CRAZY IN RANGELAND). But I was kinda getting
tired of it, I was only pulling in 3 bucks an hr more than my Mcd’s job and
working 3x harder not to mention longer hours, something was kinda messed up
to me, so I started to look into my own business options, I bought a Quad and
put a sprayer tank on the back of it.
This guy named Greg called
or I called him, and he wanted me to hike and inventory noxious weeds out in
BLM land in Hells Canyon. Now holy crap this was the best thing ever!!!! I
got to go work with my dad and get paid my own wage and hrs and everything.
Let's just say I made 20hr and he paid the gas for me too. I worked like a
hound all over them hills, well dessert mountains, some insane country if ya
look it up. Well the best part is that I got to go “treat” these sights I
found, so BAM! 40hr to apply herbicide. I was in! Yea, go me. Finally scored
and own a setup outfit to make me a livin… so far so good, been spraying for
the same guy for 5 years now. I employed my sister and her now Ex boyfriend
for two years and now employ him this year.
Life was grand, only
thing not feeling good was me, I felt empty, hurt, and numb. I was still
taking Tramadol for my tractor mishap. Then the riding the Quad all the time
was not helping the sciatica nerve issues… it hurt like sin and just didn’t
make any sense to me. I'm healthy all around never get sick but still just
felt like crap… anyways it was 2 years ago I picked Blu up so let's jump back
to then…
The folks decided to
move out west, My mom and step dad that is. I've been out here for 4 or 3
years prior to my mom, the sister moved out here with me, (I towed her $%#@
across the USA while she flew). I guess she was lonely and wanted to be
around her kids, they came out, took a look around and it happened to be my
sister Hannah’s birthday. We all went up to Joeseph Oregon and rented horses
to go on a trail ride. BOY WAS I HOOKED!!!!'
I was like um here is
a gold mine for me! I get a horse and use him for work!!!! It's all I thought
about the whole time they were here. I took that horse off trail got bitched
at soooo much by the leader till the point they wanted to take “Knight” the
horse I was riding from me and give me a robot horse. Go figure I paid 40 an
hr to ride him so I'm going to RIDE HIM! God what a fun day that was. I
couldn’t wait to get home to start looking at horses and learning all I
could.
I've always liked horses
and have rode them here and there in the past but I felt like I was missing a
big part of my life by not having one. I love animals and can train dogs with
ease, I've got a Brittany that points and retrieved at six months old. Not to
be bragging but they love to work for me or do what they know best.
Ok back to the horses,
Mom and Bob were looking for a house in town. It kinda freaked me out at
first because my dad and step mom Jody live out here also. Hope it won't rock
the boat I kept saying but who cares anymore. It's all old news anymore I
thought. Well I was wrong but that’s other drama…
They finally found a
house in the quiet part of town and can have horses or a horse and barn
animals without a city ordinance issue. YES I can get a horse. Gotta always
love the mom. I think she just knew it was going to be good, even though
she’d hold it over my head countless times and cause stress, it's still just
awesome. So the hunt for a horse began.
I looked online to
adopt but I really wanted to get a trained horse and a slow horse. Pretty
much a beginner horse. Well I was the beginner at picking a horse out so it
all didn’t work as planned. It was hard to get someone to even care to give
you the time of day when you want to buy a horse, if you don’t know how to
ride that is. They just brush ya off like a kid and don’t bother. Well I was
getting a bit fed up with some folks. It was like gees, I'm going to give
your animal a perfect home while you have it as a pasture pet…
Well I kept looking,
then I found out about craigslist.com. It’s an online yard sale type deal.
Also it was nice because it kept stuff local. I found the horse trailer off
there and had to put a floor in it, but saved over a grand by doing it that way.
I found my first saddle on there. And just other misc tack and such…
So anyways wanted to
go look at this red gelding named "red", well story told is Red was
missin' an eye all of a sudden... who knows what really happened, guys name
was Bill Faulk and he was younger than I but sure sounded like a devil on the
phone. I was kinda shocked to hear about an eye poked out but didn’t think
too much of it, I know crap happens and things but I didn’t know this guy to
judge him or to really think too much of it. He told me anyways red woulda
been too much of a horse for me anyways but still I wish red didn’t poke that
eye out. I never got to see red but he sure was handsome in the picture.
Still the guy was
saying he had this golden horse with blue eyes and a bald face, but he wasn't
sellin' him cheap. So anyways I decided to go take a look at
"blue". I pulled into a lot off the side of the main drive going
into the mountains. I seen a camper fifth wheel style and two Rottweilers
running around with a cow dog. It sure was a humid day and just got off work
so I was all blue and stunk like herbicides.
Well Faulk came out
all dirty, a cussin' at the dogs and just grumpy as all hell. Little short
shit, about up to my chin or a tad higher. Looked like a hard worker though.
He sure as hell was pure 100 percent bo hunk cowboy though. It was funny to
me, I never really got along with cowboys. They just seem like they are
special or something and I really don’t know, just they are a dying breed and
will eventually kill there ownselves off with their ignorance to the plain
old world or even the environment and cultures around them. I truly feel
sorry for em, I know there are a few good ones left but for the most they are
corrupted by Free Range and Money. Just check out the horse herding acts this
past year and the round up of your Mustangs. It's all for them cowboys to put
cows in place of the horse. Another story though, Anyways hand shook and I
asked where is this horse?
We went out behind the
trailer and behold there was Blu. Petrified as all hell and skinny as a dying
range horse. I was like oh wow, umm is he dying or something??? Faulk says,
No. WTH is your prob? He is healthy as a horse! OK. So I asked him to saddle
Blu on up and let's go for a ride. He seemed kinda skittish about doing so,
kept saying his hooves were just done and he shod em. So we took a ride. I'll
tell you what, blue scared the heck outta me. He didn't listen for shit, hung
behind Comet and would bolt to the front trying to challenge a race I think. Anyways
this horse wanted to go and was bone ass death skinny.
|
I told him ok what's the price on him? I know
you can't sell him to a person who knows what's up with horses so I'm your best
bet. I'll tell you what, he thinks he took me on a price but I knew this horse
had the potential and just needed to be on a good diet and just some care and
attention. Let it want to do something, then find him a job... anyways I took
Blu away the next day for 1500 dollars. Blu woulda went for 10 cents a pound at
a slaughter house at the weight and condition he was in. Bones. Blu was 7 years
old when I took over the care of him. Born a week before my first dog was born
on the same year... kinda ironic.
Anyways this horse would not even load into the
trailer, he kept insisting he trained this horse and that's what the price is really
about, the work in the horse and his knowledge. Well Blu was as dumb as a
walnut. He was a spoiled kids horse, then thrown out on range for who knows how
long...
I went around showing off my bag of bones horse.
People were nice and some seen the potential I seen in him. I worked that horse
every evening after my regular job, Blu has dragged me down gravel roads with
my foot stuck in a stirrup from seeing a cow, yes a cow horse scared to death
of cows... go figure, Me and Blu worked more and more at stuff, I got a book on
training colts. He ain't a colt but the brain of one I thought so it should be
easy. Boy was I wrong. It honestly took me about a whole year to really start
to understand a horse and what it wants and how to really just work with him.
If he wants to go run, well heck I let the SOB run his butt off! And then when
he is done, I ask him for a little extra to wherever just trot in the sage. He
does but is collected and ready to go. you just gotta let them get out energy
before asking them to start to listen- like kids in the am before school, they
get to play and socialize before lessons.
So anyways Blu put on a lot of weight and he
stated to fill out after that first winter. I mean he was healthy looking after
a couple of months but not that healthy looking meat muscle and the glow in the
eye healthy.
He now wants to chase cows down and naturally
pushes them wherever you feel fit. Not my cows but a nice older ladies who lets
me mess around with them. Blu learned some basic tricks, to bow and lay down.
He can give kisses and is still trying to play kickball. One thing though, he
uses his imagination like no other, anything that looks like a snake he
freaks!! and a puddle? oh crap!!! I'm going to drown!!!! it's so funny you can't
get mad just go with it and circle him around to check it out again. One thing
is funny. I'm just as scared of snakes as the horse is of his fake ones so we
really relate with it.
Not all times have been good though, Blu has had
some injuries and mishaps on the way also. A tin slice from a trailer mess up
and other bumps and stuff from basically being careless or skittish. Let's see.
He weighed about 900 lbs when I got him, maybe a 20 lb more or less... well now
he is fit at 1080 or 1100lbs, I can't remember if he was tacked up or not last
weight. Hooves are growing out ok. He still needs shoes and I learned how to do
the farrier work on him. That is some hard work and I respect them farriers who
do it for a living. Blu has ear plaque really bad and is in treatment for it
right now, he loves the meds in his ears to soothe em.
Earning the trust of a horse takes a lot of time
but is worth every ounce of energy put into it. I hope one day to raise a colt to
race and be part of its every move... so I guess here is the other side of the
story. I had a mishap about 4 years ago with my sciatica nerve thing. Made my
legs and lower back hurt like sin. So I was given some pills from the doctor.
Well he kept them up for a long time.
Anyways I kinda cured that pain with riding.
Going riding helped heal the muscles and whatever else was back there messed
up. Well the day has come to stop taking them pills and its rough I tell ya,
really rough. Hurts worse than the real pain in the beginning, kinda funny when
that can happen... So Blu has been my main drive and focus for the past week to
just keep my mind sane. This horse cured my sorrows and my real pain by natural
exercise. I am forever in debt to him honestly. He opened my eyes to what I
could of become and gave me a reason to help him the most I can.
This horse hears me coming 3 blocks away, I
watch him dash across the field to watch the truck park and then whinnys a loud
call for his food. and not to forget him. I'll sit there and watch him eat and
he chews a few mouthfulls and checks up on me lets me pet him and then eats and
back to checkin up. I love it. I can lounge him without a rope, just arms and
rotations of the way the arm moves to switch directions. It's still rough but
we are really learning to click and please each other without the ways of fear.
