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  • Poppy – To Live Again
  • #13625 (no title)

Poppy – To Live Again

I was in shock.

Disbelief.

I have learned to keep things like this at arm’s length when I hear about them on social media, YouTube, and the like.

But this came out of nowhere and at this moment I couldn’t think. I couldn’t react. I was frozen in place. Was I going tharn I wondered? Like the rabbits in Watership Down? The word had become a part of my vocabu­lary before I had even finished the book. It was a good word that filled a definite void in the English language. Tharn: that icy steel clutch of fright that could so thor­oughly paralyze a rabbit that he would be unable to act, or react, easy prey for an enemy. Humans need a word like that. For some, going tharn was an every day answer to life. And now I was wondering if it was happening to me. In the old days, the question would’ve never come up.

But that was B.P. Before Poppy.

I knew I was teetering on fragile ground, where rational thinking can, without warning, give way to self‑pity. But I was accustomed to being in control, not being controlled, and a few moments ago choice had been removed as an option. I was being forced to act. My life, and Poppy’s, would depend upon it.

Over the years hundreds of requests have poured in asking us to give a home to this horse or that one, most of whom “will soon be off to the slaughter houses if not adopted.” Had we said yes we would now have between 500 and 600 horses on our 31 acres, none of which would be healthy because obviously that’s way too many horses to thrive on 31 acres. And we, for sure, would be forced into the horse adoption business. So a few years after publication of The Soul of a Horse I declared that in an effort to get my work done and to feel less guilty, I would stop altogether reading and responding to these requests. Yes, I would ignore all these horses needing help. But I didn’t manage to feel any less guilty.

“You have no option,” Kathleen said. “You got into all of this to help horses lead healthier and happier lives, and you have helped thousands and thousands do just that. To continue that work takes enormous amounts of time. Time you cannot spend on one horse at a time. Somebody else has to do that.”

She’s right, of course.

But I always say Never say never!

I was also right. Or so it seemed on this particularly beautiful sunny day.

For there, not 20 feet away from me was a beautiful paint mare.

Who was about to lose her life.

Five weeks before, our Zeke had run into something unknown that poked him in the eye and penetrated the surface. The Vet’s first prognosis hoped that he wouldn’t totally lose the eye. Would he be able to see out of it? Probably not. He was locked up in a stall at the vet’s, a catheter was put in place and he began to receive three different medications multiple times a day. He was a good boy considering he had not been in a stall for more than five years.

Every day I would take him the breakfast he would normally get when at home, a pocket full of treats for which he had to perform, and I would usually let him graze on the vet’s grass for 30 minutes or so.

That particularly beautiful sunny day was easy to remember as it was the only sunny day in the preceding several weeks. And it was the day I had overheard the vet respond to the owners apparent request to have the paint put down.

Euthanized.

The owner put the paint into one of the stalls behind the building, went inside to get some paperwork, and drove away pulling an empty horse trailer. The paint watched them go, issuing a muffled nicker that broke my heart.

I tromped inside and confirmed that my assumption was correct. The paint was left there to be put down.

“Why??”

The vet toyed with his answer for a bit, finally filtering it down to a single word.

“Convenience.”

I exploded.

Caterwauling fury that turned every head in the waiting room.

And tears.

And I stomped out toward the stalls in the back.

It turns out that the Paint was around 25 years old and in excellent health except for COPD, which can be managed with daily medication.

I spent time with her and she was very sweet. I began to teach her to smile and plied her with treats every time she did it right. I brought Kathleen over to meet her and together we told the vet to tell the owners that we could not stand by and watch her be euthanized for no reason whatsoever. We would take her. I wanted desperately to send the message that perhaps next time they should buy a motorcycle instead of a horse. I didn’t, but we deliberated for hours about how any human being could possibly make such a decision and drive away.

We brought her to her new home, and her new name, Poppy. And with knowing absolutely nothing about how she has lived in the past, we have assured her that she will live out the rest of her life being a horse, not an inconvenience.

Learning to Smile

The tears haven’t stopped. Every time she walks up and sniffs noses all I can think about is that had I not been standing there with Zeke on that bright sunny day, the next day she would’ve been a lump under a tarp waiting to be carted off by a dead animal removal service.

It all happened in less than five minutes. Zeke had to be there, and I had to be there at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon when the previous owner drove in with Poppy. Usually I was there around 3:00 pm. Not 4:30. The the entire scenario had been orchestrated by God. Precisely timed. With someone who God knew would look into her eyes and be drawn helplessly into her heart. Coincidence can only stretch so far.

She had been isolated away from other horses for more than three years.

And then she found Zeke.

To Live again indeed.

———–

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GREAT VIDEOS

  • 1-Born Wild Book Trailer
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 5: Why our horses eat from the ground
  • 6: Our Rescue Miss Mouse – Two Years Later
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • 8: Benji gets a new baby… horse
  • 9: Benji Movie Memories
  • 9a-Rick Lamb Interviews Joe
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 18-Don't Ask for Patience. God Will Give You a Horse!
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Search for Benji in Shelters All Across the Country
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Hoof Care - Barefoot

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Mark Taylor
  • Pete Ramey's Website

Mustangs

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 18-Don't Ask for Patience. God Will Give You a Horse!
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • ISPMB
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Natural Lifestyle

  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 5: Why our horses eat from the ground
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Natural Training

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Recommended Links

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2-Benji Website
  • 9a-Rick Lamb Interviews Joe
  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Cowboy Dressage with Debbie & Eitan Halachmy
  • Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • Helen Woodward Animal Center
  • Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary
  • Imagine a Horse
  • ISPMB
  • Joe on Twitter
  • Kathleen on Twitter
  • Mark Taylor
  • Monty Roberts' Equus Online University
  • Pam Nickoles' Blog
  • Pete Ramey's Website
  • QueryHorse.com
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Relationship

  • 1-Born Wild Book Trailer
  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Terrific Horse Rescue Organizations

  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary

Terrific Pet Adoption Centers and Support

  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Helen Woodward Animal Center

Training Gently

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • Cowboy Dressage with Debbie & Eitan Halachmy
  • Imagine a Horse
  • Monty Roberts' Equus Online University

Trusting Yourself

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer

Wild Horse Barefoot Lifestyle

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Pete Ramey's Website

Wild Horses

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • ISPMB
  • Pete Ramey's Website
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube
  • Q&A with Joe
  • Our Former Place – The Birthplace of The Soul of a Horse
  • Our New Place in Middle Tennessee
  • Television & Radio Interviews
  • Read About the Houston Mounted Police Patrol – 40 Horses Working the Streets – All Barefoot!
  • Jack L. Kennedy Reviews Joe’s Books
  • The Soul of a Horse on Facebook

Joe & Kathleen

Barely eight years ago Joe and Kathleen Camp entered the world of horses without a horse or a clue and very quickly found their questions steering them into uncharted and controversial waters on a collision course with the ultimate discovery that most "domestic" horses in the world are being kept and cared for in a manner that is diametrically contradictory to their genetic design. Since that moment they have both become passionate advocates for change. Kathleen is a lawyer specializing in litigation and is now teaching American Literature at The Webb School. Joe created the international canine superstar Benji and wrote, produced, and directed all five of the Benji movies and various television programs. His recent book The Soul of a Horse is a national best seller and in its ninth printing. Even with all the accomplishments and media exposure, Camp is still in awe of his own success. “Inside, I’m still a kid sitting in a dark theater in Little Rock, Arkansas, watching Disney’s ‘Song of the South’ or reading books like the Black Stallion with happy tears rolling down my cheeks,” he says. “To be able to bringt that kind of happiness to others is very special.” For more, click on the About Joe & Kathleen link in the header bar above.
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