These guys are Kajun, 14 year old Paint mare, on the left and Cimmaron, a 15 year old grade gelding, on the right. Cimmaron, or Cim (that's Sim) is the first horse I ever had who was my own. Before that my brother got a pony and he shared her with me. I bought him when he was a yearling, wild and unwanted. He's come a long way, but is now retired. how that started was I had broke him and he was lots of fun cuz he loved to go riding ( except cross water!) But then a couple of years passed and I had severeal young ones around that always needed time, add a couple kids, and life gets away. Then he got joint problems cuz of his conformation (he has club feet/legs and is jarring to ride) so, with so many others around, he can just be a pasture pet and buddy to Kajun, who is long retired from any riding due to a surgery she had at age 4. She had punctured her esophagus and the ordeal that followed was labor intensive, infection had set in, the surgery took 4 hours in a blizzard no less, and she nearly died of shock that nite. For 2 weeks I tube-fed her with a syringe every 2 hours, and she had gruel-feed for 6 weeks total, and her chest was open to her heart and lungs where the infection had been cut away. But she pulled thru and now has only a thin line down her brisket that you haveta search for as the only reminder.

She was a broodmare a few years later and had 3 colts over 6 years time period. Sadly I dont have any of those, but she had a black n white filly, and a bay medicine hat stud that we sold due to enemployment, and her last one was lethal white, which didnt survive. After that ordeal I decreed her to be permanently retired from everything and she can just be a lazy horse who's earned retirement.