CHESTER
Chesters story evolves as you scroll down the page
Chester is a 8 year old Arabian gelding that was bought from Kaufman killpen in Texas on June 12, 2018. His original weight was 525lbs – he now weighs about 800lbs. He was emaciated and near death. He spent 2 months in quarantine before coming to Maine. He was wormed, vetted and treated for ulcers. When he first came he had no muscle tone, we believe he had been kept in a stall for a lot if not all of his life. He loves people –we believe he has never been physically hit / abused but extremely neglected. He cribs, bites his own legs and has the need to mouth everything due to anxiety. We are working on learning how to relax without the need to nip, bite, mouth his leadline, stall, legs, handler. He had very little ground training. We are learning to lead respectfully, pick up feet, have sheath handled – he is gaining in all areas but needs daily work and patience is of the utmost importance, as is the need to remind him to be respectful.
Chester is a most unusual horse. hahaha
He will require a stall – this is where he spent much of his life and it seems to be a place that he is able to recollect after a day outside in the big world. Being outside and allowed to be a horse is very important as well, his muscle tone in improving daily with normal pasture activity and his mind is getting used to having a world without walls.
Chester is in no way a beginners horse – even though he is 6 years old, he needs to be handled like a 2 year old. Patience, discipline, consistency, and more patience….. it will take a special person but trust me when I tell you – if you put the time into this horse you are going to get back 10fold! He loves our walks In the woods, he isn’t scared of anything… so curious. Fields make him a bit uneasy– my guess is the wide openness is too much for him to handle at this point. Im telling you – it will take patience and understanding and working every day with him.
I envision him as someones liberty partner, dancing and flowing like liquid, or pulling a cart with his high stepping confidence or a spirited little trail horse for a light or small person ( he has very long pasterns and will probably never be able to carry a heavy person / jump or put a lot of stress on those pasterns) .
The rescue is hoping to find the right person to come and begin the process of bonding with Chester as soon as possible. He is like a sponge and whoever he chooses at this point is going to be his partner for life– to be able to rescue another horse from the hinges of hell we need to find homes, good homes for these guys. If there is anyone that believes they have the time (it will take a lot), patience (it will take even more) and experience to take on this magnificent little guy – the rescue will help pay for his training this spring with a trainer that is close enough for his person to go daily and learn with him. I am thinking Ron Johnson is a good fit for Chester – he lives in Emden maine – if you would like to start a horse from the beginning and follow him throughout his life – we want to help you. Give us a call / message or stop by and meet Chester for yourself. We are not going to send him out the door and wave goodbye.. we will continue to be involved and help as much as possible throughout his life. (Update: Ron Johnson has come twice to work with Chester and I and we have come so far. He walks beside me on a loose lead, turns both directions, backs, stops, trots.. all on a loose line and staying connected with his mind. We do alot of focus for relaxation, he yawns and loosens his jaw everytime we do it, something that seems to settle him and turn him into a sweet little gentleman. We have put a saddle on him this spring and he is doing great - no one has backed him yet but we believe it will happen before too long)
2020 Update
Alot has happened with Chester in 2 years :
We tracked down what happened to Chester before entering the killpen. He, along with Birdie and 6 other horses and 15 dogs were found on a 1 acre property in Texas. The horses were tied to trees, starving and without clean water. How long was Chester tied to his tree? no idea but its my guess it was years. His mind stopped at the 2 year old level and it wasnt until he was given a year to physically recover that his mind is now ready to move forward. Time and time again people let Chester down. First the people who sold him to the property owner in Texas - then the sheriffs department that sent him to an auction - who in their right mind is going to buy this guy at a Texas auction - he was stuck in the circuit for months before hitting the killpen. The sheriffs department let him down as much as anyone - saving him only to send him to slaughter.
Chester will never have to worry about food again. He will be able to be a happy healthy horse and live to run free in a pasture, to find his fresh clean water in his trough and to know he will have food when he is hungry.
After living a life tied to a tree, so bored he would chew his own legs to entertain himself, Chester must have been so scared in the pens. To fight for food and water would have been so overwhelming I can only imagine he simply stood in the corner and chewed his legs and the railing. Something he learned to do to survive.
Slowly he learned hot to be a horse
He was allowed freedom to run, freedom to move and with that freedom, Chester bloomed
After a year of being allowed to be a horse, his body has transformed and we are ready to work on his mind. We have been on his back but just to sit. His training will need to be taken slowly and carefully and someone will enjoy this boy in ways i can only imagine.
Chester is a most unusual horse. hahaha
He will require a stall – this is where he spent much of his life and it seems to be a place that he is able to recollect after a day outside in the big world. Being outside and allowed to be a horse is very important as well, his muscle tone in improving daily with normal pasture activity and his mind is getting used to having a world without walls.
Chester is in no way a beginners horse – even though he is 6 years old, he needs to be handled like a 2 year old. Patience, discipline, consistency, and more patience….. it will take a special person but trust me when I tell you – if you put the time into this horse you are going to get back 10fold! He loves our walks In the woods, he isn’t scared of anything… so curious. Fields make him a bit uneasy– my guess is the wide openness is too much for him to handle at this point. Im telling you – it will take patience and understanding and working every day with him.
I envision him as someones liberty partner, dancing and flowing like liquid, or pulling a cart with his high stepping confidence or a spirited little trail horse for a light or small person ( he has very long pasterns and will probably never be able to carry a heavy person / jump or put a lot of stress on those pasterns) .
The rescue is hoping to find the right person to come and begin the process of bonding with Chester as soon as possible. He is like a sponge and whoever he chooses at this point is going to be his partner for life– to be able to rescue another horse from the hinges of hell we need to find homes, good homes for these guys. If there is anyone that believes they have the time (it will take a lot), patience (it will take even more) and experience to take on this magnificent little guy – the rescue will help pay for his training this spring with a trainer that is close enough for his person to go daily and learn with him. I am thinking Ron Johnson is a good fit for Chester – he lives in Emden maine – if you would like to start a horse from the beginning and follow him throughout his life – we want to help you. Give us a call / message or stop by and meet Chester for yourself. We are not going to send him out the door and wave goodbye.. we will continue to be involved and help as much as possible throughout his life. (Update: Ron Johnson has come twice to work with Chester and I and we have come so far. He walks beside me on a loose lead, turns both directions, backs, stops, trots.. all on a loose line and staying connected with his mind. We do alot of focus for relaxation, he yawns and loosens his jaw everytime we do it, something that seems to settle him and turn him into a sweet little gentleman. We have put a saddle on him this spring and he is doing great - no one has backed him yet but we believe it will happen before too long)
2020 Update
Alot has happened with Chester in 2 years :
We tracked down what happened to Chester before entering the killpen. He, along with Birdie and 6 other horses and 15 dogs were found on a 1 acre property in Texas. The horses were tied to trees, starving and without clean water. How long was Chester tied to his tree? no idea but its my guess it was years. His mind stopped at the 2 year old level and it wasnt until he was given a year to physically recover that his mind is now ready to move forward. Time and time again people let Chester down. First the people who sold him to the property owner in Texas - then the sheriffs department that sent him to an auction - who in their right mind is going to buy this guy at a Texas auction - he was stuck in the circuit for months before hitting the killpen. The sheriffs department let him down as much as anyone - saving him only to send him to slaughter.
Chester will never have to worry about food again. He will be able to be a happy healthy horse and live to run free in a pasture, to find his fresh clean water in his trough and to know he will have food when he is hungry.
After living a life tied to a tree, so bored he would chew his own legs to entertain himself, Chester must have been so scared in the pens. To fight for food and water would have been so overwhelming I can only imagine he simply stood in the corner and chewed his legs and the railing. Something he learned to do to survive.
Slowly he learned hot to be a horse
He was allowed freedom to run, freedom to move and with that freedom, Chester bloomed
After a year of being allowed to be a horse, his body has transformed and we are ready to work on his mind. We have been on his back but just to sit. His training will need to be taken slowly and carefully and someone will enjoy this boy in ways i can only imagine.
June 2021 Update
And then there is Chester
Chester too, was one of the Texas trio - arriving from Kaufman killpen in the summer of 2018 but unlike Tommy, we know a bit of his history. After some investigation I found Chester and Birdie (the third leg of the trio) in a Texas newspaper clipping. They had both, along with many other horses, been kept on a one acre lot in Texas, tied to trees and starved. We believe Chester was tied for a very long time since he had difficulty walking for a long time - even still today he has a hard time knowing where his feet are sometimes - other times, when his mind isnt thinking too hard about it, when he lets his body do what it is meant to do, he can float across the pasture with the most amazing movements, but when he stops and thinks... thats when his legs (and mind) get tangled. The starvation, the physical confinement and the mental torture that he lived through has left Chester with more scars then most - scars that cant be seen but will never be reversible -
For the first year, Chester spent his time learning how to use food, how to walk, how to navigate this world outside his tree - most times he was so overstimulated that he simply shut down, biting his own legs and anything he could reach - it took a long time for me to realize Chester needed patience, not discipline - He was o confused but always, he wanted to please - That is Chester - wanting to please so badly and usually not knowing how - The other horses really didnt like him - he had no idea how to be a horse - gradually, over time and with the help of a few very patient pasture mates, Chester is learning how to just be Chester - Blossom was his first friend (although im not sure she would call it friend) - He spent his first summer and winter taking out all his confusion on her - he would use her to crib on - her poor butt was missing hair where he would take chunks out - then Pete arrived - Pete, after coming back from the brink of death, would be Chesters savior - He taught him how to be a horse - he allowed him to play , to pester, to go just so far and then he would tell him enough - obviously Chester had no idea was enough was to Pete would tell him, with no uncertainty, what enough meant. I give Pete the credit for Chester being the horse he is today. When the day came for us all to say goodbye to Pete, Chester was again alone. (Blossom had since been moved in with Molly) He had grown some and was slightly more accepted by the others but with every change in the herd, he would need to adjust. Sometimes he pretended to be Tommys sidekick (although i dont think Tommy ever acknowledged him) other times he would stand outside the herd - but always, when i ask "Chester, do you wanna play?" he comes running with a soft nicker and the sweetest look in his eyes (eyes which by the way we worry will someday go blind because of his malnourishment as a youngster) - In todays herd, Chester has yet another relationship - with the addition of the Morgan mares, Tommy has become preoccupied and Chester reacts with confusion - much like the junior high classroom, Tommy doesnt want to play with the legos anymore and Chester can figure out the allure of those scary mares - enter Marley Chester has adopted Marley as his grandmother and she actually tolerates him very well - giving him the security he needs when the "more mature kids" start squealing. When Tommy gets all excited, Chester literally runs for Grammy Marley.
Chester will stay with us for the rest of his life - im not sure how we would ever find a home that understands Chesters uniqueness and absolute loveability and devotion.
And then there is Chester
Chester too, was one of the Texas trio - arriving from Kaufman killpen in the summer of 2018 but unlike Tommy, we know a bit of his history. After some investigation I found Chester and Birdie (the third leg of the trio) in a Texas newspaper clipping. They had both, along with many other horses, been kept on a one acre lot in Texas, tied to trees and starved. We believe Chester was tied for a very long time since he had difficulty walking for a long time - even still today he has a hard time knowing where his feet are sometimes - other times, when his mind isnt thinking too hard about it, when he lets his body do what it is meant to do, he can float across the pasture with the most amazing movements, but when he stops and thinks... thats when his legs (and mind) get tangled. The starvation, the physical confinement and the mental torture that he lived through has left Chester with more scars then most - scars that cant be seen but will never be reversible -
For the first year, Chester spent his time learning how to use food, how to walk, how to navigate this world outside his tree - most times he was so overstimulated that he simply shut down, biting his own legs and anything he could reach - it took a long time for me to realize Chester needed patience, not discipline - He was o confused but always, he wanted to please - That is Chester - wanting to please so badly and usually not knowing how - The other horses really didnt like him - he had no idea how to be a horse - gradually, over time and with the help of a few very patient pasture mates, Chester is learning how to just be Chester - Blossom was his first friend (although im not sure she would call it friend) - He spent his first summer and winter taking out all his confusion on her - he would use her to crib on - her poor butt was missing hair where he would take chunks out - then Pete arrived - Pete, after coming back from the brink of death, would be Chesters savior - He taught him how to be a horse - he allowed him to play , to pester, to go just so far and then he would tell him enough - obviously Chester had no idea was enough was to Pete would tell him, with no uncertainty, what enough meant. I give Pete the credit for Chester being the horse he is today. When the day came for us all to say goodbye to Pete, Chester was again alone. (Blossom had since been moved in with Molly) He had grown some and was slightly more accepted by the others but with every change in the herd, he would need to adjust. Sometimes he pretended to be Tommys sidekick (although i dont think Tommy ever acknowledged him) other times he would stand outside the herd - but always, when i ask "Chester, do you wanna play?" he comes running with a soft nicker and the sweetest look in his eyes (eyes which by the way we worry will someday go blind because of his malnourishment as a youngster) - In todays herd, Chester has yet another relationship - with the addition of the Morgan mares, Tommy has become preoccupied and Chester reacts with confusion - much like the junior high classroom, Tommy doesnt want to play with the legos anymore and Chester can figure out the allure of those scary mares - enter Marley Chester has adopted Marley as his grandmother and she actually tolerates him very well - giving him the security he needs when the "more mature kids" start squealing. When Tommy gets all excited, Chester literally runs for Grammy Marley.
Chester will stay with us for the rest of his life - im not sure how we would ever find a home that understands Chesters uniqueness and absolute loveability and devotion.
December 15 2021
Chester will be traveling to Dover NH on December 23rd, spending the night and hopefully coming home on Christmas eve. UGH! The vet decided with this last bout with his eyes (which affected both eyes) he needed to see a specialist. I really dont know if his sight will be permanently affected but Chester certainly is having issues right now with seeing. He has basically regressed back to the first winter i started playing with him, anxious beyond normal, flinging his head and rearing, biting his legs. I have been taking him for walks every day to try to get the old Chester back but its a process.... Although our open stock trailer would be fine for the normal horse, i am hoping someone may have an enclosed trailer that we can borrow for the trip to NH. I think it would keep him calmer then having the world whirl by . I will try to keep everyone updated |
December 23 2021
So life has caught up with me and there is some very important stuff that i am going to have to leave hanging for now - there are so many thank you's that havnet been said, so many feet that havent been picked - christmas cards that will arrive late and presents that may or may not get wrapped - the sweatshirts may arrrive today and you are more then welcome to stop by and get yours but you will have to dig through the box because they wont be sorted (check with Mary before arriving because i am only guessing they will arrive im not positive) if they dont arrive i am soooo sorry - again a hanging end
But for the next 36 or so hours i am going to put all that behind me and concentrate completely on Chester - He needs me to be present and not worried about stuff that in the end is not that important. Plans are to be on the road by 7 am . Im going to try to get him outside for a few minutes after breakfast so he can pee since he tries to hold it all night i dont want him worried about that in the trailer. its a 4 hour drive in the best conditions.... we shall see - our appointment is at noon. I will try to keep everyone updated.
Thank you to Mary, Erin, Alex and Ellen for holding down the barn while i am gone - the herd will be in good hands
Fingers crossed the next time you hear from us it will be in New Hampshire
So life has caught up with me and there is some very important stuff that i am going to have to leave hanging for now - there are so many thank you's that havnet been said, so many feet that havent been picked - christmas cards that will arrive late and presents that may or may not get wrapped - the sweatshirts may arrrive today and you are more then welcome to stop by and get yours but you will have to dig through the box because they wont be sorted (check with Mary before arriving because i am only guessing they will arrive im not positive) if they dont arrive i am soooo sorry - again a hanging end
But for the next 36 or so hours i am going to put all that behind me and concentrate completely on Chester - He needs me to be present and not worried about stuff that in the end is not that important. Plans are to be on the road by 7 am . Im going to try to get him outside for a few minutes after breakfast so he can pee since he tries to hold it all night i dont want him worried about that in the trailer. its a 4 hour drive in the best conditions.... we shall see - our appointment is at noon. I will try to keep everyone updated.
Thank you to Mary, Erin, Alex and Ellen for holding down the barn while i am gone - the herd will be in good hands
Fingers crossed the next time you hear from us it will be in New Hampshire