....I saw the fear in her beautiful, brown eyes.

Curly Friends,

Yesterday, I was working with Nevada's Blossom's mom, Copper D's Golden Red, on basic groundwork when my friend from Baker's Sand and Gravel drove up with a 12 yard load of sand for our stalls. Golden Red started running around like crazy, cantering and shaking her head. She came to an abrupt stop within ten feet of me and looked me in the eyes for a few seconds. The world stopped for the moment and my heart beat madly as I saw the fear in her beautiful, brown eyes. She turned, cantered and jumped over the fence. Her solid, muscular frame and flowing brown tail was held high as she headed over to the other horses who were grazing in the pasture.

Golden Red has a special place in my heart for in her short life of less than five years she has birthed a wonderful, healthy, filly, Nevada's Blossom, and Tomahawk. He was the little colt that was born premature and died within 50 hours of his birth last May. Golden Red was captured in a emotionally draining, round-up by BLM and was held in holding pens for months. She has truly seen the harsh, scary side of humans. 

Golden Red was rounded up by BLM in Lander County, Nevada hills not too far from where Benny Damele released Copper D and a mare before he passed away. We feel certain Golden Red is related to Copper D not only by blood test results but by their determination for survival. 

Golden Red, or Mama Red ,as I usually call her, arrived at Golden Curls Ranch April 17, 2009 pregnant and nursing Blossom. She really looked bad. On Henneke Body Chart Score she may have been a one and a half. I was worried folks would think I was starving her by the way she looked and hand-cuff me to the jail cell. It came a a total surprise that she was carrying a foal too!  

Slowly we began building trust and trying to put the past behind us. We overcome shipping fever, a sad, painful, miscarriage and weaning Blossom.  Then we started building up her body weight and improving her health gradually to prevent problems such as foundering. 

Mama Red and I spend a lot of time together just sitting in the stall or corral. I will bring a magazine and spend an  hour browsing through the pages while she smells me. 

The smell of Disel and the sounds of the big engine took Mama Red back to a place in her mind where humans could not be trusted. I have heard horses have excellent memories and I believe it to be true.  I feared yesterday was a set back and all our progress would be lost but she came right into the barn with everyone else at dinner time as if nothing had happened. Maybe she was saying,; "I think I would like to stay here so I'm not getting on that Big, Smelly,Truck...see ya".

Angie