A Tribute to a Friend
The hardest working woman I know is the owner/manager of this equine boarding facility. I am outraged by an event taking place here in January of 2002 and want to nip in the bud any false statements that may be floating about in reference to this event by sharing some insight as to the care that this wonderful caregiver extends to every horse boarded here. This true story of the care given to just one horse truly reflects the care that all of the horses and boarders here at our facility receive.
In the summer of 2001 when this particular boarder went riding out into adjoining pastures and upon 'boarder's' return, 'boarder' told us that the honey bees hovering around a big beautiful fruit tree at that gate was bothering the horse. The very next day Teresa and I went down, cut this huge tree down, cut it up, loaded onto a truck and hauled it away.
In the early fall many, many sheets and blankets were brought for this one beautiful horse. Some sheets, the boarder said, were dirty from the previous season. Boarder "would get to clean all of them as soon as 'boarder' had a break from work". Teresa took it upon herself to hang the sheets and spray them with an equine soap, rinsed thoroughly, and hung them in the sun to dry. She did not ask for any compensation for doing so, she just did it out of the goodness of her heart!
When the boarder asked if Teresa wouldn't mind putting hoof dressing on this horse since 'boarder' could not get out due to work, Teresa did so without hesitation, and again expected no extra money for doing so.
When the horse got dew poisoning on his heels, once again the boarder asked if Teresa would'nt mind tending to this horse's hooves on a few occasions by: washing the heels with a special medicated soap, drying them with towels, applying a sprayed on solution, waiting 10 minutes, and then rubbing Desitin over affected areas, again Teresa did so without hesitation.
'Boarder' asked for more stall shavings, Teresa did so without hesitation. 'Boarder' broke a pole in the riding arena, offered to pay for it, Teresa refused any money, and said "IT" happens and we fixed it the next day.
When the boarder had to take her horse to UGA and on another trip, both times Teresa stood and mixed 5 days worth (10 feedings) with this horse's 6 supplements in premeasured feeds and placed into labeled and color-coded zip lock baggies to be taken on these trips. We both carried hay out to the boarder's trailer and the next day Teresa went out with the boarder and helped to securely tie these bales down into the trailer. When the boarder was not sure how many days they'd be gone and worried about not having enough premixed feed, Teresa replied, "just call me, let me know, and I will mix more feed and FedEx it to you".
Boarder's horse received a bump on neck, probably due to a kick or something, Teresa stood in this horse's stall holding an ice pack on this injury for 20 minutes at a time, 3 times per day over the course of 2 days. Once again Teresa did not expect compensation.
Boarder's horse was clipped very close and this horse needed a WIDE variety of sheets and blankets. This horse was not easily caught, so Teresa would keep horse in his run out paddock or in the round pen, with water and hay, until the weather warmed up enough to change horse out of "heavy" blanket into a sheet or whatever the day's high called for.
During the time this boarder was here on different occasions boarder implied: "That a gate was found unlocked", (a gate mind you that ONLY this boarder used to go riding), boarder "was absolutely certain that boarder locked that gate, and assumed that Teresa and son must have gone out that gate to play in the snow and left it unlocked". Teresa replied that she had not been out that gate in over 3 months, 'boarder' dismissed her reply. Boarder's horse seriously attacked another boarded horse and 'boarder' said that that was totally out of character for her horse -- the other horse had to have provoked or asked for it. Then boarder said that this confrontation caused a serious injury to boarder's horse, one that no one could see with the naked eye - in other words not a hair out of place on boarder's horse that any one could see from this incident. Teresa immediately removed these two horses, for the safety of the other younger horse.
The "straw that broke Teresa's back" was receiving notes on 2 different occasions from this boarder implying that this boarder's horse was not being properly taken care of!
???? Can you imagine ??????
If you are a horse person (a realistic person), and board, I ask you / challenge you to find any other caregiver that would go to these few extreme lengths that I've described here above (too many others to list). If you are looking to board your horse, I ask you, come unannounced to this facility on any given day, you will find that the barn, grounds, everthing is ALWAYS immaculate! Even if the stalls aren't cleaned yet, you will be able to tell how clean they ARE kept! Stalled horses are afforded warm drinking water at night in their stalls during the winter months. Stall's are sprinkled with Sweet PDZ daily - therefore there will never be a smell of ammonia. And on most nights, stalled horses are given one more nightly check before this awesome caregiver, Teresa, turns in for the night!
This is my tribute to the hardest working woman that I have ever met, my friend, Teresa.
Come by and visit with us soon!
