Boomerang, Summer of 2009

I posted the link above a couple times in the last day or so on facebook horse rescue sights wanting to share the joys of taking in a rescue.  I reread thru these older posts and thought an update is due.

As some of you know Boomer, named for a boomerang because she kept coming back… came to stay permanently with me April 09 after I rescued her for the second time from a bad situation.  She is a full blooded, professionally trained and shown, well put together, healthy horse who TWICE has found herself in situations in which she was needed rescued.  I do like to say at this point I am careful who I sell my horses too and each time thought long and hard as to whether she was a good fit but in each case life happens and things change and she took the brunt of it.  I won’t go into all that she’s been thru… its written in the link but I will say by helping this horse I have been so richly rewarded in understanding myself.  Its been healing for me to help her heal.

I also am a trauma survivor and like Boomer hurtful destructive things have happened in my life and have been burned into my psyche.  I grew up in a home with severe domestic violence and in many ways grew up in a war zone but this is not about my history so much other than how it relates to helping a creature, who thru no fault of her own found herself at the mercy of the people who were supposed to care and protect her.

When Boomer first came home the priority was her physical needs… she needed to gain strength and be allowed to relax and feel safe.  She needed companionship and interaction that was supportive and not hurtful.  I took care to make sure she was slowly introduced to my herd.  I wormed her, had her feet trimmed, slowly put her out on the pasture and increased her calories all in a way that would not overload her.  She was given room to hang back if she needed or to interact if that felt okay.  All on her terms.  (She does not have a pushy, aggressive bone in her body.)

She came around now to the point she is carrying her weight.. physically on her body as in a good, healthy weight and also mentally within the herd.  When she came she was SO timid and frightened she would just tremble walking up to the water trough.  She is gaining confidence and so now it was time to pick out some ‘life skills’ she needed to refine for a better life.

One major stumbling block for her was due to a trailer accident and a fence accident she is extremely leery of any closed space… including stalls and barns. I am happy to say she is willingly now going in and out of the barn and stalls very well.  I bring her in and let her eat and often over turn a bucket and just sit with her. After she gets to leisurely eat I have her on the lead and put out hay, water etc.  and do the barn chores that I can with her following along.  I do this so she gains confidence in going places with me… letting me lead her calmly as i go about my business.  I thought this morning how a good broodmare does this for her foal… poor Boomer didn’t even get that luxury because HER dam was also a rescue which I took in skin and bones two months before she gave birth.  She had not been handled and was a nervous, anxious mother.  So poor Boomer wants SO badly to have a calm, quiet, confident, gentle leader.  She responds beautifully too.  As an artist I often think in pictures and metaphors so I imagined how we all need that in our lives.  A calm, confident, fair, gentle, protective, patient leader when we are in a tough spot.

What has been helpful to me is to learn how, as a fellow survivor, to do that for myself … as I do it for her I see the results and am reminded how important that is for all of us.

Safety
Care
Support
Room to progress at your own rate and in your own way
Compassion
A Kind, Strong Leader to show the way

I find a leader in my faith in God and in healthy people in my life. I also need to develop that type of leadership in me so that I can show it to others. And to give grace and compassion when needed to myself and the people and animals in my paths.

The B & W photo was taken by my daughter’s friend.  She is in high school and has a wonderful artistic eye.  When I get the chance I am going to do a graphite drawing based on this photo.

Thanks for following along,
Sue Steiner
equine and animal artist
Sue Steiner,

Animal and Equine artist
Pet Portraits in Oil
White Horse Studios
324 Cleveland Ave. NW
Canton, Ohio 44702

http://www.suesteiner.com

http;//www.secondapril.org
pet portraits, horses in art, studio or online sales, commissions

©Copyright 2009 by Sue Steiner. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.