When our realtor, Emma Kline, (who is also an avid and talented equestrian) texted us pictures of a beautiful horse (a Clydesdale cross) in need of adoption, we thought about it overnight, asked a few more questions, and then went to do a meet-and-greet.
We learned that this ten-ish year-old gelding is a Clydesdale-Thoroughbred cross who was bred to be a jumper. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to be a jumper, but a series of owners and trainers were determined that he was going to be a jumper no matter what—even if it meant that they had to whip him to make him jump. He got labeled as a “dangerous horse” due to rearing, and he ended up at Sound Equine Options, a nonprofit equine rescue organization in Troutdale, Oregon. They worked with him for a month or so—mostly on basic human trust issues—and then sent him for more work to Mustangs and MOHR, a nonprofit in nearby Dallas, Oregon. After about a month of daily sessions there, he had re-eestablished enough trust in humans to handle gentle contact and display good (if anxious) basic ground manners on a halter.
That’s when we met him. He was anxious and nervous, but trying very hard to please. We decided that we could handle one more mouth, which would free up a space at Mustangs and Mohr for another horse that maybe didn’t eat quite so much (hay prices are quite high in Oregon this year). A few days later, we brought him back to our farm, giving him a new name for a fresh start: Simon.
There’s nothing like a good roll on a beautiful day. 
A grazing horse is the epitome of peace and tranquility. 
Just chillin’….
We kept him quarantined in a separate paddock from the other three horses so they could get to know each other gradually (the new horse abruptly thrust into in a herd tends to get bullied, which is the last thing Simon needed). He was going through more groceries than we thought he should for his size, so we sent in a manure sample to our veterinarian, Dr. Tom Keck of Dallas Animal Clinic, to check his parasite load. Dr. Keck confirmed we’d made the right call: “Yep, he’s loaded!” Following his advice we administered the appropriate dewormer and continued the quarantine for an additional two weeks.
After Simon’s second manure sample came back clean, we allowed him to join the rest of the horses, with whom he had had plenty of time to get acquainted across the fence. After an hour or two of posturing, running around, snorting, and general silliness on the part of all four horses, I can report that they are all interacting well—aside from the occasional harmless shenanigans with Bob our resident anxious Arabian (who still thinks he’s pretty hot stuff at age 31).
Although I’m not a horse aficionado, even I can appreciate just how beautiful Simon is. Being that he’s half Thoroughbred and half Clydesdale, Simon possesses the size and strength of a Clydesdale with the beauty and sleekness of a Thoroughbred. Everyone who’s seen him has commented on his striking beauty—and who can blame them?
Simon has had a pretty rough time prior to being rescued, so he’s going to get lots of time just hanging out and continuing to re-learn how to trust humans. As we work with him, we’ll see whether his future lies more in the direction of being a (very fine) pasture ornament or developing a working relationship with humans. Either way is fine with us, as he’s a wonderful addition to our farm just the way he is.
