A time for everything

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I try not to get too excited about things – positive or negative – because my expectations too often lead to disappointment. If I don’t expect, I’m not surprised. It drives my eternal optimist husband crazy.

The Sure Thing

Swingin’ D Horse Rescue has watched Sure Thing adoptions turn disastrous and we’ve seen people we entrusted with our horses do unimaginable things. It’s enough to make you question humanity. But every once in a while, humanity pulls a fast one.

Such was the case involving the Ghosts.

The amazing Ghosts

We saved Everest and Romeo from slaughter in 2017. We were told they came from the same ranch, so to our knowledge, they’ve always been together.

Finding the perfect situation for them to remain together until they die has not been easy. We believed wholeheartedly we’d found it once; but that adoption failed and they returned to us needing months of rehabilitation. We were resolved to be their forever sanctuary if we couldn’t find someone with the resources and experience required to care for two horses at once. We were in no rush.

So, when we received a flurry of applications and inquiries for the Ghosts weeks ago, we proceeded with caution. Among the applications was what appeared to be the perfect adopters with the perfect background and all the right words. I tried not to get too excited. I would not disappoint the Ghosts again.

Getting to know you

The couple drove up in their convertible sports car in style, adorned in colorful matching breathing masks to protect from COVID19. They gave me good vibes right off the bat.

The connection to the Ghosts was immediate, thanks in part to the fact that Everest, the freckled gray quarter horse with the huge personality, bore an uncanny resemblance to their aging Bear – one of two geldings they’d had for most of their 30ish years.

They’re the kind of horse owners that move their horses across the country with them when they relocate for work; the kind of owners that keep two aging and profoundly bonded horses together until they die. Seriously, these types of people really do exist!

*Bear – the 30-something-year-old gelding of the Ghosts’ adopters*

*Everest – the goofy half of the Ghosts*

We met Bear and Taho (Totally Awesome Horse), each about 30, when we visited the facility where the Ghosts would live – a sprawling wooded ranch with plenty of pasture and shelter. We spoke with their vet (also our vet), who couldn’t say enough kind things about the adopters and the condition of their elderly horses.

It felt too good to be true, and even when I received their signed adoption agreement, I tamped down my growing excitement. (Just a week before, we had a sure thing adoption with the perfect adopter and a signed contract and it disintegrated with a Sorry bro’ text message.)

I’ve learned to believe it when I see it.

The weather kept interfering with moving the Ghosts, so I started getting that sinking feeling it was turning into another one of those times… But today, on a gorgeous spring day with dry roads and limited mud puddles, the Ghosts’ adopters came rolling up with their big, beautiful trailer and excitement in their eyes.

Today was the day

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is an appropriate time for everything under the heaven. Today was the time I could go ahead and trust the excitement. It was the time for so many other feelings as well: Sadness that I won’t spend another summer spraying Romeo and Everest’s bum with the sprinkler or have them greet me with nickers and pawing at feeding time, happiness that the Ghosts have found a home where their skills and unique personalities will be appreciated and where they can be together forever, gratitude that God allows me to do this fulfilling work and that adopters who value life still exist, and hope for the horses we still have and are yet to discover.