Open letter to the person whom will remain nameless

Dear person whom will remain nameless,

You don't know me personally, I suggest we keep it that way. You and I meeting would simply challenge every peace loving, forgiving bone in my body; I can see nothing good coming from that. I know of you only through a very sweet older Tennessee Walker you were given the opportunity to love. You likely only know of me because I posted his before and after pictures on a horse related web page that we both belong to. You deleted the post, I know this because the admin of the page confirmed they did not. I suppose I understand you deleting the post, goodness knows had I done what you've done I'd likely want little in the way of public evidence. I did speak to the admin of the page and out of respect for the community and the admin decided that I'd address you here in my own forum. Good luck in deleting my blog :-)

Austen has been with me for a little over a month now. He has gained back the weight he lost under your care, his eyes are bright again, his coat is shiny again, and has personality is coming back strong as well. It's been a trying month for him and our little family here but we're all coming along fine. This, by the way, is no thanks to you.


This is what Austen looked like after you neglected to care for him for the two months (barely) that you had him.

Let me ask you, does that look like the face of a happy horse? Or maybe I should be a bit more to the point, do you see the look of defeat? 

This is the horse you took on as a horse for a young girl who needed a safe and sane horse to learn with, to grow with. This horse would have been perfect for such a task. You do not get a kinder soul than the one that you took home. 

This is what you did him! You are the reason his hind end will likely not be well enough to ever carry anyone again. Not only did you not feed him properly, you had the audacity to plop two adults on him at once. Had Austen been stronger and or another horse you and your riding buddy might have landed ass over tea kettle. As it stands he didn't toss you and your equally ignorant friend, rather he further strained an already older and taxed hind end trying to do what you were asking of him. Please save any denial of knowledge concerning his abilities because I happen to remember the thread that caught your attention and led to your taking him home. I also know his previous owners, Joe and Stacey Bryan, very well and know without a shred of doubt that you were told of his limitations. You ignored them and plopped two full grown adults on him. In case you need a lesson in weight bearing, Austen is roughly 15hh and maybe 950 pounds when he is at his best. A horse "should" carry approximately 15-20% of their weight. Let's say Austen was at his optimum weight (we're pretending now because he was anything but that once you got your hands on him) he could carry approximately 190lbs without much trouble. Judgments aside I think it's safe to say yourself plus tack finds us there without the addition of another adult. So congrats on fucking up his back leg, likely permanently. Maybe one day this summer Austen and I will be able to walk around and pretend we're on a trail riding adventure, no one else will be able to climb up on him though and our adventure will be limited at best. I happen to top the scales at a whopping 117 on a bad day in case you wondered about me hurting him. Please do not mistake that last sentence as anything but sarcasm, we both know your concern does not lie with Austen's well being.

Considering his condition I am assuming you might also need a lesson in nutrition. Austen is older, this you were aware of. Older horses rarely survive on hay alone. I'm going to assume you've never had the pleasure of owning an older animal. 

Austen needed grain and beet pulp along with his hay, I know this is not something that was left out in the transfer of his care. Again, I do know the couple whom you received Austen from and have for long enough to know that you were well informed. Austen also can not, rather will not, eat on the ground. Again, information you were given freely. Seems you also felt free enough to ignore the advice. Perhaps you are one of the many who figure "he's just a horse". Please feel free to offer my condolences to the other animals in your care, from what I've seen they will need it as they progress in age (if they don't already).

I've thought and thought about how he could have deteriorated so rapidly under your care. It took me a couple weeks to really nail it down however I did come to a very well educated conclusion. I am pleased to share the same with you. You did not listen to one word of advice given to you when you took him home. You tossed him hay like he was just your every day average well broke kids horse and ignored any and all signs that he was not getting what he needed. You continued to do this until you had no recourse but to return him, a shell of his former self, to his original owners. You even had the nerve to act dumbfounded. 

How in the hell did you not notice the weight falling off of him? 

You didn't pay him any attention that's how. 

How the hell did you let him go from healthy to half fucking dead before you acted?

You didn't pay attention that's how.

You should be ashamed of yourself. You should be apologizing all over yourself and him for what you did to him. He is a living, breathing, feeling being and you treated him like garbage.

Over the last month, he's come back to himself. It wasn't too terribly hard. We had to take it slow, he started on four smaller meals a day as to not shock his completely run down body. We made sure he had the peace he needed to eat by making sure he was away from the other boys here whom by the way are anything but "aggressive". Austen barely had the energy to get himself up from laying down, I surely wouldn't expect him to tell another horse to bugger off his dinner so he had an area to himself. We spent time brushing him, talking to him, loving him. And guess what has happened.....

He came back! He's enjoying more time with the boys here, he's becoming vocal again, he's alert, and he is starting to remember that even though there are people like you out there that could give two shakes about his well being he is safe. 

You really ought to be completely ashamed of what you did to this gentle being. You owe him the biggest apology one can imagine for what you put him through. Don't get me wrong you won't ever get close enough to him to offer up that apology, perhaps you can offer it up to the next animal you treat like a toy.

I do promise to make sure to warn every horse person I know about the likes of you if they are leasing or selling a horse in your general area. I've done plenty of that already and an army of Austen's supporters have as well. I will continue to do so for as long as I am able. 

You completely disregarded any and all advice surrounding his care and put his very life in danger. It is a terrible shame that nothing outside of my blog can be done.

A terrible shame.

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