skye's no limit

we absolutely have to rescue with our heads..... it takes intelligence, knowledge, problem solving and critical thinking skills, it takes common freaking sense.
so when the email came thru last week about a horse wanting in..the obvious answer was no...there was no way to squeeze another horse in here...our barn horse crew is full.
it should have been an automatic "no."

except..erin had a feeling and needed confirmation so she passed it on.
my thoughts were..no room but better go look just in case.
so we planned out the options we could offer...temporary financial assistance...referring to another rescue...if worst came to worst..offering to help with a peaceful at home euthanization.

there was no way i was going alone because there was no doubt if i did, we would have another horse...i am a big marshmallow weenie and i tend to be impulsive. so...
we gathered the horse knowing skeptical keep saints sane troops..mo and janette knew we had no room and they also knew we did not want an old and wrecked cribbing horse, our rescue plate was already really full.
(cribbing horses can have big health issues plus they can COMPLETELY destroy anything wood including barns, gates, doors and fences.) on the way to see him, we went over the possible options to offer as far as help was concerned.

well prepared to figure this out sensibly we went to meet skye..a 23 yr old, underweight, hard to keep, lame, cribbing thoroughbred gelding.
ALL of our heads knew the right answer...no freaking way.
and then we saw him and where he was. we saw what he needed and wasn't getting. we saw a broken, useless, destructive, anxious old horse that no one would want for lots of reasons..and tomorrow or in a month or a year from now after getting passed around over and over, he would be on the truck to slaughter. guaranteed.
screw the smart thinking heads...all three breaking hearts said in one single voice..we are not leaving him here.
so we said we would take him. they were grateful.
i got on the phone and arranged boarding and hauling for the next day. then the windstorm hit and it was too dangerous to trailer. the plans changed to getting him on monday.
sunday afternoon we get a text...skye found a home.
i was suspicious..who in their right mind would take on this horse...the cribbing alone made him a phariah...the underweight, hard keeper..the definitely lame..the old horse with absolutely nothing left to give to anyone. really? who was this angel who could actually provide for him properly and magically showed up suddenly in one single day?
in any case..he was ours..we bonded, we worried, we tied ourselves up in knots, we were 150% committed to ensuring he never suffered some shitty fate.
all of us were freaking that he was going to slip thru our fingers to some gawd awful future fate.

freaking out never gets you anywhere...we had to find a solution so we entered the fucking reality of the horse trading world and offered to purchase.
erin ran off to the cash machine to chip in for the purchase. rick, where we were planning on boarding also offered a donation towards the purchase.
we offered $500, a little over his eventual slaughter price.
the owner accepted and skye was ours but had to be gone by the next day.
so despite the snowy roads, rick and janette pulled out the trailer and went to get him.
michelle, jane and mark came to help out here at saints because with janette gone we were now short staffed.
and then the next text came...skye is in the trailer and on his way.
all of the staff and volunteers gave a sigh of relief...yay he was safe.

it is impossible to rescue just with your head...we need heart and guts and courage to sometimes take risks. and when someone really needs us..we absolutely have to find a way.

i went to see him after work tonight at his new temporary boarding home...he hasn't even been there a full day and yet he looks less stressed, more content, almost happy with the change.
the vets will come see him and give him a full going over next week.
The SPCA called today to follow up with him..unbeknownst to us they had been checking on skye and issuing orders..today was the day they were checking that the orders had been fulfilled. they are happy he is with us...case now closed.

he has a beautiful view of the mountains and a safe and dry walk in and out stall and paddock. he is making friends with his new neighbor viktor.
he will eventually come to saints when we have space.
tonight i told him...you will never, ever have to worry about anything ever again.
you might be a totally fucked over and good for nothing horse but you are now OUR horse and that means you are absolutely perfect in every possible way.
we love you skye and we will love you forever.
welcome sweet boy, our new satellite saint.

we will all sleep better tonight.
it took a village but the village ensured that skye is safe.