Foaled: May 21st, 2001 Passed: 2015
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Story
Nellie came to me from my best friend Bev. Here's the Nellie story as best I recall it:
There was once a spur-maker. This spur-maker had an awesome Belgian mare (Nellie). The spur-maker decided that he would make this mare his saddle horse, and would be the talk of the town riding such a magnificent animal. Nellie was sent to a trainer for 60 days, and returned to the spur-maker a trained horse. The spur-maker took Nellie out for his first ride, and all went well. The spur-maker took Nellie out for a second ride, and he reached a gate that Nellie was hesitant to go through. One can only suppose what was on the heels of a spur-maker. It is supposed that the spur-maker used spurs on Nellie to try and coax her through the gate. He woke up a few days later in the hospital. After this event, the spur-maker didn't want anything to do with this horse, and the horse was surrendered to my best friend Bev. The spur-maker didn't even come out of his house to see the horse off when she was picked up.
Bev loved Nellie. She bred her to her awesome Stallion Vegas, and had an incredible foal out of her. The only problem Bev had with her, is that her height is not to her standard. Bev is slowing trying to put together ab 18 hand, 6 horse hitch. Nellie is just over 17 hands, so she doesn't meet the standard that Bev is looking for. However, Bev wanted to make sure she went to a good home, and so she contacted me, and gave me something to think over.
At first I wasn't going to do it. I had my team, and they were fabulous, why would I need more. At the time I was trying to get the papers on Rachael so that she could be mine on her papers too. When I got a copy of her papers, I was shocked to find out that she was 16 years old. I was told she was 10. I kind of realized that because of how good she is for me, I wanted to make sure that I didn't overwork her as she gets older. I decided that if I could take Nellie, train her, and then work my fields with a 3 abreast hitch, it would be much nicer to Rachael. It would also give me a fabulous mare that I could get some great babies out of. My mind was made up, and Bev and I came to arrangements.
I got Nellie here, and have slowly been working her when I have time. She is a gorgeous mare, and I think she is the best speciman of the Belgian breed that I have. Her conformation is awesome and I just love her looks. Nellie has come a long ways with me. She was a mare that knew her strength, and knew that if she jerked back hard enough, she could free herself from anything. She didn't stand well, and had some pretty rough ground manners. Our first time giving her shots was a nightmare. I spent time working her, and needless to say, she spent a few days tied with a rope halter. She has come along nicely. I've worked her single, and as a team with Rachael pulling a sled. Eventually I would like to work Nellie into the team with Pam, and give Rachael a break. I also plan on doing all my field work with a 3 abreast hitch. That is my long term plan.
Nellie is a fabulous mare and I love having her here on the farm.
In 2013 we had a drought that made hay very scarce. Some friends and I pitched in and hired a truck driver to bring us round bales from arkansas. It was great hay and I fed it the same way I always have ... just roll it out there and turn it on it's side. With twine or normal hay netting, the horses eat around it and all is well. The farm in Arkansas used a very thin, very small type of netting. Our horses ended up eating it, and all of them had colic. Everyone came out of it OK, but Nellie. From that time forward she was a hard keeper. All other horses were fat and happy and we just could not keep her fit. Vet things that she had scar tissue in her intestines from the hay nettings getting stuck and pulling against them. In 2015 Nellie got worse and we ended up having to put her down. It was a sad day.
