Jen Jeffrey: Be Careful What You Ask For – You Might Get It!

  • Wednesday, June 1, 2016
  • Jen Jeffrey Billington
A couple of weeks ago, the horses I went to see about in McDonald, Tn., arrived at our ranch. We hired Pegasus Equine Transport located in Appleton, Wi., and it worked out perfectly that Jerry Watkins had a shipment he was already hauling through Nashville and could make the trip to Kentucky.

My son’s family who live on the ranch were just as excited as Jason and I were.  Andrew had to work so Stephanie and I would be the ones to welcome the horses to their new home.

We saw Jerry’s truck pulling the long trailer around the corner and with our cell phones in hand, Stephanie and I started snapping pictures.
When Jerry got out, I shook his hand and he told me what he did for Cleopatra, the huge Percheron, who had a sore foot from being shod the week before. 

He wasn’t sure she should travel, but I called my vet and she said she thought it would be alright and I also wanted Cleo here where I could take care of her and my vet would be out the next day to check on her.

Jerry was loving and careful with my horses and they made the four hour trip just fine. As he began to unload the first horse named Cleo… I had forgotten how very big she was!

Out in the huge pasture in McDonald, she looked big but not THAT big. Here on our nine acre ranch, she looked humongous! Especially when Jerry handed me her lead rope.

Oh my gosh! I have a 1,350 pound horse …who has a hurt foot, has traveled for four hours and she has no idea where she is and… I’m leading her.

One thing I have learned about being a rancher is you don’t always have time to think about fear. Sometimes you “just do it” before you think about it. And I like that. 

I walked along side my queen and felt very small yet so empowered. And then when we reached the barn … a dead stop. Cleo was not having any part of it. There was a large noisy fan in the barn and she was also a full pasture horse and never stalled. She was NOT going in. 

I tried to coax her in and there was absolutely no ‘pound of give’ out of the 1,350 pounds of this horse! 
I felt so inadequate when I told Jerry she wouldn’t move. 

Jerry came in like a professional cowboy with his rope. He placed a rope around her thigh and took her lead rope in one hand and the rope around her thigh and somehow managed to get her to turn into the barn! It was so quick, I don’t think I could remember how to do it myself if needed. But Cleo was in the barn and she was happy with her hay-filled stall.

The next horse was Liberty – white (grey) Quarter Horse. Jerry tried to hand her off to Stephanie and she let him know quickly, “I’m just here to take pictures!”

Stephanie was afraid to even be near a horse last year, but has come a very long way in such a short time. She has gained more confidence and helps so much with the horses, but a new horse she had never met before was a different story! 

I took Liberty to the barn and Jerry kept bringing out the horses since two others were there to help. Jason had pulled up on his lunch break and our friend Dickie Farley who owns Midway Fence Co. was still there finishing the fence to one of the pastures. Dickie got a hold of Cinnamon, a Sorrel Quarter Horse and led her and then Jason took over and took her through the barn. 

Last off the trailer was the other Sorrel Quarter Horse, Rocky Top. When all of the horses were in the barn, Jerry asked politely if he could clean out his trailer. We gave him a wheel barrow and in no time, he was ready to take off again. 

My son’s horse and our yearlings were full pasture horses, so we haven’t had to muck stalls for a while. Now, we had four horses in the barn – which meant a lot more work. Until the vet came to give them a checkup and check Cleo’s foot, they would stay stalled.

The school we bought the horses from had them dewormed, groomed, shod and they were well taken care of before arriving. However, they used a different farrier this time and unfortunately, it was not a very good job. You don’t really know that right away until soreness sets in. 

Our vet Kim Abernathy-Young, saw a nail which caused the soreness on Cleo’s foot and she applied a soaking boot which would stay on for three or four days. She said the horses all looked good and let us know which ones would need dental care and what she could tell about their history by their body confirmation. 

Cinnamon had been a show horse before the school had gotten her and it was apparent to Kim that she had had a ‘rough life’ but you could just tell that these horses had years of love and riding by the kids at the school. They all were very well-mannered and gentle.

Even the queen Cleopatra who stands 17hh tall! In fact, Cleo has a fun personality. For a horse so majestic and beautiful, she is quite the clown. She yawns and makes the funniest faces and is not sorry about it. She communicates with us more than any of the horses (and having a hurt foot and wearing a boot for a week - you’d think she would be a hard case, but she is so loving and is a gentle giant).

For the first two days I was like a mother watching over her sick child. I stayed at the ranch until 10 o’clock that night and until eight the next night. Finally, I let go of my maternal instincts to hover and knew they were in the capable hands of my son and daughter in-law when I wasn’t there. 

I came out each day to clean stalls and soak Cleo’s foot and to be with them, but my days at the ranch grew shorter as they settled in.

The next step would be introducing the new horses to our herd. 

Outlaw, my son’s horse, is a Morgan and we thought he was fairly big until we saw Cleo. Outlaw felt protective over our babies and he did NOT like the two red horses in his paddock!

We thought since Liberty was in the side of the barn with Cleo, that we would leave her in there to keep her company – since Cleo could tear our barn down if not happy. 

So Cinnamon and Rocky Top were finally able to graze in the pasture (except they had to contend with Outlaw who had his ears pinned back while chasing them). 

This wasn’t as easy as I pictured it would be. We watched the horses ‘be horses’ while they figured out their pecking order. I was sure after a while they would all get along, but at feed time Outlaw would not let the new horses have any hay.

My friend Linda, who is a very experienced horse woman suggested that Outlaw go in the round pen to give him time to get used to the new horses. He would see them interact with the babies and he’d also be close enough to sniff the new horses as they came around the round pen – but he couldn’t chase them. 

After a few days, we were able to let him out and voila – he got a long with them.  But no sooner did we have that victory, that Cinnamon began limping. I made an appointment for our farrier, Bill Sampson to come out and check all the horses’ shoes as I feared they just had a bad shoe job and possibly all of them would start limping.

While Cleo was still healing, we decided to let Cinnamon have stall rest on her foot and maybe it wouldn’t get any worse. That mean that Liberty could go out into the pasture and see how well she would get along with the herd.

Rocky Top was glad to see Liberty and my colt Legend REALLY liked Liberty! That made Jason’s filly Suede a little upset and she chased Liberty!

Outlaw chased her too. Liberty held her own and swatted out a few mare kicks telling them not to mess with her. Suede was, of course, no match for Liberty and we knew she would eventually submit to her, but Outlaw needed to ‘think about things’ again and be reminded that he must get along with the new horses. Back in the round pen!

It only took one day after that and all the horses were finally ‘one herd’. All except for Cleo. She got worse before she got better, which my vet said would happen. 

Today, the farrier will come out and I may have him pull all the shoes since we won’t be riding them out anywhere for a while. We will be getting used to our new horses and riding them in the arena once we know their feet are all better.

Here is hoping we don’t have to stall and boot any more horses this week, but every ounce of sweat is worth it! I enjoy being a rancher and each of the new horses are loving, mind well, and perfect for Grace Reins Ranch.  

And, I am sure they will provide me with many stories … stick around partner.

jen@jenjeffrey.com 

Jen and the queen "Cleo"
Happenings
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
  • 3/28/2024

The Lightfoot Club of Chattanooga and the Mountain City Club of Chattanooga will begin the 2024 season of vintage base ball (yep, two words) on the historic 6th Calvary polo field (6 Barnhardt ... more

4 Bridges Arts Festival Returns April 20-21
  • 3/28/2024

The Association for Visual Arts will present the 24th Annual 4 Bridges Arts Festival at the First Horizon Pavilion on the southside of downtown Chattanooga this April. The festival will take ... more

Volunteers Needed for American Battlefield Trust Park Day
  • 3/28/2024

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is seeking volunteers for American Battlefield Trust Park Day. Sign-up will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the intersection of Woodland ... more