Dulce

This has been such a hard secret to keep. I didn’t know if it would even happen considering the weather here in Colorado, flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi, the distance, my friend having jury duty, a mare that may or may not foal, and trying to coordinate schedules.

A couple of months after Shandoka died, the National Thoroughbred Welfare Organization posted a few pictures of this horse they were hoping to adopt out. I immediately was drawn to him. The only thing that bothered me were his hooves, but I felt I could fix those thanks to all that Chaco, Shandoka, and Harley have taught me. I fell in love, but I wasn’t ready. I thought he would be adopted immediately.

When I researched him some more and found out his breeding, I exclaimed, “He’s my dream foal!” As much as I would love to breed my own foal, I’ve committed to not breeding due to the fact that there are so many thoroughbreds that need homes and way too many end up in kill pens. However, I have this app on my phone called Global Stallions that I look at often when I want to research a horse that catches my eye. I also play “Fantasy Foal” instead of “Fantasy Football, which is my own creation. I research the nicks of different stallions, and look for the mares that fulfill those nicks. Well, this horse wasn’t out of any of the dams that I looked up, but she had all the lines that I would love to breed this stallion too.

As the months went by I would contact them to see if he was still available, and he was. I still wasn’t ready, and our weather was horrible. The thought of trying to haul a horse over our avalanche prone passes was terrifying.

When I finally felt ready to take in another horse, I contacted NTWO, and they told me they no longer had him; the breeder took him back. I was so bummed. I blew it. My husband suggested I contact the breeder. I looked up his information on Pedigree Query, found the name of the breeder, and then I found them on Facebook. I sent a message, and there was no response.

Finally, at the end of the day, there was a ding. I picked up my phone, and the breeder said he was available and to apply for him through NTWO. I quickly downloaded the application, went through a rigorous vetting process, and now we are on our way to Kentucky to pick him up. I still can’t believe we are on the road. We didn’t know until the last minute about whether we would leave on Friday or Saturday. The weather forecast has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, and the mare still hasn’t had her foal. However, off we go to get another thoroughbred with the hopes of Chaco and Dulce helping educate people as to how wonderful thoroughbreds can be as part of my dream.

Dulce? Yes, that will be his barn name as a way to honor his sire. All the while as we drive towards him, I’m thinking about my boys back home. I miss them so much, and it is the first time we’ve all been apart except for the one day Chaco was away for surgery. I keep thinking how happy they will be to be a three horse herd again…..so Kentucky, here we come.

If you would like to find out more about NTWO.org, or would like to adopt a retired racehorse from them, please visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NTWO.org/ or go to their website at http://ntwo.org/