I have a super big announcement to make!  Yes, there’s a new baby in the family!  She’s a darling who never cries; she does, however, whinny.

I saw a post on Facebook about a filly, Abby, who needed a home.  Abby and her mother were rescued from a kill pen in Oklahoma, and her picture caught my eye.  I took a closer look.  And then another look.  I was very interested, but I wasn’t sure how to make things happen. Horses can be quite expensive, so I hesitated, but I kept going back to Abby.

I already own one horse, Oreo, who lives across town.  After chatting with the property owner, it turns out that there was room for one more with Oreo.  That’s when I made a decision to go ahead and buy that filly.  Then things miraculously started falling into place.  The first step was to contact the people at the hub and make arrangements to pay her adoption fee.  That was accomplished fairly quickly.  Other details had to be arranged like a vet certificate, board until I could get her off the lot and hauling.  That’s when things got really interesting.

The vet check was handled easily, but I got a bad case of sticker shock when I called horse haulers!  The range was between $500 and $850!  Abby was paid for, my mind was made up, so it was crunch time.  I was already in love with Abby, and she was coming home.

I messaged friends in my area who have horses and “know people.”  It didn’t take long for a friend to message back.  Jeannette was a true hero!  She offered to make the nine-hour trip (for gas expenses) on her days off from work.  I was gobsmacked at this point.  Her days off exactly coincided with when Abby needed to be off the lot—-one week’s board was free, and Tuesday was the deadline.  Abby was about to take her freedom ride!

Jeannette set off early Monday morning, but the weather was threatening to slow things down.  I worried (as usual), but I knew my friend (and hero) would get Abby home safely.  The original plan was to spend the night before coming home, but snowy conditions changed the plan.  Jeannette got Abby to her place in the wee hours of the morning, unloaded, fed and watered.  I’m sure Jeannette crashed hard after that!

I took a personal day off from work (Tuesday) to welcome my horse home.  I was so glad to meet her.  I was sad for her because she came on one of the coldest days of the year!  We are still getting snow with super cold temperatures.

Abby is safe and out of the elements.  She also has a new name—Cherokee Lady.