Jodi is an amazing horse. She is a Morgan and about 15 years old (young, sorry Jo). She doesn't look a day over 6 if truth be known. I purchased Jodi from my then neighbour, since friend, shortly after the death of my son Justin. Ellyn and I used to ride together for hours and continued to do so as therapy now, and it was always Jodi that I rode. She "took to me" as she is a one woman horse. She got down right rude with Ellyn, so when the offer to buy her came up...it was mutally agreed that it had to be done. Jodi and I were thrilled.
As a youngster in Alberta I and my siblings grew up around and raised/trained/ rodeoed with horses. During my first marriage (to my children's Father) we raised and bred Quarter Horses mostly for the sport of "Cutting" where a small calf is "cut" out of the crowd of others for branding, vaccination etc. I had a good handle on QH breeds and as well Arabs and Thoroughbreds as they too used to hang around our premises. Jodi was the first Morgan I had ever met and my my, what a beauty. She is jet black from head to toe and strong necked, ample shouldered and about 16.4 hands high. She has the ruggedness of a QH and the beauty/finess of an Arab.
When I bought her I knew she was going to assist in the grief healing that I needed not only by providing the fresh air and exercise of riding, but as a pet, that I could care for and love. I spoke to my parents about her (horse people --big time) and my Dad told me something alarming when he found out what breed I had bought, that being Morgan. He asked me if I knew who the "first Morgan" was. I said I did not, I knew Quarter Horses lineage of Leo, DocBar, King etc, but no, I hadn't had the experience of Morgans as yet. Well, he said, the original Morgan was named, Justin Morgan. True enough as I researched it later to find indeed this was the original true Morgan. Wow...neato.
My idea that first Spring was to breed Jodi so I could have a new baby horse and perhaps the baby could replace Jodi, should she pass away or get too old for riding. The neighbors and Ellyn contrived to have her bred, in March that year to foal the following year in end of March (my birthday) to beginning of April (Justin's death day) to make these unbearable days of the year a little better for me. It was really sweet of them to think of these dates and try to time things as such. As it turned out Jodi caught and was pregnant according to an ultrasound done by the vet in the summer that year. Ellyn and I continued our rides and our therapy through the fall when in October 2006 we witnessed Jodi expel something nasty which I knew instinctivley was her foal. This was during the weekend and I called the vet to explain the circumstance on Monday. They came out and checked her a week or so later and confirmed she was no longer pregnant. The nastiness continued to expel but the vet assured me that the horses, unlike humans, don't need anything to make this expel as the body will do so on it's own. So we waited. She got cranky and she didn't seem to be herself. I was sure she wasn't feeling well but perhaps was just upset at losing the baby. I watched her carefully. Through the next couiple of months she continued to not be at her best but I just thought perhaps the miscarriage had really taken alot out of her physically and in time I'd see her back to her old self. But then shortly before Christmas I had noticed her appetite decline. Jodi is a hearty eater so that was definitley a red flag, as well her droppings seemed really small which I assumed was because she wasn't eating much. When she stopped eating I got some special molasses horse cookies but she wasn't interested. I knew we were in trouble. I left some in her grain dish and went back home returning to check on her before bed. She was laying down in her stall and I panicked. I went and cuddled her head and begging her with tears streaming down my face to hang in there, I said I would find out what's wrong and I will do what ever I can to help her if she could just let me try. "I thought you were sick my darling, but I didn't know for sure until now". I called work the next morning and told my boss I didn't think Jodi made it through the night but if she did, I would be having the vet out today to see what's up. When I went out to see Jodi, she was standing up waiting for me....to save her life. The vet came out and after a brief exam, realized just as I had thought, the foal had not expelled and Jodi was full of infection. After two weeks of cleansing rinses, antibiotics and hormone shots to help her cycle my Jodi was a new horse. She went out of the barn the first time since all of this began, snorting, farting, bucking and running like she was a two year old filly. I cried at her silliness and was relieved that my horse was gonna live. Today, a year later, she has never looked so fantastic and energetic. We ride almost every weekend and every day twice a day we visit with some grain and a cuddle and pet with the mutual knowledge and understanding that we were meant to be here for each other come hell or high water. We have saved each other from further harm and I can't imagine ever having an experience like this with a horse again, as long as I live. Jodi Darlin' I love you.
As a youngster in Alberta I and my siblings grew up around and raised/trained/ rodeoed with horses. During my first marriage (to my children's Father) we raised and bred Quarter Horses mostly for the sport of "Cutting" where a small calf is "cut" out of the crowd of others for branding, vaccination etc. I had a good handle on QH breeds and as well Arabs and Thoroughbreds as they too used to hang around our premises. Jodi was the first Morgan I had ever met and my my, what a beauty. She is jet black from head to toe and strong necked, ample shouldered and about 16.4 hands high. She has the ruggedness of a QH and the beauty/finess of an Arab.
When I bought her I knew she was going to assist in the grief healing that I needed not only by providing the fresh air and exercise of riding, but as a pet, that I could care for and love. I spoke to my parents about her (horse people --big time) and my Dad told me something alarming when he found out what breed I had bought, that being Morgan. He asked me if I knew who the "first Morgan" was. I said I did not, I knew Quarter Horses lineage of Leo, DocBar, King etc, but no, I hadn't had the experience of Morgans as yet. Well, he said, the original Morgan was named, Justin Morgan. True enough as I researched it later to find indeed this was the original true Morgan. Wow...neato.
My idea that first Spring was to breed Jodi so I could have a new baby horse and perhaps the baby could replace Jodi, should she pass away or get too old for riding. The neighbors and Ellyn contrived to have her bred, in March that year to foal the following year in end of March (my birthday) to beginning of April (Justin's death day) to make these unbearable days of the year a little better for me. It was really sweet of them to think of these dates and try to time things as such. As it turned out Jodi caught and was pregnant according to an ultrasound done by the vet in the summer that year. Ellyn and I continued our rides and our therapy through the fall when in October 2006 we witnessed Jodi expel something nasty which I knew instinctivley was her foal. This was during the weekend and I called the vet to explain the circumstance on Monday. They came out and checked her a week or so later and confirmed she was no longer pregnant. The nastiness continued to expel but the vet assured me that the horses, unlike humans, don't need anything to make this expel as the body will do so on it's own. So we waited. She got cranky and she didn't seem to be herself. I was sure she wasn't feeling well but perhaps was just upset at losing the baby. I watched her carefully. Through the next couiple of months she continued to not be at her best but I just thought perhaps the miscarriage had really taken alot out of her physically and in time I'd see her back to her old self. But then shortly before Christmas I had noticed her appetite decline. Jodi is a hearty eater so that was definitley a red flag, as well her droppings seemed really small which I assumed was because she wasn't eating much. When she stopped eating I got some special molasses horse cookies but she wasn't interested. I knew we were in trouble. I left some in her grain dish and went back home returning to check on her before bed. She was laying down in her stall and I panicked. I went and cuddled her head and begging her with tears streaming down my face to hang in there, I said I would find out what's wrong and I will do what ever I can to help her if she could just let me try. "I thought you were sick my darling, but I didn't know for sure until now". I called work the next morning and told my boss I didn't think Jodi made it through the night but if she did, I would be having the vet out today to see what's up. When I went out to see Jodi, she was standing up waiting for me....to save her life. The vet came out and after a brief exam, realized just as I had thought, the foal had not expelled and Jodi was full of infection. After two weeks of cleansing rinses, antibiotics and hormone shots to help her cycle my Jodi was a new horse. She went out of the barn the first time since all of this began, snorting, farting, bucking and running like she was a two year old filly. I cried at her silliness and was relieved that my horse was gonna live. Today, a year later, she has never looked so fantastic and energetic. We ride almost every weekend and every day twice a day we visit with some grain and a cuddle and pet with the mutual knowledge and understanding that we were meant to be here for each other come hell or high water. We have saved each other from further harm and I can't imagine ever having an experience like this with a horse again, as long as I live. Jodi Darlin' I love you.
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