I was a little surprised to get a call from my daughter that a former school horse we owned–and she had "permanently loaned" to a local community program for teaching riding to kids–was coming home. He was living at a facility not far from our little farm in Kentucky, and he had been called a "great addition" to their program. But, they were cutting back. And because of his age he wasn’t used to teach jumping. That’s where they were making their money. Ergo, Dusty came home.

I’m glad extra hay was purchased this year since we added an extra mouth in the middle of winter. And I’m glad we have the room to bring him home to our little farm.

But this brought home how we are responsible for the horses we own. I never thought I’d see Dusty out our back door again. I thought he’d live his life out babysitting kids, which he loves. He has a little arthritis, so the regular movement was good for him, and he’s one of those horses who loves attention.

How many other horses now will be looking for homes when previous owners thought they already had found a permanent place for them to live out their lives? My guess is quite a few