COLONEL DUPONT
BORN APRIL 10, 1999
Colonel was born on a beautiful morning just before sunrise, to the proud parents of Rooster’s Perfection & Tennessee Sippen Lace Sun “Lacey”. “Lacey” loved me and was more than willing to let me be with her in her special time with the birth of her colt. Immediately, he knew he had two moms, the one with the milk “Lacey” and the one to play with, me. His gentle soul, and his eagerness to learn came from both of his moms, one was from a natural instinct to survive and to love people, and the other was so much intrigue to learn anything I wanted him to learn. When he was just a few months old “Lacey” and I began riding again on small trail rides, taking Colonel with us. He would get tired and need a drink of milk from mom and a short nap in the sun “Lacey” and I would wait for him under a tree, and then we would be off again. His curiosity and willingness to learn was amazing. I have had many horses in my life and I can tell when one comes along born having a loving nature, and wants to be a people horse. As he grew everyone loved him and he loved back. Colonel liked to be around the action and was especially careful around children. He was so gentle when there were little ones around him. Lacey was my main horse for my equine therapeutic riding program and Colonel began helping as baby.
Every morning I entered the ranch he would look up to see me coming to the barn. After feeding time and some lessons, he would go out with the other horses, but no mater where I went on the ranch he watched me. At night I would say “good night” to each horse (all 18 of them) and he would watch me until I was out of sight.
Then on July 21, 2003 a dreadful night his maternal mother “Lacey” was stolen from her stall, and taken off of our ranch. Everyone looked for her the Police, Fire Fighters, Forest Rangers, from the sky and land, newspapers, radio stations were alerted, rewards were posted, but it was no use, Lacey was gone. We are sure we know who took her but the Police say they can’t do lie detector tests without cause or they can be liable for a lawsuit. She still missing to this day and I will always be looking for her.
Colonel became more close to me than ever. He was very clingy for the first few weeks I guess he was wondering if I was going to go too. He missed his program trail riding with “Lacey” and I. So I decided he needed a job to keep him busy and to make him feel as important as he did with his mom and I.
I started him in my trainer program, using Colonel as my trainer horse for other horses that came to my ranch for breaking, training, desensitize and therapy. Then he became my people horse, and number one in my therapeutic riding program, like his mother. He jumped right into his job and wanted to help, so soon he became my right hand man in the program. Everyone loved him and he loved to work, and he became much more than I ever realized he could be, he was my partner and a great trainer horse, I started using him to help me with troubled horses and breaking babies, he loved his job and was so willing to do anything I asked him to for help in any situation. After a class with him and the horse in school, no matter what the horse came to me to learn or unlearn, and we were finished with our lesson with the horse together, I would let them out into the same pasture for a rest, and Colonel would go up to the horse we had worked on and either give them praise for a job well done or reprimand them for being rude to both him and I.
The very next session the horse in school would do better, and it was because Colonel had communicated to them a message that I was trying to get across to them in the lesson we had worked on - and if nothing else – he demanded respect for me as I was trying to help them workout and resolve their issues.
In 2005 I broke my neck when Colonel slipped in a muddy patch of water. The doctors said I should have been a quadriplegic, but I wasn’t. They put me in a body cast called a “Halo”. Immediately I started taking every homeopathic I could find for bone growth, nerve and tissue regeneration, iron, muscle repair, vitamins, and electrolytes. The doctors said bed rest and nothing else, but instead of lying in bed or sitting in a chair for the next ten months as prescribed, I started walking. I painted the inside of my house, worked on my web pages, and cleaned out long over due drawer and files, etc. Finally the “Halo” was taken off and the Doctors gave me strict rules not to do anything for more months. Against their wished I started riding Colonel in the round pen, then in the yard and then we were off blazing trails again.
One day after riding at a horse park Colonel began having intestinal trouble with violent diarrhea which kept coming and coming. I started him on electrolytes so he would not dehydrate and a little hay, taking away his grain and all other feed as this would only aggravate his intestinal problems. The problems did not go away so I called the Veterinarian and Colonel was diagnosed with an air-born strain of Salmonella. The Doctor gave me some anti-diarrhea medicine and said that he should clear up in a day or two. Colonel was getting worse and weaker by the day. Since I had a diagnosis from a professional I looked no farther for other reasons for his symptoms. Then another Vet came out to see a horse being boarded at the ranch, and I asked him to take a look at Colonel explaining that he should have been well by now.
Colonel was diagnosed with EPM!! I was so mad at myself as I should have picked up on the symptoms, they were so obvious. He was showing a weakness in the back, lack of depth perception, lethargy, loss of appetite, skin and eyes were dull. Colonel was dying and I had to do something fast if I was going to save him.
I sat down and thought about my neck and the neurological symptoms I had and what would have been my fate if I listened to the Doctors. I would not have recovered as well as I did had I not taken all of the homeopathics to help build back my own weakness, neurological damages, and bone repair. I started putting together a list of remedies needed for Colonel and the recipe for his treatment.
I spent several nights at the barn watching him and praying that he would get through this de-habilitating disease. Much of the success of curing any disease is how much you or your horse want o recover from it. Colonel had the will to survive and wanted to be well again. After months of special food, homeopathics, electrolytes, all three times per day, and much personal attention, he began to show small signs of improvement. His recovery was slow and hard on him as he could not run and keep up with the other horses. He grew tired and weak after being outside for just a little while. I spent many hours with him at the barn, grooming and stretching him, making it easier on him having to stay in a stall and quiet so he could continue getting stronger.
It has been a year and a half since his diagnosis. Colonel is big, fat, shiny, back on the trails, and maybe even ready for the show ring. His attitude is great and is the loving horse I once knew. We are a team when we work together, both knowing we are survivors!!
Homeopathics Acupressure Reiki Healing
For more specific information contact me by phone consultation or e-mail thegaitedlady@bellsouth.net .
