Many years ago when our daughter Rebecca was small she desperately wanted a horse. We said no for we didn’t have enough land back then, Rebecca of course somehow extracted a promise that when we did have enough land, then she could get a horse. Little did we know where that seemingly impossible promise would lead.
Twenty years later, well over a decade after Rebecca grew up, left home and started a family of her own we did buy a small acreage. And Bec of course immediately called us on our promise made so many years before. It was time for a horse. But horses are social animals and one horse means more horses. We discovered mini vans are good for hauling mini horses. Our first mini horse was a rescue which set into gear an exciting journey.
Bec has a magical way of finding animals in need. She claims they find her of course. Our little acreage, now dubbed ‘PIPSQUEAK PADDOCKS’ was soon home to a number of horses - all in need of some TLC. Bec found that through neglect or ignorance were often in need of better homes. Some were in very bad shape when they arrived. Others simply had to find a new home. Pipsqueak Paddocks soon had its own website, a horse trailer (which we modified to hold a whole herd of mini horses), and an ever expanding barn and paddocks. As fast as we could gather the horses, nurture them back to health and teach them some manners, Bec adopted them out to loving and good homes.
Pipsqueak Paddocks is now a charitable society. www.pipsqueakpaddocks.com More than four dozen horse have come and gone. A number of others are still outside in the paddocks getting what they need before they move on to new homes. While we can’t cure the problems of the whole world, we are doing our best to help one little equine at a time.
It’s a great pleasure to look out my studio window and see the horses enjoying their new home. It’s gratifying to see the little horses, some very sick and abused, come back to life with a little bit of care and a whole lot of love. As horses come and go my view changes faster than I can keep up. My job is to just smile and hook up the horse trailer when it’s needed, keep the fences in good repair and bring home the hay once in a while..
-grampa dan