When we moved here we discovered that we “inherited,” to a degree, a horse. There are many varying stories about this horse, and many different names, but we were introduced to him as Pinocchio.
Pinocchio
But this is the way of living in the Foothills! Of all the stories that we have heard, this is what we know of him.
Pinocchio had an owner who tried to “tame” or “break” the horse. But this horse would have nothing to do with it, and ended up breaking the man! After suffering numerous broken bones the fellow let the horse lose to fend for himself in the wild. He made his way at some point to the lake that is behind our house and has lived here for years. The horse has become the property of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). For years, the BLM has tried to capture the horse to move him elsewhere, and they have had no success.
When we moved here, we discovered him living behind us, and found that the builder of our house had built the horse a stable just outside the fence of our yard. This area includes a reservoir. When they sold the house to the next owner of the house, part of the sales agreement was that they had to take care of the horse. The story is that the gal who lived here used to like to run around the lake, and that the horse ran with her. This agreement did not pass to us, however, we felt the need to maintain his stable, make a couple of improvements, and supplement his natural source of food with some grass hay treats, and a salt/mineral lick.
Handsome isn't he?
We started to care for the horse, and still do, and never having done this before, and got a lot of advice. He is a good natured animal and he still is wary of people. The closest that we can get to him is about two feet away. Not many are able to do this. When we go down to feed him he is very happy to see us. He runs around in circles, kicks up his back legs, and whinnies at us. If he hears us working in our yard, and we have not been down there to give him his treats, he is very vocal about the fact that he is there! We believe that he is an old man as evidenced by the gray areas that now surround his eyes and muzzle.
With the recent reconstruction of the dam behind us, we had to add a water trough as the lake was drained. He fared pretty well through this process considering that the lake still has to be filled back up. We received a few donations to help with his upkeep at this time.
Pinocchio at his stable
Here are more photos of our friend.
Pinocchio in his natural element
Silent communication
Pinocchio this last February
On the alert!
I hope that you have enjoyed the visit with us and Pinocchio!
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