These Are the Details I Know............

Part 1

After the phone call to the vet that gave me the news that Sherri Graves had died, I waited for a phone call from someone in Sherri's family. The vet's office was not comfortable with giving out their information but was willing to pass mine along. Needing to know what the status was on my mare and her needs, I did what they asked and I waited.

Later in the day a woman called stating she was Sherri's step-daughter. She wanted to know if there was any way I would take back the mare, KG Phadra Rose. According to her, Faye's behavior was aggressive and they just didn't think she would fit in with this herd.

I knew that Sherri had prepared a paddock for Faye to get accustomed to her new herd mates. I also knew there was a large group of mares in the field right next to her. It didn't surprise me that Faye was feeling the need to protect herself having been moved into a very large herd situation like that. Expecting her to settle quickly and accept the new situation was a lot to ask.

That didn't mean I am not willing to take the mare back. It does mean I think it's a shame Sherrie had such big dreams based on acquiring this mare that will never materialize. It had been Sherri's intention to liquidate a number of mares to accommodate her new plans to disperse Faye's blood throughout her entire herd. Sherrie had coveted this mare for two years. Now her vision for the mare in her herd will never happen. It breaks my heart.

The young woman told me it is her father's intention to keep some of the horses and to continue breeding. With a herd of over 60 horses, many will have to go. Trying to figure out which those might be will be difficult especially since Sherri was the avid horse enthusiast in the group and her husband must travel for his work.

I volunteered to help in any way I can. Sherri and I prefer the same bloodlines. While I don't know her individuals I do know their ancestors. I know the characteristics and the selling points so if they need help in figuring things out, I'm probably their woman. I could hear the relief in the step daughter's voice at my offer. I think I'll be hearing from her at some point down the road.

I asked about Sherri's accident because I still didn't know anything except that she'd had a severe head injury. I was told they had been doing a photo shoot and she'd been knocked down by a horse. She'd come out of her drug induced coma as scheduled and everyone thought she was going to be ok. Then last Sunday she died from an aneurysm.

The step daughter lives in Colorado and has been trying to come to Wyoming to help her father with the horses. With that many head there are a lot of decisions to make and there are some things, like getting horses to the vet and farrier work, that were being done by Sherri that now must be done by one of them until the number of horses is small enough to be manageable.

I let the step daughter know there was the possibility of a sale pending on a two year old colt. I passed on what I knew hoping it might help them find information about that sale.

I also told her Sherri had gone through the herd with her trainer the week of the accident. They'd formed a plan on which horses Sherrie wanted to liquidate immediately and future plans for others. Hopefully that information will help them as they try to find their way through this dilemma they now find themselves dealing with.

The step daughter wanted to confirm with her father before making the final arrangements to return Faye. Faye's not that far behind on a trim, she'll probably be fine until a decision is made or she gets back here. She didn't look like she was missing any groceries when she left here so her teeth can probably wait a little while longer too.

That's all I know for now. When I know more, I'll let you know.

An Arabian Mare........Now What?