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Supporters
How He Helped Me Find My Way
by Carly Tangney
For as far back as I can remember horses have always intrigued me. There was something about their size, beauty, and spirit that always left me in awe. When we would vacation as a family to dude ranches, my parents could always find me out by the pastures, sitting on the fence staring out at the herds of horses simply watching as they grazed.
So when I got word about baby horses (foals, as I later learned they were called) being born at a farm in my neighborhood, you bet I was the first one there. I was 9. From that day forward I was hooked. Whether they wanted my help with the daily chores or not, there I was; feeding, grooming, cleaning stalls, doing just about anything to be near horses.
It was a tough hobby to keep throughout high school; boys were introduced into the picture and I was also a starter on the Girls Varsity Basketball team. But once the season ended, I was right back to the barn. My parents worried a little, kind of like how Charlotte’s parents worried about her in Charlotte’s web, about her not having any friends besides animals. But horses were what made me happy.
Choosing a college was rough. I didn’t want to go. And since I could not conjure up a good enough reason for my parents as to why I should go to horse school, that was out of the question. Of course I see now that it was for my own good, “what will you do with horses?” they would ask. “How will you make enough money?” But the question that I was asking myself was “How will I make myself happy?” I didn’t have an answer for them or for me. So my first two years of college were wasted at SUNY New Paltz. Don’t get me wrong, it was a blast, and I learned a lot. But I still had no direction.
After two years I looked at the list of classes available and thought “there must be something that will keep me interested and focused.” That’s when I ventured to the SUNY Cobleskill webpage; they had horses. When I pulled up the list of classes they offered, my eyes lit up and I thought, “Wow! If I were to go to that school, I would never have enough time to take all the classes that interested me!” That’s when I decided it was time to go. I did it. I went against every gut feeling I had and every sly remark from each family member and friend. “But what will you do with horses?” they persisted. “I don’t know,” I would reply, “but I know I’ll be happy.” So off I went to SUNY Cobleskill. New School. New town. New friends. New life. It probably would have been scary if I had any time to think about it, but I was too busy trying to transform my mind into a sponge so I could take in all the interesting information being provided in my classes. I turned into the biggest nerd I knew. Suddenly school was fun! I got straight A’s that semester. I was in my glory.
And that’s where I met him. It was my 2nd semester. I signed up last minute for a class in training. The first day of class, I went and meet the horses that were signed up for the class. They had been shipped in from the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program in Farmington, NY, a fantastic adoption program that focuses on ex-racehorses off the track and strives to find them new forever homes. They had fostered out 3 or 4 horses to us for our training class and they would go back at the end of the semester.
As I walked into the barn I approached the once empty stalls at the far end of the isle to see the new horses that had arrived. The first was a tall, skinny, awkward, dapple gray hiding in the back corner. I kept walking. And then I saw him. He was the second one in. Another gray, but more white than the first. He had a lump under his neck, which I would later find that he had lymphoma. He had a black mane and tail, and his legs were black too. He was big. He was bossy. But he was gorgeous! The first day he threw me across the stall, I still have a scar on my right elbow to prove it. But I liked his spunk and his attitude. He made me work, mentally, in order to reach him. His name? Magic Man.
By some divine force, I got assigned to him; one on one. I finally had a horse to “call my own”, at least for a semester. We were only required to be there once a week, but I went every day, weekends included. He was basically my boyfriend for a semester, and I loved him. He taught me a lot; as each horse that I have encountered along the way has. But he really tested my patience. He would not even turn to the right for the first week that I would ride him, which I later learned is a very common thing for thoroughbreds off the track. Each day I would find myself going back to my books at the end of the day to try to come up with a new technique that would trick him into liking what I presented to him. And it worked! Every day we would take a giant step forward.
In about 2 months time he changed from not being able to be ridden in a crowded arena (because the other horses got him all wound up), to walk/trot no matter where we were and who was around. He adjusted from trying to cow-kick me while I brushed him, to falling asleep on the cross-ties during our grooming sessions. He moved on from not knowing who I was, to knowing the sound of my whistle (sometimes he’d even whinny back!) and running to me when I would meet him out in the field. He transformed from an untrusting scared boy, to an outstanding horse full of love and devotion. Each day after I rode him we would take a long walk around the campus, his head hanging low, walking nice and slow beside me, and stopping whenever I did without me even having to ask.
Sometimes when you are caught up in a project, you have to step back from it to realize the progress that you have made. One day it hit me. This horse, the bossy jerk who threw me across the stall, and who couldn’t even be walked anywhere without a chain over his nose, was now the biggest sweetheart in the barn! He loved the attention once he let his guard down. The experience itself was so rewarding. I loved working one on one with a horse and seeing the progress first hand. It proved to me that a little work really goes a long way! Knowing that he would go back to the adoption center a brand new horse with manners and skills was the most rewarding part, because that meant that he was more likely to find a forever home.
But the question was still lingering in my mind. “Carly, what will you do with horses?!” When I was walking with Magic one day I got my answer. Horses in need! And all along Magic had been there right in front of my face! So that day I went home and started researching adoption and rescue facilities to get an idea of how they are run and what they do, but more importantly, how I could get involved.
The next semester was my last one, and then I had to find a place to do an internship for 600 hours to complete my degree in Equine Science. After a semester of looking up adoption centers on line, I found that I really liked the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Center the most. By this time, Magic was back in their hands, so I figured I’d give it and try and just call. It was worth a shot. Well 6 months, an interview, and an offer for an internship later, here I am!
I live in Farmington, 3 minutes away from the adoption center, which is located at the Finger Lakes Race Track. I am working a 40 hour week until May 2008. I have never been happier in my whole life. I blindly followed my heart and somehow found exactly what I was looking for. Magic is still around too! He was taken to a farm for some rest and recuperation because his feet were a little sore, but he’s doing better now and he’s coming back soon. And of course he remembered me when I saw him again. He was my best friend for a semester at school. He taught me a lot, and he, more than anyone else, helped to point me in the right direction. I don’t know where I’d be now if it wasn’t for meeting him. My only hope is that I will be able to help him find his way, the way he helped me.