Kobi- Memoirs of a Mustang

by Heather Hamel

  “Oh, Kobi,”

  “Leave me alone!” I yelled back.

  I guess I was a little loud, because Daisy took my scream to mean I was lonely. She actually put Kya in my pasture with me. If I only would have kept my mouth shut and ignored that silly mare. If I only I hadn’t yelled. I would have had some peace and quiet. As soon as that mare joined me, any hope I had of spending time alone that night was gone.

  I made the best of an imperfect situation. Whenever Kya was close by, I would start grooming her neck and withers, so that she’d also scratch all my itchy spots. It worked great for a few days, and while I would never admit it, I was beginning to think Wendy had made a good choice sending Kya home with me. She was turning into a comforting companion after all.

  As soon as that thought left my head, Kya turned and looked at me. “I don’t like Daisy,” she said out of the blue.

  What? How could anyone not like Daisy? What was she going to say next, the grass is too green?

  I stopped chewing the mouthful of hay in my mouth, turned to face her, and pinned my ears. “Why not?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Kya said, starting to change her mind now that I confronted her. “She’s not around all the time, and when she is, I don’t think she’s all that nice.” Kya’s argument was starting to build up speed. “She yells at me a lot too.”

  “The only reason Daisy yells at you is because you don’t listen to her. She’s trying to teach you how things are done at our barn.”

  “Well, I don’t like it here. I think you’d be happier back at my old barn, with me.”

  “Without Daisy?” I asked.

  “Definitely without Daisy.”

  That was all the silly mare needed to say. I couldn’t imagine life without Daisy, and hope I never needed to. Daisy was my human. If Kya couldn’t understand that, our friendship was over. I stretched my neck out, bared my teeth, and bit her.

  Kya squealed. “Stop it! You’re mad because you know I’m right.” Kya started to move away from me, “Daisy isn’t that great. I think she likes that dog better than you, too.”

  I’d had enough of that mare and her mouth. I ran her down. She tried to run away. Anytime I would get within biting distance, I would snap my jaws. Sometime they would click and come up with nothing, other times I would get a piece of her ribs or hindquarters and really nip her.

  Daisy came running out of the house. “Kobi! Stop!” She jumped over the fence, into the pasture and tried to separate us. Kya almost ran Daisy over – twice! Each time Kya got too close to Daisy, I would step up my attack, screaming, “Leave Daisy alone!”

  I finally got Kya to run into a tight corner, where she couldn’t run from me anymore. I knew Daisy would come soon to separate us, so I took full advantage of the time I had and stayed behind Kya, pushing her deeper in the corner, biting her in the hindquarters. “Don’t ever talk about Daisy again!”

  “Kobi, what’s gotten in to you?” Daisy snatched me by my fly mask and led me back to the barn and into time-out. “You can’t behave this way.”

  As soon as I was out of the corner, Kya came out and ran past us gloating with her tail held high. “She’s such a weak human.”

  I twisted my head, breaking out of Daisy’s grasp, and pursued Kya again. It didn’t last too long this time. Daisy grabbed my fly mask as I sailed past her and spun me back to her.

  “Kobi, you’re being bad. You don’t behave this way. What’s wrong with you?”

  You don’t understand. She was saying hateful things about you.

  “Come on. You have to go to your stall and calm down.” She led me into the barn. I knew she didn’t understand what was going on. I did my time out without a fuss, knowing I had done what I needed to do in order to defend my Daisy.

  My relationship with Kya deteriorated after that. Anytime she would see me in the pasture, she would walk up and say something nasty under her breath. If I didn’t see Daisy and Rex around, I would bite her. Sometimes I would get caught and either get yelled at or put in my stall for awhile. The punishment was worth it.

  Daisy was concerned for Kya’s safety around me. She asked Wendy to come and take Kya back home with her.

  Good! Finally, some peace and quiet around here.

  When I saw the horse trailer with Kya’s dappled rump in it pull away from the property, I ran victory laps around the pasture.

  “It’s okay. We’ll find you a good pasture mate, one that you actually like this time.” Daisy said as she put her arms around my neck after I had run myself into a good lather. “It might just take us some time.”

  Take all the time you need. I have you and I have Rex. Another horse is just a bonus.

  *****

  We got into a different routine. It wasn’t the same without Jake, and we were struggling to find a new normal for our lives. The only one who seemed unaffected by the loss of Big Jake was the world’s dumbest dog, Cuzzin. But even he and I came to a truce.

  One sunny afternoon, Daisy was being especially playful. She had let Cuzzin out and he was sniffing around the back pasture. I came up to the fence to nuzzle her.

  “Go get Cuzzin,” Daisy whispered, with a twinkle in her eye.

  What? You always yell at me when I chase him.

  “Go get Cuzzin,” she whispered again, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

  I turned to see where the offending dog was. “Go get him.”

  I spun around, zeroed in on the dog, and took off after him.

  Cuzzin always loves this game. I’d chase him, running and spinning back on my hindquarters, and then he pretends to chase me. Whenever he gets too close, I kick up my heels, always making sure not to hit the goofy dog. When the game goes on too long, I chase him to a fence and he always ducks under, leaving the pasture and the game behind.

  We played the game like we always do. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the chase, when out of nowhere, Cuzzin decided the game was over and ran toward the fence. Except he didn’t duck to slip under the board, like he usually does. Instead, he ran, full speed, head on, into the fence board. The game ended with a loud thud. Cuzzin whined for a second, got up, shook his head, and walked away.

  Oh, I hope I don’t get blamed for that. I wasn’t even chasing him when he did that.

  Daisy started laughing, a sound I hadn’t heard much since we lost Jake.

  “Did Kobi finally get Cuzzin?” Rex asked from inside the garage.

  “No,” Daisy laughed. “You know how Cuzzin ducks under the fence when he feels Kobi is about to catch him? Well, this time he didn’t duck.” Daisy was laughing so hard she couldn’t finish the story.

  Rex came around the corner, “We always knew he was the world’s dumbest dog.”

  “And he was being chased by the world’s smartest horse. He didn’t stand a chance,” Daisy said, as she walked away, still laughing.

  It was really funny. I stayed in a good mood the rest of that day, until I saw another horse trailer pull into the yard and stop. I could smell another mare.

  Another mare? Seriously? Daisy, didn’t you learn anything from the last one?

  But when the new mare backed off the trailer and turned to look at me, I was speechless. She was the prettiest mare I had seen since leaving Nevada.

  CHAPTER 15 — SUGAR

  Daisy led this new horse, this beautiful new paint mare, up to our barn. Daisy had left me in my stall after dinner, and now I knew it was to make introductions easier.

  “Kobi, this is Sugar. She’s your new pasture mate, so be nice and mind your manners.”

  “Hello, Sugar.” I nickered, “Glad to have you here.”

  Sugar ignored me. She was much more interested in the new sights, sounds, and the grass her new home held for her, than talking to me.

  That’s okay. She’ll come around. I’m the only other horse she can talk to.

  It didn’t take Sugar long before her brown and white nose peeked over my stall wall.

  “Is it just the two of us?” She wa
s soft-spoken; her voice was calm and quiet.

  “Horses? Yeah, we’re the only two out here.” I moved my nose over to touch hers, “I’m Kobi.”

  “Nice to meet you, Kobi,” We sniffed each other over the stall wall. “As you’ve heard already, I’m Sugar.”

  Ahhh, Sugar. I hope you’re as sweet as your name.

  *****

  Over the next few days, Sugar and I got to know each other. I was pleased to see she wasn’t as needy as Kya. I was able to go to a different part of the pasture without her screaming in panic. The only time I ever saw Sugar panic was when Daisy took me away to work me in the front field. But after the second or third time, Sugar knew I would be coming back to her, so she quieted down.

  Since she wasn’t much of a talker, it took some prompting to get her story out of her. One afternoon Sugar and I were in our stalls while an afternoon storm raged above us. Since sharing stories over hay worked to get Jake’s story out, I tried it with Sugar.

  “So, Sugar, where are you from?”

  “Originally, or just my last home?”

  “How many homes have you had?”

  “I’ve lost track. I’ve lived with some humans more than once, some humans for a very long time, and some for only a few weeks. I try not to get too attached to anyone anymore. They don’t stick around long.”

  “Why not? What happens to make you move?” Did she do anything to her humans to make them get rid of her, or did she just have bad luck with them? Were Daisy and Rex in danger with this gorgeous creature?

  “I’m not sure. It’s not like I’m mean or anything. I’ve never hurt my human or left them behind. After a while they just start to ignore me and then I’m out of a home again. I overheard the last humans I lived with saying that I was too big. You believe that? Too big to ride.” She dropped her nose to her hay, taking another bite, trying to end the discussion.

  “You don’t have to worry about that here. Once Daisy and Rex choose you as their horse, they keep you forever. There’s nothing they won’t do for you.”

  Sugar didn’t say another word, so I told her all about Jake and his issues, as well as my history with Daisy and Rex. By the time I was finished, the sun was beginning to set, but the storm was still raging above us. Daisy had already come to feed us dinner and toss us our after dinner hay. We were in for a long night, so I tried to get Sugar talking again.

  “Since you’ve had so many humans, I bet you’ve seen and learned a lot of different things.”

  “Hmph! You’re right, I have. I haven’t seen anything as bad as your friend Jake, though. The humans I’ve had mostly leave me be, except for an occasional trail ride, and then for whatever reason, move me out again. I don’t think I’m a bad horse. I just don’t understand why I can’t keep a human.”

  Now that Sugar started talking again, she seemed to need to get her story out. Almost to reassure herself, and convince me, that she wasn’t a bad horse. She was just a victim of uncaring humans.

  She was born in a small town in a place called “Georgia.” Her mother and father were both Paints, even though she never actually met her father. She was born at a breeding barn, so she was able to grow and frolic with many colts and fillies her own age. As soon as she was old enough to be weaned, she and all the other foals were sold and sent off to their first homes, to make room for the next batch of foals that were soon to be born.

  She was sold, with a couple of her friends, to a trainer. There she learned her ground manners. The trainer started by teaching her to let humans groom every inch of her, including her belly and her legs, and to wear a halter without complaining. From there her education went to learning riding commands, through my least favorite activity in the world – lunging. Sugar didn’t mind any of it, though. She wanted to make her humans happy. Even when it was time to saddle, bridle, and ride her, Sugar didn’t mind. In fact, she enjoyed spending time in the woods so much that she looked forward to each ride. When her training was almost complete, she was sold again.

  She went through a series of owners. Most of them were kind to her, and rode her a lot in the beginning, but after awhile each owner’s enthusiasm for her shrank and she was ignored. The reasons for her being sold were as numerous as her owners: humans going back to school, growing apart through divorce, having a baby and preferring the baby’s attention over horses, humans losing their jobs and not having the money to feed her, or getting new jobs and not having the time to spend with her. It didn’t seem to matter the reason, the end result was always the same: Sugar was sold again.

  Before coming to Daisy’s, her last home was her favorite. She’d been rescued from a family who had recently broken up and divorced. Somehow, someway, Sugar was forgotten about again. While not being physically abused, like Jake had been, she was a victim just the same. She was given hay once or twice a day and then left to her own devices. Her hooves were ignored, she wasn’t groomed, she wasn’t loved.

  One of her former trainers found her. She remembered what a good and quiet horse Sugar has always been and rescued her from her loneliness and neglect. Sugar was excited to have a job again. Her new home was a place where humans in need could come and find comfort in horses. Some of the humans had physical problems, some had emotional problems. They would come out, groom the horses, and talk to them. It gave everyone, horses and humans alike, a purpose. It was eerily similar to Wade and me.

  While Sugar’s calm and easy going, she is a tall animal. Her size alone scared some of the people seeking comfort, and it wasn’t too long before Sugar was left in her stall while all of the other horses went to work. She was beginning to see the cycle repeat itself yet again.

  I told her that her constant traveling was over as of the day she backed out of the trailer and found her new home here. While Sugar will never replace Jake, she seemed to be a good friend. She actually has a lot of Jake’s mannerisms which helped keep his memory alive. She rumbles in the morning for her breakfast, she always turns and waits for cookies after being turned out, and is the most food motivated animal I’ve ever seen, after Jake himself, of course.

  It’s different. It’s not better and it’s certainly not worse – and life has to, and must, go on. We’ve eased into a new sense of normal now. Daisy and Rex spend more time with us, riding the trails and back woods of Florida. Each day their sadness is lifted

  a little bit more. I’ve finally stopped looking for my big, bay Percheron friend across the breezeway, and now find comfort in Sugar’s painted body.

  Life has become calm and quiet again, but I know it won’t last too long. Daisy becomes bored and restless with too much routine. It won’t be long before I see Wendy pull up again, and know that another show is right around the corner. For now, I’m going to spend my days grazing with Sugar, chasing Cuzzin, and enjoying trail rides with Daisy on my back and Rex riding Sugar beside me.

  And that’s my story.

  Epilogue

  Kobi’s story is based on his real-life events. Every person and every animal’s name has been changed except for the big stars: Kobi, Big Jake, and Sugar.

  Researching Kobi’s past has proved to be an interesting journey for both of us. Thanks to the phenomenal record-keeping, his freeze brand, and their willingness to share their information with me, the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pieced together all of Kobi’s past, from his actual round-up and capture in the plains of Nevada until his adoption in Jacksonville, Florida.

  The BLM stepped in on the horses’ behalf in 1971. That was when Congress established the Wild-Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act which declared that “…wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West….” The Act gives the BLM the authority to manage, protect and control any wild horse or burro that is unbranded, unclaimed, and free-roaming found on public lands.

  When the Act was first established, there were over 25,000 wild horses and burros on the western plains. Now there are over 38,000. The BLM controls the pop
ulation through fertility control, and has given the vaccine to nearly 3,000 mares, with no significant change in herd sizes. Herds double their population every four years, so there are annual round-ups, with the same herd being rounded up every three to five years. The land that the horses roam can sustain about 27,000 horses and burros. Since there are over 38,000 horses and burros roaming there now, there is risk of overgrazing, leading to animal starvation. Thus the need for round-ups and adoptions. Since the program was established, the BLM has placed over 217,000 horses and burros in private homes. Like mine.

  All of the mustangs captured by the BLM are freeze-branded with a unique code. As the name suggests, freeze-branding does not use the traditional and painful methods of hot branding, but instead uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the skin a few seconds, branding the horse with little pain. Each freeze-brand starts with the characters US, which is unique to the Bureau’s mustangs. Following the ‘US’ is a pattern of symbols, which indicate the horse’s year of birth, and a unique six-digit serial number.

  Based on Kobi’s freeze brand and serial number, 02585761, the BLM was able to tell me he was born on the Nevada plains during 2002. He was captured in December 2003. In January 2004, he was sent to Palomino Valley Preparatory in Nevada. Palomino Valley is a 160-acre holding pen to separate the mustangs as well as to give them their freeze-brand, vaccines, de-worming, and hoof trimming. From June until September he did time in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas. After his release, he was sent to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma to a 400-acre holding pen where he stayed until he was sent to the Jackson, Mississippi Field Office for adoption placement in February 2005. The Jackson Field Office sent Kobi to Jacksonville, Florida, where he was adopted in a matter of days.

  Ever since he “became” Kobi, as described in Chapter 6, I have had the honor of being his human. This book tells the story of our journey together, and most of the ups and downs that we went through. While I don’t think I would want to make the journey all over again (especially the falls and the bruised ribs), I wouldn’t change a thing! It has been an exciting and rewarding ride together. Kobi is a remarkable horse.