This page is the full length story of Destiny, my Arab filly / mare.

Me and Destiny, Christmas 2000.

Destiny first came into my life as a scruffy, ugly, lice and wormy infested little thing in 1997. At the farm where i kept Danny there was a foal in the front paddock, i never really paid much attention to it as it was always far away and i could never get anywhere near it. But i did notice that one sunny September afternoon the foal was not in it's paddock. I thought that possibly it had been sold on and thought no more of it as i continued my bike ride to Danny's paddock. As i neared the RDA school and yards I saw my friend Katie with her colt Floyd and skid to a stop to say hello. Floyd was in the yard chewing on hay and my jaw dropped when i saw the foal in there with him. It was almost dead looking, the fur was filthy and matted and it's legs were swollen, as was it's belly with worms. Katie told me that the foal was going to be shot in the morning. I saw red, threw my bike down and stormed into the managers office where i cornered him and said that the foal was MINE. He took one look at me and agreed to help, my parents also didn't bother putting up too much fight, i think i can get pretty scary when i make up my mind so completely.

I started feeding her hay right away, she was so pitifully skinny that i couldn't wait until i had the papers in my hands. The owners stalled for time, i think they were hoping that i'd fatten her up and clean her up so they could sell her. But i had other ideas! Things were starting to look a bit desperate when suddenly the manager called me at home one evening and told me to come down. A visitor to the farm must have been disturbed by the sight of the poor filly (as i discovered with some difficulty that she was) and had called the RSPCA. This must have given the farm a bad scare and the owners must have felt the pressure because as soon as i got there the papers were ready for me. I didn't pay a cent. And all i got were two piece of paper, one stating that the filly was mine if i wanted her, and the other listing the stud where she came from!

This i could not believe! In my hands i had the scrawled note of who the filly's dam and sire were and the stud at which she was born! And in the dirt yard outside i had my dream come true in the form of a lame, sick, wormy ARABIAN filly! I won't name the stud but let's just say it is a fairly well known one. The owner was very distressed at my call explaining what had become of the filly that had been a dumped breeding. The owners of her dam never came back to collect her, and the filly was given free to good home when she was weaned. I called the vet and he came to have a look, he prescribed a very strong wormer and lots of TLC. The proper inspection of her legs would have to come later as there was no way the filly would let us near her. As i waited for the vet to fill in the forms i looked at the filly and realized just what i had gotten myself into! I had NO idea how to raise a foal, or how to train one! Then the vet asked what her name was, this was sort of funny as i hadn't even thought of anything. So, as she looked at me from behind a matted and knotted forelock, I called her Destiny.

It took a long time before i could touch her. I had to mix the wormer into the feed i had introduced, and i won't tell you the detail of mucking out her yard the next day except to say i couldn't eat spaghetti for WEEKS! Things started picking up, Danny was a big help as they'd get to chatting with each other. After i was sure Destiny (or Dessy as she quickly came to be called) wasn't sick, I'd put Danny in with her so i could pay them both enough attention. Week days were awful, i was in Gippsland studying, so i only saw them on the weekends. The Christmas holidays came and suddenly i had four whole months to do whatever i wanted! There began Dessy's training and my bout of constantly rope burned hands.

Things were going well. I could halter her, lead her around and groom her lightly. Best of all she LIKED me! One day i was training her to lead in the paddock, all was well until some kids started screaming and running to make her play up. Dessy's reared, tore the rope out of my hands and bolted. She probably would have stopped, if the rope hadn't tripped her up. That totally panicked her so she bolted blindly around the paddock until she hit the bared wire fence. I will never forget the sound of her chest ripping open as she landed astride it. I took off at full pelt and finally we managed to catch her and lead her to the sick pen. The vet arrived and gave her shots of pain killer and antibiotics. As the painkillers took hold she dropped her head into my arms and lent on me, breathing out in long sighs. The vet had to cut open a huge chunk of skin and gave me all sorts of sprays to help fight infection. For almost the whole first half of summer Destiny was locked in the sick pen. I was there all day long, spraying the cleanser on the hideous wound and keeping the sick pen utterly spotless and fly free. She had nobody but me for company so i'd read out loud or just lay there on an empty feed sack and read to myself. Dessy would stand over me or lay down not far away and we'd pass the time while she slowly healed.

Finally the wound was healed. And it was time to trim her hooves. So, Barry met Dessy. And Dessy did not exactly take what you'd call a shine to him! There was a battle of wills which Barry won and from then on she NEVER EVER tried anything over on Barry again! Soon after she was back to full strength I moved her to the top paddock with the other aggistment horses. She stayed there for a few months before the growing jealousy of another aggistor had me thrown off the farm.

I moved Danny and Dessy to the paddocks where i am now and things started looking better all around.  I made many new friends and the horses were happier than ever before. When Dessy was almost three i sent her to Barry to be trained. I know it sounds too soon but the simple fact was that she was getting bored! Barry took his time about every step, but apparently she couldn't stand the slow pace!! I on the other hand, was probably learning more about horsemanship then ever before as i watched and participated in her lessons. The big day finally came and Barry mounted up. Dessy flicked an ear back, turned her head to have a look, had a 'oh, it's you up there is it?' on her face and went off to walk around the arena just like always. I didn't know what to think!

(me getting on Destiny the very first time!)

I wasn't allowed up for a further three weeks but then when i DID mount up i felt like NOTHING could possibly go wrong ever again. I felt odd at first, she is taller but narrower than Danny, her stride is very different and she carries her head very high. Also she hasn't got the balance of a full grown horse yet. After i got her home we went for peaceful hacks at the walk into the hills, she appeared to love every moment of it. On the second last day i rode her i allowed her to stretch out into a full canter for the first time, then a gallop! It was amazing! We FLEW! I don't think we left a single hoof print because we never touched the ground! The speed was blinding! I rode her once more the following week at a walk and trot and never once did she try to canter or gallop even at the same place as we had raced before.

WInter approached and i decided to turn her away until Spring. She went somewhat feral but i think a horse is only young once, you have to let them play and be young while you can. Spring rolled in and i slowly began working Dessy again. Just lots of walks that gradually increased with time. It was going so well. I'd been riding her for about a month when I saddled her up one sunny morning and started to head out. It felt like her entire  left side disappeared out from under me. I leapt off and much to my horror discovered she had gone lame in her back leg! She hadn't limped while i was leading her into the yards!

After several calls from the vet and an x-ray we discovered that the residue of her abuse was now showing. The old owners had roped her back legs and thrown her to get a halter on her, and in the process had actually cracked one of the small bones in her hock! Surgery was the best option as otherwise she would have ended up with arthritis and would have been lame for life. The two bones had started fusing together as the healing process went over board, so the vet drilled a couple of hole in her hock, encouraging rapid growth. The bones will fuse together much faster (they would have done so anyhow)  and hopefully she will be fit to ride about mid-March 2001. I think i may give her all of winter to heal as well, even if she does get the all clear from another set of x-rays, better safe than sorry!

She was spoiled rotten at the vet's, constant supply of chaff and hay and water. But she was confined in a very small yard to keep her from moving around. And if you know anything about young horses, not being able to run and play for five weeks is terrible. So i took her out for short walks and grazing once i got the vet's okay to do so.