In 2006, after not having a horse for 17 years, I decided I needed one. I knew just what I was looking for. A gelding, well broke. Shouldn't be that hard to find. The search was on. After looking at many sites and finding nothing that said "buy me", off to an auction I went.
At the auction I saw all kinds of horses, but one stood out to me. A sad, skinny Standardbred mare with a pot bellied foal at her side. The mare's left hind hock was swollen and she couldn't even stand up on her hind legs. What a sad, sad sight she was. It was love at first sight for me.
When she was brought into the ring, they said her "injury" was temporary. I knew that was not true. The bidding started and I soon realized that the "meat" buyers were the only ones bidding on her. Well that was not going to happen. I started bidding and finally they gave up. She was mine!!
Okay now I had my horse, in fact I had two. Maybe three. They had said she was bred back. No gelding and neither one could be ridden. Yep, I got just what I was looking for.
Even though she was a purebred, her papers had been "lost". Her tattoo had faded so badly we couldn't get a good read on it. So her name became Amber.
This poor girl had no spark in her eyes. It was just, Tell me what you want and I'll do it.". It just broke my heart to see such a beautiful creature so down-trodden.
Getting them home and into the barn (which we built just for my new horse) was such a joy for me. The smell of horse again was like perfume! Amber didn't trust me at all, she stood in the corner with her head hanging. I took her feed and hay. I talked to her and brushed her. I also took the filly off of her so she could at least stand a chance of gaining weight if she was bred back (which she was).
I brought her home on December 10, 2006. I'll never forget the first time she nickered when she saw me, January 23, 2007. She was gaining weight at a steady pace and a little sparkle was in her eyes.
By the time she foaled she was up to her correct weight and in the mornings she would push the stall door open to get her treat and to be petted. She finally learned to love and trust me.
In August of 2008 that left hind leg became swollen and she couldn't walk. A call to the vet and I found out it was cellulitis. It was so bad her hoof had started to separate from her leg. After 8 days of me giving her an IV every 24 hours, we had won the battle. Amber was such a trooper through it all. Never once did she try to get away or move during the whole process.
June 1, 2009 I went to the barn and Amber was out in the pasture and wouldn't come in. I ran to her only to find that left hind leg all swollen again!! A call to the vet and again we started her on the same antibiotics as before. No change after 3 days as had happened before. On June 5 my girl couldn't walk at all. Just a shuffle. I was told she had developed laminitis in her other hind leg and her left front leg. She just stood there with her head on my chest and looked at me with those big beautiful eyes. I knew it was time to let her go. My heart was breaking into tiny little pieces. I only had her 2 1/2 years, not nearly enough time to make up for all the abuse she had suffered.
My vet said he could not believe all the whip scars on her. He gave her a sedative and she laid down. I put her head in my lap and just stroked her and kept telling her how beautiful she was and how much I loved her as she slipped away. My beautiful Amber was gone.
Diane
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Amber 
