By: Sue Wortman

It was May when Bohdan came into my life. Bohdan means “Given by God” in Russian, and to me, he truly is a gift by God.

This magnificent animal’s story begins in a pasture that my husband and I passed each Sunday on the way to church. We usually saw Bo, as I call him, grazing in his pasture with his pasture mate. Even from the car, I noticed that his ribs showed and his spine stuck out. On one particular Sunday, I found him lying down. I know this was life threatening as a result of the knowledge I had gained as a member of the Horse Protection Society of North Carolina so I made a formal abuse complaint to Joan Benson the director of HPS.

On Monday she and I drove by the pasture to check Bo’s condition. The urgency of the situation was immediately apparent. We headed directly to the house to discuss Bo’s predicament with his owner. Even though he seemed a caring person, it was evident he had no clue about the proper care and feeding of older horses. Bo, as we learned from his owner, was (33) years old with a very gentle spirit. He call Bo to us so we could examine him. He was extremely underweight and his body condition was considered a two and a half according to the Heneck Body Condition Scale of (1) through (10), with (1) being near death. Bo was extremely stiff in his hind legs and could barely bend his hocks. He also had a tendency to drag his left hind leg. Joan and Bo’s owner discussed his diet, which at that time was sweet feed, hay and grass. She told him that Bo needed pelletted food that would practically melt in his mouth and medicine for the arthritis in his back legs. At this point Bo’s owner decided that he could not afford to keep Bo and it was decided that he would join the herd at the HPS’s sanctuary, “The Rocking Horse Ranch”.

When Bo arrived at the ranch several days later, he was put on pelletted food and arthritis medicine twice a day. His improvement was clearly noticeable within a week. Even the other members at the ranch could see how handsome he was becoming. His coat darkened to a beautiful orange red which shown like copper after his bath. When the horse dentist arrived to check Bo’s teeth we found that the reason his food fell out of his mouth when he ate was because some of his teeth had sharp edges and he could not chew-one tooth edge had actually cut his tongue badly along the side; and most of his teeth were worn down to the gum line.

My main goal became a continuity from rehabilitation. I began sponsoring him in the Tender Loving Care sponsorship program we have at the ranch. After working with him in the round pen, Bo and I joined up and became best friends. The full realization of the depth of our bond hit home a few days later when he stood patiently as I learned how to groom him, pick his hooves and he put up with all my mistakes in taking care of him. Each time I worked at the ranch, Bo followed me around and “frisked” me for treats. The treat he loves best is pineapple and while I feed it to him he enjoys flicking the juice all over me as he eats. We have a great time when he eats pineapple. It has become a game with him because I laughed the first time he covered me with pineapple juice foam.

After several months of good food and the right kind of medicine, I started him on light exercise to get his muscle tone back. That was when we found out that he is a Tennessee Walker. He loved to be ridded even for the short period of time he was allowed. About fifteen minutes at the beginning with short thirty second spurts of the walking gate mixed in. He loved the different gate and wanted to do it longer, but had to wait until he was stronger.

I have worked with Bo for two years now and am deeply in love with him. He has also won many other hearts. The members and I have a joke about him because of the way he walks and have lovingly dubbed him our “cartoon horse”. He shuffles his feet and bobs his head when he walks. When I put him under saddle and start letting him do his fast walk, he becomes an entirely different horse. His head comes up, his tail is held high and his mane blows in the wind. He is so beautiful to look at and he remembers what a spectacular sight he is.

We continue deepening our bond. We still love our pineapple game. It is a privilege to know and take care of this wonderful animal. He has taught me how amazing these creatures are. How sensitive they are to our moods and our thoughts. He reads my mind and knows when I am upset or unhappy. I truly hope that we have many more years ahead of us. His owner was right about his gentle spirit and he has a gentle soul also.