Secret Lives: Lucky

Secret Lives

‘Lucky’ to be Loved in His Later Years

By Nancy Johnson

It is difficult to determine who the word fits better – “Lucky,” the 34-year-old gelding who has a wonderfully comfortable loving home for the rest of his days; or his owner, Beth Boston, who feels lucky to be the one to give him the retirement he deserves.

Beth recalls meeting the palomino Quarter Horse, who was 28-yearsold at the time, and immediately being taken by him. She was living in Florida and kept her own horse and a couple of boarders at her farm.

“She basically would stop by once a month and drop off a check,” Beth says. “She wouldn’t even take the time to brush him or spend a half hour hand grazing him. I guess once she couldn’t ride him anymore, he was just nothing.” The owner had told Beth that she no longer rode Lucky because about two years prior he began dumping her when she did so. Most likely this was a reaction to pain, which is not surprising since he was obviously quite arthritic. “I just fell in love with him,” Beth says, adding, “He’s such an easy-going guy; plus, my horse, Backdraft, and he became best buddies right from the start.”

“Through a friend, I met a woman who was looking to move her retired horse that was currently boarded at a show barn. I had a stall opening up, so I offered to take Lucky as a boarder,” she explains. It quickly became apparent that the owner had little interest in the horse, who had been her partner through years of showing in a variety of disciplines.

Beth had been caring for Lucky as if he were her own for two years when she began preparations for her move to Aiken. During that time, Lucky’s owner had bought another horse that she was boarding at a show stable. “When I told her of my plans to move, she flat out told me she didn’t want to pay for him anymore and was going to put him on Craigslist!” Beth remembers. Horrified at the prospect of Lucky being abused or even winding up on someone’s dinner plate, Beth told the owner she wanted to take Lucky with her. “This horse deserves to have a beautiful life for whatever time he has left. He should be loved and cared for, so I brought him with me and Backdraft,” she explains.

Although he is a registered Quarter Horse, Beth does not have Lucky’s papers, so the details of his early years are vague. “I can’t remember his registered name; only that it is weird and the word ‘lucky’ is nowhere in it, so I have no idea where that came from,” she says with a laugh. “He came from southeast Florida where there are huge cattle ranches, so I am guessing he was bred there. I was told he started off as a cow pony and then competed in western pleasure and barrel racing.” He further proved his versatility as the woman who boarded him with Beth went on to show him in both English and western pleasure, then jumped and foxhunted him. She and Lucky even did some dressage. “How could anyone discard a horse that did all that for you?” Beth wonders.

Lucky and his buddy Backdraft adjusted well to life in Aiken where they have been for the past four years. They live on five and a half acres and are out 24/7 with access to run-ins and the ability to come into the barn anytime they choose.

Although the two horses are quite attached, Lucky is accustomed to Beth taking Backdraft out for a ride and leaving him behind. “He’ll call to him for a few minutes and then just gives up, knowing he will come back,” she says.

“Lucky is very hardy and smart. And he’s very calm,” Beth says, relaying an experience. “We had a large round bale hay feeder and a board had come off one side, so I put up two pieces of rope temporarily to keep the horses out of it. The next morning, when I went out to feed, Backdraft came right over but there was no sign of Lucky.” Because the two are always together, Beth was concerned and immediately started calling him. “I have to use a high-pitched voice because he is a bit hard of hearing,” she notes. “Still no response, so I went around the corner and saw him at the hay feeder. He looked at me, but still wouldn’t come”. As she got closer, Beth could see he had gotten his left front and hind leg on the other side of the rope and was basically trapped. “He didn’t have a single rope burn or cut. He had just stood there and waited for someone to come and find him. Not many horses would have been that smart!”

Like many older horses, Lucky does have Cushings disease (a disorder of the pituitary gland), for which he is on medication, and his coat is affected by the condition. “I could have made two horses with the hair that has come off of him this spring, and he’s still shedding!” Beth says, laughing. “Fortunately, he loves to be groomed and washed. When he is shed out and clean, he looks like a gold coin.”

Beth says Lucky’s favorite treat is apple wafers. He has no trouble eating nor does he require a special diet. “My vet has just confirmed that he still has all his teeth. I do wet his hay and he gets soaked beet pulp, but other than that he eats a regular 12% sweet feed, hay, and plenty of grass in the pasture. “Lucky still has the most beautiful lope in the pasture,” Beth continues. “He’s so graceful. It makes me wish I had had the opportunity to ride him. Even at his advanced age, he looks great; I bet you when he was showing he looked like a million bucks. . . . He is just such a joy. I can’t even imagine not having him around. I will take care of him until his last breath because he deserves that.”