PILGRIM'S PROGRESS!
Click on any of the photos for a larger view!
2/17/02 - Pilgrim was picked up from his former home.  He was said to be an 11 year old, but I am sure he is much older.  He had a very thick coat of hair.  His feet are in very, very poor condition.  All of the horses took him in and he did great his first night with us.
2/18/02 - Pilgrim received a good grooming today.  He had severely matted hair that was all the way down to the skin that visibly hurt him when I brushed it, even after conditioning it, so I had to shave it off (you can see some of the spots on the photo on the right).. he doesnt look too pretty right now, but he will.  We put him on a Yucca supplement and weight builder supplement.  We have to be careful about feeding him too high of a protein diet because of his current hoof situation..  His tail was dragging the ground and was very matted, we had to remove 1/2 of that too.  It took almost 15 minutes per hoof to clean them inside and out... they are all full of thrush and were caked in manure.  He was a bit sore for a few hours today after medicating his hooves.  He seems to be mildly arthritic, but nothing to worry about - we started him on MSM & Yucca supplements to help with that..  He had a necrotic odor to him, and we knew why when we investigated his sheath... we cleaned him thoroughly today and will give him a second cleaning tommorow to ensure we got this done thoroughly. 
Click on any of the photos here for a larger view!
2/21/02 - Today our farrier, Brent Zorn trimmed Pilgrims feet.  He looked much better, but certainly didnt feel that way.  He was pretty sensitive and slow moving the remainder of the day. We are going to put some heel lift shoes on him within the next few trims. I notice he still has a rather "lost" look in his eye.  I investigated into his past a bit and found that he is approximately 18-20 years old.
2/25/02 - Wow!  Somebody certainly is feeling much better!  Pilgrim is beginning to mix with the herd a bit and has been even trotting around.  The MSM must be doing wonders for his joints (it doesnt work on every horse the same unfortunately).  He's a great eater and loves to come in and be attended to.  Will get some new pics up this week!. 
3/07/02 - And I thought this guy was feeling better last week!  This just isn't the same guy that came in here a few weeks ago with no life in his eyes... Pilgrim really has a BIG personality!  I have even seen him playing "halter games" with the 2 year olds we have here.  I am also absolutely amazed by how he is currently moving about and how smart this one is!  He knows EXACTLY when its feeding time and is waiting at the gate to be let into the barn... and, he knows exactly which stall is his and those other horses better just stay out of the way because he was in line FIRST! He's gained a bit of weight too since his arrival, so we are going to be sure to start exercising him to keep him fit! He is truely beginning to shine!  We are in the process of investigating his Tattoo information to find out his actual date of birth and other history on this big fella!
3/25/02 - The Jockey Club does have information on Pilgrims Tattoo, we just have to scape up the funds to get it.  I know $35 isnt much but we would deem this a luxury right now.  I cant wait to give Pilgrim a bath!  He is shedding out very nicely and I'm hoping to see a very nice looking guy in a few weeks!  He measured out at 985 lbs. so he's gained 10lbs. so far... not much, but you cant put weight too fast on a horse... and we haven't been building up his muscles yet and that will make a tremendous difference.  I am SUPER happy with his hoof condition.  We have been adding Biotin to his feed to help improve their condition.  I think my farrier will also be pleasantly surprised too!  He had trimmed them off square to help his weight balance and Pilgrims hooves are now almost the natural shape they should be without a new trimming yet.  He will be out on 4/17 to see him again.  Pilgrim has been galloping around the field just for the fun of it.  I am sooooo happy with his progress.
4/22/02 - Slowly but surely our boy is putting on weight.  We recently bathed Pilgrim and gave him a full body shave.  What an amazingly patient horse!  This was no little job and he was soooo good for us.  The farrier was out to see him on 4/17/02 and trimmed Pilgrim.  We could not yet put shoes on him as he still doesnt have enough hoof wall yet.  We are hoping by the next visit in 7 weeks (June 5th) that he will be ready.  He came off pretty sore after his trim.  He really is a beautiful horse under the pounds of hair we removed!
10/02/02 - After 8 MONTHS of hard work, things are finally paying off!  We finally had Pilgrim Shod on 9/28/02!  YEAH!  We are so happy with his current hoof condition!  (photos will be up by 10/04/02).  We rode him in the ring today under english tack.  He moves out via voice command and appears to be well trained.  We are not sure if he has any weight limitations at this time.  My 9 year old daughter rode him and absolutely adores him.  He moved into his canter without any coaxing and really seemed to want to go, so we don't know if he will be suited for a beginner.  YEAH FOR PILGRIM!
First Trim (FEB'02)
OCT'02 with my 9 yr old
OCT '02 with my 9 yr old
First shod - OCT '02
10/09/02 - WELL LOOKIE HERE!  Mr. Pilgrim went out on a 4 mile trail ride with us.  He rode beautifully and came back (and still is after two days) sound.   He was very nice to ride on the trails and was respectful of his rider and not as hard to handle as I had imagined.  He felt really good to get out, but was a great mount!