Full of Flies

Went to visit Walter this morning but the horse flies were so bad, I could not even talk to him for fear they might end up in my mouth!  Just look how they took over his face :-(

Seldom if ever does his owner clean out his corral and with the temperature reaching 89 degrees today the stench was awful.  This is a health hazard but being downwind from the corral he could care less!

Last year when he was grazing at our property I tried to rub vinegar and water on his face but he would not let me.  Of course that only helps if his corral is kept clean.

This evening his owners had not come back yet so I fed him some pellets which he quickly devoured, then I had to talk him into drinking a gallon of water.  I had just finished doing that when his owners got home at 9:15 p.m.

I remained outside watering the trees and plants but no one came to see how he was doing.  Went back with my flashlight and confirmed that he had not been fed...guess he is still on morning feedings.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

He is still ignoring me

You would think after a couple  days of absence he would be happy to see me...but he is still ignoring me.  If he were a kid I would say his parents told him not to speak to me but being a horse...that is not a possibility!

Yesterday I spotted the kid and his father backing up the horse trailer and loading him up.  I wondered where they were taking him and for how long.  We had an event to get ready for so I did not dwell on the subject too long.

We got back late last night and I could not tell whether or not he was back in his corral.  This morning when I went to take out the trash I could see he was eating his hay.  I walked up to the fence line but like I have mentioned before, when he is eating he is oblivious to the world.  Only one time before they vanished him for a week did he actually stop eating and walked up to me.

I do not know why I have a feeling that perhaps they are breeding him.  I certainly hope not because I am sure his owner is expecting another horse in return :-(

Thanks for visiting Walter's World.

Walter is mad...at ME!

Remember I mentioned that Walter was yawning a lot?  I am still intrigued by that.  Even took some pictures but I do not know what I did to my memory card and now it wants to copy all the pictures not just the recent ones to my computer :-(

Anyhow I went to take him some water but he did not want any and started yawing.  I was holding his pink bucket and set it down on the fence so I could take his picture.  I will be darned if he did not up and toss the darn thing full of water and got me wet!

I told him what a bad boy he was for doing that and he did his horse sound, shook his head and left me talking, lol!  Just like he did the day I reprimanded him when he took off through the downed back fence and would not let me catch him!

That was yesterday around noon.  I came back in the afternoon and he just ignored me and stayed on the other side of the corral even though I called him to the fence several times.

This morning his owner was welding something for his new shed so I could not go visit him until he left.  Would you believe he is still ignoring me?  Have NO idea what has gotten into that horse :-(

My little Walter is back :-)

I could help but feel sad when I looked at his empty corral as I turned the corner to come home.  I am so used to seeing him there all the time.  This was around 3:45 p.m.

This afternoon at 7:00 p.m. I went to close the main gate and as I turned to look toward his corral...I SAW WALTER!!!   I was so happy I forgot about the gate and went to see him.  He was calm, his eyes were sad looking and  he was a little thin.  He just stared at me as I petted him and told him how much I had missed him.

I looked around and noted that the two horse trailers had not been moved, his owner's truck was not there...so who brought him home?  I did not even see the kid or his brother around and there was no car in the driveway.

Oh well...it does not matter, at least he is back home!  I went to bring him a gallon of water but he only drank 1/2 of it and did not seem very thirsty.  However he sure yawned a lot.  I let him be as it was still daylight and I did not want to be seen watering him.

I noted that he  had snot coming out of his left nostril, he looked dirtier than usual and his hind hoof still seem to be bothering him...so he obviously was not taken to the vet.

As I was watering mother's trees I heard noise by his corral but since it was dark could not make out who it was.  After making sure no one was around anymore...I went to look and someone had given him some horse pellets...yep, in that same dirty ice chest!

 I left so he could eat and came back later with some more water but by this time he seemed more agitated and he kept on looking toward where his hay was.  He drank less than half a gallon and went back to looking at the hay stack and moving his head from side to side.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

No news is good news?

I am trying to think positive and remembering that in the past whenever the owner had a problem with the Sheriff on account of Walter... he would vanish him to his cousins house for a week or two.  Even though to my knowledge he quit having problems after I gave up and stopped reporting him.

Spot where I last saw him laying

Walter is a pretty big horse and if he had been dragged it would show on the poop dirt floor in his corral. Another thing is there is this big round wire thing in the middle and they would have had to move it out of the way to get him out and it would also show on the dirt.

I am thinking Walter walked out of the corral on his own and was taken somewhere...I am hoping a vet, though to be honest I don't think he has ever been to one in his life.

I have not seen the owner's truck since Thursday, just the wife's car.  No sign of the two boys either, so I could inquire as to his whereabouts.

Please keep a good thought for Walter.

Cautiously Optimistic

As I mentioned on my other blog, yesterday we went for our monthly shopping trip to Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico.  I went to bed late the night before and woke up early (for me) in order to do all the things required such as getting passports ready, loading ice chests, etc. etc.

I brought the car around to the front and I could hear Walter's owner hammering away in the shed he is constructing.  Walter was looking in the direction of the shed but he heard me and looked my way but then turned away.  I was happy he did that so his owner would not suspect we are buddies.

I was running very late and I calculate we left about an hour later at 12:05 p.m.  We live almost at the corner and when I turned to look toward his corral I did not see him...then I noticed he was laying on the ground much like a dog lays down to sleep except that horses sleep standing up!

By this time I had turned to the main street that leads out of the sub-division and is heavily transited.  I drove slow but I saw no movement and by now had cars in back of me so did not go back.  In a way I did not panic because about four days ago I saw him laying in the ground trying to get something off of his hind hoof.  This is not the first time I have noticed something was bothering that particular leg and I have told that kid so in more than one occasion.

We got back at 6:15 p.m. but Walter was nowhere in sight.  Where was he?  Did his owner take him to the vet?  I waited until almost sun down and drove my black car which unlike mother's cars is not easily recognizable and drove slowly by his house to see if maybe he was tied to the back of the house or to the shed...but I saw nothing!

By force of habit looked out the kitchen window this morning hoping to see him as I do every morning. At noon I saw his owner backing up a horse trailer very close to our fence line but Walter was not on board.  He also moved his junk trailers as if to block the view from the street to the corral.

Mother wanted to go see how close the horse trailer was to the fence. When we were on our way, we saw that the owner and his kids were outside and she decided she no longer wanted to go saying she did not want problems with the neighbors. I asked her "what kind of problems mother?...you are inside your property and within your rights to see how close that trailer is" but she declined.

They were outside all day it seems. It was late this afternoon until I was able to go check out the corral to see if there was any hint of what may have happened to Walter but all I saw was kind of a sunken place in the ground where I last saw him laying.  I am cautiously optimistic he might be at the vet but all this trailer movement around his corral does not bode well for his return.

Thank you for your visit to Walter's World.

Change in feeding schedule

Yesterday when we got back from the lake the red truck his owner drives was not there.  This morning there were no cars at his house so went to pay him a visit.  About an hour later I saw the top of a cowboy hat and grabbed my binoculars...sure enough it was his owner.  A while later I saw the kid inside the corral and then Walter chewing his hay.

His owners property sits on higher ground than ours. The only place I can get a good look at the driveway (now that he built a tall cinder block shed) is from our main gate.  Had to make a trip to town so went to open it and as I looked toward his driveway I noticed that he brought back a beige truck. When I passed  his house there was a camping trailer that was not there yesterday with a For Sale sign.

This afternoon I was hand washing mom's van and dad's old car as Walter looked on from his corral. Then I watered the trees and in all this time never saw anyone come feed him. Seems they changed his feeding schedule to mornings versus late afternoon. The beige truck was no longer there but the wife's car was in the driveway.  It was dark already so went and took him some pellets to tie him over.

Thank you for your visit to Walter's World.

Did I keep my word?

If you are wondering if I kept my word and stayed away from Walter's corral...well, sort of?

Saturday afternoon as I was watering the trees and weeds he kept trying to get my attention. It just broke my heart to have to ignore him.  After I finished I went inside but my conscience got the best of me so I snuck on over there (it was dark already) and spent some time with him being ever vigilant not to be seen.

Tonight after we got back from the Lake I went to pay him a visit.  He seemed calm and even though he was eating he came to the fence line and I petted him and then let him go back to eating his supper.

His owner's red truck was gone so hopefully he went back to work?  If the kids would only go away for Spring Break then he would have it made in the shade :-)

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

Morning Feedings?

Once again someone fed Walter this morning.  He was leisurely eating his hay as I paid him my first visit of the day.  I can not actually see inside his water barrel but it was in the same position as yesterday.  On one side he is fed but on the other he is not watered.

As long as I am in Del Rio and I am physically able to do it...I will water him.

It saddens me that the weekend is here and worst yet that it is Spring Break because even though I would like to I can't feed or water him when his family is home.

This morning he drank 4 and a half and this evening 6 and a half gallons of water.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

A Noble Gesture

On my morning visit I was surprised to find Walter had some hay in his corral. This could only mean that the kid did not get around to feeding him last night or that they are not coming home until late this evening or perhaps both.

Have I mentioned that when Walter is eating he is oblivious to others?  He flat out ignored me as I watched him eat.  He then proceeded to his water barrel and his head really went down deep so it was obvious the kid had not filled it up.

I came back with my milk jugs as our water hose wont reach all the way to his corral.  He only drank two and a half gallons.

I was vigilant all afternoon but I never saw the kid feed or water him.  His mother's car was in the driveway and when I saw it leave I went back with more water.  He was really thirsty by now and as I was watering him the owner's dog entered the corral and peered through the fence to see what was going on.

I am kind of afraid of him because he can get mean in a New York second but it was obvious he was thirsty too!  If he had come around to my house I would have given him water but I was afraid to do so over the fence and then he turn on me and bite me.

This is when Walter did something unexpected...he got a drink and he put his face to the dogs tongue and released the water so he too could get a drink!  I was so touched by this noble gesture on his part it left me in awe of him!

To reward him I fed him a little extra horse pellets this evening :)

With his owner gone, his wife at work and the kids in school...went to visit Walter and offered him some fresh water but he didn't want any.  Came back with his horse pellets which he gobbled up. Once again I offered him water but he drank less than half a gallon.

I usually go pay him a visit late in the afternoon but I took a four nap and did not wake up until close to 9:00 p.m.

Thank you for your visit to Walter's World.

New Bag of Horse Pellets

This morning I could hear Walter's owner hammering away.  He is almost finished with the roof of his cinder block shed. 

We had several errands to run in town.  When we came back he was finished and he was no where in sight.  I recalled that last week he too left on a Tuesday afternoon.  His wife's car was not on the driveway and no one appeared to be home, so I went to visit him.

He seemed calm and he had water.  I am thinking he got fed before his owner left :)

Late this afternoon I decided to rake some leaves and water the trees and weeds.  Saw that the owner's wife and kids came home but no one went to the corral. 

I still had his new bag of horse pellets in the mini-van which I had not yet placed in individual containers so decided to do that as we will be taking that vehicle into town tomorrow.  Ran out of yogurt and butter containers so decided to feed him the rest which he happily obliged.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

Feast or Famine

Yesterday afternoon I did not see the red truck Walter's owner was driving and figured he had gone to work out of town.  However, he came back late Sunday afternoon in a beige truck.  That is when I saw him and his kids bringing Walter some treats and then went to the church parking lot to kick a ball around.

This morning I was on my way to the corral but I saw that the truck was still there, so I came back home.  Sorry Walter :(

Late this afternoon Walter was trying to get my attention as I was picking up storm debris from the prior wind storm...as another one is expected tomorrow.  Decided to pay him a visit but was swarmed by horse flies.  This is to be expected as they never remove his feces which is a health hazard. Since the corral is downhill from his owner's house he apparently does not care if it stinks or bothers the neighbors.

He had water but they had not fed him.  Maybe his owner gave him something earlier but he is usually fed late in the afternoon and I did not see any evidence of that.

It is feast or famine in Walter's World.              

Weekend Remorse

On weekends I try to keep a low profile as Walter's owner comes back to Del Rio from wherever it is that he works and all the family is home.

Yesterday he kept on looking at me every time I went outside and moving from side to side to get my attention but I had to ignore him.  I love Walter but I love my mother even more and I don't want his owners to come to the conclusion that it has been me who has been reporting them all these years.

Sometimes I even feel like his owner is testing me by purposely not feeding or watering him to see if I will call the authorities and confirm his suspicions or maybe I am just being paranoid.  Late yesterday afternoon I could not help myself and I went to check up on him and his water tank was partly downed which meant he had no water.

Had to remind myself that he has his owners to look after him on weekends.  This morning I went to start mother's mini-van as I needed to go into town.  He did his horse sound and was moving from side to side.  I caved in and went to his corral and sure enough no water and no food.  What he did have was his face covered with horse flies.

Yesterday I had gone to Sutherland's but lord and behold it was 8:15 p.m. and the store was closed so this morning I went back to buy Walter's horse pellets and I was lucky as that was the last bag.

When I was coming home, I slowed down as I passed his house.  Since they cleared the overgrown bushes and cactus a while back I could see his barrel was upright  and he was eating hay.  That made me feel a little less guilty.

Late this afternoon I was watering mother's trees when I saw his owner and the two kids walking to the corral.  They had a bag of something that they placed in the ice chest where they usually feed him.  Was very surprised to say the least.  The father waved at me and I reluctantly waved back.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Went for my morning visit with Walter and found him eating his own feces.  That is never a good thing and just tells me what I already know...he is not fed enough and is hungry.  I should be used to this as I have seen him do this so many times but it still angers me.

I looked at his water barrel but could not tell even with the sun bearing down on it, if it was full or empty.  I try to always offer him water before food otherwise he wont accept the water as he would rather keep on eating.  However after seeing him eating poop, I decided food was more important.

I am almost out of his 50 lb bag of horse pellets but I was waiting on mom's mini-van to be fixed because it is easier for me to be able to unload it a little at a time while the bag is in an upright position as with my bad back there is no way I can lift it and carry it in the house.

I usually put them in butter or yogurt containers to seal in the freshness and to make the portions more manageable and then I place them in my giant size cooler so no critters like mice come calling.

After feeding him I offered him water but he declined, so I let him be.  Came back an hour later but he still would not drink the water so I figured there must be water in his barrel.

Again this afternoon we had to go into town, it was 6:00 p.m. but I did not see the kid or his mother's car in the driveway.  We came back an hour later and the ladies car was home but there was no sign that he had been fed.

As I made my way to his corral he was moving from side to side agitated.  He devoured his pellets.  Like this morning I offered him water but he wanted to flip it over, so I suppose he was not thirsty.  I could see the television was on at his owners house so they were clearly home.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.