"Reggie"
OTTB, Chestnut gelding foaled in 1982
Arrived TGC 1-16-15
Passed away 6-20-16
Reggie's owner posted on a FB page to find him a home, as she could no longer afford to care for him. Sadly, so many people immediately suggested euthanizing him, simply because he's 33 years old.
Here's what she wrote about him:
The only part of his tattoo I am certain of is that it starts with the letter L, which means he was born in 1982 (33 years old). The tattoo is quite faded and it's difficult to get Reggie to keep his lip still, which doesn't make trying to read it any easier.
History
I found Reggie in July 2006 in less than desirable conditions. He was underweight, his hooves and teeth were in need of attention, and he was sitting in a pen all day as a companion to a young horse. He was not the kind of horse I had been looking for, but Reggie tugged on my heartstrings and I knew he had to come home with me. After a little TLC, Reggie became my riding horse. I took lessons on him and my friend Anna took him for long, leisurely trail rides. I retired him from riding in 2010 due to his age. Later that year, Reggie became a therapy horse with Special Spirit, Inc, a nonprofit organization that provides equine assisted therapies to special needs children. The job was perfect for him, as it was very light work (mainly walking with clients typically under 60 pounds), and he took to it like a duck to water. His calm, quiet, willing temperament made him a favorite among staff and students alike. Early in 2014, due to his advanced age, Reggie was officially retired. Reggie has helped improve and enrich the lives of so many people, and I'm so grateful that he can enjoy his twilight years at TGC.
Reggie is a very sweet, gentle, and affectionate horse. He is not suitable for any riding, but he's still quite lively; he regularly bucks & canters about in turnout and you should see how animated he gets at feeding time. He was used in therapeutic riding and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for ~4 years; first picture below is an example of one of the many wacky EAP activities he didn't bat an eye at. Reggie loves people & kids and gets along well with other horses. Before he came into my life, he was kept as a companion to a couple yearlings/2 year olds. He has a small blind spot in his left eye from a corneal ulcer but it does not impact his functioning at all. As with many geriatric horses, Reggie has bad teeth and the majority of his diet is soaked pelleted feed (oat hay pellets, rice bran pellets, Equine Senior). He's been barefoot for 4+ years and has pretty solid feet aside from persistent small toe cracks. Farrier says they're caused by fungus within the hoof and is not really concerned about them – trims every 8 weeks keep his feet in good shape
She and I talked, she drove to TGC to look at the facility and horses and four days later, Reggie arrived!
I'm glad to say a couple months after his arrival Reggie has joined Jeeps and Queenie. Here he is with his new friends...
Reggie, at 33, is clearly a special needs guy! Extra special feed; a look at his teeth by the vet, and his feet by the farrier, and thin as he is, arriving at TGC in the dead of winter, he needs our help. Can you offer a monthly amount to help this very deserving guy have some golden years?
I'm happy to say that DeeDe G. has stepped up as part sponsor for Reggie! In addition Reggie is now also sponsored by Anne L! And now, Sue Holland has joined his crew of sponsors! Thank you Ladies all! Can you join these ladies to help us help him?
