SPECIAL HORSE!!!

[nevadaghostridr@webtv.net (L Eisele)]

    There has been talk about LD and different awards but have to tell
you about an award my husband got yesterday on the NASTR 25, horse
excellence and why it means more than any award to him.  This award may
pale in comparison to some of your guys, yet is so special for a special
horse; if you bear with me, I tell you why.
I am posting this to those who wanted to know about LS Iceman's first
ride and how he did.
    5 years ago the owner of the mare, and friend of ours, that foaled
many good endurance horses as well as  LS Zane grey, had a colt that  at
4 weeks of age got into a neighbors pasture where he was chased thru a
barb wire fence and into a brick wall. He fractured his skull, knocked
his front teeth out, went into seizures and developed blindness due to
swelling of the brain.  Sue McCarteny gave  grave prognosis for the
foals survival.  Unable to nurse because of pain in his mouth, cuts from
running into things he could not see, he slowly lost weight till he was
nothing but bones.  After 2 weeks he  regain his eyesight with swelling
of the brain receding but most people said his motor abilities would be
affected, he would be stunted and retarded.  Louie called us and said he
was ours for free to come and get him as he figured the little guy could
live only 2 more days.
   My husband felt a special bond to this guy as he himself many years
earlier as a horse related accident suffered a fractured skull,
siezures, coma for weeks, intensive are for months and therapy for a
year.  He figured if he could survive such an ordeal so could LS Iceman.
    We soaked hairless legs scalded from infection from barb wire cuts,
in pickle barrels with epson salt,  3-4 times a day for 20 min.  Lanced
them myself as the infection came to surface.  Used a turkey baster with
saline water to cuts and ulcers in his mouth.  He no longer had a mom so
we had to mix calf manna and milk supplements hand fed and pushed grain
and hay into the back of his mouth working his jaws for him to get him
to chew.  Every hour on the hour family members went out  his little pen
to hold and caress him, to make up for the nurturing he should have been
getting from his mother.  He survived week one, and following weeks saw
weight gain and severe barb wire cuts started to heal.  He began to show
slowly that he had a great trot and athletic ability, typical of the LS
line.  It took 2 years before he looked like a healthly horse and vets
felt it was a miracle.
    Though labeled different or special by our other horses, they sense
he is different as he thinks he is a person and prefers peoples company
to that of a herds, he matured to be a tough, BIG, very loving horse.
   So when my husband went up to receive his horse excellence award
voted to him by vets that remembered this horse as being on the other
side of death...it was one of the best moments in his life and means
more than any other award he could get....I also was very proud as his
crew chief.  In my Husband's eyes
LS Iceman endured the toughest part of his rought life and from here on
out it will be a piece of cake.   Ice showed us he has what it takes to
be a good endurance horse and has made his parents proud.  Linda

Linda Eisele & Sareei and                   
hubby, Allen & LS Iceman
& the young LS Lakota
nevadaghostridr@webtv.net