Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be free.
To roam the Gorge and Mountain tops with no-one chasing me.
I've longed to travel to a place that nature holds to heart.
And live a life of Freedom that no-one can tear apart.
To run along the beaches and leave footprints in the sand.
And feel the water splashing, Oh wouldn't that be grand.
To munch the fresh new partures as it breaks through nature's soil.
Or even have my ears scratched by a friend forever loyal.
But time is running out, and I fear darkness has awoke.
To cover all the hope and all the dreams of which I've spoke.
I feel him walk toward me with that needle in his hands.
I close my eyes forever leaving footprints in the sand.
KATE WHILE CONDOR's MUMMY LOOKED AFTER HER......
With her best buddy Condor, Kate is the one behind.
Sharing dinner with Condor.
Being hassled by Condor.
Now hasseling Condor.
All dressed for the winter.
Kate - Fear of the Unknown
Kate is a 28 year old, 15.2hand Thoroughbred mare. Kate was not my mummy's horse, she belongs to a friend of mummies. My mummy looked after her for about 6 years and her real owner moved her to another agistment farm about 4 years ago, and now looks after her herself. About 20 years ago Kate was rescued from near death by a horse rescue group known as Project Hope. Kate was one of there first and worst cases they had ever seen, she had been left to die in a paddock with no grass at all and heavy in foal. She was lucky to survive, though unfortunately she miscarried due to her malnutrition, which was also extremely lucky as the vets had said if she had given birth to the foal she would have died having it, she was in that bad a condition. Project Hope seized her and another horse with her and nursed her back to health.
Once the Project Hope Horses are healthy they are then leased out to people, but a close eye is usually kept on them, Somehow Kate has escaped their eyes over the last 18 years. Though maybe not. Apparently the lady who was looking after Kate nearly had her taken off her due to neglect, but when they found out my mummy was looking after Kate, and as her weight was bulking back onto her they let her stay where she was. It was the foal suckling that took all kate's weight from her and she was underweight when my mummy first saw her. I (Condor) was living at an agistment farm called Harmony Lodge at the time Kate first appeareed to me. She had a 6 month foal with her Marnie. The foal was weaned and Kate was put into the paddock with me.
Hey I thought this is my paddock, ain't no bag of bones living in here with me, I squealed and kicked out at Kate, I took an instant hating to her. Finally she was in my paddock, I attacked her viciously anytime she came near me, I hated Kate so much at first. I was so pissed off when my mummy asked Kate's mummy if she could look after Katie and to ride her. Suddenly I had to share my mummy with the one horse I hated more than any other. Our mum would have to walk between us when leading as I would constantly try to bite Kate hard!!! Kate had not been ridden for nearly 3 years when our mummy started looking after her. First Kate was fed up and she had her teeth done, which hadn't been filed for 3 years either.
When Kate started looking more like a real horse again, she became quite beautiful and I can't believe it myself, but I actually found out I loved her lots. I hated it when my mummy would take Kate away from me, I would race around and call madly hoping she would come back. One thing Kate had a fear of was roads, not the roads themselves but there was something that caused her to panic at times for no reason on roads. When my mummy moved me to a new agistment farm I was ever so happy that Kate came along too. Then Kate took to trying to kick other horses through fences, she was silly I told her not to but she would do it anyway and she hurt her leg badly twice with wire cuts. She never learnt. When we got moved to our own home, our mummy has land and we went there to live, she would constantly paw at the fence and get caught up, it was only plain wire so she would happily wait til our mummy came to rescue her.
One time while riding down a main road, Kate for no reason charged sideways out into traffic and planted herself, refusing to move and shaking badly. Danny's mummy was riding me while mummy was riding Kate, I took Danny's mummy out onto the rode to try and push Kate off, but she didn't really wanna go, she was sooooo scared. I finally pushed her off the road with the help of my rider - Danny's mummy, and we walked home slowly, by the time we reached home Kate had stopped shaking, I was so worried about her. Kate never told me what scared her so badly that it seemed to paralyse her. Something drastic must have happened to Kate in the past, which she has implanted in her memory, an old wound that time never healed, a fear that poor Kate will take to her grave. One that she will never tell anyone. I lived in the paddock with Katie for 6 years and she never liked to talk about her past. Sadly Kate has been moved to another paddock and though I have gotten on with my life without Kate, there is a hole in my heart that she left behind.
A STORY BY CONDOR ABOUT PART OF KATE'S LIFE
KATE'S UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENTS......
Kates first fight with a rusty old barbed wire fence at the agistment farm.
Kate's second fence fight. Note you can see where she cut herself the first time, she has done the same leg again, but higher up.
KATE NOW BACK WITH HER REAL MUMMY.......
Where's the grass mum?? I am not really fat.
The skin disease, ouch that must hurt.
In need of a Farrier...........
I AM FAMOUS NOW
I was born today.
My Daddy is very famous. I have lots of half brothers and sisters.
My Mother is very famous. Since she got famous, she has only had foals.
No more loving hands, no more daily grooming…just foals.
She is always sad when they leave her.
I left home today.
I didn’t want to go so I hid behind my mama.
I didn’t like you.
But, one day, they said, I would be famous.
I wonder, is famous the same as fun and good times? So, you picked me up
and hauled me away, even though you were concerned
that it took an hour to catch me.
I don’t think you like me.
My new home is far away.
I am scared and afraid.
My heart says BE BRAVE.
My ancestors were.
Did they go to good homes like mine?
I’m hungry because I can’t eat too much, because it will be bad for my bones.
I can’t play with the other horses because I might get hurt. I just wander
around my small dirt paddock, and pretend I’m in a big green field with
butterflies and robins and frogs.
I can’t understand why they hate me!
I am quiet but the man hits and says loud things.
The lady doesn’t feed me good things
like I had with my mother.
She just throws dry, dusty hay on the ground, then goes away before I can
get too close for touching and petting.
Sometimes my food smells bad
but I eat it anyway.
Today I had a baby.
He is so wonderful and warm.
Am I famous now??
I wish I could play with him
but I am so tired.
I am so young that it is hard to be a good mother.
I am so hungry!
I wish someone would throw me some food.
I am also very thirsty.
He got cold during the night and we have no shelter
and I couldn’t make him warm again.
We are very weak.
Maybe if I whinny someone will notice us and give us food and water.
Today they took us away.
It was too much trouble to feed us
and someone came and took us away
to a place with many other horses.
There were lots of people and loud noise.
Someone grabbed my foal.
He was scared.
That was the last time I saw him.
Is my baby famous now?
I hope so because I miss him.
He is gone.
I was put in a trailer with many others in it.
It is crowded and smells of urine, fear and sickness.
Why am I here?!
I was beautiful like my ancestors.
Now I am hungry, dirty, in pain and unwanted.
Maybe the worst is unwanted.
No one came, though I tried to be good.
No one spoke to me in gentle tones
or stroked my soft neck.
I am in a small pen with many horses.
I am scared and alone.
Today someone came.
They chased us from our pen
and into a room that had a chute.
One by one we are herded into the chute.
I hear screams of agony
and sounds of another thrashing
and then silence.
Someone came and put me in the chute.
Someone reached in and patted my nose.
I felt tired and laid my head over the last one who cared.
I am ready for what will come next.
I AM FAMOUS NOW.
Today someone cared.
Thankyou for taking the time to pay your respect to Kate.
MAY KATE REST IN PEACE!!!!!
Sadly today, 7th May 2003, Kate’s life finally ended. She was found this morning by her owner in horrific pain and the vet was called out immediately. She had colic and the vet spent 2 hours on her but she was extremely bad and her owner was given a choice of having Kate floated to Werribee, a couple of hours away for an emergency operation or sadly put down. Kate was in great pain and may not have made to long float trip to the vet hospital so sadly the decision was made to put her out of her pain. Kate was 28 years old and started off with a bad life but ended up living a great life free of pain and suffering.
Please all think of Kate’s life and how it nearly ended 20 years ago when she was saved by a small organization that saves horses and given a second chance. Kate was one of the worst cases they had ever come across and saved and she finished her life in comfort and love. Her memory will go on in her foal Marnie, who has many years left in her.
Kate is being buried in the National Park up in Main Ridge where she will have a little plaque placed on her grave for her memory to live on by aswell.
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A Tribute To Kate
