Phase 1 Loshenka Makeover 2024

Roman pulled down a long gravel driveway, thankful to see a roundabout at the end. They parked in front of a modest farmhouse with a wrap-around porch. The sign at the beginning of the driveway indicated that this was the right place, as well as the little sign right by the porch steps saying “Pecan Creek Horse Rescue” in simple but elegant font. Roman turned the old truck off, reminding themself to thank Dakota again when they returned to Cactus Bloom for lending the truck and trailer to them. They hopped out, going to the back of the two-horse trailer and opening the doors and lowering the ramp before heading for the house.

Roman, dressed in their usual tight jeans and baggy t-shirt, nervously climbed up the creaky steps to the front door. When they had received the email congratulating them on being allocated a Loshenka for the makeover, they were over the moon. They were even more excited to see that a rescue not too far from Cactus Bloom had the perfect candidate. Roman knocked on the quaint wooden door, white paint peeling slightly and a sheer white curtain covering the window from the inside. They heard a dog barking inside, though they couldn’t make out what kind. It sounded a little yappy, and they watched a small four-legged figure run towards the door but couldn’t see exact details. Almost immediately after, a person was walking towards the door, shooing the little dog away before opening the door. A middle-aged woman answered, much shorter than Roman with light brown hair and blue eyes.

“Hi! You’re Roman, right? I’m Renessa,” she greeted as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Roman gave her a smile, extending their hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you Renessa. Sorry I’m a little late, you know how I-35 is.”

“Oh, I know. It’s no problem! Glad you made it! So you’re here to pick up that Loshenka? She’s in the barn behind the house, I’ll take you back. I’m glad she’s going to be getting the attention she needs. She’s super sweet, you’ll love her!” the woman replied, leading Roman around the house on the porch.

The two chatted about the makeover event, and Roman gushed about how excited they were to participate. The barn wasn’t far, and the walk to it was peaceful. On either side of the house were paddocks and pastures, full of horses of all shapes and sizes. It made Roman smile to see so many horses that had found a safe haven. Once the two entered the barn, Renessa directed them to the third stall on the right. Rome had to keep themself from sprinting to see her, but they didn't have to. At the sound of the pair approaching, the horses that weren’t already looking over their stall doors had come up to investigate. The Loshenka mare was one of the first, peeking over easily and nickering at Roman and Renessa. When Roman approached the mare, they held out a hand for her to sniff, only petting her when she nudged their fingers.

Roman listened intently as the rescue owner started going over what history she knew of the mare. Rome very gently turned the mare’s head to the side when Renessa spoke about the cataract in the Loshenka’s right eye. As described, it was seemingly normal from a distance. Both of her irises were a beautiful green color. But up close, the mare’s right pupil was pretty much completely whited out. From what anyone could guess, she had been like this from birth and any number of things could have caused it. Roman simply nodded, already running through possible plans in their mind about how to help this mare.

“Have you named her?” Roman finally asked, turning back to Renessa once she was done giving them the mare’s story.

“No, I’ve just been calling her baby girl or sweetheart. You can call her whatever you would like!”

Rome nodded with a smile, excited to start thinking of names for her. After a few more minutes of chatting, the first challenge was upon them: haltering and loading the mare into the trailer. Thankfully, haltering wasn’t much of an issue, as Rome went relatively slow and made a conscious effort to convey to the mare everything they had to do on the right side. Leading was also not much of an issue, as the mare seemed content to follow Roman’s lead down the clear path to the house and around to the front.

Roman took a few moments to really get a good look at the mare out in the Texas sun. She was a beautiful gold pearl overo, with extreme mapping that Roman recognized as the Halo gene that randomly pops up from time to time in Loshenkas. She was bald, as Loshenkas typically are, unlike Hidalgo back home who was a Wulf Loshenka. She was a healthy weight, moved really well and her tail was well-kept. She seemed slightly nervous, notably when passing by shadows and trees that were on her right.

Trailering was the hardest part. The two stalls were separated by a wall, and Roman had set up a small haynet for the mare for the journey. The mare followed dutifully but nervously up the ramp, but stopped just short of entering. Roman was patient, letting her get her bearings since the wall was on her right side. After a few moments, she stepped in, spooking slightly as her hoof grazed the sidewall on the right. After some soothing, the mare quieted and Roman was able to secure her and get the trailer closed up.

After a few goodbyes and promises to keep Renessa updated on her progress, Roman got in the truck and started their journey back to Cactus Bloom with their new mare.

After a few long hours, Rome was finally “home” with his new mare. Dakota was already waiting, grinning from ear to ear in excitement for Roman. He was wearing his trademark getup: boots, jeans, band tee, and cowboy hat. As soon as the truck was parked, Dakota was peering into the trailer for a glimpse of the mare.

“You name her yet?” Kota asked, turning to his friend as they started opening the trailer up.

“I haven’t landed on anything yet, so she may get stuck with Baby Girl. I think it suits her though, she’s really sweet,” Roman replied, lowering the ramp. “She’s blind on the right side, so this might get a little dicey. Might.”

Roman went to the front of the trailer again, entering through the front to untie Baby Girl and coax her into backing out. The gold mare was hesitant, and threw her head a few times and stumbled twice as she clipped the wall to her right, but was wonderful to unload otherwise. Rome looked to Dakota, almost seeking approval despite not needing it. Kota walked up to the mare head-on, introducing himself to her much like Roman did. She nuzzled his hand, lipping his fingers a bit at the scent of some treats he had given to his horses earlier. Kota did his own assessment, seeing the stark milkiness in her right pupil.

“You got a plan?” he asked, stroking the length of Baby Girl’s face.

“For now, just get to know her. I’ve already seen some stuff to work on. I think a lot of it is nerves and lack of confidence. The spacial awareness on her right side isn’t great, but I think we can figure it out. What do you think, Baby Girl?” Roman explained, turning to look the mare in her good, green eye.

Baby Girl leaned her head into Roman, ears flicking back and forth as they scratched her neck.

Rome grinned at their friend, and Kota grinned back. Kota led them to the main barn, where a stall was freshly cleaned and waiting for Baby Girl. The stall was between Hidalgo and one of Kota’s mares, Soup. Soup was going to be on Baby Girl’s left side, and Hidalgo on the right. The overo mare greeted her neighbors, and was polite to Hidalgo, who was a gentleman like always. Baby Girl was a little unsure of Soup, who was a little enthusiastic to have a new neighbor but friendly like a big puppy. Roman led Baby Girl into her new stall and took her halter off, watching her survey the new area before pawing at the shavings. Roman closed the stall door as they left, leaning on it to watch their new horse a little more. Dakota patted them on the shoulder before dismissing himself to go tack up Felix for a ride.

Once Baby Girl had finished getting to know her new spot, she walked up to Roman for pets. They obliged, stroking her face and studying her wide blaze that went under jaw and up her cheeks a bit. They reached up and scratched between her ears, once again looking into the milky pupil of her right eye. They were sure that there were going to be challenges ahead, but they were ready to take them on for Baby Girl.