Stormy night

It's pouring rain and Merlin is sleeping in his shelter. It was a cloudy day, we had to cancel his training since the rain moved in early afternoon, and Merlin tends to get anxious when the weather is cloudy and windy. But he did have a couple of hours in his favorite pasture, grazing the still green and juicy grass, even though it is middle of December. Winter in Florida is not bad.

So, normally most people are used to associating the name Merlin with King Arthur. And sure, Merlin - a 13 year old thoroughbred rescue horse who used to race - can be quite the little wizard. But he's also quickly become the King of our ranch: Blueberry Heaven Ranch.

As I mentioned, he used to race, but he wasn't very good at it. He likes to take it slow, and being in a hurry on a race track was not his speed. And, as too often happens with these horses, he was discarded and sold, and eventually ended up in Central Florida. Long story short, when we found Merlin, he was living alone in a pasture, surrounded by cows and donkeys, but there was nobody there to keep Merlin company, other than an old lady who couldn't do much more than feed him and love him. I was so happy when she decided to leave Merlin in our care when she sold us the property.

He's no longer alone, he has a trainer and our company every day, and all the carrots and apple slices he can handle. Soon, we hope to bring home another rescue horse so Merlin has company the way horses should. They are herd animals and shouldn't live alone. And I suspect he'll be excellent at holding court with his new companion, whomever that might be.