Our Journey

Posted Tue, 03/09/2010 - 18:19 by Elizabeth and Amir  Elizabeth and Amir

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Cabral and I have been doing Parelli with my colt, Amir, since May 2009. . .

 

I am the proud owner of two lovely Arabians, a grey 22 year old RBI mare, Lenorra, and her rose grey 2 and a half year old LBE colt, Amir Al Mahrouss. Below is his story, from the beginning:

 

It was on June 3rd, 2007- my thirteenth birthday- that my life truly began and took up some meaning. It was on that day that my little bundle of joy firmly implanted himself in my life.
 Amir Al  Mahrouss, my grey Arabian colt, was born at 12:10 am on 6/3/07. Soon after birth he was up on his feet ready to nurse. But there was a problem. Amir’s mommy wouldn’t let him nurse until the next morning. As a result the little newborn didn’t receive enough colostrom/antibodies and had to be given a quart of plasma. At two days old the colt became lethargic, had diarrhea, and was colicking. The vet once again gave him more plasma, a routine that would continue almost every night for the next two weeks. Nothing seemed to be working, even though the baby was receiving about 10 shots and pills and was on an IV drip.
Finally we made the decision to take him to an equine hospital , where he remained for two weeks. At last Amir appeared to be improving and we were able to bring him home. The worst was over! Or so we thought. One day I noticed that he had been napping for longer than usual. I called to him, he got up, and went right back down again. Next minute he was violently rolling. This time we took him straight to the hospital, thinking that he would regain his health sooner if we did so. It was a mistake that almost cost him his life.
Once there dam and foal were separated and Amir was given 1 handful of alfalfa, 1 handful of grain , and 250 mls of water every 4 hrs. He had to wear a muzzle to prevent him from eating the shavings in his stall. More medications were added to his daily intake of drugs. We waited a week, no improvement. The colt was just growing thinner and weaker. Every night from 6pm-3am my mom and I visited him, hoping and praying that he’d make it.
It was at this time that we began to seek outside advice, consulting with vets across the state. They all advised us to bring him home and put him on a milk re-placer, we followed that advice. When Amir saw our horse trailer outside the hospital he actually tried to run towards it. He was so weak  but so determined to come home. That night we started him on the milk re-placer, ½ a quart every 2 hrs., and took him off all medications. By morning he already seemed healthier. Later that day a notable veterinarian examined him and discovered that he was severely allergic to equine proteins, due to the overdose of plasma, and had a major worm infestation. No wonder the baby was having so many health problems! As his round-the-clock feedings continued, Amir began to change from a walking skeleton to a healthy foal. During this time our relationship became even stronger. I spent 24/7 with him for three full weeks, just feeding, grooming, playing with, and kissing him. We would take a short walk around our property and then take a nap inside the tent on the lawn. He would bravely step through the swaying opening, wait until I’d spread his cotton sheet on the ground, and then lie down on it. I would then sit next to him and read a book, stopping literally every minute to make sure he was alright. Sometimes my mom and the dogs would join us and we’d all sit together, with the tent overflowing with love and happiness. Pretty soon I didn’t even need to use a halter to lead my baby around, he would just follow or walk beside me wherever I went. On one of those lovely afternoons I named him Amir Al Mahrouss meaning “Prince, the Protected One by God” in Arabic, since God answered our prayers and protected my little colt.
 

Since then Amir has been a very healthy, robust "young man". As he became older he became quite mouthy and sometimes pushy. I had no idea how to solve the problem. I was told to tap his nose whenever he'd nip, which I did (although reluctantly), and only made things worse. Amir now turned it into a game of "who grabs who first", and had great fun playing it!The next February we took him to the big Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, and had fun but didn't place. That spring we showed him at several shows throughout southern California, and came home with two firsts, two seconds, a third, and a Top Ten.

In the summer of that year (2008) we began taking Amir and Lenorra for walks around the orchards nearby, and eventually on the Volcan Mountain trail just 5 minutes from our house. We had so much fun walking and hiking all over the countryside. Amir never wanted to turn around and go home, he always wanted to go further and explore new places. He loves going somewhere new!

The next February we once again took Amir to Scottsdale, but this time we were awarded a Top Ten. We had SO MUCH fun there! Every day I walked him around the barns and we watched all the bustling activity together. Amir really enjoyed being there, but at the same time he was ready to come home when the show was over.

Once home, the problems resurfaced, and I really just had no idea how to adress them. I tried to teach him how to lunge, but that wasn't at all successful as Amir would become extremely bored and would stop after one time around. I was frustrated and depressed.

Thankfully I was introduced to Parelli in April 2009 and soon after became a Savvy Club member. In May I bought the On Line Patterns, Halter, Lead Rope, and Carrot Stick. My mom gave us the old Level 1 course from Canada for our birthday and it was then that we really started to progress. My mom has been playing with Lenorra and we are now ready to send in our Level 1 Assessment. We are so excited!

Some of our goals for the future include doing high level dressage and endurance, but the very most important thing is our relationship.

We would love to get together with other "Parelli people". Does anyone live closeby? We live in San Diego County, CA.