“Grateful I get to have him as a partner.”

Thank you to Laurelyn for this update on one of our favorite horses! Edgar Allan Poe, who is a Saddlebred x Friesian, came to MHARF 5 years ago today from a humane case. He was 6 months old at the time and had several injuries from being caught in fencing, including injuries to his mouth and lips that kept him from nursing. He was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Edgar was an “in-patient” with guarded prognosis for quite awhile at Anoka Equine Veterinary Services. His recovery was slow, but as you can see–the effort put into him was well worth it! here is what Laurelyn has to say:
We have focused a lot on our relationship through groundwork and experiences in the past year as he continues to fill out and get stronger. Edgar’s sense of humor, intelligence and sass still shine as he is becoming more confident with himself and me. He keeps me on my toes and we both love being busy busy busy together. you saved this special horse, and grateful I get to have him for a partner.

We have focused a lot on our relationship through groundwork and experiences in the past year as he continues to fill out and get stronger. Edgar’s sense of humor, intellegence and sass still shine as he is becoming more confident with himself and me. He keeps me on my toes and we both love being busy busy busy together.

He met his match in color, sass and playfulness in my 11 y.o Icelandic gelding last fall and they are two peas in a pod! I’ve dubbed them “The Tobianos”, and they have quite the sibling relationship-rivalry. I’m pretty sure that Edgar thinks he is part Icelandic now as he was quite comfortable in their private pasture with a run in shed last winter [even with me constantly bugging him to make sure he was plenty warm enough!], and got really crabby when the heat and bugs arrived this summer.

Edgar has opinions and isn’t shy about expressing them He kind of ground ties (until he gets bored…), is quite alarmed by kids swinging at the playground, and can’t understand why I’m not even remotely concerned. He would rather play in a puddle than walk through it, and insists that I open the door so that he can look around when we stop to fuel up (much rocking of the trailer ensues if he can’t check a place out!) Weird objects are definitely things to be investigated, while tall grass must be avoided at all costs. Cows are interesting, but following one is not nearly as much fun as watching the herd or the photographer. Edgar has no problem wearing silly hats for holidays, has quite the wardrobe of fleece, fly and rain gear, but will remove any front boot or legging within minutes. Trail rides are grand adventures, but deer flies are awful. Hoses aren’t as scary as they first appear, but standing to have his [lovely] mane combed is just awful.

We worked all summer towards playing at liberty, and when the leadrope came off, he really found his stride! This fall, we participated in a demo day promoting partnerships with ur horse. Despite the distractions of spectators, photographers and extra horses, it was fun to turn up a high-energy mix and dance with Edgar. He really enjoys having a say in what we do!

I’ll try to be better about more frequent updates during the next twelve months. Hopefully many more adventures await!

Pictures and video to follow. I hope that everyone who was instrumental in Edgar’s rehab and upbringing enjoy a virtual visit with him. Share as you like. Thank you again for all you do, and I have fun “discovering” his baby album on your site last month

Laurelyn”