Just before Don and I married in 1998, I had purchased AAPiekna, a 17-year-old Polish Arabian broodmare. It's a good thing Don, a professional horseman, came into my life then because AAPiekna was still quite lively for an old girl. I wasn't experienced with horses and didn't know how to handle AAPiekna well. During our first few months of marriage, Don helped me learn to work with AAPiekna. Don and I then talked about acquiring a second horse so we could trail ride together.
Before we could pursue that plan, we received a life-changing call. A representative from the Humane Society contacted Don and asked if he would please help rescue 18 starved and neglected horses. The horses were so frightened that Humane Society volunteers couldn't catch them. They knew that Don was a good hand with horses and could catch them if anyone could.
Don hooked up his 4-horse stock trailer in case the Humane Society needed assistance delivering horses to their foster homes. We stopped and picked up neighbor, Vera Grey on our way to the rescue site. Vera was also a good hand with horses. The Humane Society needed all the help they could get. Don has always had a God-given gift to work with animals, especially horses. He also learned a lot about horse training from his grandfather, Don Colwell. Don started helping his grandfather with horses at age 8 and continued throughout adulthood.
When we reached the Humane Society, horses were running around frantically in all directions, trying to avoid capture. It was obvious that they were terrified and didn't trust people. Don's demeanor was calm and confident. He was able to catch and halter all 18 horses. One little chestnut filly kept escaping her new foster parent. She ran right back to Don a total of 3 times and attached herself to his heels. As Don continued to catch other horses, this little filly continued to follow Don just like a dog. Each time Don handed her off to someone, she would break free and reattach herself to him (this was Puddin). Don finally gave up, picked up her lead rope, and hauled her along with him. All except a few horses were loaded in trailers and off to their new homes, so we prepared to leave. Don had his little filly. I was still holding a very skittish bay filly (Brook) and Vera was still holding a gray filly (LaSheena). Don said, "Well, I guess these three can go home with us for now."
