# searching for a fleabitten gray arabian



## smokeyjoe1995 (Jan 21, 2013)

Heres more of his story...

Hello everyone, 
How are you today? This July 13th or so will be 8 years exact searching for Smokey Joe. You all probably want to know the story, right? Well here it goes.....

My folks got this mare that was beat the hell up... She was bleeding from infected teeth and she had been hit over the head with the metal part of the crop... She was just treated soooo poorly. We saved her  But, soon after we got her she began to grow... (She was early pregnancy when she was being beat to the point of falling down) after a few months, My mom heard a ruckus outside. (MY mom had to get up every two hours for my brother cause he was sick I don't remember what he had but it was something) after mom gave my brother his medication she went out to see what it was... She saw the horses freaking and Destiny the mother just standing. Around destineys white legs peaked this little brown nose. Mom was so excited... All I remember at 7 years old is stepping on the HUGE placenta and poking it with sticks lol I was young, so was my boy. That day Smokey Joe came into the world... 

As the weeks passed we realized we had to geld him. The vet didn't realize that he has to give Joe more medication to keep him under then say a QH. So... When they started to snip. like the MINUTE you hear the cutting... He wakes up. Freaks out (Understandably) and tries to hurt them. The vet gave him more and knocked him out COLD. He fell and gashed his head but he was okay. As he came out of the drowsiness I took care of him... I had his head resting on my leg and I was petting him and brushing him (It was the only time I could, he was a bit to crazy for me as a stud) 

As the months went by I was able to work with him more... I remember he loved MOSS. lol He'd take it off the trees. So I one time went out to give him moss... For some reason he decided that he wasn't going to eat the moss but he was going to take a big chunk out of my arm... lol Got it wrapped up but it didn't stop me! The more trouble we got into the more bonding we did....

He was born in 95 and by 97 we moved to Bend, that was a hard move for him. I remember my father said that he left the blankets on the boys and Joe freaked out and ran away and skid on the mud, sliding at least 10 feet before he slammed into a tree with his belly... he got up dazed but ran more... Keep in mind he was only 2 years old. lol Young wild Arabian.

As the months passed in Bend, I got to work with him more when I wasn't working with the others. 

The first time my father sold him he was about 4 years old... We gave him away to a gal who trains Arabians... (She still remembers him lol) I remember seeing him in a dry lot thing where he swished his tail he'd be shocked and I saw it. I was working with a gal who was a great barrel racer and I was lucky to ride her horse.  Joe was still at the ranch and I remember walking away one day, he was FREAKING OUT whinnying for me, crying, trying to bolt through the fence to me. he then calmed down when I looked at him and he started to do the black beauty head movements lol so I came over. Getting through that fence was a brat. lol Ever been shocked in the inner thigh? I have. It SUCKKKKS. So I gave him a hug and told him it's okay. The minute I started to leave he freaked again panicking and just wanting to be with me... So I told him, "If you don't like this place in a month do everything you can to come back" And sure enough... He did. In a month or so... he got fed up I guess and bolted through the fence... He had the posts hanging off him, he had the tape hanging off him. he was jumping wheel lines and attacking. The gal called mom up and said your horse is going crazy... So I told mom to tell them to tell Joe he's coming back... Sure enough they were eventually able to calm him down enough to get him back to me. lol The minute he saw me outside of the trailer, and the door opened, he bolted out into my arms. crying his eyes out. (YES horses, DO cry) 

Took me a long while to get him over the leg issues. but he eventually got over things on his legs 

I started to slowly ride him when he turned 5 years old... Didn't take long for him to figure everything I asked out... Eventually after a few weeks, we were walking, then trotting... By the time he was 6 my folks tried to sell him again... At this time we had moved to another house... They tried to sell him to a young girl. She was so excited to put him in the trailer. Big smile. While this horse was frantically trying to find me. I stood in front of him so he could see me and not pin her in the trailer. As the trailer drove away he whinnied and cried... Before he went in, I told him give it a try and see if you like it.. if not come back... lol Sure enough within a few weeks, they called us up saying he was trying to kill their family, attacking their daughter. They called him devil horse, death, and they said he should be euthanize. But the minute the trailer opened it was bolt through my father straight into my arms, this time I was able to throw the lead over his back, hop on his back and ride him back the the pen.. The guy was in shock. 

After a while we started to learn tricks, and more lessons were happening... By the time he was 8 years old... He was sold again but came back the same way. Just like the time before lead over his neck, and back to the pen. 

When Joe was about 8 years old.. Maybe 8.5. He was leased out... I had no control over the lease, he belonged to my mom. the girl who rode him knew nothing about riding or training. But they thought they did. He was put in with a big 16.3 hand ex stud, now joe is 14.2 hands, proud cut Arabian. They fought or something happened and Joe was laid up for 8 months with ripped tendons and muscles in his leg. I gave him 12 just to be on the safe side, but he eventually became a baby sitter for a young-in on the ranch. I wasn't able to do ANYTHING with him..  

By the time he turned 9 years old. I was't able to touch him or even go into the pen. That's what the boarder wanted. I couldn't take him out or ride him in there because the lady wanted to train her foal herself and she didn't want that foal being dealt with at all (Though I wouldn't touch that foal, I just wanted to ride my boy) 

I was struggling with school and neighbors trying to harm us.. I was dealing with allot, and when I got back from a HUGE event in my life and saw my father with his suitcase walking out on my mother and her drowning her sorrows. I had to make a choice in my life. My father was gone a month, I decided to drop out of High school. I was able to teach myself most anything I needed so I didn't think it was needed (I was right It's not needed for me lol) but when my father came back he didn't like that I dropped out... so he did the worst thing I could ever think of... Though he didn't know what I was dealing with... I was dealing with my councilor saying I was worthless and I Should just drop out because I'm wasting time, and I had my favorite teacher blaming stuff I DIDN"T DO on me and causing me to be suspended from parking on the school. they were doing EVERYTHING they could think of to get me out, it didn't help that I was a Senior with freshman credits. Well... July came around few days before Joe turned 10 years old... My comes up to me when i was leading my barrel horse and said, "Joe's sold he's leaving this Sunday" My heart sank. Sunday came and I handed the lead over to the new owners I used to ride with. (Now these people... They spurred their horses just for resting their legs when they were resting, they were competitive and mean) 
I whispered in Joes ear the last thing I'll ever say (Till I see him again) 
"Joe behave, change lives and be good. Try to make the most out of every situation baby blues. I'll NEVER stop looking and I'll NEVER give up!" He licked my hand put his head in my arms and cried... He walked in the trailer like a good boy but freaked the minute they shut the door, My father on the other hand said.
"Make sure this bad penny never comes back, I'm tired of him coming back into our lives do everything you can to keep him away from us" 
I told them about how he speaks, and they said that's a bad habit and will need to be broken out of him... I drove down the driveway and did a HUGE burn out on the pavement my father held dearly.. I followed for about ten miles... When they turned right, I turned left. I saw the trailer moving and heard him whinny... I CRANKED UP MY METAL and went up on a hill we have here... I was able to see all of the town, and on the way down... I put it in neutral and coasted without my foot on the break... I came close to going off the edge I pulled it back before I went fully off into the dirt down the side... I decided I wanted to live. I had a QH and I was trying so hard to keep my mind... I was devastated my best friend for years was sold. I put all my efforts into my QH... I was planning on barrel racing him... But my mom came out... She goes,
"Samantha Doc is sold, he's leaving this Sunday to the same place Joe went" 
I was DEVASTATED. He not ONLY took away my best friend who meant more to me then my father EVER could, but he took away my best chance at going into High School rodeo. 

I don't remember if I was there when Doc left... I went into a week long of not eating, I did nothing... I did a lot of crazy things and didn't seem to care if I lived or not. My friends were concerned about me. Some even helped me eat but nothing sounded good. I went to 90 lbs at 5'8 I was looking like a druggie. My mom even thought I was because that was the Hype going around at the ranch with the boarders. But my close friends new better.

I struggled and tried my hardest to find Joe... I spent all of 06 searching... I was told by the people we sold him to that he was being ridden by a little girl. The story changed daily... Eventually the little girls grandmother who owned him (In their fairy tail story) moved away to Washington.. So that's where I went to. Threw me off the trail... I eventually was told that if I didn't stop contacting the father of the girls (Who were all in their twenty's now) That I would have a restraining order put on me... My father told me that. I told my father, "GOod Put one on me, Throw me to Jail I don't care I"m still fighting and searching" I even told the father of them that I said, "You can put a restraining order on me, You can throw me in jail. But I will NEVER EVER STOP SEARCHING" 

Years passed I had no news till 2010 (I was eventually able to find doc 3 years later, the girl and her husband split and he had doc up for sale I got him back, but sold doc again to save my folks marriage but it didn't do anything, he still left my mother in 2010 after we sold all the horse stuff and couldn't go back and get the ranch going again. But doc is happy with a wonderful woman. I couldn't ask for a better home for him) I was written by a gal who knew where Joe went and who bought him. She said he went from the Jenkinsons to a Arabian trainer named Stewerts... He was used as a lesson horse there. So I contacted the Stewerts and they said he was sold to a gal named Missy Gifford. I contacted missy and she gave me all this information about joe...

She said joe always looked like he was missing a little girl (Me hehe) but sadly she sold him to a girl named Nancy Fernandez in Santa Cruz... I looked and looked. Went through alot of hell... I was contacted by Eugene Register guard and told my father the stories and how awesome it is that I picked up on the trail. My father ignored me till about a few weeks later, then he blew up... I remember him threatening me. He said if I do the story, or tell ANYONE about what he did he will Kick me out, Divorce my mother and disown me... I said Alright do all that I don't care. (BTW he was tryin' to blame his wanting a divorce on me lol didn't work) So I walked out and I contacted the news paper and told them the story. 

That pretty much brings me to here... I've been searching 8 years for him. A long time for me to search just to see how he is and get a chance to buy him back when his owners decide to sell...

I want to make three things CLEAR...

1. I would NEVER EVER take him from ANYONE.. Especially a child... I would like to wait till they grow out of him and the parents choose to sell him and then buy him back. Of course anyone who owned him before and he changed their lives are more then welcome to see him, but he'd have a forever home with me.

2. He was NOT STOLEN... Sadly because I was 17 I can't say he was stolen, even though he was my horse, I worked for him and my mom gave him to me in 2004

3. I want to be able to buy him back. WHEN he is for sale.  I would like to be the first one to buy him back. 

I really do want to see him and hug him and tell him I'm sorry. I'd also like a chance to have him in my wedding. (I kinda refuse to be married without him because I promised as kids that he could be there.)

I really do love my boy and I've had a lot of people give me flack for it. Saying I am stupid, Saying he's Alpo food, Saying I should reword my stuff because he's not my horse and I'm acting unstable. Thing is... If you KNOW of this horse, you'll see why I'm so passionate about making sure I can find him and see him. This horse changes lives. He is the best horse you'll ever know. I know there's THOUSANDS of stories I can tell you. I'd love to find the owners and tell them all about his past and show him the tricks he does  Teach them about him.

Even after 8 years he still means the world to me! I cant' wait till I see him again.
I refuse to make this impersonal and I DO want to show my emotion and how much he means to me even today. I WILL NOT want him back if he's not for sale and if he's happy. So please... Who ever owns him Don't think I"m the type of girl who'll Just want him back the minute I find him... 

This last note is to his owners. (When they see this note  whenever that is)

You have absolutely NOTHING to worry about. I'm not the type that'll take him from anyone. If he's happy and loved then I'm happy  
I'd like to see him again though, and be able to be friends with you  
Buy him back when ya'll decided to sell him  
Till then I'll wait for that day I hear you write me 

For those helping me out... I haven't found him yet, but I'm optimistic that I will  Even if it takes ten to fifteen years... I'll never quit  

Thank you everyone who reads this...
I wont change how I talk about him and those who put me down can take a hike lol they don't know my boy nor what I've gone through :/ Those who know understand.  I will keep putting emotion into my writing and showing people how i feel.  

Love you all


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## kbjumper (Jan 22, 2012)

Oh my gosh! Your story has me crying!! I live in the South Bay area, 30 minutes from Santa Cruz, And from this day forward I'll keep my eyes open for a grey Arab gelding. At shows ( I compete abit in the local Arabian cirut), or even where I board.
May Smokey Joe find his way back to you!
much love!


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## HorseCrazyTeen (Jul 29, 2012)

I am so, so sorry. I hope you find him!


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