Joyce Turner writes:

"I adopted Cookie, April 1, 1988, My 17th Birthday. It was a dream of mine, and with the help of my boyfriend Scott (my husband now), my family and an uncle I adopted her. Scott paid her price, my family rented a trailer and my uncle loaned us his truck. It was a family affair. We lived in Fairfield, CA and got up at O' dark thirty and drove to Susanville. I had my heart set on 3 yr. old filly with lots of color, but something quiet. Well I got a 3 yr.old filly!

"The wranglers were wonderful and patient. We were able to watch them bring the horses in. There was light bay with a long black mane and tail and a beautifully marked face that was clearly in charge and gave them a run for their money. I climbed up on a fence and watched while they separated the horses, the bay refused to be moved out and maintained eye contact with me. She had such a soft eye, but still I thought to much for my first horse and no color. Well after a good long while I finally looked to the bay and said "that one" The wranglers at once burst into laughter and stated 'Well its about time she picked you the minute she saw you,' and thus begins our adventures.

"I named her Wildfire (and no I have never heard the song.) She was very head strong and faced every thing very boldly. I didn't have a round pen as I had built exactly what the BLM had told me to a 20x20 pen with shelter and 6 ft fences. I spent many hours sitting with her alfalfa in my lap, if she wanted to eat she had to deal with me. I gentled her myself with nothing more than basic riding skills and lots of love.

"In 6 weeks, we were riding in city traffic, I think because she faced everything so boldly she never really spooked instead she faced her fears head on. In 1991 my daughter Jessi was born and of course was riding before crawling. In 1992 we moved to Montana and of course Wildfire came too. For the first time, I didn't have to board her, she was in my back yard. Jessi and Cookie became inseparable. During this time Jessi was learning to talk and on her many adventures with my Wildfire, she shared her Chocolate Chip cookies with her and Jessi named her Cookie. And that has been her name ever since. My husband Scott decided to join the Army in fall of 94, so Cookie went to stay with my parents and a friend of the family used her for FFA. In Jan. of 98, the Army sent us to Oklahoma and I knew it was finally time to bring my Cookie home with me. In the midst of this though, my parents health was failing and they had entrusted someone else to care for my precious Cookie, and this person did not care for her properly. She was turned out on 30 acres with her only water as a small stream which dried up.

"In June I sent my vet out to do her health certificate and he found that she had foundered, we got her healthy enough to ship. When she arrived here August 1st, she was still lame and living on Butte. It broke my heart. I had a vet take X-rays immediately, he said she had severe rotation and I should consider putting her down, I said not in this lifetime, as long as I could insure her quality of life she would live out her days in peace with me. I found a great farrier who knew exactly what to do and with proper care Cookie was sound and off all meds in 2 weeks. I cried the first time I sat on her and she never once acted up even though it had been 2 years since she had been ridden.

"Cookie is totally sound and is home forever. My daughter is 8 now and I have a 2 yr. old son who Cookie has started teaching to ride. She is always gentle and patient, will take my daughter anywhere she asks but never allow her to be hurt. I have a home daycare also and my daycare kids argue over who gets to feed her cookies and have now dubbed her their very own Cookie-Monster."

Wow! Great story. It proves once again, however, how vulnerable your horses can be when you have to count on someone else taking care of them! So when do we get more pictures?

Doesn't look untrainable to us!