Y Knaught Laird Gowan

Where do I start with Ozzy?  When we purchased his dam, Ambro Heather, a.k.a. Evie, sight unseen, we were told that we could purchase her colt along with her at a reduced price.  I had received one picture of the colt at that time, and what a handsome little boy he was!  Chris and I agreed that we would purchase the colt as well.

The birth of Ozzy was missed, and he was declared to be a dummy foal.  He never did learn to nurse from his dam and was placed on liquid milk replacer.  When the time came to switch Ozzy from the liquid form of milk replacer to the pelleted form of milk replacer, Ozzy was not happy with the switch and refused to eat.  In turn, his dam ate his food while he ate nothing.

I was not aware of this situation when we arrived to pick up Evie and Ozzy, and I can assure you that nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.  Ozzy's coat was a telltale sign of a worm-infested horse; dull, long, and shaggy like 1970's carpet.  Underneath all of that gross hair was a walking skeleton.  Every bone could be visibly seen and his withers, shoulders, and hips protruding.  I was fearful that he would not make the 15 hour drive home, but Ozzy has proven to be a fighter who is all heart.

Ozzy's road to recovery has been a long one, being very careful to bring him back to health slowly.  It is hard enough to rehabilitate a mature horse, but a colt so young, only two months old at the time, proved to be a delicate situation.  With Ozzy's will to live and our determination not to give up hope, Ozzy has rebounded and is maturing to be a stunning horse.  Just like his dam, he has absolutely the sweetest personality and will choose human companionship over horses whenever the opportunity arises.

We were not so sure we would emotionally be able to sell Ozzy with everything we went through together, but the perfect home presented itself once again, and we could not be more pleased.  Congratulations, Justin and Colleen, and thank you so much for giving Ozzy the perfect home!