He was saved from a slaughter truck at 4 months old…pretty clear to us, his adorable personality is to be credited for his first “rescue”. After a period of time, the novelty of a new horse wore off, his damaged leg prevented them from riding him….and therefore training him. As he grew, he became less interesting and they stopped visiting…..stopped paying his board. The stable manager stopped feeding him (why should he, he defended….he wasn’t getting paid). His adorable, affectionate and irresistible charm saved him again, and the boarders tossed him handfuls of their own horses hay “saving” him for the second time. He survived a lonely four years, craving touch, companionship and care…perhaps even more than regular feedings. He lived in that paddock, alone…untrained, and unloved. That was then…and this is now. That same adorable personality greets us every morning… in no way does Brinker consider himself to be “disabled” and while his overinflated self esteem combined with extremely poor judgment prevents him from having conventional turn outs, Kimberly has taught him to roll on command (safely on the end of a lunge rope). He has an arsenal of tricks that he loves to boast, he counts, smiles, and kisses on command. While conventional exercise is clearly out of the question, he enjoys his barn walks, grazing, daily sandy rolls, the intimacy of grooming…and the relationship that accompanies all of the above. He has a happy and complete life, and he enriches ours, while reinforcing that the bond with horse need not occur or be restricted to sitting on their backs. He would be quick to demonstrate that he has a meaningful life, and a “real job”. He is a daily reminder of the importance of our work…and the importance of life.