The Rest of the Story

When we got McKenna my barn owner friended on Facebook the barn owner of the place where McKenna was.  That BO, and the western trainer who was working McKenna, then friended me to follow her progress.  I got a little info from them, mostly basics like what they were feeding her, when she was shod, got vaccines and dewormed. 

Yesterday I got a message on FB from the McKenna's old owner, the one who got her off the track and put her in training.  I was under the impression that she hadn't done much with her....had put her in training for 8 months without going to see her.  I was kinda worried at first, thinking that she wanted her back or wanted $$$ for her.  We never signed any paperwork for McKenna, and don't have papers on her, so legally we're a bit screwed.  But then a friend request popped up and I started to breath easy.

J, the former owner, just wanted to know how she was doing and gave me some more background on McKenna.  I guess she got her a week after she came off the track in April 2012.  I get the impression that she might have been at a feedlot, or on her way to one.  J said they spent about 4 months putting weight on her and letting her chill before staring to work with her.  Her vet said when they got McKenna she was 200lbs underweight, even for an OTTB.

The day she came to J's

McKenna was in work for a bit at J's barn, a nice H/J barn in Southern Oregon for a few months before going to the western trainers.  I didn't ask why she decided to send McKenna to a western barn, and J didn't offer.  She did say that if she had been able to train her, she would have kept her.  J has a mare that's rehabbing from a leg injury and is leasing a gelding and showing in the 2'3" hunters on the A circuit, so I don't think money is an issue.  I got some cute pics from her FB page of when McKenna was at her barn.

Three months off the track

I'm glad that, for whatever reason, J decided not to keep her and was willing to rescue her, pay for training, and then give her away.  I hope one day I'm financially able to do the same!