There's one horse on our property that is especially close to my heart. He was born here. Mulligan was tiny... really tiny. And he wasn't quite right. He was born with dwarfism. His top jaw is a little short. His feet require special shoes to keep his toes pointed in the right direction. We knew from the start he would need a lot of special and expensive care and so Mulligan was adopted by Phoebe and I. While we occasionally get smaller horses on our property, they are babies and it isn't long before Mulligan is the shortest of the bunch once more. But what Mulligan misses in size he makes up for in heart. He truly believes he is a regular, big horse and does his best to keep up with the other guys.
Everyone who meets him falls in love. He has become the official mascot of sorts for Pipsqueak Paddocks.
Bec helped Mulligan write his letter to Santa Claus a few days ago. It's a worthwhile read.
Dear Santa,
Hi! It's me, Mulligan. I have been a very good Mini this year. I have eaten all of my vitamins and stood nicely for being brushed all the time! I also helped about fifty Minis to not feel lonely and scared when they came here to Pipsqueak Paddocks Miniature Horse Haven Society this year. It was a very busy year for me! I made so many new friends, some as young as three months old and some so old that they had lost track of their years!
Anyways Santa, I have some Christmas wishes... but they are not for me, they are for my friends here at Pipsqueak Paddocks...
My friends sometimes bring a few extra unwanted creatures along with them! So we need a few tubes of Equvalan Gold and any type of "Fenbenzadole" based paste wormer to start the year off with. We could also really use cans and cans of "Dusting Powder" to take care of lice! I get itchy just thinking about that, but it's no laughing matter. Some of my friends arrive here so itchy that they have rubbed themselves raw and bleeding trying to get relief.
Alot of my pals have not been fed right. It takes a little while for them to feel better if they are too skinny or too fat. They could use some sacks of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Whole Flax and Soy Hull Pellets to get them going right. Guess what? PureForm vitamins have come out with a formula just especially for us Minis - PureForm Full Support - Mini! They could use a big tub of that for sure! TNT Hay Sales has the perfect kind of hay for us Minis too, PLUS our caretaker says it's the one kind of hay on the face of the planet that she's not allergic too! It's sure nice to not be bothered by her sneezing every time she has to feed us! LOL So, maybe you could work something out with Gary at TNT, or leave some cash in the Minis' stockings to pay for a load of hay - we're going to need two tonnes very soon!
Other than that... we just always need to pay for lots of visits from our favourite farrier and vets! They are very good to us, but there are so many operations, procedures and shots to pay for. Maybe you could stuff a few stockings with the means to pay the bills next year? That would be awesome! My friends feel so much better once their hooves, dental care, other health needs are taken care of!
But Santa, my biggest wish of all is for each of my friend's to have a family of their own very soon. I feel so lucky to be so loved and I want that same feeling for each of my pals. Santa, maybe you could give out some extra love this Christmas so that it will spill over and spread around. A little goes a long way around here!
Love,
Mulligan
I wish everyone a Happy Holiday season this year. I hope you can all make room in your heart for a cause that is worthwhile and special to you. Make a difference to those in need.
-grampa dan