28/06/2020
I bought Celzeus in 2001 as a 2 week old foal, and from the first moment I saw him he was captivating. I had originally gone to Marsha Parkinson's Canterbury Farm in Southern California to look at a 3 year old filly, but could not help asking how much Marsha wanted for this gorgeous, fiery little chestnut c**t. He was busily frisking around his mother,occasionally bucking and striking out at her in little bursts of energy. Marsha said she wasn't selling him, so reluctantly I moved on to look at the filly I had originally inquired about. She was pretty and very well bred, but had a"human eye" and not only that, but my interests were now focused on the adorable little red c**t I had first seen upon my arrival at Marsha's farm. When we arrived at the large paddock containing the older c**ts (2 yrs +), I found another c**t I was just smitten with from the start. He was the only grey in the group, and was intent upon getting my attention and some"love." When Marsha's assistant waved the c**ts off so I could observe their movements, this grey was absolutely amazing to watch. His motion was so effortless, so smooth, and so beautiful. I knew then that I wanted to take home both of those c**ts, but I would have to figure out how to convince Marsha to sell me the little one. Marsha's assistant was kind enough to provide the insight that Marsha was generally a very open-minded person, and that she would probably be accepting if I were to make her an offer on both c**ts. So, I hesitantly approached her after I had looked at all of her sale horses. I asked her if she would sell me both c**ts, with unlimited retained breedings on the chestnut c**t she was so reluctant to part with. To my great surprise and incredible joy, she agreed! Marsha is known in the Polish Arabian community to be a breeder of incredible horses, and to have great knowledge of Polish lineage. The c**t’s mother, a beautiful chestnut mare named Candela, had been named European Supreme Champion prior to being imported to the US.The mating of Candela to Marsha's imported stallion, Goliat, had been well thought-out, and the pedigrees of both were impressive.
Four years after I bought him, Zeus proved his worth. I had been given a 12 year old Arabian stallion named A Sentry, who had been used only for breeding.When I acquired him, I began attempting to get him under saddle myself, and was working him in a pasture adjacent to Zeus' paddock. One day, I was lunging him and asked him to switch directions. He stopped abruptly and turned toward me and shook his head, as if to challenge me. When I encouraged him with the whip to turn and continue lunging, he reared and came down into an aggressive charge,teeth bared and ears pinned flat to his head. He hit me under the eye with his teeth, knocking me onto my back. As I rolled over onto my stomach to crawl away, he ran over the top of me, stepping on my lower back, left forearm, and thigh. I lifted my head to see where he was, after he'd run me over, and to my horror, he was coming back at me, teeth bared, ears pinned. I still feel to this day that he intended to finish what he'd started and stomp me into the ground. I screamed, and my scream was echoed by one from Zeus. He was screaming a challenge to Sentry, one that Sentry answered by charging straight for Zeus instead of me! I took advantage of Zeus having distracted Sentry, and reached into my jacket pocket for my cell phone. To my great advantage, my dad had happened to take that day off from work, and was sitting in the house eating his lunch.I called the house and said in a calm voice, "Dad, I need you to come outright away and catch Sentry. He's run me over and I don't think I can catch him myself." He said in an equally calm voice "Okay, be right out."How he did not hear the two stallions screaming at each other as they fought, I don't know, but boy was he in for a shock when he came outside! Once we'd hung up, I laid my head back onto the grass and waited for him to come out and catch Sentry. Initially, he was walking calmly to the pasture, but as soon as he saw me lying on the ground, he forgot all about catching Sentry and ran toward me."No! Get Sentry put away first, save Zeus!" I yelled. By that time,Sentry had damaged the fence-line separating Zeus & him, and I was afraid he'd get in with Zeus and injure him. My dad caught Sentry (I'll admit,roughly, as he was angry with him for injuring me) and quickly locked him in his paddock, tack and all, and ran back to see how badly I was hurt. "Where did he get you?" he asked. "My arm, my side,and my leg, I think." He pulled up my sleeve to inspect my forearm, and discovered it was grotesquely swollen and already turning black & blue."Let's get you inside" he said, and picked me up. Once we were inside and he made sure I was reasonably comfortable on the couch with an ice pack for my arm and one on my back, he asked "what do you want me to do with Sentry?" I told him "just take off his tack and make sure he's got water, and make sure he didn't hurt Zeus!" Once he came back inside, he assured me that Zeus only had minor cuts, but the fence needed mending. I was surprised to hear what my typically stoic father said next "I'm going to shoot that horse when we get you back from the hospital, Renee." I wouldn't hear of it, and suggested trying to find Sentry a new home with a very experienced (and informed) stallion handler, but that's a whole different story!
In case some of you are wondering what kind of injuries I sustained in the attack, I was lucky. Thanks to Zeus distracting Sentry, I came out of the ordeal with a bone bruise on my forearm, and a severely bruised left kidney. The scar tissue in my back and my arm will always serve as a haunting reminder of the day I nearly died, and my guardian angel came in the form of a horse. Zeus got a huge helping of oats from Dad when we got home, and I got a shot of morphine which knocked me out for the rest of the night. In case some of you are wondering what kind of injuries I sustained in the attack, I was lucky. Thanks to Zeus distracting Sentry, I came out of the ordeal with a severe bone bruise on my forearm (surprisingly, it wasn't broken!), and a bruised kidney, and a whole lot of re-occurring pain in my arm and lower back. But, I am very thankful to be alive, and to have suffered such relatively minor injuries. I honestly feel that if Zeus hadn't sounded a challenge, Sentry would have killed me that day. That is why Zeus is my hero, and he will always have a special place in my heart.
Since then, a lot has happened. I struggled financially for a few years, and was forced to offer all of my horses for sale or lease in 2007. Zeus,being the flashy guy he is, was one of the first to go out on lease. He went to a woman in Texas who had been recommended to me by someone I felt possessed good judgment. The lessee breached our agreement, keeping Zeus in conditions that were no where near what was stipulated in the contract, neglecting him to the point Zeus had to be rescued from the lessee. At the time, I didn't have the money available to ship him back to California from Texas,so I reluctantly ended up signing him over to the woman who rescued and rehabbed him for me. He was later sold to a couple in Kansas,and after communicating with them I felt that all was lost, and I’d never have my sweet boy back in my barn. In 2014, I reconnected with the folks who had Zeus, and I began to hope once again that perhaps I would get him back eventually. It wasn’t an easy year, as negotiations were difficult and at times my emotions nearly got the better of me in my frustration. However, to have Zeus back means more to me than most anything else, so I maintained my persistence in hopes that one day it would pay off.
It took nearly a decade but MY CELZEUS FINALLY CAME HOME!!!!!! It had been 8 years since I put him on the trailer to Texas, and so much happened for him since then. He has sired a Quarab c**t in Texas, and two purebred foals in Kansas. He has been trained to ride and covered many miles under saddle, including riding along highways and through towns. It was such a happy reunion when I finally saw him again, and he knew he was home and that it was me the moment they opened the trailer door! I know one thing is for certain; he will never go away again! We belong together, and together we will be until that day when he crosses the rainbow bridge.
