Tribute To Nana- A True Horse Woman
Written By Melissa Beckwith & Published in the November 2007 issue of "The Horses Maine"
Written By Melissa Beckwith & Published in the November 2007 issue of "The Horses Maine"
Heading into winter, Dorothy Beckwith's thorough care keeps the older horses at Beckwith Stables in excellent condition. Never have I seen them thin or uncomfortable, though I have seen her tending to them while having the flu, pneumonia, shingles, and a torn retina. Neither I, nor anyone else will ever persuade her to willingly get her butt back into the house and let one of us care for her boys, even just for one day. No doctor, no family member, not a single human being on earth, will ever keep her from her old horses, and her lifetime promise to them. She exhibit’s a dedication to her horses that we don’t see nearly enough of in this day and age.
Dorothy, known as Dot or Nana to everyone that comes here, loves horses. They have been part of her life since she was a young girl and a passion that has stayed with her. She may not ride anymore, and she doesn’t want to drive a horse, but she still likes to get up and smell the manure in the morning.
After jogging her regular 3 miles a day, followed by her aerobics in the morning, she heads out to the barn armed with carrots and cat food. Her arrival at the barn is announce long before she walks in the door, as 30 year old Maple thunders in from his paddock beside her house and waits eagerly at his stall door for his carrots and grooming. “The carrot lady is coming!”, “The carrot lady is coming!” is announced throughout the barn . She is greeted every morning by her impatient old horses whinnying for carrots and barn cats screaming for their meals. Dot feeds her three barn cats and then proceeds to groom and spoil her two elderly steeds.
Though in her late 70s, Dot pulls the 29 year old Standardbred gelding, Maple Way and 26 year old Standardbred stallion, Double Hill, out onto crossties and picks out their pastures and stalls. She brushes them, rubs them down as if they just had a workout, and cleans their feet. They are both rewarded with many carrots and an oat, bran, and salt mixture is dumped into their buckets to encourage them to drink more water. Their grains for later are filled and supplements added, their water is changed, and their free choice hay is wetted down, to keep it dust free.
When asked why she does this every morning, Dot replies, “They’ve earned it. Just because they aren’t working anymore, doesn’t mean you can just throw them out in a pasture and forget about them. They still need joint supplements, vitamins, and senior grain. They need to be brushed and have their feet done daily. They need clean bedding and fresh water and hay. They might need blankets in the winter and a fan in the summer, so be prepared to provide these for them. They need more care now, than they ever did before. When you get a horse, they are your responsibility to care for, for the remainder of their life. They gave you their heart and soul when they were young, you owe them at least this much.”
