Fun Facts About Me, and other related stories
Now that tumblr lets us pin posts, I figured I’d make one of those fancy things that everyone’s got. So, without further ado-
(Updated, November 2022)
Who Are You?
I’m Bruce Ellis. He/Him. I’m originally from Northern Wisconsin but have been moving around regularly since 2014. I’m currently living and working farm in Maryland (and hope to stay permanently) , but I’ve previously lived in Georgia (twice), Tennessee, New York (twice), Pennsylvania, Texas, and North Carolina. As of writing this, I have worked at 19 different farms since 2012. I started riding in 2005 when I was 9, and started guiding trails solo when I was 11. Since then, I’ve pretty much only done horses.
Do you actually know anything about horses?
Yes! My background is very varied with a ton of first hand and quality experience. I’ve started colts, handled breeding stallions, bred and foaled out mares, worked in the the racing, dressage, hunter/jumper, and reining industries, and I have equine dental and vet tech training under my belt. Right now I’m working full time between a dressage barn and a TB stud farm where I do foal watch. I am not a professional rider by any means, but that is not my primary focus. My passion for horses lies in finding the things that others miss, and focusing on the tiny details that make a huge difference. Also, in foaling. If I could foal full time, year round, I would.
Do you even own a horse?
I do now! I’ve almost owned a lot of horses, but in July of 2020 I purchased a BLM Mustang mare named Leia. Tag: The Princess Appears.
She came to me completely untouched, but didn’t stay that way for long. As of now (November 2022) she is in training as a trail/endurance horse. This mare is my pride and joy, and I can’t wait to see where the future takes us.
Leia is a 2014 model who was born in the Bible Springs HA complex in UT. She’s 13.2, full of personality, and smart as hell. She was captured in 2018, and somewhere along the time suffered a significant injury to her left shoulder that has left her with a large scar and some missing muscle. However, she’s completely sound on it and doesn’t seem to be hindered in any way.
You deliver foals? Really?
Yes, really. 2023 will be my fourth season delivering foals, and I have helped welcome nearly 100 lives into the world. Granted, I have only delivered 31 myself, but even if I miss the delivery I’m still the one in charge of their first several hours overnight.
During the off season I continue to handle the foals as they grow and get weaned. I also assist with yearling sale prep during the summer and fall, and racehorse layups over the winter.
What do the names and dates in your bio mean?
Those are horses that I have cared for that have passed away. All of them had their lives cut short, and I chose to carry their last day with me so that can live on, in a sense. After 17 years of working in barns of varying quality and also working in rescue, I have seen a lot of death. That’s the unfortunate reality of horses.
Raven, no tag. This mare was only three when she suddenly ended up paralyzed. We tried for nearly 24 hours to get her up and to figure out what was wrong, but she progressed rapidly and ultimately has to be put down.
Mack, tagged as Mack. He was my best friend, a trail horse unlike any other and was supposed to retire with me once I was done with college and settled in a job. It turned out he had other plans, and three weeks after I returned from nine months away, he fractured his neck and had to be euthanized for his own sake.
Rebel, ragged as Tiny Rebel. This was my favorite filly from the 2017 foal crop at one of my jobs. She was involved in a paddock accident with another horse, where the two of them collided head on at full speed. After twelve days of intensive care and great improvement, Rebel suddenly went down again and had to be rushed to the vet. They discovered an inoperable fracture in her neck and she was let go at the clinic.
Holly, tagged as Hollivander. This was my favorite broodmare at the same farm as Rebel. She was another one that was going to retire with me. However, while down in Kentucky she injured her stifle and arrived back to us with a torn meniscus, damaged patella, and a fragile fracture in the surrounding bones. She wouldn’t tolerate stall rest, and the kindest option was to put her down.
Dragon, tagged as BB Sabine. Dragon was Holly’s 2018 foal, and the second foal I ever delivered. Dragon was born with contracted tendons that were chronically mismanaged. She eventually got to the point that she could no longer stand without support. I was not with her when this happened.
Mouse, tagged as Mouse. This little mare was supposed to be a rockstar. She longed for adventure, but had lost the genetic lottery and ended up with DSLD. DSLD is a systemic disorder that has no cure. We were given an estimated five years left with her, but the disease progressed very rapidly and we were forced to let her go 5 months after her diagnosis.
There’s a lot more that aren’t listed, but I will always remember them. I’m slowly working on a novel that will immortalize their stories and the lives that they should have had.
