LUCKY TO BE ALIVE

Quarter horse Lucky and Lezlie Posey take a walk in Union. Whether being cleaned, ridden or walked, Posey said Lucky always seems to have an agreeable nature. (The Observer/LAURA MACKIE HANCOCK).

By Dick Mason

Observer Staff Writer

UNION —

Never underestimate the power of $5 or a horse lover's compassion.

This is a lesson to be learned from Lucky, fast becoming one of Union's most popular and visible residents.

Four months ago Lucky was a quarter horse of dangerously little weight and little future. Suddenly he had $5 to his name and the first chapter of a story as heart warming as the story of Seabiscuit was ready to be written.

It starts with Pat Stitzel of Union. Stitzel spotted Lucky at a La Grande sale yard in late October. He noticed that the gelding was dramatically underweight. The horse, who is 15 hands – five-feet — tall, weighed only 950 pounds. He was so skinny that he almost looked like a walking X-ray.

The gelding's undernourished condition tugged at Stizel's heart, so he purchased him for $5.

"I was taking a chance, just like we do every day when we get up,'' Stitzel said. "I was just helping out a good old saddle horse.''

A few days later Stitzel was having coffee at the The Hut in Union, which he and his wife, Laurie, manage. Pat Stitzel mentioned the horse to Lezlie Posey, a waitress at The Hut. Her curiosity piqued, Posey went to see him.

Posey, who grew up with horses, was drawn to the gelding almost instantly.

"I totally fell in love with him,'' Posey said.

Stitzel then gave the quarter horse to Posey and let her keep it at his place.

"He was a neat old horse who needed some TLC. I went on a mission to make sure he got it,'' Posey said.

One of the first things she did was name the horse Lucky because "he was darn lucky to be alive.''

Posey, queen of the 1978 Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, treated Lucky like a king. She got him veterinarian care and began providing him with regular meals of hay. Posey did not provide Lucky alfalfa at first, fearing he was not strong enough to digest it properly. Lucky began gaining weight, but slowly at first. This was fine with Posey.

"It would not have been good for him to gain too much weight too quickly,'' she said.

Soon Lucky was filling out like a colt, gaining an average of 15 to 20 pounds a week. To date he has gained 225 pounds but is shy of his ideal weight.

"He still needs to gain 100 to 200 pounds,'' Posey said.

Lucky is a far cry from the horse of four months ago who was so thin he could not bear the weight of a rider.

Today Lucky is strong enough to be ridden for short periods. Posey has ridden him briefly three times. She hopes to later take Lucky to the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show grounds track and ride him as long as he wants to run and trot.

In the interim Lucky, believed to be 20 to 28 years old, is becoming one of Union's most visible joggers. Posey takes the horse on trots with her car. It is a picturesque sight, with Posey holding a rope attached to Lucky's halter while she drives alongside him as he trots. Posey usually drives alongside Lucky for a half hour though the streets of Union.

Posey drives because because she can't walk or run with Lucky for long "because my knees are so bad.''

Lucky looks forward to the runs the way a dog does a walk. This is obvious when Posey puts the halter on him.

"He puts his head right in. He gets excited,'' Posey said.

Lucky's weight may be going up but is hair has been falling out. At least it was until about two weeks ago when it was determined that he had an infection that was causing clumps of hair to come out. A six-day series of penicillin shots appears to curbing this problem.

Lucky's coat will soon look better not only because the infection is clearing up. It will also perk up because he will be given a bath once the weather warms up. Posey has not been able to give Lucky a bath since she got him.

"It has been too cold to bathe him. I don't want him to get sick,'' his owner said.

Whether being cleaned, ridden or walked, Lucky always seems to have an agreeable nature. He doesn't seem to be afraid of people despite his apparent mistreatment earlier.

"He's a total sweetheart,'' Posey said.

Children may be a part of his future as a result.

"He is so easy going,'' Posey said." He would make a great horse for kids someday.''

And exhibit A for anyone looking for a reason to believe in the power of compassion.

"A lot of TLC does go a long way,'' Posey said.

COMMUNITY PITCHES IN

It takes a village to raise a child.

It also takes a village to restore a horse's health.

Lezlie Posey of Union said that she could not have brought Lucky back to health without the help of many people in her community.

"I did not do it alone. I have many people to thank,'' Posey said.

Those who have provided important assistance include:

• Pat and Laurie Stitzel of Union who let Posey keep Lucky at their ranch for several months.

• Veterinarian Mark Omann who de-wormed Lucky for no charge.

• Linda McReynolds of Union who is letting Lucky stay on her property.

• Duane Tyler of Union who is providing much of Lucky's food.

• Bronson Lumber Co. in Union which allows Lucky to be weighed regularly on its scale for free.