This poem comes to mind:
FREE HORSES
This is the sad saga, of being gifted a hoss,
And how much an asset, quickly converts to a loss.
My downfall began with a flea bitten mare,
Overweight, sway-backed and passin bad air.
She appeared one day, dropped off at our house,
By a past “friend”, I now consider a louse.
My daughter exclaimed, “How pretty, how sweet”
As the nag dropped road apples on top of my feet.
Now a horse didn’t fit in real well, in town at our place,
So we rented green pasture, built fence and quickened our pace
Of buying more land and acquiring more hay,
With ever big mortgages and taxes to pay.
All was fine for a year, with this horse riding fad,
Until my wife reasonably reasoned, the ol Arab was sad.
The mare needed company, any buckaroo could see,
And BLM’s adopting out mustangs at the low price of FREE.
I shoulda had a foreboding, cause the government I fear,
Wants to unload horses that act like a deer.
It busted out the window and bent the rear door,
On a borrowed trailer, we can’t borrow no more.
We wrestled him home, corralled in his pricey new pen,
My credit line of $5000 quickly expanded to 10.
Now the first horse caused a financial recession,
But the damn gelding put us in a full fledge depression.
Then we needed a new trailer for traveling the road,
And Horse Whispered lessons to get him to load.
Our half ton pick-up dropped clutches and brakes.
The wife ordered a new 1-ton, if that’s what it takes.
Cost more than our house, nice paint and 4 door,
The car dealer just grinned, “that’s what financing is for”.
I built a haybarn for hay, and a fence of wood rails,
Bought saddles with silver, and britchen for trails.
We shelled out for grain and bought the best trough,
And trips to the vet whenever they cough.
Our farrier is flush, heading south on a trip,
Financed by his shodding at $50 a clip.
The retirement funds are gone, our stocks are all sold,
The horses are eaten certified, while I’m eating mold.
Just as I’m burning mad, and all I see is blood,
My only satisfaction is, he’ll never be a stud!
So when you see me all broke down, without a pot to pee,
It’s cuz I got 2 horses, both of em FREE!
-author unknown