Todays thought...Loss of more family.

So, I had to put my horse to sleep yesterday. She was 27 years old and her intestines had gotten twisted up. Now for those of you who do not know, most horses don't make it that long, so I was very lucky that I got an extra few years with her. And they were good years too. Up until she got sick she acted like a filly, running through the pasture, kicking and rearing up and playing. So this blog is dedicated to my appaloosa mare.

I first brought her home 12 years ago. She was bought from a couple that did not really know enough about horses. Long story short, she'd been beaten with a 2x4. We didn't realize this until she blew her winter coat one year and she had white fur come up where she'd been hit on the rump with the 2x4's. The day we brought her home we walked her around the property and she laid down on the ground. That is a very rare thing for a horse to do, first thing. Our friend that helped us buy her told us that she was really comfortable here.

So here's me the next night. Totally green about owning a horse, I didn't have the first clue. I went out to see her the next night and my idiot self, left the gate open. Not very far, but enough that curiosity got the best of her and she ventured out into the back yard. And then into the front yard, and managed to find herself on the back porch. When my mama got up the next morning, she came in and got me and told me that I had left the gate open the night before. She knew this of course because of my mare being at the back door. I freaked expecting my first horse to be gone. I ran out of my bedroom, down the hall and blasted out the back door not expecting to have this horse on my back porch. Needless to say, when I got out there, she had a look and whinnied at me as if to say "Come on. Its breakfast time. I'm hungry!" So, of course she followed me back into the pasture, and stood there in her stall, patiently waiting fo her breakfast.

A few weeks had past and I was determined, I was going to learn how to saddle her up, and ride. So I went outside when my mama went to work, and started. She stood there ever so nicely as I brought out the saddle. She knew I had no clue what I was doing. So I put the saddle blanket on her, drug the 40 lb. saddle out with me, put it up on the post that I had set up for it and tried my darndest to figure out what went where and how I was going to manage this.

She was tied very lightly on the barn and there was a lot of slack in the line. So I finally get everything figured out, throw the stirrup and the girth up on the saddle, pick it up, and go to gently set it up on her back. To my frustration, she decides to side step and the saddle falls to the ground. She snickered as to laugh at me and go Neener neener. So I picked up the saddle, and set it on her back carefully, and then commenced to strapping on the girth, which was a task in itself with her help.

I get the girth fastened to the other side of the saddle with ease. I'VE GOT IT! Or so I thought. So I walk her around for a little bit, away from the barn, got to get up in the saddle, put my foot in the stirrup and what happens? The saddle turns to the side? Completely perplexed at the puzzle before me, I just don't undersand why on earth the girth was fastened but the saddle wasnt' staying on her back. She stands there in all of her wonder looking at me like "um, excuse me, fix please." So I walk her back to the barn, tie her up, fix the saddle, and try to figure out why it wasn't staying. As I walk back around, I see that my horse has taken a deep breath and was holding it. So of course, the girth was tight. Until she let her breath out. So she figures out shortly that I have learned of her deviousness.

Finally, after stopping and tightening 3 more times, I have it. The girth is tight, the saddle isn't moving, we're ready to go. So I jump on. I had ridden horse a few times before, and even had one spook on me, so I was comfortable in the saddle. We ride around the yard, I don't dare venture outside the fence and we get going good. She was responding really well to what I asked. We get turned back to the barn and I get her to running. I am so excited right now to feel the rush of a galloping horse, that I am not paying attention to her and she stops on a dime.

I am no where near ready for this, so what do I do? Yep, out of the saddle, up and over her head as she ducks, flat on my back in a mud puddle. I set there stunned for a moment trying to figure out what had just happened to realize, that I still have the reigns in my hand, and my horse is standing over me, face to face, laughing at me. Yep, she thought it was funny as everything.

Determined not to let this stop me, I get up, dust what mud I could off my butt, and climb back in the saddle. We go to riding again. Once again she gallops heading back toward the barn and this time I realize she's heading straight for the mud puddle. She stops on a dime again, but this time, I was ready for her tricks. I shoved my heels down, put my feet forward and when she stopped, I didn't move from that saddle. She took a deep breath, discustedly let it out, and we commenced to riding.

A few weeks later we were doing really good. She was still testing me at times, but nothing major. Until one day. She was trotting, and she tripped. Immediately I stopped her to make sure that she was ok, and walked to where she had tripped and could not find anything. No mole hole, no bumps in the land, nothing. So I check her foot. I hold it up, make sure there is nothing in there to make her foot ouchy and cannot find anything there either. So I get back on. A few minutes later, she trips again. Once again, I get down, check the land, check her foot, nothing. Once again, I get back on. She trips once more and I pay attention to her head. She looks back at me to see if I am going to get back off her this time. I realize her game, tell her to knock it off, she disgustingly sighs again and we go about our ride.

A few short minutes later, she goes to trotting, and coughs. I stop her. I give her a few minuts to take a breather and commence. She coughs again. Once more, I look to her face to see that she again is looking back around to me, to see what my reaction is going to be. I tell her once more to knock it off, she sighs disgustingly, and procedes. In one last attempt to deceive me, she coughs and trips at once. She stops, looks up at me, and I tell her that I know she's playing then and to knock it off.

She had the patience of Job with me. After that moment, we both connected. I started and dared to ride her bareback once. It was a good thing. I rarely used the saddle once I learned how to bareback ride. I remember one time, I was riding down the road and a UPS truck came down the road. I don't know if it was the deer whistles or the roar of the engine but something about it spooked her and she ran. Now as I said before, I had been on a spooked horse before. With a saddle. This time, she side steps, takes to running as most spooked horses do, and because I had just brushed her, I stayed in the same place. Then gravity took effect and down I went. But it was ok. My butt broke the fall to the ground! Instead of standing over me laughing at me this time though, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and sniffed me over and nudged at me to make sure I was alright.

Anyway, todays blog, I dedicate to you my friend. You helped me through a nasty divorce, you taught me a lot, and I will never forget you, nor could I ever try. I love you.