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Our best, most favorite, most wonderful horse in the entire world is now in Pony Heaven. He fell down in the turn-out on Sunday afternoon, and although we spent all night trying to get him up and on his feet, we were not successful.
Unfortunately for horses, they MUST be on their feet to survive. Laying down for extended periods puts too much pressure on too many vital organs, so a horse that won't get up won't survive. We had the vet come early on Monday and she took one look at him and said it's time for him to go.
He came into our lives seven years ago and was pretty much a horse that nobody wanted. My daughter E bought him for $5 of her own money. I really didn't like him much at first (he was sour and grouchy), but he turned out to be the smartest horse I've ever met, with a great personality and a great sense of humor. We loved him and he became a true member of our family. He lived the life of Riley and he knew it and appreciated it. He had a very expensive surgery about three years ago, because we felt that we had to give him every chance to live, and he came through it, but it was hard on him. He took a long time to recover completely, but has been back to his usual self in the last year or so. He was also at least 25 years old (old in the horse world), so his body was just not as good as it once was, and he had trouble getting up and down for the last year or so. We've had episodes where we spent three or four hours getting him up, but each time was very stressful, and we always worried each time if this was the day he wouldn't get up. We knew it was coming, but it still doesn't make it easier to deal with. At least we were there for him, and his last moments were filled with our touch and voice and smell.
Just when we were hoping to get back to normal, we have this to deal with. It's especially hard, as today is E's birthday. So send us some kind and healing thoughts as we deal with this loss. It will take a long time to recover and we will miss our Little Brown Pony terribly.
We are now done moving our barn operations from BFE nowhere to Moorpark. What a relief. It was a lot of work, but I think everything is finally going to settle down and go back to BORING normal. Being the control freak that I am, this has been a rough time for me, but I actually survived, albeit with small meltdowns here and there.
One of the hardest parts of moving is that you just can't explain to the horses what is happening and let them know that everything will eventually be just fine. Some of them, like people, roll with the punches, and others just... don't. Our favorite (photo above), nicknamed The Little Brown Pony (aka LBP), is one of the latter. In spades. Big spades. So this move was very hard for him. And he just has to tell you about it all the time.
If you're not a horse person, you probably don't realize that horses have as much personality as any other animal (and more than some people I know) and can be very vocal. I've been around horses my whole life, and known a lot of different horses, but the LBP is probably the smartest and most human-focused horse I've ever owned. We've had him for almost seven years, and he's a character. He's one of the few creatures I know who isn't food-driven, and would rather be out with you doing things than eat. (Can't say the same thing for me, sadly enough.) There's never any question about what's on his mind, whether he's "helping" you unzip your jacket or mad because you're half an hour late getting to the barn in the afternoon. He's set in his ways and gets annoyed if you make even small changes in his life, like where you put his food. So you can imagine how three major barn moves in eight months have affected him.
I think this all came to a head for him with this latest move. He was very mad and upset about it all, and started declaring his indignation at the top of his lungs the day he arrived at the new facility. And he kept it up the next day. And the next day. This lasted more than a week. I love him a lot but was ready to tape his mouth shut by last Friday. And then yesterday we noticed a new quiet and a demeanor that somewhat resembles the horse we know and love. I think we have officially been forgiven for moving. I knew he would settle in just fine eventually, but it's hard watching the anxiety and know that there is nothing you can do about it except wait.
There are a lot of similarities between this horse and me. I am also set in my ways (i.e. control freak) and change is hard for me, especially when it's not my idea. I just fret and obsess when things are not to my liking, or when situations occur that I must deal with and did not start. I make a conscious effort to not sweat the small stuff, but it still happens when I least expect or want it to. It's definitely better than it used to be, but sometimes the little stuff looms large and seems overwhelming. This year has held a fair amount of these situations for me, and I'm looking forward to a quiet period so I can regain my perspective, take a breath, and see things with my usual sense of humor. Here's to the boring life.
