Cowboy Died Sunday
Just after lunch I got a phone call from my mom, and I can tell she's crying and upset...one of those calls that closes your throat cause you know its going to be very bad news.
Through her sobs, she said Cowboy, her horse, had died.
She and my dad adopted Cowboy, along with a pony to whom he had bonded, from the Humane Society. They have a nice little 13-acre farm, and me and my dad have spent several years restoring the land and turning it into useable pasture.
Cowboy was rescued from a field, and he was skin-and-bones...barely alive. SOmeone had just abandoned him. They brought him to the Humane Society, where they were keeping an old pony named Buckwheat, who was rescued from the carnival (he's gimp on one side from walking in circles his whole life). The two bonded, and Buckwheat followed Cowboy wherever he went.
So it was a perfect fit...we had an empty pasture, and these horses needed a place to go.
Apparently, on Sunday, the groomer came over, saddled Cowboy up, and went riding with one of the neighbors (who had her own horse). They didn't go on a strenuous ride, just a nice walk for exercise. As they were coming back up the path to the barn, Cowboy cried out, went down on his front knees, and rolled into the fence, pinning Gretchen in the saddle. The fence collapsed, but Gretchen's leg was still underneath him. He tried to get up, then flopped down. He cried out once more, and that was it...
He had a heart murmur, so that seems to be the likely cause of death. He was in great shape otherwise, so his death is a shock. We thought Gretchen's leg was broken, and took her to the hospital to get X-rayed, but she was OK. My dad called a guy who brought in a backhoe, dug a big hole, and lifted Cowboy down into it. Then we covered him up. Just like that...
Buckwheat circled the big dirt patch in the pasture, always facing it. Every so often, he would whinny in his gravelly old voice. He knew his buddy was gone. A neighbor brought one of his horses over to share the pasture with Buckwheat...we're very concerned about him at this point. If he goes too, my mom's going to lose it completely.
So here's to Cowboy, a fine and beautiful horse...
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That's Buckwheat following him in the background
He died about 10' behind where he's standing in this one
Damn...I've been matter-of-fact about his death until now, but writing this kind of choked me up.
Through her sobs, she said Cowboy, her horse, had died.
She and my dad adopted Cowboy, along with a pony to whom he had bonded, from the Humane Society. They have a nice little 13-acre farm, and me and my dad have spent several years restoring the land and turning it into useable pasture.
Cowboy was rescued from a field, and he was skin-and-bones...barely alive. SOmeone had just abandoned him. They brought him to the Humane Society, where they were keeping an old pony named Buckwheat, who was rescued from the carnival (he's gimp on one side from walking in circles his whole life). The two bonded, and Buckwheat followed Cowboy wherever he went.
So it was a perfect fit...we had an empty pasture, and these horses needed a place to go.
Apparently, on Sunday, the groomer came over, saddled Cowboy up, and went riding with one of the neighbors (who had her own horse). They didn't go on a strenuous ride, just a nice walk for exercise. As they were coming back up the path to the barn, Cowboy cried out, went down on his front knees, and rolled into the fence, pinning Gretchen in the saddle. The fence collapsed, but Gretchen's leg was still underneath him. He tried to get up, then flopped down. He cried out once more, and that was it...
He had a heart murmur, so that seems to be the likely cause of death. He was in great shape otherwise, so his death is a shock. We thought Gretchen's leg was broken, and took her to the hospital to get X-rayed, but she was OK. My dad called a guy who brought in a backhoe, dug a big hole, and lifted Cowboy down into it. Then we covered him up. Just like that...
Buckwheat circled the big dirt patch in the pasture, always facing it. Every so often, he would whinny in his gravelly old voice. He knew his buddy was gone. A neighbor brought one of his horses over to share the pasture with Buckwheat...we're very concerned about him at this point. If he goes too, my mom's going to lose it completely.
So here's to Cowboy, a fine and beautiful horse...
">
That's Buckwheat following him in the background
He died about 10' behind where he's standing in this one
Damn...I've been matter-of-fact about his death until now, but writing this kind of choked me up.