Sadness
I spent extra time at the barn tonight just hugging Linus and Lieke. One f the boarders had to put her horse down, and I hid in the barn while the vet was on site. I've managed to always miss whenever a horse died, whether it was a polo pony that had a heart attack on my day off, a yearling that had a guttural pouch rupture while I was on vacation, a racehorse that broke down on the track while I was working at the farm, Linus's best buddy that was put down on the one day I didn't go to the barn, etc. Tonight I was not so lucky.
Beau was 22, which isn't that old. He was a steeplechase/timber horse for years (earning $500,000 in his career), and his owner bought him when he was 17. He did training level eventing with her daughter, where she actually had to walk him on the cross country course to keep him from finishing too fast and last year they were galloping in the fields and on the trails, following the hunt course. Apparently Beau started to go downhill this winter and it was finally time to let him go. He wanted to run, but his legs would not cooperate. Today when I saw him, I was worried and asked the trainer about him. That's when I found out he was getting put down.
I brought Linus in just as the vet approached with the syringe, so I hid in the barn until it was over. Then I went and talked to the owner and the barn manager after I finished with my kids. I barely know the woman; I only talked to her a handful of times, since I've only been at the new place for 2 weeks. It's still so sad.
On another note, Lieke is coming in heat. She's been a bronco on the lunge for the past two days. Today I lunged her without any tack and she couldn't keep her feet on the ground, so she wasn't bucking yesterday because of the saddle. Wednesday I plan on putting her in a surcingle and doing some ground driving. I need to find things to keep her occupied until I find a saddle that works.
Beau was 22, which isn't that old. He was a steeplechase/timber horse for years (earning $500,000 in his career), and his owner bought him when he was 17. He did training level eventing with her daughter, where she actually had to walk him on the cross country course to keep him from finishing too fast and last year they were galloping in the fields and on the trails, following the hunt course. Apparently Beau started to go downhill this winter and it was finally time to let him go. He wanted to run, but his legs would not cooperate. Today when I saw him, I was worried and asked the trainer about him. That's when I found out he was getting put down.
I brought Linus in just as the vet approached with the syringe, so I hid in the barn until it was over. Then I went and talked to the owner and the barn manager after I finished with my kids. I barely know the woman; I only talked to her a handful of times, since I've only been at the new place for 2 weeks. It's still so sad.
On another note, Lieke is coming in heat. She's been a bronco on the lunge for the past two days. Today I lunged her without any tack and she couldn't keep her feet on the ground, so she wasn't bucking yesterday because of the saddle. Wednesday I plan on putting her in a surcingle and doing some ground driving. I need to find things to keep her occupied until I find a saddle that works.