Sweet William

A horse came to my rescue without a name.  Only a note that read “bay mare”.  He was a gelding.  I called him Sweet William because he was very dear.   Terribly thin.  Lame.  Old.  Sore.  Mostly bones and winter hair, he was in pretty sorry shape.  I put him in a pasture with several other horses, but it was very soon clear that he simply could not compete.  He was in such pain.  Sweet William spent a lot of time lying around in the grass, getting off his feet, still sore even with [pain relief] Bute.  I sat with him for a long time on the second day, he and I in the new spring sun.  A tear fell out of his eye and “boinked” in the grass.  I called the vet to see what was to be done and although we did temporarily nerve-block him to see if a permanent solution was available, he failed to be helped.  It was apparent that we could not keep Sweet William from living in terrible pain.  He could hardly stand and needed the relief we were able to offer him.  We groomed him,  we loved him, we fed him grain, and with dignity we euthanized him. 

Goodbye Sweet William.  I will always remember your tear in the grass.

Angelo’s Saddle Pad

I have Angelo’s saddle pad.  It was donated to my horse rescue with tears and a story.  Angelo committed suicide.  Rather than trample a small girl he juimped to his death from a bridge.  I have his saddle pad.  I use it on Addy, twice saved from slaughter.  Addy is a permanent resident of HH.  She is deep in her 20’s, grey, with a long face and beautiful dark eyes.  Addy is a former racehorse.  Then a broodmare.  Then a family horse.  Then a discard.  You should see her.  She looks and feels great.  She is on permanent pasture with her friend Tara, an aborted broodmare sent to slaughter.  Both of these horses were rescued by Joe Shelton and sent to HH for guardianship.  They will never have to worry about their future for as long as they live.  I wish I could say that for the others.  Even Ferdinand, the 1985 Kentucky Derby winner, was killed and eaten in Japan several years ago.  If winning the Kentucky Derby does not guarantee you safety, then what does the future hold for our own horses.