This handsome boy came to me through a wonderful person - her previous owner, Samantha. His name with her was, Elliot. The story behind this guy is just amszing. He was so very special to Sam. She owned a Thoroughbred before him & they looked identical. She showed me pics of the other horse & I could hardly tell a difference. Simply amazing. For reasons I'm not sure of, she lost this boy & thus, enters Elliot. Needing to find a new home for her boy, Elliot turned to me. We found each other over the internet. I, of course, couldn't say no to the gorgeous chestnut gelding. And I'm glad I agreed to take him in. The time that I was able to spend with him was awesome. He had such a huge heart, one of the sweetest horses I've ever known. He'd sit there for hours & let you fuss over him - he just adored attention.


Saying good-bye to this beautiful soul wasn't easy for, Sam, and it sure as heck wasn't easy for me! When I went down to the barn one morning, he was down... and he just looked horrendous. I was in shock! I didn't know what to do. I tried my best to get him, but there was no budging him. Poor boy. I knew I had no choice but to call the vet. That was the hardest call I think I've ever had to make. I was crying over the phone. When the vet got there, he looked him over & finally came to a conclusion that he had a pretty significant heart murmur. And for those of you who don't know, even though horses have incredibly strong hearts, if they develop a murmur, they go down-hill quite quickly. This is what happened with Ruger. The rest was all a blur. Obviously I knew I was doing the right thing by putting the handsome copper boy down... but it just didn't seem fair. I hadn't had the pleasure to own him for very long. And it especially didn't seem fair to Samantha - she should've been able to have been there with in the end! But I did the best I could do. I stayed with him until the end. For those of you who haven't had to go through putting a horse to sleep - I surely hope you never have to. I wept like there was no tomorrow. And it seemed like all the vet cared about was getting his money, the asshole! At a time like that I didn't even know which end was up... how dare he?! Just goes to show you how cold-hearted s lot of people are!
As the days passed & Ruger was laid to rest in our pasture, by his favorite tree, I began to come to terms with what happened. I knew I had done the right thing, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. And having to tell Samantha was the worst! Knowing how I felt, I can't even imagine what she went through. He was her life, she drew all her courage up even to leave him with me. And then that happened. God, I still feel guilty to this day! I wish we would have known that his time was limited in this world - then at least she would've been able to stay with him & be there with him in the end.

RIP Elliot/Ruger, you were dearly loved by two girls & you shall never be forgotten!

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1