Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wives, Hide Your Horses. . .


Ladies and Gents, it's colic season. Technically, it's always colic season, especially if you have a horse with an exceptionally sensitive gut. But every year, in western Wisconsin, we get chilly, fall weather complete with windblown thunderstorms only to have them replaced with 90 degree humid days. Two years ago today the vet said it was affecting a lot of horses in the area.

I wrote a much darker, sadder version of this post. Now that two years have gone by I can do that - recall the traumatic, gut-wrenching parts of that night. But when I started editing it didn't feel right. So instead of remembering the most difficult fourteen hours of my life, I want to remember the amazing two and a half years we spent together.

May 2015: Just a few days after I bought him.





 






I laughed at this moment until I cried. Yes Gambler, jump the barrel lengthwise and overjump it by two feet. It's not like the pole is only three inches off of the ground or anything...

First ride ever (with me).
 




 



Second first ride with me
 


liberty
Shortly before he died

Losing Gambler is the worst thing I have experienced in my life so far. It completely changed me as a person - for the better. And if he had never gone, I would never have the amazing relationship I have now with Avalon. But the pitiless reality that horses die, suddenly, is something every horse owner needs to be prepared for. 

  • Are you willing to pay for expensive surgery for colic, a broken bone, or another life-threatening illness? If so, make sure you have that money on hand.
  • Do you want mementos of your horse? If so, make them now. Horsehair jewelry, hoof or chestnut clippings, and of course photos. 
  • When your horse dies, cut off a lot of his tail. Don't go for the mane like I did. You can do much more with a tail portion twice the diameter of a pencil - more is better.
Did I miss any helpful advice? Let me know in the comments and hug your horse today. 

4 comments:

  1. We just lost a horse in the barn to colic yesterday. His owner got him to a top clinic... opted for surgery... did everything she could, but she still lost the fight. Hold your horses extra tight every chance you get. <3

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    1. I'm sorry for her loss. 💔 Right in the anniversary of Gamby's passing too.

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  2. aw <3 so many wonderful memories here. sending hugs!

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