I have had to put 4 horses down this year. I have a lot of horses but each one diminishes me. This is the very tough part of horse ownership. Last night was a retired broodmare, a beloved mare I have had for a long time. She colicked, probably from the extreme warm weather causing a spike in grass growing out of season and subsequent gas colic in her. She was a cribber and a wind-sucker which did not help but she had made it for twenty years and was a wonderful mother. On Friday, her 5 year son just ran a 101 Beyer at Laurel ( that is really good). But she was in agony and the kindness was to let her go on the a greener pasture. It still sucks. The others have been similar stories, a foal runs into a gatepost and breaks his hip, another older mare, already with a crippling injury to one front leg, founders on the "good" foot and is in a bad, bad way with no good foot. The first was my wonderful eldest member of the band, a beloved foxhunter who made it to 31. When he no longer wanted to come up to the feed or visit his "mares", I knew it was time for a final rest. I have wonderful friends who are there for me to help bury them, but it still hurts. Each time I plant new grass on their burial spot I say goodbye and each time I pass the new, bright, green grass I say a quiet hello, "I miss you". I miss them all.
