Equestrienne

[jesterjigger]

I just wanted to say that I saw the post about your horse and I''m really sorry. I''ve had my older horse for almost 12 years now, and get teary just thinking about the day I''ll lose him, even though he''s only 17 now. It''s great that you got to enjoy him for as long as you did, 27 is a very respectable age for a horse! I''m really sorry about your loss, and let me know if you ever want to talk. I know it can be hard for the average person to understand exactly how much a horse can mean to a person. ((((((hugs))))))

 

[Patchee]

And from another horse person I too, am SO SORRY! If you need support we are hear from you. I''ve lost way too many horses in my lifetime...

 

[firebirdgold]

You have my sympathies as well! I just had to put down my retired horse down a few weeks ago. It helped that I knew he had a good life and he''s buried under his favorite tree. Although I wish I known about that horse-hair memento jewelry thing.

 

[bee*]

Im really sorry to hear that news-my pony is 31 and I dread the day I lose him. I hope that you''re holding up ok

 

[Mannequin]

Thank you Ladies. Your kindness means a lot, and I agree with you - it takes a horseperson to truly understand how great the loss of an equine companion is.

I am still having an awful time of this. In the span of one week I have had to make one of the most joyful decisions of my life (getting engaged to a wonderful man) and I have had to make one of the worst and hardest decisions of my life (telling the vet to go ahead with putting my horse down while I was still an hour away from home). I was looking forward to school being over because I have missed my horses terribly and was going to be able to see Taz and Chance a lot more often. I am thankful that I still have Chance now, and that he seems to be able to be alone now without much stress or separation anxiety. I saw him tonight and spent some time fussing over him, and when he came up into the barn I let him sniff around in Taz''s stall. It broke my heart to see him smell his friend on every surface and then poke his head out into the paddock to look for Taz. Grief is so different for a herd-bound animal, and I wish I could do more for him without filling that stall. I still have not been able to go out to the spot we had Taz lad to rest. I bawled my eyes out again trying to clean and wash the locks of tail hair I saved from my old friend. My daddy and brother are also missing him, and my mom is also taking this very hard.

The woman who owned Taz before me has a Morgan horse breeding farm and has many new babies every year. In the other thread about my horse, I mentioned that a new baby horse was born at her farm around the same time that Taz passed on. The following link will take you to a webpage that will let you meet Taz''s little namesake, Ancan Razmataz. http://www.ancanmorgans.com/BonnieB''s2006.htm

 

[jesterjigger]

I LOVE Morgans, I''m sure he was beautiful. I had two Morgans when I was younger and hope to get another one someday. You''re lucky Chance is handling it so well...and your family. When I took my horses from Ohio to New Jersey my dad was sending me emails consisting of just

for the first two weeks and telling me I stole his boys. I think that our families love the horses even if they don''t ride because they''re beautiful animals, but they''re also a final link to us after we''ve moved away. The baby is beautiful, a great namesake for Taz.

 

[Mannequin]

I love Morgans so much. Taz was not my first horse - I started with a lovely chestnut Morgan named Samson, who was previously owned by Bob Seger. I received him as a birthday present when I turned 13, and it was the gift of a lifetime and forever stamped me as a horsewoman. He was very young though, and we ended up being too green for each other, so after a year I found a more suitable owner for Samson.

Taz came into my life at the age of 17 in 1996, and he was the willing, hearty, do-everything Morgan horse of my dreams. He was my first "boyfriend", my backyard buddy who helped me navigate my high school and college years. I rode him on trails, he took me to my first shows, and he and I won blues and tris and a Michigan Morgan versatility award together while showing in local dressage competitions against expensive warmbloods. We did parades and the high school riding team together, memorably taking a first place against twenty other seasoned Saddleseat in-hand competitors in our very first team meet. I spoiled him rotten and everyone who met him loved him instantly. He was the hit of many family reunions, giving pony rides to my little cousins and neighbors and happily eating all of the baby carrots offered from the veggie trays by little hands. I even took him to school when I was interning during college, and I was proud to have him as an ambassador for the breed when he met and impressed a group of inner city sixth graders in Flint. I can honestly say I have no bad memories of this horse - he was a real doll. I have owned three Morgans in the time I have been a horsewoman, but this Morgan is the only one that I have truly loved.

I spent two hours yesterday trying to gently clean all of the bits of hay out of the mane and tail hair I saved so that it could be washed and dried. I did okay for the first hour or so, but I lost it and bawled my eyes out at the end. I did not shampoo his mane. It still smells like him, and I don''t want to lose that just yet.

 

[ilovesparkles]

Ok now I am crying having read through all of this! Being an inner-city girl I have never had the pleasure of riding regularly. But I went to horse camp when I was a girl and every vacation where there are ranches I ride. I adore horses! I was perusing msn and saw the article about the injured horse at the Preakness. I am sure all of you already are aware of it but I thought I would put the link up anyways. It was very very sad and I immediately starting thinking about our horse ladies on PS! Hope you are doing well Equ! We are thinking about you. *HUGS*

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/5624450?GT1=8192

 

[Mannequin]

Date: 5/20/2006 9:27:34 PM
Author: ilovesparkles
Ok now I am crying having read through all of this! Being an inner-city girl I have never had the pleasure of riding regularly. But I went to horse camp when I was a girl and every vacation where there are ranches I ride. I adore horses! I was perusing msn and saw the article about the injured horse at the Preakness. I am sure all of you already are aware of it but I thought I would put the link up anyways. It was very very sad and I immediately starting thinking about our horse ladies on PS! Hope you are doing well Equ! We are thinking about you. *HUGS*

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/5624450?GT1=8192

I did not see much of the coverage of the race, and this link was the first I had seen about the injured racehorse. It''s so sad to see that happen to a promising young horse. They are run so hard so early in their lives, though, that a premature breakdown is all but inevitable for some. The last horse mentioned in that article, Ruffian, was an amazing filly and one of my favorite books I read last year was about her. In the same fast-paced, commentator style as Laura Hillenbrand''s Seabiscuit, her story is called Ruffian: Burning from the Start and was written by Jane Schwartz. EXCELLENT book.

I am hanging in there, Sparkles. I am feeling better this weekend because I am staying as busy as possible. It is still very hard for me though. I can''t imagine how much worse off I would be if Chance was still distraught over his missing friend. He is slowly and calmly accepting the loss and that is a blessing.

 

[jesterjigger]

Equestrienne...I just wanted to say that what you wrote a couple of posts ago was a beautiful tribute to Taz and you should print it out and keep it with your favorite picture of Taz...maybe in one of those frames with two places for pictures? Put a picture on one side and then the description of how wonderfully he affected your life on the other? I think it''s something you''ll definitely want to be able to remember years from now.

 

[ilovesparkles]

Date: 5/21/2006 1:50:43 AM
Author: equestrienne

Date: 5/20/2006 9:27:34 PM
Author: ilovesparkles
Ok now I am crying having read through all of this! Being an inner-city girl I have never had the pleasure of riding regularly. But I went to horse camp when I was a girl and every vacation where there are ranches I ride. I adore horses! I was perusing msn and saw the article about the injured horse at the Preakness. I am sure all of you already are aware of it but I thought I would put the link up anyways. It was very very sad and I immediately starting thinking about our horse ladies on PS! Hope you are doing well Equ! We are thinking about you. *HUGS*

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/5624450?GT1=8192

I did not see much of the coverage of the race, and this link was the first I had seen about the injured racehorse. It''s so sad to see that happen to a promising young horse. They are run so hard so early in their lives, though, that a premature breakdown is all but inevitable for some. The last horse mentioned in that article, Ruffian, was an amazing filly and one of my favorite books I read last year was about her. In the same fast-paced, commentator style as Laura Hillenbrand''s Seabiscuit, her story is called Ruffian: Burning from the Start and was written by Jane Schwartz. EXCELLENT book.

I am hanging in there, Sparkles. I am feeling better this weekend because I am staying as busy as possible. It is still very hard for me though. I can''t imagine how much worse off I would be if Chance was still distraught over his missing friend. He is slowly and calmly accepting the loss and that is a blessing.

Its good to hear you are feeling a bit better. I read your post over in fisher''s hread too. I''m glad to hear chance is doing ok too. I went over to the ranch site with the new colt named after Taz. THat is so sweet! Do you have any pictures of him? I would love to see them but understand if it would be too hard every time you came to this thread. My avatar is my passed pooch. But I find in comforting to see his face everyday when I sign in here. Well I hope you have a great day with family and friends at the grad party!

 

[Lorelei]

You are still in my thoughts - these magnificent and complex animals add so much to our lives and teach us such a lot too, not only about them but how to be a better person IMO. I pray for some comfort for you, Taz is running free now and thanks you for everything you did for him. Give Chance lots of big hugs.

 

[Mannequin]

Date: 5/21/2006 7:11:49 AM
Author: jesterjigger
Equestrienne...I just wanted to say that what you wrote a couple of posts ago was a beautiful tribute to Taz and you should print it out and keep it with your favorite picture of Taz...maybe in one of those frames with two places for pictures? Put a picture on one side and then the description of how wonderfully he affected your life on the other? I think it''s something you''ll definitely want to be able to remember years from now.

The magazine The Morgan Horse runs free obits for Morgans as a courtesy. I may send something like that in and see if it can be published for him.

 

[Mannequin]

Thank you, Jester, Lorelei, and Sparkles.

I do have lots of pictures of Taz all over my little apartment, but not a lot on my digital cam or scanned into the computer. I took a few pictures of pictures to share. Seeing the photos of him and Chance have helped me deal with not getting to see them every day like I used to. I was so looking forward to being with both of them this summer after school got out, but that was not to be.

Here''s Taz from last summer when I first got the camera.

Pictures of pictures:

One of my senior pictures from high school. Pardon the dust.

At a dressage show on July 28 1996, taken right before we rode the test that earned our first blue ribbon together. Taz loved to show, he''d get out and strut and would be so pleased with himself. I am getting married on July 28 next year, in an unplanned coincidence.

Showing Saddleseat for the high school team, i.e. me trying to stay on and look pretty while he did all the work. He was trained for it and I wasn''t, but I always showed this seat with him because he did so well for the team and he loved it.

Happily retired, taken a few years ago in the fall. I have this and the last picture on my computer desk where I see them all the time.

 

[GarysBride]

Aww equestrienne I just read all the posts im sorry to hear about your loss but it looks like you have a beautiful new foal to enjoy! At my old barn there was the sweetest QH mare and she lived to be 42 I couldnt beleive it! The day she passed on was so hard, everyone could feel it in the barn it was kinda weird. I dread the day our pony goes hes 26 right now but luckily hes still kickin and my sister just won high point of the year on him! horses are amazing and I cant imagine my life with out them My FI doesnt understand this but im sure all of us on here do! Once again im sorry for your loss and I hope all gets better soon!

 

[ilovesparkles]

Oh he is just gorgeous! Just by his expressions in the pictures you can tell he was a very very loved horse! Thank you for sharing those with us!

 

[Lorelei]

What a handsome guy he was! I love the Saddleseat pics too, we don''t have that discipline in the UK but it has always interested me and I love the pic of Taz''s posture in that pic! He knew he was gorgeous!!!

 

[Mannequin]

Thank you again Ladies for all your support. (((HUGS))) all around.

I was told that my mother figured out a way to get Chance a bit more relaxed in the morning. He was having the worst time of being solo in the AM, apparently, and had not been totally eating his breakfast because he wants to get outside and see if Taz is there. I think he hears the deer moving around in the woods behind the barn and confuses them with his old buddy. Mom bought him a rubber feed pan and has been feeding him outside instead of in the stall, and he is MUCH more relaxed and finishes breakfast now. This is a win-win for everyone now since he is seeming more settled and my parents don''t have to wait on him eating before theyturn him out and leave for work. Chance eats at a snail''s pace and it takes him forever to finish up.

Date: 5/22/2006 4:15:49 AM
Author: Lorelei
What a handsome guy he was! I love the Saddleseat pics too, we don''t have that discipline in the UK but it has always interested me and I love the pic of Taz''s posture in that pic! He knew he was gorgeous!!!

I was never trained for it, but since I had Taz who had shown Saddleseat at Morgan shows before and he knew what he was doing, I''d go into the classes with him and he''d do a great job. I had a borrowed navy pinstriped three piece saddlesuit and the matching derby, and I always stuck a big red rose on my lapel and some red feathers in the hatband. Taz had a bit of dark red on his headstall to match. We were stylin''. He loved getting to do this seat because I''d show him calm and collected at dressage shows all summer and then he could come into the Saddleseat classes and run around with his head way up.