Friday

Friday is here, after a few days of blue sky, cold temps and NO rain, the rain is back this morning.
I officially am sick of the weather...ready for spring or let's just jump to summer.
It's one of those days I feel sorry for myself. Things to do and take care of today that I don't want to do, that I would rather hand off to someone else and yet, handing it off is not the right thing to do. Running the rescue makes me the responsible one and the one who must use her logical brain today, rather than her emotional brain.
The old mare is tired, and although she is eating well, she has a lot of pain and barely made the walk into the barn the last two nights. So I make the decision for her to see the vet today. I will hold her until she is gone. She won't suffer anymore and we won't worry anymore. Because I work full time, I am always worried that one of the old ones will fall down and not be able to get up, or worse, fall in the stall and then thrash around. I couldn't live with myself if that happened and so I know this is the right thing to do. Of course I consult the vet and the other volunteers to second guess myself. The thing is.....we aren't going to make Grace ten years old again. Her time with us has been good......she has eaten well, had shoes on, been blanketed......a far cry from where she came from. It breaks my heart to know how she previously suffered and how the owner who gave her up, blamed it on age, blamed it on our economy and then said she was so glad for us to take her and she would repay us by coming out and working. We never saw her again...not a phone call, not an email.....nothing. Grace was emaciated, had a completely split hoof up to the hairline, barbed wire cuts on all four legs, hardly any teeth and a bad hip. Taking care of old horses requires dedication ...blanketing in the winter, extra calories, dental care and the right food mix. It is not rocket science, but if you just want to throw them out in the pasture with six other horses and hope they get enough....you are stupid and heartless (talking about you Grace's former owner...I said stupid and heartless). Anyway, we have loved Grace. She has been a character and we will miss her gimping up the hill to greet us. She will get to see her beloved Tarbaby today and I hope they gallop the skies.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Love returns.