Late night update: We have another wet poo! Yay! Looks like it was nothing to worry about after all. But I'm still going to worry some.
It's hard having so much of my heart invested in one horse. Just the thought of him really having something wrong brings tears to my eyes. He's my boy, The Horse that I was meant to have. And we have so much invested in each other. So much time, trying, learning, growing together. I didn't realize exactly how special this is, and how in tune we are with each other, until I started working with Mack. My mustangs just have something more, and whatever it is Tonka has it most. I can't put words to it. He's my big fuzzy goofus dork, my special boy, and he's totally irreplaceable. I hope he's with me for the next 30 years, and I hope those years pass slowly.
I know a lady who's been in horses a long time and she says ride 'em, like 'em, but don't marry 'em. Don't give them your heart. Well, maybe later I could, maybe I'd learn to keep that distance someday, but for now I'm in this with all my heart for the long ride. When he rides off into that last sunset without me... (deep breath) I'll look back and remember and know that it was worth it.
Don't talk that way about my God-pony, Andrea! No final sunsets for a very long time...
ReplyDeleteDomestic folks don't get it because they don't have to bond with their horses like we have to bond with ours. Guy Woods got it after training Max; he went back to the QH world and told them they needed to start petting their horses more :)
I can kind of understand her philosophy, but I LOVE them anyway. You can lose anyone--doesn't mean you shouldn't love them. I think dealing with the loss of animals teaches us truths about letting go and makes us deal with death as a REAL part of life. Most people never have to deal with it and seem to think they're going to live forever.
ReplyDeleteI bottle fed two baby goats a few years ago---and I got attached to them like real babies. My husband and I would take hikes with them all over the canyons behind our house and when they saw me they'd run/hop all the way to where I was and nuzzle my face. Well, they died of urinary calculi--and I was devastated--probably too much so because people thought I was friggin' CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!! They'd listen to me and then remind me, well they are GOATS. But I wouldn't do it any different--I like loving my animals.
I'm so glad Tonka's doing better--colic scares me to death!!! I lost my baby over that last year. Well, he was 3 and I was already riding him. But I knew it was a BAD one from the beginning. You can usually tell.
That's what having animals is all about..loving them.
ReplyDeleteI dread the thought of loosing Foxsun and Dandylyons.
I raised a lamb and had her as my friend for 14 years. She died of old age in April, her name was Chloe and I loved her. We used to walk for miles together in the good old days.
I wish animals lived longer.