One of my boarders came by last week for the first time since April. This is not uncommon when people retire horses and move on.
She was so happy and excited to see her horse. The horse on the other hand was not interested at all. She kept calling him and he kept napping. I, once again, went down with a lead line and a carrot and retrieved him. Trying the whole way up the hill to explain that this woman pays his board and that he was being rude. So we went through the hugs, kisses, and I’ve missed you so much routine. I know she did. She been going through some personal problems and just couldn’t find the strength to come up and see him. She does live over an hour away.
The horse wasn’t buying into it. He graciously took the carrots from her and then put his head in my arms. Oh I hate when they do that. Her comment was simply “Well I can see he likes you. You are good to him and I really appreciate it.” I know that should have made me feel good, but I felt rotten. Then after he finished the carrots she had brought, he walked away. Now this is nothing unusual. Every horse will do that, but it kind of blew her out of the water. She believed he had missed her and couldn’t wait to see her. “Then she said “He really seems to like carrots now.” She used to buy him the German horse cookies. I feed carrots. It’s really better for them especially if they are Insulin Resistant. I told her yes, I can’t walk by his paddock with out giving him a carrot or he’ll follow me around until I do. Oops! Did I say that.
He slowly walked back down to the bottom fence where his friends were waiting for him. They discussed what just happened and then went back to eating hay. She just stood there watching. Kind of sad. Finally she said “Well I can see he’s happy here. He has friends. It makes me feel better knowing that.”
Now this is the horse who told the communicator, when asked if he was depressed because he hadn’t seen his owner, “I’ve had so many, what’s one more.” I understood what was going on through this whole situation, but she had no idea.
How sad. People just don’t get it. Horses don’t dwell on things the way people do. They move on. If he leaves here I will be just one more of those people who he will never see again. I’m going to try my best to keep him here even if I have to buy him. I want this to be his forever home. I want it all to stop here. I thought he was going to be 28 this year. According to her she believes he is in his 30’s. According to his teeth, I have to believe that to. His tattoo is unreadable. I want him to live out his life knowing that someone loves him and won’t send him on his way again. I want him to die in a home he has known and felt safe at. In his own pasture with his friends around him. Although they are also old and may cross the Rainbow Bridge first. I want him to have a constant in his life at the end. I don’t know if he needs it as much as I do for him. I want to be there at the end telling him to go across that bridge and rejoin all his old friends.
Call me silly or crazy, but this is what I have to live with, and want to.
So how do you explain all this to an owner who has just had her horse walk away from her? I just simply say, he’s happy, don’t worry about him. Feel good knowing that you did the right thing for him, and come and visit whenever you want.
That is the best I can do for all involved.