Friday, August 7, 2015

Devastation

The last picture I ever took of him. He was so happy to be out hacking around. The joy almost radiated off of him as he had a swing in his step on our walk. 

I want to thank everyone for their love and support. I am devastated and heartbroken at the loss of my partner and friend. He has seen me through every boyfriend, my high school graduation, my college graduation, getting married, and buying a house. He was a permanent fixture in my life.

I expected him to be an old man when he finally passed and for us to have at least 20 years together. I only got 11 and I feel cheated out of the last 9. He deserved a retirement of trail riding and showing a rider or two through the ropes of training level dressage and winning lots of blue ribbons doing it.

Mikey had an aortic aneurysm while he was working (no one was sitting on him thankfully). It was not preventable and could have happened at any time. He had died before he even hit the ground. He did not suffer. I watched him pass, and him falling very unathletically without trying to save himself replays over and over in my mind. It will haunt me for a long time.

Wednesday morning he was buried in the jump field. He's looking over the dressage arena. He liked to jump more than do dressage anyway. I know he'll be looking down on the arena from the big green pasture on the other side saying, "Haha, you have to work!"

I am so glad that he is buried at his favorite place in the world. He loved that farm. The quiet, the woods, the endless grass. He was happiest there and everyone knew it.

I tried to seek some comfort while he was being put in his grave by petting the other horses. It didn't help. None of them are Mikey, and I just wanted my friend back. I still do. I keep thinking, maybe this is just a bad dream and I'll wake up. Except I'm not waking up no matter how hard I pinch myself.

In the spring, I'll buy an apple tree to plant on his grave that will eventually shade him and produce treats for the horses to eat. I feel like that is the best possible tribute.

I spent Wednesday crying my eyes out and playing the 'what if' game. What if I had just retired him when he had hock surgery? He probably would never have worked hard enough to burst his aorta. What if I had decided not to go riding that night and instead went to the camaro club meeting with my husband? Mikey would have stayed in his field, grazing away. In both cases, I would still have him. Thank you Austen for kicking me out of that thinking. He liked to work and he liked to please. He was happier seeing me every day.

I got his nibble net for alfalfa at horse shows and his next order of 12lbs of chia in the mail Thursday. I couldn't open either.

My biggest regret is that I never got to tell him one more time that he was a good boy. It's what he lived for. He passed too quickly, but maybe that's a good thing because if I had a chance to tell him, he would have been suffering. I'm so happy I gave him an apple before we worked that night. I got to love on him and give him one last special treat. I told him every time I saw him that I loved him and he was a good boy. I don't regret the ridiculous number of horse cookies I went through.

All I can hope is that he knows how much my heart hurts from wherever he is on the other side. And that he was so very loved by everyone, not just me.

Hug your horses a little tighter today, because I can't.

11 comments:

  1. Hugs given, and a little bit of an argument tactfully handled in Mikey's honor.

    All those special moments with Mikey are what really mattered. They remember those more than anything, I think.

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    1. I think so. He had a lot of special moments with a lot of people. I got voicemails (I couldn't answer the phone and actually talk) where the caller was crying into it telling me about some ridiculous cute/funny/sweet moment with him. I think that's why he was so sweet. Everyone loved him because he was sweet, so he got extra sweet and loving, and then we just circled round and round.

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  2. there really are no words to express my condolences right now - sending so many hugs and willing you to hold those fond memories tightly!

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    1. Thank you. I'm hanging on to all the memories. I'm so glad we live in an age of obnoxious technology because I have so many pictures to trigger the ton of wonderful memories.

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  3. Those red OTTBs are just the best. It ripped my heart out when I lost mine. I wanted to be with him forever, but it wasn't meant to be. Mikey lived a good, happy life and he loved you. He would have let you know if he didn't. I'm glad you were there for him, right up to the end.

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    1. I know you know exactly how I'm feeling. I thought about your red head on Tuesday... I'm glad I was there and saw it happen. There's no wondering what happened, no one has to call and say they found him dead in the field, which was apparently much more likely than I thought.

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  4. I'm so sorry, he was a beautiful boy and I wish you could have had those extra 9 years plus some.

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    1. Thank you. It wasn't meant to be... But I was a constant in his life, and it was for the majority of his life. Looking at it that way, he had his best friend for life and never had to say goodbye or be without me after the racetrack part was done.

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  5. I am so very sorry for your loss. I know all too well what it is like to lose one a) too quickly and b) in such a tragic manner. You are right that it leaves a lot of questions and a lot of what ifs and even more scenes on repeat in your head...the kind you don't want to see (or hear) once, let alone every time you close your eyes. The regrets are hard to deal with as well but I can tell you, even though I only recently started following you and Mikey, that he knew. He knew you loved him, he knew he was a good boy, he knew you tried hard for him, that he was everything to you, and that your heart is breaking right now. Just watch, he'll send you little messages if you are willing to watch for them: a horse who does something Mikey always did, who asks for attention like Mikey did, eats treats the same way, etc. It is incredibly hard and very sad to lose a horse like you did but I promise, in time it will become less painful to think about him, the happy memories and a little chuckle at some of his antics will come much quicker, and the hole in your heart will become a little less gaping.

    Lots of hugs and positive vibes being sent your way.

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    1. I heard a story a long time ago told by a psychic... She said she's had numerous animals over the years, and the spirit of her dog has come back to her 3 times now because it liked being with her. I don't subscribe to psychics, but if any of that is true and possible, I can only hope that Mikey's spirit will be forgiving enough of me to come back to me. You can bet I'll be looking for it.

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    2. My first horse used to do this really goofy thing that I had never seen another horse do quite like her. After she died several horses that I had previously been around and had not exhibited that same behavior did it on several different occasions. After my third horse died, a situation I felt (and still do feel) incredibly guilty over and that absolutely destroyed my confidence for awhile, several of the horses at the barn would do silly little things that he did before he died. His favorite treat, the only treat he would eat, was dried mango. None of the other horses would touch it, but after he died on a couple of occasions one of the horses would steal a piece of dried mango that I was eating right out of my hands...just like he used to do. I chalked it up to the both of them just checking in, letting me know they were ok, and reminding me to not wallow like I was wont to do at the time.

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