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| My horse Bones.... |
I begin this with a broken heart. I lost my best horse friend on Friday, March fourth. It hurts to write about him being gone, he has been such a big part of my life for so long. He would have been thirty on March 20th, the day after my birthday. He came from California to our farm when he was eight. His owner kept him at our little farm so we could all train and condition together. You see, my best horse friend, was an endurance and competitive trail horse. He had a fancy Arabian name but he was know as Bones to most everyone. He became my once in a lifetime horse by accident. His owner took a spill while riding Bones and broke his collarbone. He never truly trusted Bones after that and slowly but surely Bones and I connected. Oh, it was not an easy start, Bones had his fear issues. You know that horses run from what they fear. So yes, I spent a lot of time trying to find his brakes. Once I began to trust, he began to trust and our friendship grew.
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| Knipper and Bones 2010 |
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| Feasty, Bones, Knipper |
We had some of the most amazing journeys, we rode trails in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, California, and Nevada. He loved to run and jump, it was awesome to fly down a trail and fly over logs or mud puddles. Oh, we had our moments, he could toss me off quicker that it took me to tell you "we had our moments". I could never hold him back as he raced up a mountain side, clear the way, he was coming up with or without me. I decided it was easier to get up on his back than off!
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| Summer play |
Bones always liked to be the leader, my friends would laugh at that statement and say it wasn't the horse but me who liked to lead. Well, maybe they are right, I guess I'll say we both were determined to be the leader. Bones didn't follow well, he really did like setting the pace for everyone behind him.
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| Bones at Soldiers Meadows, Nevada |
At home, in the pasture, he was always kind to the other animals. He never seemed to worry about the dogs or cats underfoot. He liked the geese we had too. He was always respectful of the small children that came to see him, he tolerated them brushing him and trying to clean his feet. He gave numerous rides bareback to my grandchildren. We all will miss seeing him in our horse pasture.
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| Nevada endurance ride |
We have one horse left on our farm. Knipper calls every time I walk out the door. He misses his best friend very much. My heart hurts for him. I must go and bury my head in his mane and we can talk about our best horse friend together.
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| Best buddies |
I believe that my good horse friend is enjoying spring pastures in a better place. No more pain and among friends that left before him. I honor our time together, me and my best horse friend Bones.
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Dear Cynthia
ReplyDeleteIt always hurts when animals like this are gone. They become a trustful friend and a part of the family, and the grief can be as strong as if it was a human. But life must go on, and it is important to keep all the good memories and let the smile come forth. As always you are in my thought and prayers.
Blessings
Morten
Ah, what a fitting tribute to the horse that took you up many a mountain and yee-hawing through the woods. I notice you didn't have any photos of the view I saw most of Bones when I was riding with you. ;-) I'll yee-haw for you when I ride today... but I doubt my mare will respond like Bones did to yee-haws!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Morten, I always appreciate your kind words.
ReplyDeleteOh Beth, thanks, I hope to hear your joyous yeehaws! You just need to give your mare a little more encouragement, a little squeeze when you begin the yell! Pretty soon, she'll learn what that means to run as fast as you can while being free to throw in a little buck or two, just because you can! Woohoo!