Because you had mainly just done dressage, you were anxious about riding out and at first you were a challenge to hack, but with perseverance and hard work you began to trust me and we ended up having many an enjoyable ride out together. I particularly remember long canters over golden stubble fields on warm summer days…
In more recent times you enjoyed your retirement spending your days dozing in the paddocks, socialising with your new friends or relaxing during your physiotherapy sessions.
You had started to lose weight and condition despite being on every supplement you could name and still eating well. Increasing your feeds by the addition of a lunchtime feed seemed to help a bit and I was heartened and hopeful when you put a little weight back on.
You can’t fight against death. Once it has got its steely grip on you it starts to leave its undeniable marks. At first these are slight, imperceptible in fact and you can try to explain them away, hope and denial trying in vain to triumph against the slow, steady advance of chilling reality.
Having experienced death’s strengthening grip on a beloved equine companion I could read the signs and recognized the slow downhill journey you had embarked on. I tried in vein to counter it, to reverse it or even to slow it down but in the end it managed to triumph and I was left feeling utterly defeated.
You were 33 ½ when the lameness came and even though you recovered, it returned within one month eventually causing your legs to give way. I could see you were exhausted and your time had come. There was just no way in the world you would be able to get up again.
It started to rain as we waited for the vet’s final visit so I covered you with a rug and kept you as comfortable as possible while you enjoyed your last Polos. Comforting you, stroking you, talking to you, soothing you while you slipped away was the least I could do for all your years of service and went some way towards the huge debt I owed you for all the good times you had given me. You were beautiful, noble, intelligent, kind and gentle and I was so very fortunate to have known you and had you share my life, even though our time together was so short.