Animals

Sometimes Happy Stories Have Sad Endings

Before I begin today's post...

I must tell you that our party was great on Saturday.

I have a few pictures to share with you.... more tomorrow, I promise.

I sit here at my computer with such a heavy heart.

I usually try to keep this blog light and happy, but sometimes...

well sometimes reality smacks you in the face and sadness hangs on you like a heavy cloak.

(And please excuse me....for what we experience here on the farm

is nothing compared to the burden carried by those who have been touched by

recent disaster and senseless violence.)

Many of you have followed the story of Pete. (You can read the beginning here.)

Pete was the saddest sack of bones you would have ever seen...

close to death...

until his lucky day when Dr. Becky rescued him and brought him to the farm to live.

With her love and care Pete thrived.

He gained weight and began some occasional work under saddle.

Pete was sweet and willing and eager to please.

Becky had intended to give Pete to our friend Anna, who often helps us around the farm.

It seemed that this horse who had had such a sad life until last March

was now destined to live out his life in perfect bliss...

the picture of health...

a truly happy horse.

Sadly, yesterday, Pete developed something called a "volvulus"

for no apparent reason.

When a horse develops a volvulus, its bowel twists on itself,

cutting off circulation to the bowel...resulting in cell death of the bowel tissue.

Pete's volvulus was severe enough that he had to be "put down."

Our sympathy goes out to Dr. Becky and to Anna...

who both cared for and loved this horse.

We will all miss watching him in our pastures.

He was a living testimony to the power of love.

We had hoped he would represent the happy ending that we desire for all who are neglected or abused.

It was just not to be.

I am so sorry to be sharing so many sad stories these past two weeks.

But this is life on the farm.

We take the good with the bad.

We celebrate the good.

We mourn the bad.

We say a prayer of thanks that the good always outweighs the bad.

We know on those sad days when tears stain our faces

that tomorrow will bring smiles.

We are surrounded by love...

and love heals all.

- Pete And His Two Bobs
Last evening, we visited Becky's barn so that Hubbs could take sutures out ofSid's back. Sid is Becky's eventing horse... a thoroughbred racetrack rescue.About a week ago Becky removed a few small growths from Sid's backand was not home...

- Please Send Rain!
We awoke yesterday (July 4th) to evidence that it had rained during the night. It has been incredibly hot and dry here for the past month,so any little bit of rain is a help! Our 4th of July was a stay-at-home day.We took delivery of 175 bales of beautiful...

- Pete And Repete
Today I would like to introduce you to a new horse."What? A new horse?" you say. Well, ok, then....not an entirely new horse,but a "remodeled" horse, let's say. Dear friends, I would like you to meet the new and improved Pete.If you are new to this...

- The Introduction
If you have been following my blog,then you know that Becky brought home an "off the track" thoroughbred rescueseveral weeks back.Pete was a sad bag of bones, emaciated, injured...one heck of a mess. Over the past several weeks Pete has been grazing...

- Sad Stories....happy Endings
If you have followed my blog for a while,you will remember that two years ago (April 4th) Sid came to live on the farm.Sid is Becky's thoroughbred (retired race horse) who was very thinand very unhappy when he first came to the farm. Now after two...

Animals