End of an Era

Today we'll say good-bye to an old friend and an era in my life. As a child, I dreamed of owning a horse, learning to ride, and showing at a horse show. Zeke, an Appaloosa, made all those dreams come true for me. He and I learned dressage together, he an 11-year-old green-broke cow horse, and I a 26-year-old city girl. At first sight, he reminded me of a camel - making funny faces over the wall of the stall. Definitely NOT the horse of my dreams. But, he was affordable, and quickly won my heart. Zeke did not like to work, so he used to pretend to be lame every month when the dressage instructor flew in from Michigan. Silly boy. Soon, Dan and I made over the dairy barn on our farm to accomodate Zeke, and many hours were spent pounding nails and fence posts. Zeke was soon joined by Buddy, Dan's aged quarter horse, and then Rhodes, my Holsteiner show horse. Over time, Buddy went to the Rainbow Bridge and Rhodes to a new home, and our Zeke was left to grace our pastures. He was a friend to the barn cats, snurffling them with his big nose, and loved to tease the dogs. His pasture paralleled the dog run, and he loved to lean over the fence and blow on the dogs. There are very few things that felt as wonderful as seeing him trot in to the barn when I called him. Today the vet will come and we will send him on his way to join Buddy at the Bridge. I will miss him - and all he represents. My first horse...and my last. Love you, Big Guy. Run free.