Ridecamp: Re: [RC] need help with daugher re:horse

Heidi,

Thank you so much for sharing this heartfelt poem with us.  It reminds me that 
writing of memories can be cathartic and helpful in the healing/grieving 
process.

Anna
> 
> SURRABU
> 
> I knew you were my horse on that first day
> I saw you at the Salmon River Ride.
> I was fifteen.  So young.  And you were five,
> A stallion, bay, so full of fire and pride.
> 
> We learned to trust each other from the start;
> That special bond that girls and horses share
> Was ours.  We did it all--horse shows, parades,
> And riding hill and valley, free of care.
> 
> Endurance rides were still a distant dream;
> We chased cows in the rugged Lemhi hills--
> Wild, reckless, free, we chased the wind--
> We were invincible; we lived for thrills.
> 
> Virginia City--what a place to start!
> One hundred miles--one day--for our first ride.
> We bore the desert heat and chill of night
> And finished strong at midnight with great pride.
> 
> The Boise Basin, Prineville, Santiam--
> We rode through history together then--
> Blue Mountain, Raging River, Fossil Bowl,
> The Oregon One Hundred, Lily Glen.
> 
> And through it all you were my rock in life,
> Through high school, college, vet school, loves and loss.
> You shared my joys, my woes; you dried my tears;
> You stood beside me, silent, never cross.
> 
> You loved your new-found home in Oregon;
> We roamed the Grassland trails and made them ours.
> With my career a clinic, yours the trails,
> We shared grand views and springtime wild flowers.
> 
> At twenty, R & R in Idaho
> Was your last ride before retirement.
> We kicked back, finished, had a lot of fun,
> And reminisced about a lifetime spent.
> 
> But twilight years for you were far too few.
> A lifetime spent on trails of rock and dirt
> Was nothing to the cancer in your jaw,
> And nothing I could do could heal your hurt.
> 
> Your pain-filled eyes begged freedom from this curse;
> You'd lived your life for me.  How could I fail
> To do a final favor for my friend?
> So off we headed up your favorite trail.
> 
> We climbed Pine Ridge together one last time,
> The drugs to free you in my fanny pack.
> You broke my heart--ears up and trotting proud;
> I think you knew that you weren't coming back.
> 
> Oh, God!  Please still these trembling hands of mine!
> Dry these damned tears do I don't miss his vein!
> If I must do this awful, final task,
> Don't let me cause unnecessary pain!
> 
> Your knees grow weak, you sigh, and down you go--
> You're free!  No pain!  But how am I to stand
> My grief as I must turn around and walk
> Back down this hill, your bridle in my hand?
> 
> Oh, Lord, I know for horses You must plan
> A place in Heaven where the grass is green,
> The trails well-trod, the summer sunshine warm,
> The breezes cool, the water clear and clean.
> 
> And as for me, I have your memories
> To carry me through all of life's travails;
> Besides, your foals and grandfoals keep a bit
> Of you alive and traveling down the trails.
> 
> Heidi Smith, DVM
> 
> 
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> 






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 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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