[RC] Fw: My old friend is going over Rainbow Bridge tomorrow - Karen Everhart
It is time to say goodbye to my 32 year old horse!
Rainbow has been with me for 26 years and 2 months. She has been my
teacher, my student, my confidant, my friend and my nemesis. She rekindled
my passion for horses and has always been the one horse I could count on to take
care of me. She has been vibrant and strong throughout her life.
Always eager to go, even as recently as May when I jumped on her bareback in the
pasture, to search for a missing pasturemate. She has never let me
down.
She experienced an unknown pasture accident on July 10th. We had
endured a bad storm the night before with lots of lightening and rain.
When she did not come up for breakfast, we were very worried. A search
found her in a remote pasture, unable to move. There were no signs of
trauma anywhere but pain in her right leg or right hip was obvious.
After pain medications were administered and she did not improve, our wonderful
Vet came to our aid. We x-rayed her upper leg, did the appropriate exams
for a pelvic fracture, and even gave her a powerful painkiller. Nothing
was found and the pain was not controlled. Because of her location and the
fact that she was in so much pain and could not bear weight on one of her hind
legs, we could not load her to transport her so we confined her in an electric
pen, to protect her from the rest of the free-roaming herd. She remained
there for 2 days until I could slowly lead her the 400 feet to her pasture
paddock.
She has remained confined in that paddock with her best friend Sweet
Pea. We have monitored her daily and watched as she seemed to be moving
towards recovery and healing, only to quickly slide backwards. This has
happened three times over the 10 weeks. She has been on high doses of
daily pain medications to keep her comfortable. As recently as Wednesday,
she was happily grazing with her buddy. But, on Thursday, she began to
rapidly deteriorate.
Since Thursday, she has virtually remained nearly motionless. She
will not seek water, she will not graze. She will nicker to us when she
sees us and she is still interested in her meals, served three times a
day. But, her enthusiasm for feeding time is not as vigorous as it has
been and she pivots away (she cannot/will not walk away) before it is
gone. There is a notable enlargement of her hip area, which is a new
development. Her ability to be "a horse" is no longer possible.
I have loved this mare from the first moment I laid eyes on her near Hays,
Kansas in July of 1981. Tomorrow I will say goodbye and my heart is so
heavy. A part of me will die with her because she has been
a "constant" in my life for so long. My dream of starting a horse
rescue was because I wanted to somehow "pay back" for all she has given to
me, and she is the name sake of our rescue and retirement facility.
Memories of our times together will remain forever but the loss will never
heal.
Tomorrow at about 8:30 a.m. a powerful chemical will be injected into her
veins, stopping her heart forever, and she will cross Rainbow Bridge. I
just want to be strong enough for her, to hold her head and let her know how
much I appreciate all she has done for me. I want her to know that I am
giving her the gift of peace because I love her.
Karen Everhart MEd Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement,
Inc. Serving the equine companions who have so loyally served us... www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com 620-725-3402
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions Centered Riding
Instructor Distance Horse Conditioning and Training www.horsecalls.com 316-648-5082
