Alford/we almost lost him tonight

I feel very fortunate not to be heart broken writing about a old horse/friend that passed away tonight. So instead I will use this post to celebrate why I would have been so heart broken. Alfrod AKA Allie has been on the farm for most of the nine years I have been here. He is twenty seven years old and has been the barn (kids horse) for years. First he was a show horse then Terry's Sister bought him and trail rode him all over, he has crossed the state many times. Then when he got older and couldn't keep up on the trails he came over to Pine Manor to help the beginer riders. He also was used in the Christmas parad in Holland for years.

He was also the horse I used to give rides to my nephews and nieces.

But over the years he has continued to loose a step or two. He has gotten unsteady in his hips and a couple of times over the last year or so he has gotten down either from stumbling or loosing his footing and could't get his hind end underneath him enough to get up. I have always been able to get him up. That is until tonight.

Tonight I was finishing up in the barn and I heard this god awfull crash. I came around the corner to find Allie down in his stall. Susan a boarder was close buy and she said he just went down. When I got to him he was stressed and I tried talking him down. But something was different and then he made a gallent try at getting up. But even with me helping it wasn't even close. That is when Susan said  "honey it is his time." The way he was breathing and driffting in and out I really thought he was going to die on me right there. Then I had Susan go to Terry and Karen's house for help from a house quest. When help arrived Allie got about half up before he pinned me agaist the wall of the stall. I was walking that fine line of stressing a animale that was leaving us any way or helping him.I couldn't get a hold of Kris and decided to call the vet out.

I put a fan near his stall to try to keep him comfortable as I tried to do what Kris would have me do. All the time thinking about all the kids who would be heart broken if we lost him. I did get a hold of the Kris and she got there shortly after the vet. Kris walked in the stall, we made eye contact and if there was ever any dought about the brother, sister bond that we have it was gone. Kris whispered is he gone I shook my head no and the next thing I know the to of us standing over Allie embracing, bawling our eyes out.

The next thing that happend is about as close to a miricale that I have ever seen. We took the stall divider out and gave Alli more room and we where able to get him up. The vet seems to think that he had a malfunction in his nuero system or a mini stroke. The good news is Ali will be with us for a little while, the sad news is his riding days are done. what happend tonight could happend again at any time. So no more holding little nervous kids for there first time on a horse or giving this good o'l boy a fun easy ride bear back.

Nope Allie his going to be put out to pasture and will be moved to Kris and John's in the coming days to live the life of leasure in those big o'l pastures, probably never to be riden again. As I glanced through photos to use for this blog it was very clear to me what kind of horse Allie is. And like a sobbing Kris said to the vet tonight. "Im not ready to loose him yet." Yea, I wasn't either and as I finished up things in the barn after every one left, I heard the horses eating and I don't ever remember feeling so relieved that they where all o.k. for the time being.

A Journey

This week is off to a pretty good start. We have horse camp till Wed and then Saturday and horse show in Marn. Everyone was gone last week Tuesday when it was Kris's birthday so today we had cake for Kris and celebrated with the horse campers.

It is the final show of the year that Kris and the girls will be going to. Most of the time it really isn't that big of the deal to be at the end of show season and sometimes a bit of a releaf. But this time it is different. In a way it is a end of a Journey at Pine Manor. Why? Because when that horse trailer pulls out of Pine Manor next spring for the first show of the season the people in the truck will be different.

Without going into detail about things that aren't finalized or leading you on. This is what I know for sure Devin will not be with us by next summer and I am unsure what role Monica, Cheeyana and myself will have at Pine Manor by next summer. Or how much horse hauling Terry will be doing. I also know that Jordana and Lydia will have a more prominate rolls at Pine Manor. So it is the end of a journey with this current group of "Pine Manor Crew".

A journey you really don't know you started, but know it when you are in it. A Journey that over the last couple of years has endured blood and sweat and laughter and tears. A journey that has heard the joys of anoucing the birth of a child or a horse. A journey that has felt the agony of friends and family passing away much to young as their stories have been told in the barn. A journey that has tought me so much about life and myself. And a journey that has accumilated stories that will be told years from now at cookouts as old friends connect over Doug's famous ribs at  Kris's barn.

 A journey that has one more show, a truck and horse trailer that needs washing and a few more ribbons to win. This is how it is suppose to be. And we are off to a good start this week and I am just going to try to enjoy it with this group. Because the ones you remember are always the first and last ones.