Post by kdunham on Nov 9, 2008 22:00:48 GMT -5
Just wanted to make a little thread for my little old Arab mare "Butterball".
Butterball came into our family in 1991 when I started riding her for a neighbor that was getting divorced and needed to sell her horses. After a month or so of working her that summer I talked my Mom into letting me bring her home.
She was a very green 10yr old back then and I was going into 8th grade. She hated water, freaked out when you touched her ears, would spook 20 feet sideways in a split second. She knocked me un-conscience when I was clipping her one day, I awoke with the clippers still running by my hand and my horse dragging the hitching post that had hit me halfway down the long driveway. I sure had to lie to my Dad about how I got the huge lump on my forehead! She took off with my friends and a Japanese exchange student. And loved bossing all the other horses around.
After a couple years of riding everywhere together she changed. She didn't think twice about water, eventually let me clip her ears without a problem, and stopped spooking.
I used her to pony my young horses off and trusted her as a mount for my timid mother.
She started going downhill 5 yrs ago. She had melanomas and arthritis. My Mother loved her so much. When the cancer was taking her over she shelled out thousands of dollars to keep her alive and comfortable. Special roots that she cooked on the stove every day that were supposed to shrink tumors. Cimedine and vitamin c every day. The tumors shrunk and Butterball was a wonderful pasture pet. She was a gentle soul.
This summer when she stated loosing weight we had her abdomen ultra sounded and saw the tumors had taken her over. We were able to keep her at a decent weight despite the illness. Last week when I was cleaning her pasture she came up to me and looked me right in the eye and I knew it wouldn't be long. Yesterday she stopped eating and drinking. She was still up and nickered to me when she saw me this morning. I led her out to a spot I picked out next to a small fir tree with a bucket of berry good horse treats, the one thing she always liked even when not feeling well. She ate treats until she was unaware and then passed peacefully.
Here are some pics of my old gal.
Last year.
September 2006
2004 (Apollo was photo shopped in because he couldn't play nice for the pic...)
Butterball came into our family in 1991 when I started riding her for a neighbor that was getting divorced and needed to sell her horses. After a month or so of working her that summer I talked my Mom into letting me bring her home.
She was a very green 10yr old back then and I was going into 8th grade. She hated water, freaked out when you touched her ears, would spook 20 feet sideways in a split second. She knocked me un-conscience when I was clipping her one day, I awoke with the clippers still running by my hand and my horse dragging the hitching post that had hit me halfway down the long driveway. I sure had to lie to my Dad about how I got the huge lump on my forehead! She took off with my friends and a Japanese exchange student. And loved bossing all the other horses around.
After a couple years of riding everywhere together she changed. She didn't think twice about water, eventually let me clip her ears without a problem, and stopped spooking.
I used her to pony my young horses off and trusted her as a mount for my timid mother.
She started going downhill 5 yrs ago. She had melanomas and arthritis. My Mother loved her so much. When the cancer was taking her over she shelled out thousands of dollars to keep her alive and comfortable. Special roots that she cooked on the stove every day that were supposed to shrink tumors. Cimedine and vitamin c every day. The tumors shrunk and Butterball was a wonderful pasture pet. She was a gentle soul.
This summer when she stated loosing weight we had her abdomen ultra sounded and saw the tumors had taken her over. We were able to keep her at a decent weight despite the illness. Last week when I was cleaning her pasture she came up to me and looked me right in the eye and I knew it wouldn't be long. Yesterday she stopped eating and drinking. She was still up and nickered to me when she saw me this morning. I led her out to a spot I picked out next to a small fir tree with a bucket of berry good horse treats, the one thing she always liked even when not feeling well. She ate treats until she was unaware and then passed peacefully.
Here are some pics of my old gal.
Last year.
September 2006
2004 (Apollo was photo shopped in because he couldn't play nice for the pic...)
