My sweet rebellious Spirit. You were my very first love when it came to animals. You were born when I was just 5 years old. I have lots of pictures of us just babies...and then more as we grew up together. I remember all your little tactics and teachings. Have plenty of memories of you trying to bite, get loose and run all over our fields full of yourself. Remember our first trail ride together? You took me everywhere I didn't want to go. You were soooo angry! *L* I look back on all those times when I could have strangled you and it leaves such a smile on my face. You were the best teacher for me. I learned so much from you. Everyone loved you because you were so spunky and full of life. Never did you back down from anything. You fought other horses tons bigger than you and would whoop them before we could stop you....and next thing we'd know, you were the "boss" again. I can't believe it has been two years since you've been gone. I still look for you to be up there in the fields with Treasure. Sometimes I wish I had done more for you cause we lost you so fast. I hated seeing you the way you were....you became feeble overnight. I will never forget walking into the barn when you were sick and you had become blind. You were trying to find me from my voice and kept running into things. It was then when I knew you were gone from me. I was told you had a neurological problem...and I'm thankful now it all happened fast. Now I can remember you for how you really were...wild and free. I know some say there isn't animals in heaven, but to me, what is heaven without them? In the Bible it says God loves each and every one of us...and I think it applies to our animal Kingdom. I can see you now jumping through clouds....bucking and kicking at the stars in the skies. You will forever be my fiesty, spunky, Spirit. You truly lived up to your name.

What a beautiful tribute! I could just picture Spirit running wild in your fields. I have such a soft spot for horses. Your story just brought out the tears. They are such gentle creatures inside, yet so misunderstood by many.

My neighbor used to have a beautiful horse named Ginger. She was a retired race horse with a wild spirit, like your precious horse. My neighbors became afraid of her and I took over for her love and affection. I used to go out and brush her all the time. I would talk to her everyday and give her treats. She threw me off a few times while trying to ride her, but I continued to show her love. Eventually, we bonded and I could even start riding her bareback! She turned out to be a very loving and gentle horse. She just needed time to develop trust and decide when she was ready to allow me to ride her.

I will never forget the day that I went to her stable and she was down on the ground. I managed to get her up, but she was so weak, she had to lean against the barn wall. When I ran and got the owner, she called the vet for a housecall. He told her that we needed to keep Ginger up on her feet until he got there. What a chore that was! Poor Ginger, she had gotten some blood disease. They had no choice but to put her out of her misery. I will never forget that day and watching poor Ginger collapse.

I live in a county with alot of Amish. My heart just aches every time I see their horses hauling huge loads of produce, or working in the fields on 100+ degree days.

I really envy the people that are blessed to own a horse. I only wish that I could afford to care for one of my own.

Thank you for sharing and bringning back my good memories of Ginger.
Cheri

Thank you CheriAnn for your sweet reply. What you did for Ginger is wonderful!! So many don't give them chances. What provokes them to be so fiesty is part of them. You can only work with that heart and make it something useful. Being a racehorse, Ginger was bred to be a handful! I bet she was beautiful to watch run!! You gave her something that is so hard to find, your love and care!

My Spirit was something else, she was such a rebel! Alot of people wouldn't have dealt with her, but we all loved her because she was so spunky. She never hurt anyone, she just wanted to do what she wanted to do. I remember my dad trying to get her across a ditch one time, I think he could have beat her to death and she wouldn't have budged. That was just her strong will.

I have another horse named Treasured Moment and she is totally opposite of Spirit. Spirit had a wonderful stablemate the last years of her life....and during Spirit's last hours, we had Treasure in a large animal hospital thinking we were going to lose her as well. She had severe bilateral foundering....meaning her coffin bone in her leg was literally sinking down and would eventually push through her hooves. She wasn't given much of a chance to survive at all. Her vet was wonderful and didn't give up on her, and the sad thing was, the next day we were taking Spirit to the vet for her checkup. I like to think that God knew what he was doing though. I say that cause my horse Treasure was so attached to Spirit I think she would have gone crazy seeing Spirit go down the way she did. Maybe what happened to Treasure was the best cause she was gone for 3 weeks in urgent care when all that happened to Spirit. Spirit could have survived without Treasure, but I'm not so sure if Treasure could have survived without Spirit. I know some would say I'm crazy, but I know how Treasure reacted when we took Spirit away from her. When Treasure got back, Spirit was gone. She looked in her stall a few times, but she wasn't very upset. Treasure today is 100% back....we had angels looking down on that horse. Her vets call her their "Miracle Horse" cause she has done so wonderfully well. She no signs of what has happened to her. Her coffin bone is back where it is supposed to be! We even had a vet hospital ask to study her because of her success. I never let that happen cause she had been through so much already, and I thought the over two hour trip there would be way too hard on her. Treasure is now enjoying her reign as queen....and some of the things I see her do are things I saw Spirit do. (Like hollering at us to come take her to the barn when it starts getting dark, she is so spoiled!) Treasure had never done them till Spirit was gone. I guess my lil boss taught her some things after all. Here is my sweetie Treasure....she's blessed my family and brought us all to remember how special an animal's love and heart is.

I am sorry your lost your beautiful Spirit but I can just see him running now with his tail and mane flying in the wind at the Rainbow Bridge. I too believe there will be animals in Heaven. One just has to look them in the eyes to know they have a soul.
Ann