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Moonlight, 1991-2013
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eg...@enter.net
Jun 8, 2013, 10:02:41 PM6/8/13
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Yesterday evening I found my beloved Moonlight dead in the field. Although she has had issues with tumors that are benign but were in not so good parts of the body, like her intestines, she had no colics or other signs of trouble. She was cheerful and in good weight, eating well and out with her friends to the end. She had no external signs of trauma, the grass was not churned up around her. I think she just fell down dead.
In 2000 I gave up on my Cleveland Bay homebred ever being what I needed, and with a small amount of cash in my pocket I went horse hunting. 40something rides later, I had a wedding in Syracuse to attend. It spanned several days since everyone was from out of town except the groom's family, so I had things to do and down time over a long weekend. I set up looking at half a dozen horses while I was there. One sounded like a really great prospect--Go Man Go bred, foal at side, had competed 3' hunters. Another sounded pitiful, very Western name, had not worked out for WP, so did the Western version of English, did not jump or trail ride. Since they were 15 minutes apart I decided to see them both.
The TB Go Man Go mare was a disaster. Her owner was afraid to ride her and the foal looked like crap. I longed to watch her short strided self, then got on because I felt sorry for the lady. She swung her head around and bit my leg when I asked her to go forward. Yuck.
Next barn, Sunny Jo Dexter. WP fail out, 9 yrs old, no jumping or hacking experience. Walked into the barn, looked at her in the stall, and my heart started pounding. I was 47 horses into horse hunting and I knew instantly that this was My Mare.
Owner put her in draw reins and a kimberwicke and put her in the TINY indoor. I got on, let out the reins, and she just shivered with pent up energy. After some flat work, I had them put up a cross rail which she blasted over. They added a towel and then a tire, neither of which backed her off at all.
Three weeks later she was mine. I had to teach her to be turned out and how to deal with other horses because her prior owner was afraid she would get hurt, so she lived in a 12x12 stall with no turnout of any kind for 7 years. A testament to her great mind is that she had no stall vices. Once she got the hang of being out she was terror stricken by being taken into a barn for grooming and tacking, or being in over night during bad weather. It took about two years for her to get normal with a herd and with being in or out of the barn.
In the three years that I competed her, she went from Starter to Training level in eventing and Intro to First Level in dressage. She placed in 90% of her competitions. She gave me a beautiful foal. We had our ups and downs, but she taught me a lot about fixing a ruined horse and she never said NO to me, just "I don't understand." In recent years she has been a lovely horse to hack around the farm, haul to the park, and has taken such good care of Carl.
She is sorely missed already. She has been laid to rest on my hillside at the woods edge. Today I stripped all the stalls and took apart the "temporary" stall she has been living in since CC was weaned. The tractor is back in its old place, and the pasture seems a little empty today.
Eileen Morgan
The Mare's Nest
In 2000 I gave up on my Cleveland Bay homebred ever being what I needed, and with a small amount of cash in my pocket I went horse hunting. 40something rides later, I had a wedding in Syracuse to attend. It spanned several days since everyone was from out of town except the groom's family, so I had things to do and down time over a long weekend. I set up looking at half a dozen horses while I was there. One sounded like a really great prospect--Go Man Go bred, foal at side, had competed 3' hunters. Another sounded pitiful, very Western name, had not worked out for WP, so did the Western version of English, did not jump or trail ride. Since they were 15 minutes apart I decided to see them both.
The TB Go Man Go mare was a disaster. Her owner was afraid to ride her and the foal looked like crap. I longed to watch her short strided self, then got on because I felt sorry for the lady. She swung her head around and bit my leg when I asked her to go forward. Yuck.
Next barn, Sunny Jo Dexter. WP fail out, 9 yrs old, no jumping or hacking experience. Walked into the barn, looked at her in the stall, and my heart started pounding. I was 47 horses into horse hunting and I knew instantly that this was My Mare.
Owner put her in draw reins and a kimberwicke and put her in the TINY indoor. I got on, let out the reins, and she just shivered with pent up energy. After some flat work, I had them put up a cross rail which she blasted over. They added a towel and then a tire, neither of which backed her off at all.
Three weeks later she was mine. I had to teach her to be turned out and how to deal with other horses because her prior owner was afraid she would get hurt, so she lived in a 12x12 stall with no turnout of any kind for 7 years. A testament to her great mind is that she had no stall vices. Once she got the hang of being out she was terror stricken by being taken into a barn for grooming and tacking, or being in over night during bad weather. It took about two years for her to get normal with a herd and with being in or out of the barn.
In the three years that I competed her, she went from Starter to Training level in eventing and Intro to First Level in dressage. She placed in 90% of her competitions. She gave me a beautiful foal. We had our ups and downs, but she taught me a lot about fixing a ruined horse and she never said NO to me, just "I don't understand." In recent years she has been a lovely horse to hack around the farm, haul to the park, and has taken such good care of Carl.
She is sorely missed already. She has been laid to rest on my hillside at the woods edge. Today I stripped all the stalls and took apart the "temporary" stall she has been living in since CC was weaned. The tractor is back in its old place, and the pasture seems a little empty today.
Eileen Morgan
The Mare's Nest
John Hasler
Jun 9, 2013, 8:49:45 AM6/9/13
to
Eileen writes:
> Yesterday evening I found my beloved Moonlight dead in the field.
I'm very sorry.
> Yesterday evening I found my beloved Moonlight dead in the field.
--
John Hasler Boarding, Lessons, Training
jo...@dancinghorsehill.com Hay, Jumps, Cavallox
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA
Snidely
Jun 10, 2013, 2:51:12 AM6/10/13
to
eg...@enter.net used his keyboard to write :
I'm glad you have such beautiful memories of her, and can speak to us
so powerfully of them.
Bon voyage, Moonlight!
/dps
--
Killing a mouse was hardly a Nobel Prize-worthy exercise, and Lawrence
went apopleptic when he learned a lousy rodent had peed away all his
precious heavy water.
_The Disappearing Spoon_, Sam Kean
so powerfully of them.
Bon voyage, Moonlight!
/dps
--
Killing a mouse was hardly a Nobel Prize-worthy exercise, and Lawrence
went apopleptic when he learned a lousy rodent had peed away all his
precious heavy water.
_The Disappearing Spoon_, Sam Kean
anncs...@gmail.com
Aug 13, 2013, 12:24:13 PM8/13/13
to
There are no words, only emotions...so sorry for your loss.
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