A Passing and a Promise of Spring

Yesterday our little horse, Cedar Hill Lacey, crossed the rainbow bridge and went home to sleep forever, free of pain.

We had watched her condition worsen over the last few weeks, until she could no longer move around freely, stopped eating much and drank very little. She was no longer able to walk out of the pen and into the pasture, or follow her Beau around as she used to. We had grown used to her being in the pen, and she, once the free spirit who hated being handled, had grown to acccept the daily medicine and handling that we had to do for her. Two weeks ago while medicating her one night she fell onto her side, and I saw real pain on her face for the first time. We saw that she was having increasing problems, and the vet was here four times in the last six weeks, checking her. We noticed that the medication did not appear to be working and finally, by Thursday, we knew that it had gone on long enough.

Husband loved her enough to help her through the ordeal, and our very kind veterinarian, Dr. Jeannie Hauser, was on hand to ease her passing. While getting her ready, they discovered a tumor that none of us had seen under her heavy Cushing's mane, and the doctor declared it was surely malignant, and the cause of the deterioration. It didn't help our pain, though, because we had grown accustomed to her fuzzy little face, and miss it so. Our Old Gentleman has called and called for his friend, and has gone from one side of the yard and one side of the pasture to the other, looking for her and whinnying. He looks at us and whinnies as if to say Where is my Friend? Can't you find her?

We hope he will settle down in a few days, and our hearts feel for him. We know Lacey's suffering is over and I will remember her standing in the sun on her last morning, and running free in the pasture when she came here, happy to be alive.