You may remember S1, my first local horsey friend back when I was riding my mare Mara (2013). She and I rode our copper colored Arabians together and even went to a few clinics and shared a few trainers.
Her temperamental gelding always kept things exciting, he really wasn't a help to Mara or, later, Mag.
She introduced me to my wonderful trainer, Susanne, who simply loved riding Mag and quit us, saying, "You don't need a trainer, you just need friends to ride with." This is true. And I have none, other than S1 who lives an hour away by horse.
Tonight I got the awful WhatsApp from S1, to both Susanne and me, "Girls, I have a new hip and shoulder. While taking my horse for a walk he ran full speed over the back of me and I had to go to the hospital, the Schockraum, intensive care and have had 2 operations. I'm done with horses."
I remember her saying, a couple years ago, "After this horse, I'm done. It's just too much effort for too little reward."
I feel so horrible for her, but I understand. Susanne recently went through cancer treatment, and when we met up a few weeks ago for dinner, she explained that her mare is getting very old and cannot do much dressage anymore. She survived cancer but her outlook horsey-wise is not good.
I'm that age now, too, where I don't fall off and get back on. I haven't gotten on for a long while. But I have hope, and a good trainer, but even taking Mag for walks is a huge challenge. He simply doesn't react well to being in traffic. I'm hoping, maybe when he turns 20, he'll settle down and I can have some fun.
Ah, I'm getting texts from Susanne, who just got the news, she's freaking out too.
Enjoy your horses while you can.
3 comments:
I think we all have a point where we’re just done. I have decided that these are my last two horses. Carmen is 16 and Quaid 6, so he has some years left. I’m sorry your friend was hurt. That must have been scary.
I have wondered if the Dragon is my "last horse". She is 24, I'm 62. If she keels over tomorrow (no reason to think she will) I will probably get one more horse. If she keeps going for 5 more years (definitely possible), I might not. So many variables. She isn't extremely sound, but we've rehabbed up to 30 minutes of riding trails at a walk and could keep adding time--except that I'm scheduled for knee surgery next week!
The doc says I will hurt too much after surgery to want to ride for at least a few weeks after but unlike your friend, I have no fears about my personal safety while riding and handling the Dragon. She was such a handful as a young horse, and is such an easy, caretaking horse now.
I think most of us who still blog are reaching "that age" .I don't currently have a riding horse and I am getting too old to make one, so if I ride it will be on a borrowed horse. I still enjoy the breeding aspect and teaching the foals how to be good citizens for someone else, so that keeps me in the game.
Sorry about your friend; it is a tough day when you know it is time to stop doing the things that we don't heal up from like we used to.
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