A Star?

There is a Star in Libby's Future!

and it might just look something like this:

Life After Poncho......

Libby and I are surviving.

Today was the hardest.

It is the third day since Poncho left.

Yesterday Libby and went for a ride in the neighbors pasture.

I love to ride there.

It is close to home.

It is on 10 acres.

It has a hill.

There are rocks.

Lots of sand.

And even some trees.

Libby was a bit aprehensive at first,

even though we have ridden there many times.

But we both settled in and rode for about an hour.

Just a walk.

A nice calming walk.

Today,

We rode also.

This time we just stayed home.

We went out in the big pasture

BAREBACK!

I found I have to learn how to stay on going up hill.

I did not fall off, but it would of been so easy to 

slide off her butt...

She was careful

I held on.

I worked on guiding Libby

right and left

with just my legs.

 Then, I just let her go where she wanted to.

She walked with a purpose.

She headed up to the small pasture.

She walked straight to the gate that goes out.

It was like she wanted to go out of the pasture to play.

I leaned over and hugged her around her neck

laughing...

Then the tears fell....into her mane.

I know she is hurting too.
She does not graze as much as she use to
and she spends most of her time
standing in the spot where Poncho's last breath was taken.

She also will not eat out of Poncho hay bin either.
Always before her and Poncho would share.
It was as if she had to hurry and eat as much as she could,
then go work on hers.

Life goes on because that is what it is suppose to do.
The hurt will lessen, and this I know.
But it will take time.
We will heal together,
and travel lots of miles.
And Poncho will forever be on the horizon,
Galloping in the clouds,
and ever watching over us,
because he was Noble like that.

Poncho, You were a good and Noble boy!

(Pictures posted at random)

The day started out like any other normal day.

I got up, 

Fed Poncho and Libby.

Went to work.

I came home, 

Brushed and kissed all over Poncho.

(and Libby too)

Cleaned his feet, and took an extra minute

to kiss his soft muzzle and just

hold his head. 

He loved to rest his head on my shoulder.

Today it was extra heavy.

After I brushed them, 

went and fixed their mash.

It is a cup of wheat bran,

a scoop of Ani-gest

a scoop of crushed flax seed

Libby gets a scoop of pellets for

insulin resistance.

(Because there is a suspicion she is border line insulin resistant)

Today I thought I would throw in a small handful of oats.

Then I mix in about a tablespoon of Olive Oil

and since it was so cold today,

I used hot water to mix it all up into a runny paste.

(By the time I got it to the pasture it was cool)

I took it outside, and rang the cowbell.

Libby came GALLOPING to get her treat.

Poncho even trotted down to me.

Usually he just walks, taking his sweet time.

(Yes, I am teaching them to come on a cowbell!)

They both gobbled it down, and licked the spatula.

(that is always the best part)

At 2 PM I headed out to do an errand.

Poncho was laying in the pasture, soaking up the sun.

I watched him for about 5 minutes to make sure that was what he was doing.

He was.

I got home about 3:30 PM.

Grabbed a cup of coffee, and at about 

3:50 went out to feed.

Libby and Poncho were waiting for me by the gate as normal.

He is always the first one to whinny at me. 

Then Libby will chime in.

Poncho's whinny is like a girls whinny and I would tease him about sounding like a girl.
But he knew he was a manly horse, and that did not bother him.

Sometimes, I would walk a little slower,

just to hear him talk to me.

Libby's whinny is a deeper whinny.

As I go thru the gate, Poncho escorts me to the feed tub.

I toss in some hay.

He takes a quick glance, and 

IMMEDIATELY

drops to the ground and rolls.

and rolls!

and rolls!

and rolls!

He just would not stop!

SIRENS WENT OFF IN MY HEAD!

I race to the house and grabbed the phone.

I call a friend,

then I call the vet!

The vet can not get out of the office till 4:30 PM!!!

"J" and "L" show up!

(Thank you girls!)

("L" had Poncho before me, and I was so glad to see both of them)

We tried to get Poncho up numerous times, and succeeded on a few of the attempts.

The minutes ticked by ever so slowly!

I call hubby and had him meet the doc and follow him out, so that the doc did not have to play guessing games with which lane to turn on.

The minutes ticked on more.....

Poncho kept rolling.

He would get up, on occasion and then he would want to trot!!!!

(He was a trotter!)

About 10 minutes before the doc showed up,

I saw in Poncho's eyes, that it was not good.

But Doc gave him some pain meds first.

They had no effect on him.

It was quite odd because

thru the tears and the sobbing

I told Doc to help him cross over

to the rainbow bridge,

Poncho just laid there.

No rolling.

No Thrashing.

He was spent!

He knew!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poncho left us at 5:15 PM.

My heart was broken!

Poncho was such a good boy!

At one point,

When he was up and walking,

and "L" was leading him

I walked next to his butt with my hand on his hip......

When all of a sudden Poncho just drops and rolls.

He knew right where I was, because when he dropped,

he dropped AWAY from me!

He would go down so fast!

Poncho took care of his rider.

Poncho loved to go for rides!

He loved the kids even better,

because they liked to trot and that was Poncho's favorite thing to do!

Poncho loved hugs and kisses!

Poncho just loved to hang out with his people!

He was a people horse!

Poncho looked like a wooley bear with his winter coat on.

I would just run my hands through his coat.

He loved his rub downs and massages.

I don't think there was anything Poncho did not like.

He loved Libby.

I witnessed many times his guardianship for her.

When the neighbors dog would cut across our pasture,

I saw Poncho place himself between her and the dog.

He protected her.
He was the one to check everything out before he let Libby have it.
No Aggression. They just had an agreement.

He swatted the flies from her face in the summer.

He scratched her withers.

He stood next to her on cold nights.

And fanned her on hot days.

I got my equine soccer ball out a few weeks back, 

and Poncho was catching on rather quickly.

He really enjoyed it!

And the more I laughed and rubbed his neck for a job well done,

He would do it more and more.

The more I laughed the more he would kick that ball!

Poncho liked games.

Poncho liked to pick things up.

He used his teeth a lot.

I had him ever so close to handing me his treat pan.

Poncho may have been 20 years old,

BUT..... he could still learn new things!

During this whole episode with Poncho,

I had moved Libby to the adjoining pasture.

She was upset till I threw her hay over the fence.

She ate all her dinner,

grazed on some grass,

and totally ignored everything that was going on.

After Poncho was gone,

After "J" & "L" left.

After the Doc left.

After I closed the gate.

After we put a tarp over Poncho.

After I checked her water tub.

Poncho whispered good bye to her.......

Because in the dark she looks across the fence at Poncho,

lets out a very loud whinny,

and a huge snort....

Then..... runs hell bent for election all over the pasture!

It was almost as if she was yelling: "Don't GO!" "Don't leave me!"

She went wild!

I called "J" up and asked about letting her in with Poncho,

and she said to do so.

I knew Libby would need closure.

I did.

She pretended to not notice at first, and took her time making her way over to Poncho,

but after about 1/2 an hour,  I walk out to check on her.

She is standing guard by him.

It is now her turn to take care of Poncho,

if only for a little bit.

R.I.P Poncho
I loved you so much!
Thursday
12-1-2011
5:15 PM

Blue Monster Ball

 Libby: Oh no! There is that dreaded Blue Monster!

 Poncho: Keep Ignoring it.  Maybe it will go away.

 Libby: I will go hide behind you.

 Poncho: It is still there.

 Poncho: Here, Let me move it out of the way.

Poncho: OH! I remember playing with this. It was actually a lot of fun!

And our human laughed a lot!

Poncho: Oh Dad! Did you come to play?

Mouse Collector!

See this innocent face!

Isn't he just adorable?

NOT!

In my 50+ years I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER

had any mice in my house!!!!

Till this innocent face shows up!

Just look at that smirk on his face!

And why this year, I don't know.

The beginning of the mouse hunt!

Two weeks ago, I/we tore the pantry apart.

I thought I saw some suspicious activity in there.

Not until I started bringing things out,

did I find some really bad evidence!

There was a mouse in there!

And he stayed in there till the very last item was brought out of the pantry!
Jumping from box to box!

As a last ditch effort he dashed through all the cans on the floor in the kitchen and ran

and hid around the corner into the laundry room

under the dryer/washer!

UGH!

I send youngest son in to get some mouse traps!

By the next morning, in the set trap the

Poor little thing met his demise!

Screech: "I'm bored! I think I will go catch a mouse!
Bring it in the house, and watch the humans try to catch it!"

Maybe because he is getting more adapt at catching them?

He has a way of bringing them in,

with a meow that announces his prize,

then LETS THEM GO!

and they RUN!

and HIDE!

If not for my dogs, I would never of known I had a mouse.

Taumee was totally interested in the area under my desk.
I actually thought she was very interested in her toy box which I thought was odd.

But then I saw

Sydney totally focused in on something
UNDER the desk!

So I got my gloves on,

Grabbed the flash Light!

and here was this little mouse, 

cleaning himself all nice and pretty!

He had no idea I was about to grab him!

Since he was a baby mouse, he had no fear!

I swooped him up,

Took him outside

and tossed him into the neighbors pasture!

If he knows what is good for him,

He will STAY HIDDEN!
I did not think to get photos of the mouse
because when I realized what the dogs were so
attentive about,
My main goal was to not loose site of him!

Screech better start earning his dinners!
If not, then his dinners will be less often,
and maybe that will get his attention and he
will start to look at mice as part of his food chain
instead of part of his collection!