On May 2, 2003, I lost the best friend anyone ever had (animal OR human).
Copyboy was 29 years, 1 month, and 1 day old. My husband and I have had him
since he was a yearling and it seems like yesterday that we stood knee-deep
in snow at Haileybury Farm in Pennsylvania, looking at a crop of weanling
soon-to-be yearlings. After narrowing the choice down to 2 colts, my husband
made the final decision and picked Copy because he was the same color as
Secretariat. It was a choice we NEVER regretted.
He was the easiest going
horse I have ever known. From the first day of training, through numerous
shows, he never gave me one moment of trouble. This is a horse who never
even so much as bucked when under saddle and it took A LOT to get him to
do it even when turned out into his pasture. We showed in Hunter Pleasure
division and he won a lot. Out of 80 placings over half of those were blues,
Reserves or Championships. Even though he was a stallion, he could be counted
on to keep the other horses quiet when they were in the van being shipped
to shows. He knew when it was work time and he did his job with no complaints
and always gave 100% whenever I asked him. And I asked many times. He looked
out for me even when I was the one who got us into trouble. One time while
schooling over fences, I asked him for a spot that was too far back from
the fence, but it was too late for him to pull out. I fell and landed on
the far side of the fence. From his position, he took the fence and cleared
me laying on the other side to keep from hitting me. We measured the distance
from take off to landing and he had cleared over 12 ft. The only part of
him that touched me was a hind hoof that barely grazed the calf of my riding
boot.
He withstood a 24 hour trailer
ride from Northern NJ to Central Florida in 1988 when my husband, Mike, and
I relocated to the area. He never lost a step. My husband saved a Paint filly
from being put down and nursed her back to health only to have the filly
orphaned at 2 months of age. "Phoenix" was put into the stall next to Copyboy
so that she would have a "buddy". He stuck his head over the wall between
them every day and she learned to depend on him for companionship. Up until
the week he died, they were in constant contact, checking on each other.
(Mostly him checking on her, she "teasing" and nipping him).
On the day we had to say
goodbye, we occupied his stall mate with some feed (she's a chow hound) and
walked to a place where she couldn't see him. At the moment he laid down
for the last time, she stopped eating and started pacing her stall. The day
after he left us, Mike took Phoenix from her stall to turn her out into the
pasture. She dragged him the opposite way and went over to Copy's grave.
She put her head down to smell and then started pawing the earth where he
lay. It brought tears all over again.
I don't know how long it
will take to remember him and talk about him without crying, I feel like
I've been left behind to figure this all out on my own. I know we'll meet
again. As he lay on the green grass, I told him to go be with my Dad until
I get there. Godspeed, Copyboy, I love you.
Karen & Mike
Prell