Digger was my second horse. My parents bought him for me when I moved into
the 14-18 division on the Quarter Horse Show Circuit. He was 3 when I got
him and very green. It was a struggle for me to ride him because I was going
from a 16 year-old horse with many miles on him. But we worked through, and
in my first show with him, we were undefeated and that was the start of many
blue ribbons won with him.
He was one of the best all-around horses I have ever seen with talent that
could go on for miles. When we bought him, he had warts in his ears and hated
his ears touched...something that the vet said would go away as he got older.
It was quite a challenge to clip him and put his english bridle and western
headstall on, but with patience, I could put them on pretty quick.
When I went to college,
I called up some friends in Maine who had just started a therapeutic riding
program to go along with their regular riding lessons and asked if they would
like him to be donated to their program. They agreed to take him knowing
that he had severe navicular changes (we struggled to keep him sound) and
his ear problems. So in 2002, Digger moved up to his new and final home in
Maine. He wasn't your typical therapy horse, but they worked with him and
he became a favorite of many of the intermediate and advanced
riders.
A few
months ago, Digger was dropping weight significantly and wasn't really eating.
One vet came out and couldn't really figure out what was wrong, so another
vet came out and they diagnosed him with an intestinal ulcer. He would need
to take medication to help repair his intestinal lining and if anyone knew
Digger, they knew that he was quite difficult to give him oral medication.
But slowly he begin to take it, and this past month he was putting back the
weight he lost and he started to be used for lessons.
Then on Saturday, November
25, they went out into the barn to feed all of the horses and Digger was
laying in his stall not moving. Being close to their family, they were unsure
of how I should be told, living in Connecticut and them in Maine. So they
called my father and asked that he tell me. It was quite a shock and I'm
still reeling. But he decided that it was his time to go and I'll cherish
all those memories that we had together. He was a once-in-a-lifetime horse
and I am forever grateful to him.
Digger - you could frustrate
me like no other, but when you looked at me with those big expressive eyes,
I would melt. You were my baby and now you're in a better place. Always and
forever will I keep you in my
heart.
Loves,
Sara
Digger 
