I saw Jack in January 2007
at a horse sale. He was a beautiful sorrel with a white blaze. We talked
to the young boy who was riding him around. He was his grandmothers and she
couldn't afford the hay anymore. They had him at the ranch and he did everything
they asked of him. He was good with kids and you could put a beginner rider
on him. My husband and I discussed it and the first thing he said was, "Are
you sure, your dads not here to consult with.", which I always do concerning
the horses. I said, "Yes, he's the one.".
We got him home that night
and I couldn't wait for my dad to come see him. He came down later in the
week and gave me his approval. He was sound and looked to make a good horse.
We took him out a few weeks later to let my dad ride him. He was
impressed.
Jack ended up going on
a trail ride with my parents and some friends in July 2007. He went as a
pack horse and ended up bringing a friend down out of the mountain as her
horse had bucked her off. While at camp, my dad's cousin had a sack of grain,
Jack played football with him. When Roy moved, Jack moved with him. I have
pictures, but as my mom said, they don't do justice as she didn't have her
video camera with her. Jack also went hunting with my dad in September 2007
as a pack horse. When they came back, my dad couldn't stop talking about
what a great horse he was. Mel, the friend he brought down the mountain,
also loved him. She commented regularly about how great he was. Roy talked
about playing football again with Jack this season.
My daughters loved him.
They could get in the pen with him and I never worried about them with Jack.
They could walk right by him and he wouldn't care. All he wanted was to be
shown the love that he gave. My husband, who has never been around horses
before, rode him once, but only because he is not a rider and is intimidated
by them (it also didn't help that my saddle is too small for him). But
none-the-less, he loved him. He did everything else with Jack. He came to
love him very deeply.
This summer we began taking
our horses, Jack, Lucy our Welsh pony, and Sioux our 4 year-old paint mare,
to my parents to ride in the arena. In only a few weeks my 9 year old daughter
was riding him like a pro and it was apparent she was starting to outgrow
her pony Lucy. Jack got to be ridden by several people at this time. My dad
and brother-in-law would team rope off him. He at one time had been an
arena horse and he loved to be doing it again. The first time my brother-in-law
backed him in the box, my dad told him you better hang on. Jack would blow
out of the box, he just loved it.
The beginning of July we
sent Sioux to a friends for training. So we just had Jack, Lucy and "Red"
our beef steer. Between Jack and Red, they always let us know if we were
a little late in feeding them. Jack had the quietest whinny I have ever heard.
I loved when he would talk to us. For being a cow, Red sure got attached
to all the horses. When we left with all of them, he would stick his head
through the gate and bawl and when he saw us pull in, he came running and
bucking. The horses would start talking to him. They all were true
friends.
On Sunday, August 10, 2008,
I didn't feel good. I felt like I was just going to fall over. I stayed in
the house trying to get all our laundry done for the week. My husband and
daughter went out and moved water from their pen as we had a lot of rain
on Friday and they had water standing in the pen. Justin fed them around
6 p.m. I did check on them at 7:30 and they were all 3 standing at their
feed stands eating. Everything was fine.
About 9:15 p.m., I
noticed a car on the road. I thought it was broke down. My husband was going
to go out and ask if they needed help when a patrol car pulled up. But then
more patrol cars came and parked at different spots in the road. They starting
walking up and down the road shining their flashlights over our property.
I told my husband, "They're looking for something.". He opened the door just
as on officer said, "She hit a horse.". He gave me a look of horror and said,
"Sam, I closed and latched the gate.". He went out to check and came back
and told me he thought it was ours. The front gate was closed, but all 3
were gone. He turned and left. I ran and got my phone and ran outside. I
came around the grain bin as an officer had his light on my Jack. I screamed
and hit my knees. My parents came down immediately. My dad and husband talked
to the officers so I wouldn't have to deal with it. My parents assured me
that he did not suffer, it was fast. He ran on pure adrenaline. My
dad was very upset. My mom has told me it's like they have lost one of their
own.
My husband has talked about
when he found Lucy, he said she acted funny. I had to explain she knows.
More than likely she wasn't too far from him when he was hit and she probably
stayed with him until people starting showing up. I found her yesterday standing
in the corner of the pen looking out to where he was. This is just as hard
for her as it is for us.
I know in order to deal
with my grief I have to work through the events of his death. Right now that's
all I think about is how he went. I think its not fair horses should go like
that in such a violent manner. My mom told me for some reason God wanted
a really strong, healthy and good horse and Jack was it. I know he is waiting
for us at the Rainbow Bridge and I can't wait to see my beautiful Jack
again.
Jack 
