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Double Act II
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17hh Piebald Tobiano Warmblood mare
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25 July 1997 - 30 March 2010
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I first met Lizzie when I started my new job in October 2008. She had just been bought and arrived the day before I started work. When I first laid eyes on her, she took my breath away, she was stunning. She was also a wild child – she was difficult to get on and certainly had her own way of doing things. At some stage in her life she must have been beaten as she was very head shy, making it difficult to plait and when washing her down you had to keep talking to her and you could never wash her head properly, you used to have to brush it off afterwards. Admittedly she was neurotic, but I loved her all the same.
Lizzie had been bought for our whipper in and they loathed each other with a passion, her only saving grace was she was a brilliant jumper. She also struggled with her breathing but she tried and I was always there to stick up for her and love her when she came home at the end of the day.
Two months after working at my new job I lost my beloved, gorgeous boy Paddy and it was Liz who picked up the pieces of my shattered heart. But no matter how hard she tried, we never quite stuck them back together, I don’t think anyone ever could. But she was there and listened and offered me a shoulder to cry on when no one else would, she helped carry my pain.
I used to love turning her out in the field as she used to prance around like a stallion and looked so beautiful.
The summer of 2009 she got injured out in the field after escaping with some other horses. She had xrays, scans, everything possible to try and find out what was wrong but the vets just couldn’t get to the bottom of her lameness so she was turned away out in the field until the next summer.
She had days when she looked better and my hopes would rise only to fall the next day when she looked no different. I didn’t like to see her wasting in the field, she was much better than that, but the longer we kept quiet the longer the bosses seemed to forget about her. Unfortunately our time ran out and they refused to spend any more money on her, it was time to say goodbye.
The 30th of March 2010 was a rainy day and I felt so guilty leading her in from the field but there was nothing I could do and I knew it was better for her as she was a horse that had to be kept busy, not moping away in a field. The vet came and doped her and then it was time for our huntsman to euthanize her. I stuffed her full of polos, said I loved her and then she fell to the ground before I heard the gunshot. I knelt down with her and watched the life leave her eyes and prayed that Paddy would understand she was special to me and would look after her.
I hope now she’s in a better place where she’s understood and I want her to know that I love her.
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Liz 
