|
Welsh and Quarter Horse Mix
|
|
Passed on April 4, 2011
|
I'll never forget the Christmas from when I was 8 years old. That year, I had asked for the greatest present I could ever wish for. My mother had found a wonderful welsh and quarter horse mix pony named Max. I had no idea at the time how much he would teach me in the years to come. He was the pony I really learned to ride English with. I even learned how to jump and do a little dressage with him. However, it wasn't the ways of riding I felt were important. He taught me to have strength. Even though he couldn't physically speak to me, I could always find comfort in his brown eyes, and soft touch. For ten years, he was mine.
As I got older, and became a teenager, I unfortunately began to lose interest in riding. It was the worst mistake of my life. I saw Max less and less, and didn't give him even a fraction of the attention he deserved. I had become selfish in not seeing him as often as I should have. One weekend, in 2011, there was a call from our barn's owner. Max had gone down in his stall and he would not get up. Unfortunately, my mother and I were out about to meet up with some old friends. My mother left, and I stayed behind to find our company and tell them what happened. I desperately wish I had gone with her.
Over the course of a few days, Max had been taken to a facility for medical attention. He was not eating or drinking, and was constantly in pain. On April 4, 2011, I decided to go see him after school. I had never felt so hopeless or helpless before. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it would be goodbye. When we arrived, Max was not doing any better. He couldn't even look or concentrate on me. He was frantically looking around for some sort of relief from his pain. My mother and I made the decision to put him down. We brought him out of his stall at the facility, and were trying to get him to eat grass. Max would never have passed up such sweet grass. He wouldn't even try. For a margin of a few small seconds, he noticed and concentrated on my face. He really looked at me, and looked into me. I knew I couldn't hold on to him any longer. I swiftly stroked his face, and I couldn't hold back the tears that came. My mother took me away so I couldn't watch as he was put down, and the autopsy was performed on his body.
The vet found in the autopsy that Max had twisted his upper intestine, and started to go into toxic shock. In the cut-off intestine, there were a few large, thick stones. I was only a tiny bit relieved that he hadn't been put down needlessly. There had been a good reason. It was something we couldn't have fixed, and he wouldn't have come out of the surgery because of his old age. Before we left, I was able to get a nurse to cut off a piece of his braided tail. I still have it, always close to me. It is a constant reminder of how precious life is, and how we must, no matter what, treasure what we have, because it will not always be there. It is unfortunate that it took Max's passing for me to see how horrible I had been, and that I needed to get my priorities straight. I will never make such a mistake again. I now realize that Max was my best friend, protector, and the greatest angel a girl could ask for.
I only wish that I had one more day with him. I will always love him, and he will always, always, be my baby boy. I am now about to turn 19, and have a new horse, Lexi. I visit her almost every day, and attend college when I can't see her. I can't believe it will almost be a year since Max's passing. The day will be hard to go through, and I know I will spend it in my family's and Lexi's comfort. There truly is no greater friend or love in the world than a horse, and I know if I listen hard enough in the arena at my barn, I will hear him again.
Forever Max's,
Codi
|
Maxwell 
