Bea Impulsive






Reba

Quarter Horse

March 16, 1996 - November 17, 2004


I'll never forget the first time I saw Reba. I was at a quarter horse show in Rochester, MN. I thought that she was the cutest mare I had ever seen. Even though she was very young and green, she was a beautiful mover, and I just knew great things would lay ahead for her. I thought to myself that I would love to own a horse like her one day. Over the years, I followed her show career. She made the Amateur Western Pleasure Finals several times at the Congress. She placed 9th at the AQHA World Show in Amateur Western Pleasure! She earned over 250 western pleasure points and won several major futurities. 

I then saw Reba and her owner at another show and got brave enough to actually go talk to her owner. I mentioned that if she ever decided to sell Reba that I would be interested. Well, about a year later, her owner decided to sell her to focus on her youngsters at home. I jumped on the opportunity to own the mare of my dreams! I had to make a lot of sacrifices to afford a mare of her caliber, but she was one mare I just had to own!

I qualified Reba for the 2003 World Show in Amateur Showmanship. She picked it up very quickly and was good at it. She was the first horse that I had actually qualified in the showmanship! I had been so close to qualifying with so many other horses. Reba just took to showmanship like a duck to water.  I took her to the World Show, and even though we didn't make the Finals, I was pleased with her. Then, we went to the 2004 Denver Stock  Show and actually won the showmanship one day and were always in the points.  After that show, I semi-retired her and bred her to my stallion, HOT DIGGITY JOE.

With Reba's show record and talent, she was the PERFECT cross for my stallion. We bred her in March and she settled on the first try.  I brought her home and just turned her out. She LOVED being a horse and spending her days roaming her 200+ acre pasture with her new friends. 

My last memory of Reba was a good one. I was leaving home to go to the World Show. I looked back at the mares at the round bale. She was standing there eating hay and she looked at the trailer as it went by. I thought to myself, "You are STILL the CUTEST little mare I have ever seen.". I spent the next few hours of my drive picking out baby names for her foal.

The World Show was going very well for me. I can remember just sitting in the line-up after I had shown in my split of Amateur Hunter Under Saddle. I was thanking God for giving me the opportunity to be at the World Show, and thanking Him for all that he had given me through the years. I thanked Him for allowing all of us to make it to Oklahoma City safe and sound. It didn't matter if I won or lost. Just being able to qualify and actually make it to the World Show was very rewarding. I made it out of my split and back to the Semis where we ended up 17th. To me, it felt like I won the World Championship Title. I was absolutely thrilled!!! I tried calling home, and always got the answering machine. Finally, my husband called me. I was sitting in the stands with my trainer and a few other people. My husband told me that he had some bad news, and asked me if I wanted to hear it or not.  At that point, he had to tell me, otherwise I would have worried the rest of the time I was away from home. He had said that Reba had been acting colicky, so he had taken her to the vet. They had treated her, but when the bloodwork came back, her white blood cell count was extremely high.  Our vet put her on massive antibiotics. 

"Joe" showed in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle and made the Finals. I tried to be excited, but it was in the back of my mind that my little girl was at home and not doing very well. The vet said that she was still eating, and they were doing everything they could for her. On Monday when I called, Reba had just lost her foal. The vet told me that she was down quite a bit on Tuesday. On Wednesday, her weight continued to drop. At this point, he was talking about euthanizing her if she didn't get better.  All I could think of was, "This can't be happening!" I was trying to figure out a way to get back home so I could see her. I had no idea how sick she was, and I surely didn't want them to euthanize her without being able to say "goodbye" to her. It was so hard not being there for her. I had to find a way to make it back to North Dakota just as soon as I could. 

Thursday morning came. It was to be one of the happiest days of my life. The Senior Hunter Under Saddle Finals were going that evening. At 7am, my cell phone rang. It was my vet calling to tell me that my little Reba had lost her valiant fight. I was absolutely devastated. It was all I could do to make it to the barns that afternoon. When I did get there, I just went into Joe's stall and buried my head against his neck and sobbed. My trainer got him ready and I made my way to the stands. I sat there watching the class, holding back my tears. When the class was being placed, my tears turned from ones of sadness to ones of joy. Joe ended up 6th and was the crowd favorite.  

I didn't want to come back home, as I knew Reba wouldn't be there. I talked to my vet and the autopsy had revealed an ulcer in her large intestine that had abscessed. We lost her when the abscess burst. There would have been nothing anyone could have done for her.  The vet sent me back her halter along with some tail hair. I would love to have a horsehair bracelet made, but can't bring myself to open the box.  Her rubbermaid tub still has her slinky, leg wraps, monogrammed sheets and her cooler.  I'll always keep her "Box Of Stuff", as I often called it. I always find myself wondering, "Why Reba?".  She was so young, and I was looking forward to many more years together. I wanted to watch her foals grow up to be stars just like she was. I wanted to be able to give her a wonderful life for everything that she had done for me.  The last year of her life was good. She enjoyed being able to be a horse again. I take some comfort in knowing that.  

God had decided that it was her time. God Giveth and God Taketh. I was lucky to have her in my life for those few short years. She will always have a special place in my heart. Losing her was like losing a very good friend. We spent so much time together on the road showing. She always gave me her all and she LOVED to show! I know one day, I will see her again. Until then, I will remember all of the good times we shared.














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