My dearest Rosie was a bright
spirit filled with personality and a willful attitude. She was such a huge
part of my life. and almost everything I have done over the past 10 years
has revolved around her. My best friend for 10 years, we have been through
so much! Many ups and. of course. downs and there was nothing I wouldn't
do for my girl.
In 1997, at the age of 16,
I was looking for horse to train and show in 4H. I had sold my previous horse
Primo a few months prior because of my desires to show and Primo could not
be stalled or trailered because he was too claustrophobic. A breeder in the
area got word that I was looking for a horse and contacted me with information
about a 2 year old AQHA filly whom he had picked up at an auction that was
abused and neglected but that he thought had a lot of potential. The breeder
also knew of my desires to help recuperate horses who had been abused and
neglected. We traveled with trailer and all to the breeder's farm which was
about 2 hours away. Rosie was a pitiful sight. I remember first laying eyes
on this poor, emaciated horse, but whose bright, gentle eyes gleamed, and
that is all it took for me to know that we were destined to be together.
She ended up being in worse condition than we thought. She had several
broken teeth that were infected and several had to be pulled and it took
a few courses of antibiotics to get over the infection. The previous owners
had put shoes on her feet and it looked as if they had been there for months.
When the shoes were pulled off, she had white line disease on all 4 feet
that was so severe she could barely walk. Needless to say, it took months
of feeding and a lot of TLC to recuperate this poor horse.
She turned into a beautiful mare that won several ribbons and trophies.
Even in halter classes! I did all of her training with some help from friends
and 4H leaders, which was a challenge for a high school kid, but I never
gave up on her and she never gave up on me. I ended up showing her in Western
Pleasure, Horsemanship, Showmanship, Halter, and Trail (which was her favorite).
She had such a strong desire to learn and really seemed to enjoy traveling
to shows and being in the show ring.
However, one particular show comes into mind. She was 7 and this show
seemed to be no different than any other show we had previously been to.
In the horsemanship class, I motioned for her to pick up her left lead into
a lope and very unexpectedly, she started bucking. I quickly stopped her
and dismounted, and she limped as I led her out of the ring. The vet concluded
that she had foundered years ago in her left front hoof but very subtly and
there was new bone formation and no signs of relapse. However, she did have
pedalostitis which was making the bone brittle and tender. She had gel packed
pads put under her shoes on her front two feet for support and I made the
decision to stop her show career and to ride her only leisurely.
For the next 4-5 years, she did great with only a few abscesses and
bouts of lameness. This past July, we traveled 2 hours away to a vet who
specialized in equine dentistry so she could have 2 molars pulled which were
giving her a lot of trouble. The teeth were cracked and can be traced back
to the poor condition of her teeth when I first got her almost 10 years ago.
She traveled everywhere with me over the past several years, to college
and back home and in September 2005, she stood on her poor feet for 8+ hours
in a trailer from Houston to San Antonio when hurricane Rita (a category
5 at the time) threatened the Gulf. I have been in PA school for the past
2 years and Rosie has resided in San Antonio with me up until she passed
on January 26, 2007.
I will never forget that day. We had a lot of terrible weather that
week and the horses had been kept in the barn for a few days. I had gone
out to the barn the day before to see Rosie and I had hand-walked her around
the dry areas and groomed her and gave her as much attention as possible.
She seemed normal as ever and I didn't see any signs of lameness.
On the afternoon of the 26th, the owner of the stable called to let me know
that Rosie had been found in her stall with her back left leg very swollen
and she was unable to bear weight and seemed in a lot of pain and that the
vet was on his way. I had my friend ride with me out to the barn as I had
a terrible feeling from the beginning. On the way out to the barn, the vet
called and said that Rosie had completely broken her tibia and fibula a few
inches below the stifle joint and that she would need to be put to sleep.
I just couldn't believe what I had heard! She seemed so perfectly normal
just the day before, how could this happen?? The stalls were extremely safe,
24X24, nothing for them to get their feet caught in, white walls, etc. There
is just so much I don't know, so many unanswered questions and a mystery
that only God knows.
That night was terrible. I am so sad that I had to see her like that,
she looked awful. The vet had given her sedatives so that I could say my
goodbyes before we put her down, but I just couldn't stand to see her in
so much pain. She just didn't understand what had happened to her leg, why
she couldn't stand on it and why she was in so much pain. I remember standing
at her stall door, crying uncontrollably and she used her energy to come
over and nudge me with her nose as if to say "It's ok, mom, I'll be alright,
don't cry." I know she is in heaven with her new leg, pain free, but I am
still so sad to lose her this way!
I miss you so much girl!
I love you! We will be together again someday!
Candie
Rosie 
