Teddy was my first horse.
I got him as a present when I was 12. He was a seasoned show horse and a
wonderful lesson horse. He taught me so much about riding and showing him
what I wanted instead of telling him. About 6 weeks after I owned Teddy,
one of the lesson instructors noticed that he was having trouble eating and
wasn't able to put his head down to eat his hay. Being an avid cribber, they
thought he had a splinter in his throat, so the vet was called. After a thorough
check and blood work sent to Kentucky, my vet, Dr. Liam O'Leary, started
Teddy on medication for EPM. The blood work wasn't going to be back for a
few days, but he figured if he was right, we would be ahead of the game,
and if he was wrong, it wouldn't do him any harm. Well, the test came back
positive for EPM, so it was a matter of treating Teddy and waiting for the
medicine to take it's course and pray that he could pull through. Being only
12 and quite small, I was only able to go into Teddy's stall supervised to
groom him because he was so unsteady on his feet that they were afraid he
would fall on me.
Teddy had cuts and scrapes
all over his head because he would fall and thrash around trying to get back
up. It was quite a sight for me being so young and seeing my beautiful baby
struggle. Dr. O'Leary was at the barn twice a day even when he wasn't working.
My dad was there at least that many times and sometimes more and I visited
every day after school. I was back to riding the lesson horses, but my heart
was never in it, I wanted to be on my horse.
After a long struggle, the decision was made that Teddy would
be put down the following Monday after Palm Sunday (my family being Catholic).
But I was never told about this decision. When we received our palms at church,
the priest, Father Ted, said that when we made a palm cross, it meant to
Pray for Us. So when I got home from church, I immediately started to make
a palm cross and I took a Sharpie marker and wrote Teddy Chipa Star on it.
My mom asked me what I was doing and I told her that Teddy needed more prayers,
so I made the palm cross so it meant to pray for Teddy Chipa Star instead
of me. I begged her to bring me to the barn that night so I could place it
on his door, not knowing that this would be the last time that I would see
him. My mother told me later that it was the hardest thing to do was watch
me tack that Palm Cross to the top of his door and pet his nose and say goodbye.
So Monday came and my dad was a mess at work. He received a phone call from
Dr. O'Leary. Figuring that it was because everything was done, he answered
the phone. Dr. O'Leary said to my father that it would be unethical for him
to put this horse down. That Teddy was starting to walk around his stall
and eat and he had made such an improvement that he could not put this horse
down. My father, being amazed, decided not to tell me anything until we knew
that Teddy was going in the right direction.
I still remember the day
that I went to the barn for my riding lesson and I walked to the ring to
talk to my trainer and I saw her sitting on a horse that looked so familiar
it took my breath away. Sure enough she was sitting on my baby boy, walking
him around. Tears filled my eyes and I thought that I was witness to a miracle.
So every day I would take Teddy out of his still and hand walk him for an
hour, letting him get his legs back. The best day of my young life was the
day that I walked into the barn and there on the tie in the arena was my
Teddy all saddled up in my tack waiting for me to get on. I don't think I
stopped smiling the whole lesson. It felt like I could handle any challenge
because I had my baby boy.
My first show with Teddy,
I proudly walked into the show ring, and even though I was the only one in
my walk trot class, I was so proud to show off my horse. My first ribbon
with my boy was a blue. As I grew up, Teddy was getting older, and I needed
a new horse to continue competing. So Teddy went back to being a lesson
horse and enjoying a stress-free life.
Well as I went off to college, my trainers turned him out when they stopping
giving lessons. They came to me and told me that I needed to find a new home
for Teddy or he would be moved to New York to my trainer's mom's barn. Well
I had already donated my second horse to a therapeutic riding program run
by Teddy's previous owners. I called and asked if they would be willing to
take a 25 year old horse to use for lessons and keep. After some time, they
agreed and Teddy moved to his final spot in Maine.
In August he was put down due to his severe arthritis.. It was a sad
day for so many people when Teddy was put down. He was loved by so many.
He taught me so much about patience and caring and being loyal. He'll always
be my teddy bear.
Teddy. It was one hell
of a ride together. You fought so hard throughout your life and I am eternally
grateful. You will always be my first horse and you will always hold a special
place in my heart. Always and forever baby! xoxo
Sara
Teddy Chipa Star 
