he has to live here. forever.

by no stretch of the imagination would I consider myself a cowgirl

country girl,  maybe?

but I love this horse!

and more than I love this horse

Cowboy Dan LOVES this horse!!!

I would even go as far to say that on occasion throughout our blissful years (ahem.)

Cowboy Dan has loved this horse at times more than me

his registered name is

COOSA’S THUNDER

we call him “DUKE”

don’t ask why.

we can’t remember.

we’ve had him just shy of two decades

he was our baby before our babies

well mannered

grand.

I remember the first day Love ever saw him in a friend’s pasture

he came home and said

“I’ve found my horse.”

almost two years

he borrowed the money from a friend

and indeed he became

“his horse.”

He was a stud when we got him

dappled, iron gray

only a handful of people have ridden him for any length of time

because Cowboy Dan is stingy with him

and speaking of riding him

he’s one of only 3 that I have ever felt comfortable riding

and

still to this day

when I watch Love ride this horse

WHEW!

“be still my heart!”

sooooo

tonight when I came home and I saw Duke lying on his side in the pasture

which is fine midmorning or mid-afternoon and the sun is hot

but not at dusk when it’s cold.

it’s not normal.

and then Love said “Duke’s not doing good.”

I felt sick.

I got my coat

walked across the pasture

calling to him

munching at him

Duke’s response: nothing.

I felt the “panic” welling up in me

when he raised his head up to look at me

Love had mentioned that he had gotten cut last week

and I had seen a cut on the front of his leg but I had not seen

the bad one

on the back side

Cowboy Dan brought a halter

we lead him to the barn

he hobbled the whole way

breaking me heart.

maybe it wouldn’t have been as bad if Cowboy Dan hadn’t said

“He’s like an older person with a broken hip.  Hard to recover at his age.”

panic welling in me again

“Well we’re not giving up on him yet!!”

once we got him to the barn

we soaked his foot in a bucket of hot water and epsom salt

Cowboy Dan boiled it out with peroxide

while Mighty Mouse and I brushed him and talked to him

Jake said “we need him to look handsome right momma?”

“Right, son.” (lump in my throat)

finally a shot of bute (pain med)

dressed the cut with salve and wrap

we’ve done all that we can do

for now

and it’s going to be enough

because it’s Duke

and he has to live here

forever

the end.