Opie

      A few days before Christmas I lost my dear horse, Opie. He's been my equine buddy for many years, been my therapy horse when times were scary or difficult or sad - we've seen enough of that over the years. He was in his early twenties and I always believed I'd keep him healthy and enjoying life on the farm until we were both old as dirt. Sadly, in the blink of an eye, it all went sideways and the most humane decision was to get him comfortable and let him go peacefully. (for my horse friends, some how he twisted his gut overnight and by the time I found him at feed time in the early morning, he was in too much pain and poor vital stats to force him through the trailer and surgery to try to correct it. How we didn't hear him struggling up on the hill in his stall overnight just kills me). I am heartbroken, he was family.

     Here's another thing I want to say - because I gotta be me. His barn mates miss him, they're still looking for him. Our Max, also an older boy who is generally more attached to Kristen than I, saw me crying yesterday as I looked over to where Opie is buried, and walked over and put his head in my chest and just stood there as I wept. Animals may not have our vocabulary or our understanding of all things, but they know pain, they know loss, they care about each other and for us. If you have animals in your care, they are not a machine, they are not a toy or a trophy or a tool to be ignored when we aren't feeling like dealing with them or aren't thrilled with their performance. If you've decided to have a pet - dog, horse, cat, farm animals, whatever.... Treat them as you would a family member, with kindness and compassion and the respect they deserve and especially those we ask so much of. When you think of what we ask of the horse, it's astounding they obey.

     Good Bye, dear Opie - you were my once in a life time horse. I will miss you for the rest of my life.