Chat
07-28-2018, 08:26 AM
Thanks you guys. Herb, I'm sorry about Sagan. You did the right thing. He had a lot of good years.
The loss of Jet is a tough one to take. He was at the top of his game. Our favorite activities these last few years have been obstacle course competitions and cattle sorting. Jet was awesome at the obstacle challenges. He was a bold horse since the day he was born, so "spookums" in an arena rarely bothered him. He would walk on, over, or through most anything. I'll never forget the obstacle challenge a few years back when the high-point obstacle was a mattress that the horse had to go over. Very few horses would even approach it, let alone put their feet on it. One horse walked over it once but wouldn't approach it a second time. Jet never even blinked at it. We were allowed to go over each obstacle up to two times to collect the points. Jet crossed that thing at a run--jumped right into the middle of it and pretty much bounced off the other end, then turned around and did it again for 50 more points. Last year was the first time he ever encountered a water box. It's a box filled with water with a plywood board floating in it. The board had holes in it, so when the horse stepped on the floating board, water shot up through the holes. Jet stepped boldly into the box--so boldly the water shot right up into his face! He stepped back in surprise, but when I asked him to go forward again, he did not hesitate and walked right on through. It was never scary for him again, and when we encountered that same obstacle at the course the other night, he jogged right over it two times and won us 120 points. He was fun for speed obstacle courses not only because he didn't hesitate, but also because he could turn the speed on and off so quickly. He could race to an obstacle at top speed, then slow right down to a walk and calmly execute a gate or a back-through or a side-pass. I even enjoyed riding some of these competitions bareback.
Cow sorting was Jet's other favorite activity. He was very bold with the cattle and always seemed to know exactly which one you wanted to cut out. I sometimes let friends and relatives ride Jet at team sorting because if they didn't know what they were doing, Jet helped them out. I would tell people, "Point Jet at the cow you want then hang onto your saddle because he'll take it from there."
I'll probably post photos and stories about Jet here for a while. I haven't posted many horse pictures to this forum because, after all, it is a goat forum, but I find it therapeutic to tell stories and post pictures of the animals I've lost. It helps me grieve without sinking into an unhealthy depression, and it helps me focus on celebrating the time we shared rather than wallow in the feeling that I've been cheated out of something I was never entitled to in the first place. Because yes, Jet's death was untimely. There was not one thing wrong with him, and by all rights he should have had many more years to run and play and teach young riders the thrill of being up on a horse. But nothing in life is guaranteed. I'm thankful his death was painless and instantaneous, but right now that's all I feel thankful for. It doesn't seem fair that the horse that never got sick or injured, and who still took such thrill in life should die at only sixteen. Just last week Phil and I ran to the window to watch as he and Skokie went nuts in the pasture--Jet was rearing, bucking, bolting, kicking, skidding to a halt, then flinging himself down in the mud to roll. He was celebrating the first rain in months and he was black with caked mud, which flung off in every direction when he performed his explosive airs above ground. Skokie usually joined in the fun with Jet, but Jet was always the initiator, and they didn't stop until Jet decided to quit.
Jet and I winning the Colorado Obstacle Challenge Series event jackpot race last summer.
The loss of Jet is a tough one to take. He was at the top of his game. Our favorite activities these last few years have been obstacle course competitions and cattle sorting. Jet was awesome at the obstacle challenges. He was a bold horse since the day he was born, so "spookums" in an arena rarely bothered him. He would walk on, over, or through most anything. I'll never forget the obstacle challenge a few years back when the high-point obstacle was a mattress that the horse had to go over. Very few horses would even approach it, let alone put their feet on it. One horse walked over it once but wouldn't approach it a second time. Jet never even blinked at it. We were allowed to go over each obstacle up to two times to collect the points. Jet crossed that thing at a run--jumped right into the middle of it and pretty much bounced off the other end, then turned around and did it again for 50 more points. Last year was the first time he ever encountered a water box. It's a box filled with water with a plywood board floating in it. The board had holes in it, so when the horse stepped on the floating board, water shot up through the holes. Jet stepped boldly into the box--so boldly the water shot right up into his face! He stepped back in surprise, but when I asked him to go forward again, he did not hesitate and walked right on through. It was never scary for him again, and when we encountered that same obstacle at the course the other night, he jogged right over it two times and won us 120 points. He was fun for speed obstacle courses not only because he didn't hesitate, but also because he could turn the speed on and off so quickly. He could race to an obstacle at top speed, then slow right down to a walk and calmly execute a gate or a back-through or a side-pass. I even enjoyed riding some of these competitions bareback.
Cow sorting was Jet's other favorite activity. He was very bold with the cattle and always seemed to know exactly which one you wanted to cut out. I sometimes let friends and relatives ride Jet at team sorting because if they didn't know what they were doing, Jet helped them out. I would tell people, "Point Jet at the cow you want then hang onto your saddle because he'll take it from there."
I'll probably post photos and stories about Jet here for a while. I haven't posted many horse pictures to this forum because, after all, it is a goat forum, but I find it therapeutic to tell stories and post pictures of the animals I've lost. It helps me grieve without sinking into an unhealthy depression, and it helps me focus on celebrating the time we shared rather than wallow in the feeling that I've been cheated out of something I was never entitled to in the first place. Because yes, Jet's death was untimely. There was not one thing wrong with him, and by all rights he should have had many more years to run and play and teach young riders the thrill of being up on a horse. But nothing in life is guaranteed. I'm thankful his death was painless and instantaneous, but right now that's all I feel thankful for. It doesn't seem fair that the horse that never got sick or injured, and who still took such thrill in life should die at only sixteen. Just last week Phil and I ran to the window to watch as he and Skokie went nuts in the pasture--Jet was rearing, bucking, bolting, kicking, skidding to a halt, then flinging himself down in the mud to roll. He was celebrating the first rain in months and he was black with caked mud, which flung off in every direction when he performed his explosive airs above ground. Skokie usually joined in the fun with Jet, but Jet was always the initiator, and they didn't stop until Jet decided to quit.
Jet and I winning the Colorado Obstacle Challenge Series event jackpot race last summer.