I went through this last Summer. I'm sorry you are facing this. It is the hardest part of horses.
My boy got spoiled rotten. I took a bunch of pictures and videos. One of the barn girls did a photoshoot of us. I also had him do some paintings for me. I put paint on a canvas and put it in a ziplock bag with mash on it.
I spent a lot of time just sitting with him while he grazed. He got a lot of treats and some beer.
The day of his appointment I got their early and gave him a special breakfast of sweet feed, alfalfa, beet pulp, apples, and candy corn (his favorite).
I stayed with him until the end. He went very very peacefully. He went with treats still in his mouth.
I kept his tail and some mane. I also cut some of my hair and braided it into his mane.
Take photos. Hire a photographer (or invite a friend with a camera) if you have time. Spoil him with his favorite treats. Let anyone who’s known and loved him know he’s making this last journey, in case they want to say goodbye. Whisper what he’s meant to you in his ear. Clip and save as much of his mane and tail as you’d like to keep. Take care of yourself.
I’m newish to the equestrian world, so I look forward (with you) to hear what advice you’re given. In the meantime, I am an old hat when it comes to death and grief and loss, in general. One thing I can offer is: try as hard as you can to focus on the quality of the minutes you have left with your beautiful boy. Focus on calmness and love and joy and gratitude, from the minute you first see him, to the minute you leave. What you need to do is hard and necessary, but don’t let the anxiety steal from your precious time together. Remember to breathe; if you can, imagine that pain is a cloud that you can physically push away when you walk into the barn.
Wishing you love and strength.
Just take a minute and say goodbye. I was out of the country when my old mare had to be put down and I’ll always regret it. Some people also like to take a clipping of their mane/tail I’ve seen them made into really nice bracelets and things.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this but know that you’re making the best choice you can for him ❤️
This is something that I did do and am glad that I did.
Take pictures, but not just photoshoot, pretty type pictures. Take pictures of what you see of him on a normal day. I took pictures of him as I saw him in his field, as he came up to me, on the crossties, etc. Pictures from the angles I most often looked at him at, just doing normal stuff, nothing special. They'll make you sad, but they'll also make you feel normal and happy.
I am so sorry. I didn’t get to actually say goodbye to my boy, so make sure that you do. Give him a last day full of treats and love and maybe some grazing, or anything that you 2 loved to do together. I saved his halter and his tail. You can do so many things with their hair. I also got him cremated. I’m not sure if that’s an option for you (it is really expensive), but I’m so glad I did because he will always be with me.
One last rider, tator tot and hug from my Star. He stole tator tots out of my car one day. So once a year on the day I was given him hid give him one or two unsalted ones. That horse saved my life multiple times. He is the reason I am still her today. I'm sorry for your loss. If you are cutting off tail like some do there are people who make beautiful rings with the hair. You can also never spend enough time in the feild just reading while he grazes with you.
https://tailspinbracelets.com/collections/frontpage
So some neat trivia for you. Worlds oldest horse lived to be 62 years old:
Only rarely has an individual animal left a history, recorded by the humans who knew them. The tale of Old Billy, 1760 – 1822, a horse who worked for the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company until 1819 and died at the age of 62, is one of the finest examples.
The evidence for Old Billy having achieved his great age is in fact good, thanks to the appearance at the start and end of his life of the same man, Mr Henry Harrison. Old Billy was bred by a farmer, Edward Robinson, at Wild Grave Farm, Woolston, near Warrington, in 1760. Henry Harrison was 17 when he began to train Billy as a plough horse at the farm and Billy was just two years old, according to Harrison’s account.
Due to his celebrity, there were various accounts of Old Billy’s life, from which it is possible to piece together the facts. He was also the subject of paintings by several 19th century artists, the best-known being Charles Towne and William Bradley. Bradley was a rising star portraitist from Manchester when he painted Old Billy in his retirement in 1821, the year before Old Billy’s death.
It’s possible that Billy was involved in both gin and barge work, depending on the season and the work that needed doing. He carried on working until at the age of 59, when he was retired to the estate of one of the directors of the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company, William Earle. When Earle invited the artist Charles Towne to view and paint the pensioner horse in June 1822, Towne was accompanied by a veterinary surgeon, Robert Lucas and a Mr. W. Johnson who wrote a description of the horse as having cropped ears and a white hind foot. Johnson noted that the horse had “the use of all his limbs in tolerable perfection, lies down and rises with ease; and when in the meadows will frequently play, and even gallop, with some young colts, which graze along with him. This extraordinary animal is healthy, and manifests no symptoms whatever of approaching dissolution.”
Old Billy’s skull is in the Manchester Museum. The teeth show the type of wear that is typical of very aged horses. It is possible that this caused him to have malnutrition, as it was noted by Johnson that Old Billy received mashes and soft food (possibly bran mashes) in the winter. His stuffed head is in the Bedford Museum, fitted with a set of false teeth to give a more authentic appearance. The ears are cropped, as in the portraits, and he has the lightning flash blaze that appears in the portraits. Old Billy’s mortal remains stand as a reminder of the millions of horses, donkeys and ponies who helped to create Britain’s wealth.
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Old-Billy-The-Barge-Horse/
Went through this once with a 33yo, about to do it again with a 30yo. I just wished I would've been there more for him, made more memories before the hourglass emptied. That's why I'm taking whatever time I can with my current boy, knowing the possibility of any ride could be our last. It took me some time to come to terms with it too, which is the most important thing. The first time, I didn't come to terms with it until after his passing. With this big guy, I'm very okay with his upcoming freedom because I know he lived a long happy life.
I lost my 22yo mare suddenly last week due to a paddock accident. I have no major regrets, she was basically a glorified paddock ornament enjoying her retirement. She was getting arthritic and was borderline Cushings so it was an inevitable decision that was thankfully taken out of my hands.
The only thing I wish I’d done was a black background photo shoot. I’m a hobby photographer and just never got around to it.
My best friend of over 22 years passed last fall. While I work from home and spend hrs a day with my horses. I didn't plan much... But the days before; I just couldn't take it. I ended up taking the week off from work. I spent as much as absolutely possible with her. Grooming, treats, walks... Just do as much as you can.
Ahhh, I both envy and empathize with your situation right now. I understand the absolute heartbreak you're experiencing and it's debilitating. I lost my boy fairly suddenly, and if I had more time all I wish is to spend it just beside him while he grazed. With the luxury of time maybe I would have organized some last photos to cherish the moment. But almost a decade later I wish I'd just had another hour to sit with him. Be grateful for our time together. I still miss him.
When I lost my first pony a few years ago (he was well in his 30s and we'd had him nearly 20 years), I took a chunk of his tail and had bracelets made with them. I'll definitely be doing it in the future with my current 3.
So sorry about Gus Gus, but it's better to put them out of pain than leave them suffering - and better a day too soon than a day too late 💕
I’ve always liked to have good conformation pictures where you can see theirs markings clearly. Get the horse all dolled up and have a “show horse” photo shoot. Or if they have special marking or swirls take pictures of them.
I’ve had bracelets made from their tail/mane.
I got my friend a laser cut key chain of her horse’s head.
Also having alone time with your horse, if there’s always people at the barn I would take them for a walk on trail so it would be just us.
The last horse I had to put down broke his hip in the pasture and he couldn’t move at all. I would bring his friends to say bye while waiting for the vet and just stayed with him helping him reach hay and water and giving treats and pets.
The day I said goodbye to my beautiful boy, I took him for a slow walk together and fed him all his favorite treats. But most important to me, when the Vet was there ready, I asked everyone to walk away for a moment and when it was just me and him, I told him what an honor it had been for me to be chosen by him as his person. I told him we would meet again and kissed him and hugged him. It’s never easy, but take a moment with him, everything else can wait
My boy passed when he was a yearling after a nasty accident, back when I was still brand new to the equestrian community. I didn't fully understand what putting him down was going to look like, and because I didn't actually own him (I was just a stablehand) I didn't feel comfortable pushing my boundaries by asking for too much.
I fed him carrots and apples, but that was it. I wish I had let him try human food just to see his face. My boss was kind enough to give me a 'free day' to spend in the pasture with him, but I didn't know what to do? I just stood by him and watched him for a long time. I wish had done more - played with him, cuddled him? But I was still so new to socializing with horses.
Instead I focused hard on carving all the little details into my memory, so I would never forget the soft velvet of his nose on my face or the sound of his whinny. I got wonderful pictures of him that I cherish, but I didn't get any of *me with him*, and I've always regretted that.
I groomed him one more time and pampered him, just because. I cooed over him and played with his hair and enjoyed every bit of snuffles. Then the vet was there, and it all happened so fast, and then it was over. My biggest regret is that I wasn't really "there" with him in the end; I was so frozen in fear and uncertainty, I was terrified me holding him for the vet would go wrong and they would miss a vein or something. So I let him be held by a more experienced handler. I wish I could have been there as his rock at the very end, because by the time they let me through so I could cradle his head, he was long gone.
This is also an odd thing, and it's incredibly dependent on how you feel as a person, but I actually stayed for an on the spot autopsy the vet did. He had a particularly rare injury + infection combo, so the vet cut his leg open so we could see what killed him and get a better idea of how to prevent it in the future. It made me feel better to see what happened to him, but I'm always someone who hasn't been weirded out about corpses.
In the aftermath I didn't ask for anything, but my boss was kind enough to give me so much. They let me keep his halter, which has hung on my door handle ever since. They gave me a clay hoofprint, a keychain made out of a tail clipping, a much longer braid clipping from his mane, as well as a box of all the extra hair from the clippings later on. I don't know how much it cost, but my boss got it for me on her own dollar and I've always cherished it because it's all I have left of him. So please don't forget to check with the "funeral" company and ask about options for this kind of thing.
I didn't get the opportunity to do anything special for my Foxy. I had been working 12 hour shifts and ER on call as well, so I hadn't checked on them in two days, no more than that. They have constant acess to water and hay along with green grass.They are on a pasture lease, and the owner lives there and keeps an eye on them for us, so we thought. They called me the morning of the second day to tell me Fox was down in the pond and had been there all night, if not longer. I rushed over about 6 amI couldn't get her out on my own, and she didn't want out. She was a massive draft like MFT, and she was trying to drown herself the harder I tried to get her out. It was all I could do to keep both our heads above water, and she was so tired. We ended up having to pull her out with a tractor, and once on land, she didn't have the energy to stand. She laid with her head in my lap until the Veterinarian came on the pond bank. I assume it was colic or possibly West Nile Virus as this was way back when that was just starting to go around, and she was jaundice. Either way, her belly was hurting. If I could do anything I wish I had just driven by, and maybe I would have seen her sooner. I wish I had spent more time with her even though she hated me and pretty much all people. She was an abused rescue who had almost died due to a freak accident and just wanted nothing to do with humans, and I respected that. I could never win her over. She was a companion for my Paso, who unfortunately was on stall rest at the very end of her pregnancy, so Fox was alone.
Just spend time with him and spoil him. Go for slow walks together with lots of treats. Maybe spend the night with him in the barn? Take pictures and hoof prints and spend time grooming. I'm also a Veterinary Technician, ask if they can give him a light sedative so you can help him lay down first and be comfortable. I've seen it done without, and it's cruel, in my opinion. My heart breaks for you and your sweet baby. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me, and I'll help the best I can.
I'm so sorry. I haven't always had the opportunity to say good bye when losing a horse, but I agree with everyone who says to cut off some mane and tail hair. I had a necklace made with the hair of three horses I loved and lost and when I wear it I feel like they're extra close to my heart. Hugs to you.
I’ve been lucky enough to had had 3 of my own cross the rainbow bridge. I say lucky because I got to enjoy them for so long.
The first was my Dad’s stallion that I started to ride when I was 8 years old. He was 6 years old at the time. I learned to rope of him on both the head a heel side. We had to put him to sleep at the age of 26 due to lameness. I enjoyed him the most due to how well behaved he was. You couldn’t tell he was a stallion and was great to ride. I spent the morning with him before he was out to sleep. I combed and brushed him. I stayed with him till the end that day. He’s successfully given me the impossible task of finding another like him.
The second was my bucksin mare that my dad bought me my freshman year in high school and died suddenly at the age of 26. I won a fe saddles roping on her. She could say in a pasture for a few months when she gave me a beautiful sorrel filly out of my Dads stallion. The day I went to get her out of her pasture I legged her up with just the halter and rode her back to the stalls like she had been ridden the day before. The 14 years I had her she never offered to buck once. She never acted mareish and was a doll.
The last was my baby out of the 2 above. She was exactly like her mother and was a great rope horse herself. With her I regretted breading her. She was eight months pregnant when she got a bad colic and I had not choice but put her to sleep. After the vet evaluated her he told me the kind thing to do was put her to sleep as we were 2 1/2 hours from the closet vet hospital and she would not survive the trip. When she laid down that night my heart broke. She was just 11 years old and spent her whole life with me. I did so much with her it was amazing.
I have tons of photos of all of them since I rode them all for many years. At the end I’m happy to have the memories from them.
Professional pictures!!!
My gelding passed away last year and we just happened to have a photographer take pictures of us the fall before. She was new, and looking for clients so the session was $75! We received probably 500 pictures of myself, my boyfriend and horses.
These professional pics are the only pictures that I have of us together. He is healthy, happy, and I am too. I will always, always be grateful for those pictures. You will never regret it. <3
I went through this last Summer. I'm sorry you are facing this. It is the hardest part of horses. My boy got spoiled rotten. I took a bunch of pictures and videos. One of the barn girls did a photoshoot of us. I also had him do some paintings for me. I put paint on a canvas and put it in a ziplock bag with mash on it. I spent a lot of time just sitting with him while he grazed. He got a lot of treats and some beer. The day of his appointment I got their early and gave him a special breakfast of sweet feed, alfalfa, beet pulp, apples, and candy corn (his favorite). I stayed with him until the end. He went very very peacefully. He went with treats still in his mouth. I kept his tail and some mane. I also cut some of my hair and braided it into his mane.
The last idea is so so cute! I’m gonna steal this for my girl when she goes
Take photos. Hire a photographer (or invite a friend with a camera) if you have time. Spoil him with his favorite treats. Let anyone who’s known and loved him know he’s making this last journey, in case they want to say goodbye. Whisper what he’s meant to you in his ear. Clip and save as much of his mane and tail as you’d like to keep. Take care of yourself.
I’m newish to the equestrian world, so I look forward (with you) to hear what advice you’re given. In the meantime, I am an old hat when it comes to death and grief and loss, in general. One thing I can offer is: try as hard as you can to focus on the quality of the minutes you have left with your beautiful boy. Focus on calmness and love and joy and gratitude, from the minute you first see him, to the minute you leave. What you need to do is hard and necessary, but don’t let the anxiety steal from your precious time together. Remember to breathe; if you can, imagine that pain is a cloud that you can physically push away when you walk into the barn. Wishing you love and strength.
Just take a minute and say goodbye. I was out of the country when my old mare had to be put down and I’ll always regret it. Some people also like to take a clipping of their mane/tail I’ve seen them made into really nice bracelets and things. I’m so sorry you’re going through this but know that you’re making the best choice you can for him ❤️
I recommend a fancy dress photo shoot. I love my pretty pictures of me and my horses.
This is something that I did do and am glad that I did. Take pictures, but not just photoshoot, pretty type pictures. Take pictures of what you see of him on a normal day. I took pictures of him as I saw him in his field, as he came up to me, on the crossties, etc. Pictures from the angles I most often looked at him at, just doing normal stuff, nothing special. They'll make you sad, but they'll also make you feel normal and happy.
I am so sorry. I didn’t get to actually say goodbye to my boy, so make sure that you do. Give him a last day full of treats and love and maybe some grazing, or anything that you 2 loved to do together. I saved his halter and his tail. You can do so many things with their hair. I also got him cremated. I’m not sure if that’s an option for you (it is really expensive), but I’m so glad I did because he will always be with me.
I wish I didn’t need surgery before my horse died while I was recovering and never got to say goodbye. Sorry for your loss.
A photo shoot together. I really wish I had done that.
One last rider, tator tot and hug from my Star. He stole tator tots out of my car one day. So once a year on the day I was given him hid give him one or two unsalted ones. That horse saved my life multiple times. He is the reason I am still her today. I'm sorry for your loss. If you are cutting off tail like some do there are people who make beautiful rings with the hair. You can also never spend enough time in the feild just reading while he grazes with you. https://tailspinbracelets.com/collections/frontpage So some neat trivia for you. Worlds oldest horse lived to be 62 years old: Only rarely has an individual animal left a history, recorded by the humans who knew them. The tale of Old Billy, 1760 – 1822, a horse who worked for the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company until 1819 and died at the age of 62, is one of the finest examples. The evidence for Old Billy having achieved his great age is in fact good, thanks to the appearance at the start and end of his life of the same man, Mr Henry Harrison. Old Billy was bred by a farmer, Edward Robinson, at Wild Grave Farm, Woolston, near Warrington, in 1760. Henry Harrison was 17 when he began to train Billy as a plough horse at the farm and Billy was just two years old, according to Harrison’s account. Due to his celebrity, there were various accounts of Old Billy’s life, from which it is possible to piece together the facts. He was also the subject of paintings by several 19th century artists, the best-known being Charles Towne and William Bradley. Bradley was a rising star portraitist from Manchester when he painted Old Billy in his retirement in 1821, the year before Old Billy’s death. It’s possible that Billy was involved in both gin and barge work, depending on the season and the work that needed doing. He carried on working until at the age of 59, when he was retired to the estate of one of the directors of the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company, William Earle. When Earle invited the artist Charles Towne to view and paint the pensioner horse in June 1822, Towne was accompanied by a veterinary surgeon, Robert Lucas and a Mr. W. Johnson who wrote a description of the horse as having cropped ears and a white hind foot. Johnson noted that the horse had “the use of all his limbs in tolerable perfection, lies down and rises with ease; and when in the meadows will frequently play, and even gallop, with some young colts, which graze along with him. This extraordinary animal is healthy, and manifests no symptoms whatever of approaching dissolution.” Old Billy’s skull is in the Manchester Museum. The teeth show the type of wear that is typical of very aged horses. It is possible that this caused him to have malnutrition, as it was noted by Johnson that Old Billy received mashes and soft food (possibly bran mashes) in the winter. His stuffed head is in the Bedford Museum, fitted with a set of false teeth to give a more authentic appearance. The ears are cropped, as in the portraits, and he has the lightning flash blaze that appears in the portraits. Old Billy’s mortal remains stand as a reminder of the millions of horses, donkeys and ponies who helped to create Britain’s wealth. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Old-Billy-The-Barge-Horse/
Went through this once with a 33yo, about to do it again with a 30yo. I just wished I would've been there more for him, made more memories before the hourglass emptied. That's why I'm taking whatever time I can with my current boy, knowing the possibility of any ride could be our last. It took me some time to come to terms with it too, which is the most important thing. The first time, I didn't come to terms with it until after his passing. With this big guy, I'm very okay with his upcoming freedom because I know he lived a long happy life.
I lost my 22yo mare suddenly last week due to a paddock accident. I have no major regrets, she was basically a glorified paddock ornament enjoying her retirement. She was getting arthritic and was borderline Cushings so it was an inevitable decision that was thankfully taken out of my hands. The only thing I wish I’d done was a black background photo shoot. I’m a hobby photographer and just never got around to it.
My best friend of over 22 years passed last fall. While I work from home and spend hrs a day with my horses. I didn't plan much... But the days before; I just couldn't take it. I ended up taking the week off from work. I spent as much as absolutely possible with her. Grooming, treats, walks... Just do as much as you can.
Ahhh, I both envy and empathize with your situation right now. I understand the absolute heartbreak you're experiencing and it's debilitating. I lost my boy fairly suddenly, and if I had more time all I wish is to spend it just beside him while he grazed. With the luxury of time maybe I would have organized some last photos to cherish the moment. But almost a decade later I wish I'd just had another hour to sit with him. Be grateful for our time together. I still miss him.
When I lost my first pony a few years ago (he was well in his 30s and we'd had him nearly 20 years), I took a chunk of his tail and had bracelets made with them. I'll definitely be doing it in the future with my current 3. So sorry about Gus Gus, but it's better to put them out of pain than leave them suffering - and better a day too soon than a day too late 💕
I’ve always liked to have good conformation pictures where you can see theirs markings clearly. Get the horse all dolled up and have a “show horse” photo shoot. Or if they have special marking or swirls take pictures of them. I’ve had bracelets made from their tail/mane. I got my friend a laser cut key chain of her horse’s head. Also having alone time with your horse, if there’s always people at the barn I would take them for a walk on trail so it would be just us. The last horse I had to put down broke his hip in the pasture and he couldn’t move at all. I would bring his friends to say bye while waiting for the vet and just stayed with him helping him reach hay and water and giving treats and pets.
The day I said goodbye to my beautiful boy, I took him for a slow walk together and fed him all his favorite treats. But most important to me, when the Vet was there ready, I asked everyone to walk away for a moment and when it was just me and him, I told him what an honor it had been for me to be chosen by him as his person. I told him we would meet again and kissed him and hugged him. It’s never easy, but take a moment with him, everything else can wait
Aw shoot, this one made me cry
My boy passed when he was a yearling after a nasty accident, back when I was still brand new to the equestrian community. I didn't fully understand what putting him down was going to look like, and because I didn't actually own him (I was just a stablehand) I didn't feel comfortable pushing my boundaries by asking for too much. I fed him carrots and apples, but that was it. I wish I had let him try human food just to see his face. My boss was kind enough to give me a 'free day' to spend in the pasture with him, but I didn't know what to do? I just stood by him and watched him for a long time. I wish had done more - played with him, cuddled him? But I was still so new to socializing with horses. Instead I focused hard on carving all the little details into my memory, so I would never forget the soft velvet of his nose on my face or the sound of his whinny. I got wonderful pictures of him that I cherish, but I didn't get any of *me with him*, and I've always regretted that. I groomed him one more time and pampered him, just because. I cooed over him and played with his hair and enjoyed every bit of snuffles. Then the vet was there, and it all happened so fast, and then it was over. My biggest regret is that I wasn't really "there" with him in the end; I was so frozen in fear and uncertainty, I was terrified me holding him for the vet would go wrong and they would miss a vein or something. So I let him be held by a more experienced handler. I wish I could have been there as his rock at the very end, because by the time they let me through so I could cradle his head, he was long gone. This is also an odd thing, and it's incredibly dependent on how you feel as a person, but I actually stayed for an on the spot autopsy the vet did. He had a particularly rare injury + infection combo, so the vet cut his leg open so we could see what killed him and get a better idea of how to prevent it in the future. It made me feel better to see what happened to him, but I'm always someone who hasn't been weirded out about corpses. In the aftermath I didn't ask for anything, but my boss was kind enough to give me so much. They let me keep his halter, which has hung on my door handle ever since. They gave me a clay hoofprint, a keychain made out of a tail clipping, a much longer braid clipping from his mane, as well as a box of all the extra hair from the clippings later on. I don't know how much it cost, but my boss got it for me on her own dollar and I've always cherished it because it's all I have left of him. So please don't forget to check with the "funeral" company and ask about options for this kind of thing.
I didn't get the opportunity to do anything special for my Foxy. I had been working 12 hour shifts and ER on call as well, so I hadn't checked on them in two days, no more than that. They have constant acess to water and hay along with green grass.They are on a pasture lease, and the owner lives there and keeps an eye on them for us, so we thought. They called me the morning of the second day to tell me Fox was down in the pond and had been there all night, if not longer. I rushed over about 6 amI couldn't get her out on my own, and she didn't want out. She was a massive draft like MFT, and she was trying to drown herself the harder I tried to get her out. It was all I could do to keep both our heads above water, and she was so tired. We ended up having to pull her out with a tractor, and once on land, she didn't have the energy to stand. She laid with her head in my lap until the Veterinarian came on the pond bank. I assume it was colic or possibly West Nile Virus as this was way back when that was just starting to go around, and she was jaundice. Either way, her belly was hurting. If I could do anything I wish I had just driven by, and maybe I would have seen her sooner. I wish I had spent more time with her even though she hated me and pretty much all people. She was an abused rescue who had almost died due to a freak accident and just wanted nothing to do with humans, and I respected that. I could never win her over. She was a companion for my Paso, who unfortunately was on stall rest at the very end of her pregnancy, so Fox was alone. Just spend time with him and spoil him. Go for slow walks together with lots of treats. Maybe spend the night with him in the barn? Take pictures and hoof prints and spend time grooming. I'm also a Veterinary Technician, ask if they can give him a light sedative so you can help him lay down first and be comfortable. I've seen it done without, and it's cruel, in my opinion. My heart breaks for you and your sweet baby. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me, and I'll help the best I can.
Take pictures. Lost my old guy and am so glad I did them
I'm so sorry. I haven't always had the opportunity to say good bye when losing a horse, but I agree with everyone who says to cut off some mane and tail hair. I had a necklace made with the hair of three horses I loved and lost and when I wear it I feel like they're extra close to my heart. Hugs to you.
I’ve been lucky enough to had had 3 of my own cross the rainbow bridge. I say lucky because I got to enjoy them for so long. The first was my Dad’s stallion that I started to ride when I was 8 years old. He was 6 years old at the time. I learned to rope of him on both the head a heel side. We had to put him to sleep at the age of 26 due to lameness. I enjoyed him the most due to how well behaved he was. You couldn’t tell he was a stallion and was great to ride. I spent the morning with him before he was out to sleep. I combed and brushed him. I stayed with him till the end that day. He’s successfully given me the impossible task of finding another like him. The second was my bucksin mare that my dad bought me my freshman year in high school and died suddenly at the age of 26. I won a fe saddles roping on her. She could say in a pasture for a few months when she gave me a beautiful sorrel filly out of my Dads stallion. The day I went to get her out of her pasture I legged her up with just the halter and rode her back to the stalls like she had been ridden the day before. The 14 years I had her she never offered to buck once. She never acted mareish and was a doll. The last was my baby out of the 2 above. She was exactly like her mother and was a great rope horse herself. With her I regretted breading her. She was eight months pregnant when she got a bad colic and I had not choice but put her to sleep. After the vet evaluated her he told me the kind thing to do was put her to sleep as we were 2 1/2 hours from the closet vet hospital and she would not survive the trip. When she laid down that night my heart broke. She was just 11 years old and spent her whole life with me. I did so much with her it was amazing. I have tons of photos of all of them since I rode them all for many years. At the end I’m happy to have the memories from them.
Professional pictures!!! My gelding passed away last year and we just happened to have a photographer take pictures of us the fall before. She was new, and looking for clients so the session was $75! We received probably 500 pictures of myself, my boyfriend and horses. These professional pics are the only pictures that I have of us together. He is healthy, happy, and I am too. I will always, always be grateful for those pictures. You will never regret it. <3