goodbye to an old friend...

I spent the afternoon at Spruce Meadows, in the cold and the rain, freezing to the point I couldn't feel my toes. I found it very fitting for the news I received on my way there.

I spent some time talking to Yvonne, a friend and previous employer who owned the camp I worked at, and where I met Stephan. She also owns the horses I've been riding every summer since I was 10, including my beloved Blaze who I kinda consider mine as well.

Blaze is old, 29 or 30. But he's hardy. He's lived his whole life outside, even in the winter. He's never had shoes put on, but he's never had a problem with his feet. He's never sick, although he has problems with his hips but that is due to his age.He was my horse. I was the only one who could get him to eat apples, and a very specific type at that (even though he wasn't supposed to like them). He had a tendency to buck, though never with me. He looked like a bear in the winter. And I knew the spots he liked to be scratched. I refused always to ride any other horse but him on the trails, and we loved our gallop at the end.

Today, I found out that, from old age, Blaze was put to sleep. My horse is gone. And it hurts, its hard because I'm here and not there. It's hard because I didn't find out right away, its been a little bit since I talked to Yvonne. I knew when I moved, when I said goodbye to him that it would be the last time I would see him. After all, at 29/30 chances are he wasn't going to live forever anymore.

So, my Blaze is gone. He had a full life, and I'll miss him dearly. I just can't imagine the camp without him, or any of the horses. It was such a big part of my life. I know he's just a horse...but he wasn't just a horse to me.

This is one of the last pictures, when I was saying goodbye.

This is from my graduation weekend, 2008.