12/08/2024
A friend said to me "My enemy is not death, it's suffering", and I found this profound and true. Death will come to every living thing and as a natural conclusion to life, is not a surprise or a tragedy, or avoidable. Suffering, however, is avoidable, sometimes. And avoiding suffering is very important to us, in the care of our equines. To overcome this we employ our very skilled DVM's and we use our own knowledge of our horses and their emotional needs and attachments to make decisions about what we provide next. This is a sacred journey, and one we are always looking to improve as we learn from each soul who joins us, and who eventually leaves us. It's a funny thing, but with many of the horses, especially the old ones, upon welcome, I recognize that I will likely be holding them as they take their last breath. I accept and assume that responsibility on day one. It's somber. And it's why we try to only step in for those who truly need us and who will benefit from being here. Many senior horses are best served ending their lives at home. This is not bitter or sad, unless a human labels is so. The end was not a surprise. But living a life and having a home are not guaranteed for a horse, and if they must leave, it's better to cross over from there. Too many heartbroken seniors have arrived here, confused and sad and without full faculty, either legs or joints or eyes, unable to fully comprehend why this happened or where they are... just that it's not home.
This week we will be saying a gentle goodbye to another senior who is not going to survive winter. We want to spare pain, struggle or a bad emergency ending, for all of us. These decisions, while never easy, become more clear with each horse we watch and help to their conclusion. They leave here with friends near, with love, without pain.
Without suffering.
This is my wish for all of you, and all of the animals that you steward on your journey.
