sad day at the lucky 7 this last weekend

[RedValk]

Susan's main horse, Money.....the one she has won SOOOO many awards, championships, etc. with....had to be put down late Saturday. it was a freak accident. We THINK....he was running through the woods in between our pastures....with the hurd...when we THINK he slipped in the mud...and PROBABLY hit a tree at full speed (Susan could hear them coming when she called them to come to the barn...and she heard this crashing sound in the woods...like somebody ran into something or fell? he didn't have any mud on him, so we're guessing he ran into a tree).

anyway, this was about 615 PM...it was dark. I heard Susan screaming all the way up at the house (where i was). My worst fear, was that SHE was hurt badly somehow. She was crying and screaming for help. i threw on some clothes and ran into the woods by a pond. There she was....she was fine....holding her horse. and begging me to help her and the horse. As soon as i saw it try to move.....and saw it's front left leg, i knew it was BAD...very bad. It took just under two hours to move the horse 100 feet...from the edge of the pond...to up on high ground where we had moved a horse  trailer to try and transport it to the Auburn College large animal clinic. We had to make a splint from PVC pipe and duct tape. But even that ....wasn't much help. We'd all three pull and push...and get the horse to move about 10 feet...in SEVERE pain...on three legs. Then we'd let it rest a few minutes. Almost TWO HOURS of this. (in the cold...me in a tshirt and sweat pants...freezing). when we got him to the trailer, even more extreme difficulty...trying to get a 1200 pound horse in a trailer...on three legs. Probably about 30 minutes later, we succeeded. He fell once...half in the trailer. we had to help him get back up. NO EASY TASK. when he finally did lunge into the trailer, he pinned Susan up by the front wall.

Of course, she was devastated...crying...screaming. then Susan and Sherry drove 60 miles to Auburn...Susan IN the trailer. 2 or 3 times the horse fell down...and they had to help it back up...no easy task. Then...30-45 minutes to get it out of the trailer in Auburn.

finally, they got it inside and took xrays. And it was bad. Totally shattered shoulder (see below for CORRECTION). bone fragments everywhere. by this time, the horse was totally exhausted...and leg and shoulder swollen beyond imagination.

they had no choice but to put him down. Sherry finally got back home and to bed about 2 am. sunday, she went back for the body. my daughter....still crying all day Sunday (she had this horse over 9 years...since she was a teenager...and won or placed in so many awards and events with him)....finally went back home from Spring break to go back to Vet School. Her best friend of 9 years gone. She is devatated.

we burried the horse behind the barn Sunday....real close to where we burried Chaos the German Sheppard only a month ago.

To make matters worse, at Vet school, the students are dissecting .......horses.....during class at this time. It'll be pretty rough on Susan for some time. For those who know her, keep her in your thoughts. For those who text/facebook/etc with her, i think she'll answer now. yesterday, she was too overwhelmed to talk much.

Money (the Fastway) .....former Alabama State Champion....World Top Ten qualifier.........RIP

[RedValk]

Per Sherry....more detailed info (she's more up on this than I am....she and Susan are the real horse people at our place!):

Yes ihis full name was "Money The Fastway" and he broke the Humerus (arm bone) at his Elbow Joint on his left front leg.  The front legs of a horse carry 70% of their weight.  That is why he was having so much trouble moving and balancing.  If it was his rear leg he would have been better off. 

so i didn't have it quite right about what he broke....plus, he may not have run into a tree after all. he may have broken that leg any number of ways. We just know he did it in the woods...in the dark...running with the hurd......

[Jack]

Very sorry to hear bout this Tim.  I can only imagine how upset Sherri must be. 

[czuch]

Prayers to your family.
I've had horses and you really do get attached to those big doggies.
Soo very sorry.

[Big Tom 10628]

That sux, my condolences to you guys. It really hurts to lose an animal that you have had for years.

[wizard -vrccds#125]

Very sorry to hear that story, Tim. It is a heart breaking to lose a friend !

[sugarbee]

Please tell Sherry that I am so sorry she lost her friend...    I can't imagine the pain she is going through.

[flamingobabe #44]

so sad...sorry to hear this.....fb

[charligirl]

My heart breaks for all of you

[Ratdog]

Very sorry about that Tim... they definately become family members... one of the kids.  Condolences to you and your family.

[SlowRoad]

Tell Susan we are sorry to hear this and thinking about her. I have never had horses, but can imagine that would be a tremendous loss.

Tim

[Mickey Runie]

Tim, Sherry and Susan, you have our condolences too.

[Willow]

Please give Susan my love.  My heart aches for the pain she's feeling.  She will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[Robert]

That really hurts I am so sorry  Ill keep them in my prayers.

[sheets]

Wow.  So sorry to hear of this.  I'm not a horse person, but have family and friends who are horse people.  I can only imagine.   

[stormrider]

You all have our deepest sympathies.

[Black Dog]

Sorry to hear Tim, that really stinks.

Black Dog

[REELAY]

Tim;
Please tell Susan, as well as Sherry, We are sorry to hear of her/their loss.  I never lost one, but came close a couple of times, and know first hand the stress one goes thru  when watching their mount suffer, not knowing if they are going to make it or not.  Next to your own family I don't think there's anything more stressful than watching one's horse go down.  Keeping YA'LL in our Thoughts and Prayers. 

SEE YA..........................Soon

[cutter]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I know what your going through. Thoughts and prayers for you and your family.

[Disco]

So sorry to read the sad, sad news.  No one, human or 4-legged family, should have to go through that.

RIP, Money.

[Highbinder]

Tim we understand the experience and the helpless feeling you and Sherry and Susan have gone thru...we wish you guys the best...Don and Tracy

[R J]

Damn, of all times I don't really read the posts, yesterday was one.

Tell Susan, & Sherry, that I'm sorry to hear of their and your loss.

Prayers and thoughts for as long as needed coming from cold snowy Iowa.

[eric in md]

all i can say is  im sorry for all your pain   tim,sherry,susan   what great people you all are.. im sorry eric in md the little guy.. 

[RedValk]

appreciate all the thoughts and prayers. Honestly, i don't even know how it feels...as i'm not "close" to any of the horses. They are just like big dogs to me....but i understand, it's much more than that to the ones who actually ride them....bond with them...etc.

But what really hurt or bothered me was to see how totally devastated Susan was. I've never seen her like that. She NEVER stopped crying the day it happened or the day after....right up until she left to go back to her home in Auburn.

Sherry said she even cried on and off in class on Monday....as....she dissected a horse for her Vet College work/class. I can only imagine how hard that would be.

like think if you lost your dog....then...had to go to a class where you were cutting up a dog to study its parts...and the dog looked just like the one you just lost. That's what's happenig to her now......

now that said, in no way..........and i lost my mother a few years ago.....in NO way does this compare to losing a person you love. So i know, she'll get over this. When i lost my favorite dog, it took a week or so to get over it...and move on. When i lost my mother, it didn't really even begin to sink in for a week or so. and then it REALLY hit. And it took a LONG time to get over that..........and i still think about her.........

What i'm going to do for Susan and Sherry now, is THIS next weekend, i'm going to go into the woods by the gate where we think the horse ran into a tree (possibly).........and i'm going to cut ALL the trees that could be a potential problem when they run down a path to that gate. Then i'm going to put a drain in the low spot where it gets real muddy/slippery by that gate. And then i'm going to get a couple of loads of clay and put that down...build it up....sort of make a better path...almost a low grade road...where they run through in between pastures. I'm doing this in the hopes of making it more safe and hoping something like this doesn't happen again with another horse. Perhaps we've been lucky in the past this hasn't already happened long ago?

To make this Valk related...and THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE....DDT came over to ride with me the morning after we put the horse down. Seeing Susan that shook up....was very stressful. When DDT came to the house to ride...Susan was getting ready  to leave. i knew i had to say something to her before she left for Auburn. It was very difficult. i don't get emotional very often.....but....i lost it for a while saying goodbye to her that day. We cried together....with DDT sitting in the driveway. and then after i said goodbye to her (and made sure i thought she would be ok to drive home ...and be by herself again after spending the week with us for Spring Break).....i stepped outside and told DDT what was going on. He could see i was shook up....and asked if we should still go riding. I told him it would ABSOLUTELY be the best medicine for me.

And it was.................

[Carolyn Schmidt]

Tim, Sherry and Susan,

I'm soo sorry to hear about the horse. Man, it hurts when you loose a four-legged family member. My heart goes out to each of you.

You're in my prayers for peace, comfort, and whatever it is you need I'll ask that HE provides it to you all.

Carolyn