Sheriff

We said goodbye to Sheriff today.  He seems to have been bitten by a brown recluse more than a month ago.  DeAnna gave him amazing care since then but he had been getting a little worse each day for the last week, so we made the call.  Who’d have thought something as small as a spider could take down something as grand as a horse?

Sheriff was our third horse, after Goliath and Levi.  He was nominally my daughter’s horse, but we all road him from time to time.  He was born on May 22, 2001.  He came to our farm on July 2, 2008.  He went on to greener pastures today, July  25,2019.
I’m writing this just a few hours after his suffering ended, and already I am forgetting things….so let me record a few things I want to always want to remember about Sheriff:

• Sheriff was the Barbie Dream Horse. ?A dual registered Palomino / Quarter Horse with long blond main and tail.
• Sheriff’s mane smelled like fresh cut grass, sweat and sunshine.
• Sheriff always said hello when he saw someone coming into the barn or even when we drove by and he was in the field. ?Sometime a quiet nicker. ?Sometimes a loud nicker. ?He always said hello.
• Sheriff had the softest feet. ?Not really, but anytime you would start to ride him, he would tip toe and make it seems like he was walking on hot coals. ?Smart horses always seem to have a way of getting out of work, and that was his.
• Sheriff had a huge….well….you know. ?We got him already as a gelding, but I think the previous owners made that decision a little later than some, so he….developed.
• Sheriff was probably the best trained horse we had or have. ?He had great gates, could switch on the fly and could push a cart (although we never tried that).
• Sheriff looked amazing in Teal.

Thank you Sheriff for just being you and for all the wonderful years you spent with us on our farm.  You were a great follower when Goliath and then Levi lead the heard and took the reigns when they both went on to greener pastures.  Lord knows what will happen know with Ike and Ranger ;-).  Give Goliath and Levi a hearty nicker and a good nip whrn you see them.
With Sheriff properly thanked and honored, I’d like to also document a bit of my internal experience in the last 24 hours.  On one hand this seems a bit repugnent – I’m still here to write this afterall.  But then again, I really only have my own experience to share.

• And now there are two: Ike and Ranger. ?I will try to enjoy them each day. ?I will take the time to be greatful doing barn chores and being with them. ?I might even try to saddle one up and go for a ride. ?As time passes, I also know that things will fall back into routine and I will start to take them (and lot’s of other things) for granted.
• I hate feeling this way. ?I don’t have the words to describe it, but I know I don’t like it. Strangely, at the same time, I relish it. I hate that I know it will end and things will go back to “normal”. ?I love this break from the normal. ?This reminder that each moment is precious. ?This opportunity to be greatful for what has been, what will be, but most of all what is right now. ?Is it possible to be this way all the time and function? ?I can’t see how, but maybe that’s what I need to work on.
• I love our farm and the experiences we have had here. ?At the same time there are lots of changes – kids becoming adults. ?Furry friends passing on. ?I’m not rushing into what’s next – but I really want to move on. ?I’m trying to be patient and sit in this “in between” space and just try to notice and pay attention. ?The second half is going to be amazing…but it seems that I have to watch the halftime show a bit longer.

That’s all for now.  As I’ve been journaling more, this blog has become used less and less.  It might just go away one day.  But I’ll enjoy it and use it as long as it’s here.