Remembering Bo

I had the wind knocked out of me last night (figuratively that is). You see, March 11 (or maybe it was the 12, I'd have to go back and look), was the anniversary of rescuing Bo from an auction). If you go back to March 2011, you can read about us brining him home. It was a definite leap of fate to bring him home but I am so glad that we did.

He was a hard keeper and had many health issues. In the end we found out that he had a heart murmur and that's most likely why he was such a hard keeper. But we sort of think that maybe the stress of his previous life is what caused much of his body condition.

So last February (February 26th to be exact), we said good bye to our sweet Bo after his body failed him. He wasn't even in his 20s yet but his body had deteriorated to such a degree that we couldn't let him suffer. It's a bit hard for me to come to terms with him being gone. For seven years he was always at the gate waiting to be fed. He was always coming up to see what I was doing. He was always there for seven years. Even a year later, looking out into the herd, it still feels weird and wrong that he's not there. I have yet to adjust to him being gone. Chores are easier, I don't have to wait two hours for him to finish his grain. I don't have to worry about what grain mash I should make to ensure he maintains what little weight he has. I don't have to worry about him being chased around by any of the other but it still feels wrong. How can a year pass, and I still can't get into the right routine?

It sometimes blows my mind how a horse can have such an impact on a person. Bo was one of those horses. Even with all that he'd gone through, with all his health issues, he was still a happy horse. He was always happy to see me, always happy to do what I asked of him, always happy to hang out with his best friend. Always happy.

I need to remember to be more like Bo. Enjoy life as it comes. Be happy for what life brings you and take pleasure in what surrounds you.

You aren't forgotten Bo.