R.I.P. Minx

Gal's Black Minx: 1998-April 4, 2009

Tonight Minx died of colic. I have lost my best friend. She was that "once-in-a-lifetime horse. I was going to ride her when I was 40 and she was the ripe old age of 30. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm not horseless. Indeed, I feel slightly guilty at the thought that my life will be less complicated without her, she was a complicated horse. However, I mostly I feel immense sorrow. That deep, body numbing sorrow that only accompanies genuine grief. Where you are fine one minute, but absolutely disabled the next.

I'm taking Monday off work as sick. I cancelled my ride with Farley tomorrow. I'm going to spend time with family and Matt tomorrow.

The vet is doing a necropsy tomorrow morning. She will e-mail me pictures of the GI tract and hopefully a more definite explanation of what happened. At this point we suspect a displacement of the small intestine. In a future post I will go through the details of how we treated. It is after midnight and I do not have the reserves to go into that right now. I think it is important to share because someone else might learn and benefit.

As part of her treatment she needed to be trotted for 20 minutes. I did it myself. I will treasure that memory. How willing she was, even with the pain. How trusting.

I have her tail (why am I crying at this? I've made it all the way through this post so far without a tear).

I am so grateful for the time we spent together last weekend. The incredible trail ride Saturday morning, going for the cart ride on Sunday. How special it is that my Mom videotaped that session! I have plenty of photos of our time together. The cart video is the only video I have.

I'm going to contact the ride photographer from some of Minx's rides and have a picture blown up from a ride. I'll frame it.

Three years is so short. I can't imagine my life without Minx. I guess tomorrow I get to find out.