Tribute to IOWA.

So, this is the princess of my household. She's just over a year and a half old, and she pretty much gets whatever she wants. :) Very spoiled, but a great companion. Her favorite things to do are run around the living room really, really fast, snuggle under any sort of blanket or comforter, and boss me around. Since I live so far away from my parents, relatives and most of my friends, it is nice to have her around for sure...

But enough about Xena... yesterday, after I began my exodus into blogging, I visited the stable where I first started riding when I moved to CNY. It is a place basically where you can take western trail rides into this beautiful hilly area and enjoy nature very close to Syracuse. I enjoyed going there because there was really no pressure to be a proper rider and it is just fun. After the owner ascertained that I could ride, via a "Wrangler" certification test, I earned a card that gave me permission to ride on my own and at speeds above a walk. I preferred not to ride alone, so Carrie, the owner's daughter, or Aaron, the guy who just about runs the place, would accompany me into forays into the woods. I rode in the snow for the first time with them and it was awesome. I am going off into this rant because on all of these adventures, I rode an amazing horse named Iowa. He was an average looking dark bay horse with a black mane and tail, and he was missing most of his ears because of a bout with frostbite when he was a youngster. In the winter, his coat was thick and fuzzy and he looked kind of like a strange teddy bear. Iowa was an extremely intelligent horse with a great heart. Anyway, judging from my use of "was," maybe you can tell where I am going with this. When I stopped by, the place was pretty busy. I gave some carrots to Aaron's horse, Thor, and then I saw Carrie. We chatted for a minute and then I asked her where Iowa was because I wanted to see him. Her face fell, and she said the words any person who loves a horse does not want to hear. He was put to sleep last week! Oh, my heart leapt up into my throat. What a horrible feeling. This is a horse that I rode weekly for nearly a year. He was one of my first friends in Syracuse, and a loyal one at that. I had to take a minute to let the fact that Iowa was gone sink in... Carrie said how when you work on a farm, you can't get attached to the animals, and I understood, but it still did not make things any better. Apparently, he foundered in the spring and never fully recovered. I believe a horse like Iowa deserved not to die like that, but hopefully, he is in a better place now. He was very special and I will miss him very much.