[TeddyRocks]

My beautiful boy, Reilly was put to rest today, after a vicious and QUICK battle with cancer that he lost. It was a squamous cell carcinoma, and it spread fast. It was in his mouth and took such a short time from noticing it to biopsy to diagnosis to surgury and finally being put down that I am in shock. Not even a month from beginning to end.

Reilly was a connemara cross, he was my heart, and I only post this on the dressage page b/c this is where I've spent most of my time, and where my online friends visit the most.

He did dressage to 2nd level, but really he excelled in jumping. He was a sexy hunter, , with a pretty decent career, and he also pulled a cart a time or two.

He was my forever horse, and he will be missed.

My heart is broken.

RIP pretty super pony...
Reilly Go Bragh
May 31, 2001 to May 26, 2009

[Surviving the Dramas]

Terribly sorry to hear that.

Only those who have owned, lived for, and loved our horses can ever understand the loss.

My sincerest and deepest condolences to you, and everyone Reilly has touched through his life...

[Bayou Roux]

Godspeed, Reilly. Sincere condolences to you.

[eggbutt]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[Tasker]

I am so sorry.

[ctanner]

I am so sorry.

[Quinn]

My heartfelt condolences. May your wonderful memories fill the void left behind. I'm so sorry.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[up-at-5]

Very sorry for your loss.
Reilly sounds like he was a very special friend.

[Ginger]

I'm so sorry. Forever horses seize our hearts because the love is mutual. May you soon find joy in the memories you shared. Nothing will ever take those from you.

[buck22]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[anchorsaway]

So sorry for your loss
My heartfelt condolences.

[lovemyrobin]

So sorry to hear that.

Be happy for the time you had with him, he sounds like a very special guy.

[dwblover]

So sorry, but the memories will carry you through. Hold onto them tightly, and listen for sweet nickers in your dreams tonight. Your friend will be there.

[monstrpony]

Oh, I am so sorry. I lost a once-in-a-lifetime dog just two weeks ago, I know the pain, and I understand how horses are such a bigger presence in our lives (been there, too). I wish you the peace that time will give ...

[Dune]

I'm so so sorry for your loss.

[pintopiaffe]

thoughts and prayers heading your way...

Words cannot help, because they touch us in the place beyond words.

Godspeed good horse.

[merrygoround]

I understand and sympathize.

[littlerascal]

> Why God Gives Us Horses - and Takes Them Away
>
>
> God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does
> the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life?
>
> Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be able
> to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it's because God wants to jump.
>
> Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it's
> His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn
> from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see them off
> gracefully.
>
> OK, perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely graceful.
> But we can be grateful.
>
> To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short
> years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and
> hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the
> tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes
> crush ed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable
> feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.
>
> Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle - or a computer - a
> horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and
> smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to
> break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose
> responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we
> know we've made the right choice.
>
> Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy
> keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay,
> and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you'll struggle to
> keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod
> regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone
> you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.
>
> If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique
> personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there
> are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor.
> Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from
> the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front
> porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd carefully arranged as
> Halloween decorations.
>
> Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing.
> You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you
> altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are people -
> which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.
>
> If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing
> you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a
> Sunday - but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living
> being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting
> the car in "drive."
>
> In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few
> things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along
> with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear
> he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up
> with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will
> have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately
> make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences...if
> it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is
> what it's all about.
>
> If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at
> it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion, in
> addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're
> willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you
> have to learn. And, while some people think the horse "does all the
> work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse
> may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is
> the closest you'll get to heaven.
>
> You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The
> results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as
> that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well
> as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment
> brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between
> horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute
> certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.
>
> If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us
> have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our
> need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There
> is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in
> the barn are stolen pleasures.
>
> If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them.
> Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and
> whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled
> world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm
> place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular
> meals...Some of us need these reminders.
>
> When you step back, it's not just about horses - its about love, life,
> and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a
> foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there
> is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, or a decision to sustain a
> life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life
> cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that
> caring for these animals bring us. When our partners pass, it is more
> than a moment of sorrow.
>
> We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have
> been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union .
> We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to
> give.
>
> To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our
> muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We
> celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses
> have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of
> battle.
>
> Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and
> challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before
> them, asking little in return.
>
> Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart.
> Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of
> long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to
> end the life of a true companion.
>
> In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our
> horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the horse in
> the first place.
>
> ~Author Unknown~

***RIP Reilly***

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

So, so sorry for your devastating loss. Big hugs to you at this difficult time.

[Nojacketrequired]

I too lost a horse to a cancerous lesion in his mouth. Very quick from noticing it to having him put down. Surgery was out of the question in his case.

Everyone, have a look in your horse's mouth next time you're out at the barn. Look under the lips along the gums especially for any growths, wavy or discoloured or disturbed looking tissue.

My most sincere condolences on your loss.

NJR