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[kriss10]

Ginger has never been completely sound since I bought her, but she always seemed comfortable and happy. She would go to the pastures with the rest of the herd and hang out, often leading the charge back to the barn for food or just because everyone else was running. This summer Ginger started having some trouble standing on three feet while having her feet cleaned or trimmed. A big girl, she also started to struggle a bit to get back up if she had been napping long. As the weather turned and the pastures got slick she started staying behind more and more often. Sometimes she would reluctantly follow, but it was becoming painfully obvious to me that she just wasn't comfortable. She sort of lost the spring in her step.

So, yesterday, we had her put down. We are lucky we have the option to bury her here.

RIP old girl. You will be missed...



"Circle in the Sand" aka Ginger, Jan 1990 - Dec 2012

[Rngovvet]

So sorry for your loss. That's a hard decision to make, even when you know it's the right thing to do.

[Joan Deutsch]

Kriss, I'm so sorry to hear the news. But it was so cool that you bought Ginger when she was older and clearly had physical issues. You fixed her hoof problems and you made the last phase of her life so wonderful. What a lucky girl to end up on a great ranch with so much equine and human companionship. And it was cool that you were able to ride her and pony the others off of her. How do you think the herd leadership will sort out now that the boss lady has moved on?

[mary k.]

Awww, bummer, Kriss. It's hard, even when it's the right thing to do. *sigh*

[kriss10]

@Joan - This weekend was kind of strange. All of the horses seemed to be looking for her - even Killer and those two never really got along. Lucy, who would always eat in the corner with Ginger, seemed very concerned that she had not come back from the North pasture. I would put their hay out, and Lucy would leave the barn and stand outside staring at the pasture. Annie tried out Gingers corner once or twice, but ended up back by the gate with Scooter. No one was eating from her feeder until the rest of the feeders were empty. Annie actually played with the young horses this weekend - usually she would stick with Ginger when the rest of them were wrestling. The next few weeks will be interesting.

[turnershaven]

Kriss, so sorry to hear about Ginger. I wasn't online much in Dec. and missed that she was gone. How are things coming along with the others now?

[kriss10]

Kriss, so sorry to hear about Ginger. I wasn't online much in Dec. and missed that she was gone. How are things coming along with the others now?

There is definately a difference in the horses with Ricky and Ginger gone. Ricky had lived with Ginger the longest and he was the most settled even at his young age. Annie is pretty laid back, but she is still a bit more reactive than I would like. When she responds to a stimuli, the rest of them follow her, so there is a bit of unrest in the barn right now. Ricky will be back in the Spring and I hope that he will be able to bring calm back to our lives.

[Joan Deutsch]

Kriss, Wondering how Ricky is doing at your sister's? Has she had much time to ride him yet?

[kriss10]

My sister and her husband really like Ricky. She is having a lot of fun with him, and even though she hasn't ridden him a lot, she has made a lot of progress with him. He was on the verge of really "getting" the leads and neck reining and solid stops, etc., so he is becoming pretty consistent for her very fast. I have always referred to Ricky as my little horse, because he is the shortest of my crew, and she measured him and told me he is 15.2 - I never would have guessed Her husband was doing some target practice next to his pen and got a chuckle out of him when he hung his head over the fence to watch instead of running into his shelter and hiding. That is that good influence from Ginger - she just wasn't afraid of anything.

[Joan Deutsch]

Kriss, Glad to hear Ricky's doing well. That's funny you thought he was short! How tall is your biggest horse?