Blitz

The carriage company that had sold us Revel called us up about Blitz. They knew that at his advanced age and difficulty keeping weight on, he’d be unlikely to get a good home at auction, so they asked us if we’d take him, so long as it was before Saturday! We didn’t actually have a stall open, but we knew we had to take him in. We quickly threw together the funds and bought a shed that could be delivered quickly. Punk and Marshmallow got to move into a double size shed. He came home that weekend! 

We knew our time with Blitz would be limited with his advanced age, but we knew we’d do everything we could to make it wonderful. We quickly found out why he struggled to keep weight on, he was missing all the teeth on one side of his face, likely from an accident. So he got to live on soup, soaked hay pellets and cubes. He loved spending his days playing with any and all the other horses, he even spent a period of time babysitting our little mustang. His favorite things to do were to spend his days with his best friend Ryley, she groomed and fussed over him everyday she was here. They took so many beautiful photos together and loved exploring the agility ring. Ryley made sure his days were filled with love and fun.

I can’t believe it’s time to say goodbye already. It’s always too soon. Blitz’s age has caught up with him, his body is giving in, even if his mind isn’t ready. His pain is too much, he can’t lay down and can’t sleep, he’s become a bit delirious, confused and unbalanced. He can no longer stand for the farrier and he’s not interested in food (but there’s always room for a few treats). He knows when he goes down he won’t be getting up, so he stays up and puts on a brave face, he smiles at his friends as he tries to squeeze out a few more days of love.

He has done so much in his life, made so many dreams come true for so many people. He worked farm labor and did pulling competitions, how many fields did he tend? How many ribbons did he win? He moved on to an agricultural school where he taught so many young people how to work horses on a farm. How many kids fell in love with him? When he retired from there he went to the city where he gave carriage tours. How many people got engaged in his carriage? How many couples made special memories with him? How many city kids did he show the gentle power of horses? Here he enjoyed a wonderful retirement. Surrounded by little people who love and spoil him rotten. We always say “at his age, he can have anything he wants!” and so we make sure everything he wants, he gets! He has always wanted a child of his own, someone soft and sweet to show him love and make him feel special. His dream finally came true, his little Cherub has spent as much time as possible ensuring his days are full of love and joy. They clicker train, do agility, and take beautiful photoshoots together. They made each other’s dreams come true. We hope to squeeze a few more days of bliss for this sweet old man, we are going to help him pass on Sunday, a gift for this special horse. He deserves to sleep in peace before the pain becomes too much, before he falls or gets stuck. He should never know another bad moment. He will be buried in our garden with the rest of our herd and have his own special fairy garden dedicated to him, where we can plant flowers every spring as we remember his sweet presence in our life.