In Loving Memory....

"The highest of flames becomes an ember..."

On September 22, 2008, I lost my very best friend.  Maestro, affectionately known as "Mouse" was euthanized due to extreme complications from founder and Cushing's disease.  Mouse had battled with several episodes of laminitis caused by Cushing's disease and insulin resistance since 2004.  He was able to still be ridden until August 2007.  Mouse was enjoying full retirement and picking on his little brother, Flip.

Mouse was the first horse that I trained to the upper-levels.  He was schooling all the Prix St. Georges when he foundered the first time back in 2004.  He was never able to return to that level due to his condition.  I worked Mouse at whatever level he was comfortable working at, and I thanked God for every day that I was able to sit on his back.  Showing and ribbons didn't matter any more...I was just grateful to ride him!

There will never be another horse like Mouse.  He had a wonderful personality, and his constant nickering won the hearts of just about everyone who met him.  He was a complicated ride...most people never understood that because of his quiet, gentle nature.  I truly think the only people who ever really understood Mouse were myself, Tami Crawford, and Mouse's former groom, Aspen West. 

It is hard to let go of a friend like Mouse.  He was brave to the end...and my last memory of him is a good one with him nuzzling my hand as I said goodbye.

I would like to thank those who helped me through this.  For all the cards and flowers, to the emails and phone calls.  A very special thank you to Dr. Christina Stroud for all you did, to James Miller for staying with Mouse to the end when I couldn't and for taking care of everything, to Karla Noseworthy for all your kind words, to Marty Bilderback for giving Mouse his IV medications, to Trish Hattery and Heather Hart for saving me, and to all my students for helping keep Mouse comfortable while we tried to get him well.