Allie

He was heart and confidence on four legs. He might have been the smallest in the herd, but he was walking, trotting proof that attitude is everything; even if you’re a horse.

Nobody knew exactly how old Allie was. It was often said he was more than likely “thirty-something”; which doesn’t have the same connotation for a horse that it does for humans. “Thirty-something” for a horse is probably equivalent to “older than dirt” for a human.

At an equine dental clinic a few months back, an expert expressed the opinion that it was a miracle Allie was still here given the terrible condition of his teeth and his inability to properly chew. If you don‘t have a birth registration on a horse, usually the only way to hazard a guess as to its age is to check its teeth. This expert said there wasn‘t enough left to go on.

“He’s apparently been surviving on sheer guts”, was his conclusion after examining him. Guess so. Guess too that what you don’t know, won’t hurt you, for Allie would chomp and gum and do what he could to a clump of hay with as much determination as his younger, less dentally challenged stable-mates.

I was privileged to attend Allie’s departure from this lifetime. Something had gone awry in his mind; his normally feisty but tolerant attitude had recently changed to a frightening tendency to lash out without cause at any human in his space. Where there had always been an aura of contentment about Allie, now there was a distinct sense of just the opposite; he could not verbalize it, but his world was not comfortable for him any longer. He was telling us he was in pain. The decision was made by his owner to bring him peace.

Allie’s owner could not face the reality of what had to be done, and I had offered to be there for him, and for her. The day chosen dawned clear and crisp, and as if he knew, Allie greeted me at the entrance to his stall with a calm that had been missing the past weeks. I put his halter on, and a quiet, slow walk was made up the hill, with lots of time for last nibbles of the lush green grass.

Man's technology brought swift release to this gutsy little equine soul. I sat beside him, stroking his head and neck, and wondered, as he lay on his last blanket of green, life stilled, whether we had done the right thing. At that moment, a gentle breeze broke the complete calm, caressing us as it flowed on down the hill and then over the pasture where Allie’s former stable-mates had, up until then, been grazing in complete quiet.

At the moment I believe that breeze passed over the pasture, soft nickers filled the air from the horses down below. One could call that coincidence, but my heart tells me differently. In its passing over us, the wind gathered the spirit and energy of dear Allie with it - and the gentle good-bye’s from his friends affirmed for me that there are benevolent and powerful forces at work in the world of nature.

And they had kindly answered my question…………..