She was a loving registered
Appaloosa mare, born March 8, 1984 and left the little girl who had purchased
her last August on August 3, 2005.
We bought Susie from a Mother
and daughter that wanted to have a jumping horse and Susie was not having
any of that stuff. I had put an ad in a free paper looking for a horse that
was a show veteran and preferably an Appaloosa, as my family raised them
when I was younger. The Mother's friend happened on the ad and showed the
mother and called us. We went for a 2 hr ride and ended up at a riding
stable. The daughter already had Susie tacked up and ready to go, our daughter
for whom the horse was for, was timid and unsure of herself to ride Susie,
so I got on and rode her around. Our daughter had several horses previously
and being one thing or another (mostly parents buying the wrong animal) had
lost all confidence in horses and her riding abilities.
We brought Susie home the
following weekend and the relationship began. Susie was patient, not real
lovey snuggly horse as some may be, but she was the teacher that our daughter
needed. Susie was 10 yr when we bought her. Our daughter and Susie bonded
and the ribbons started stacking up. They seemed like they were
unbeatable. We bought better tack and updated our daughter's
show clothes (I sew) and the showing went on. We went to local shows, and
P.O.N.Y. shows and everyone got to know Erica and Susie as the pair to
try to beat. As Erica got older and more confident, the more different
classes they went in together. Erica had never tried Susie in Trail class
but signed up for that class at 4-H round up and came in 7th out of
18 riders. Our daughter went from being a timid loner to her best friend
being Susie. When Erica was around her horse, all was right with
the world.
We had our ups and downs
with injuries and unforseen illnesses and the like. But thru it all the pair
stayed strong. When Erica went off to college (pre-vet) Susie and I became
closer. She took me on trail rides, let me take her into halter classes at
the local fair, and she conceeded to be bred and gave us a gorgeous filly
we named Avenger's Dream, aka Syndr. My husband took Susie out to New Mexico
elk hunting when she was 19 yrs old and she handled it like the trooper but
bungled up her ankle walking thru a boulder field with only moonlight
to see by while packing out an Elk.
We found out by accident
that there are such things as horse chiropractors and Susie was a regular
customer. She had problems we never knew about (probably from before we purchased
her) and had adjustments made regularly. She was more content and moved
easier.
Then in 2000 Erica got married
and moved from PA to Iowa and Susie stayed behind. We were boarding her and
her daughter at friends and it wasn't the optimum situation. After some hard
deliberation, we decided that there was no sense having horses we weren't
even occasionally riding. So Susie and Syndr went up for sale. Syndr has
a home in Maine and Susie found herself giving riding lessons and confidence
to an 8 yr old girl who had been so nervous on other horses till she met
Susie.
The spring of 2005 proved
to be wet and cooler. And you know how horses can be when they are feeling
good, by now Susie is 21 yrs old. She evidently zigged and zagged one day
in the pasture and came back to the barn 3 legged lame. Her new owners had
3 vets look at her and the diagnosis was she had blown out her off-side knee.
Yes, surgery could be done, expensive and no guarantees of soundness because
of Susie's age and this seemed to be a re-occurance of a very old injury.
So the new owners decided to let her be happy in the pasture as long as she
didn't seem to suffer. She was very very lame but still eating good and not
loosing any weight. Another horse was brought for the girl to use for 4-H
and Susie bonded with this little mare as she had been with her previously.
She seemed to be doing some better. Then early August the knee got worse,
Susie didn't want to move much at all, putting her down had been hanging
in everyone's thoughts but she seemed to be OK till now.
One everning she didn't come
when called for her grain, so they walked down to see to her and she was
standing near some water and wouldn't move, so her new owners fed her there.
Again the next morning they called and Susie didn't respond, so they walked
down to where they knew she was the night before and they found her
laying...already gone. I got a phone call from a friend the next day telling
me about our old mare and I cried as I am while I write this. We were going
out to visit (in just several days) Erica and her family which now includes
a gorgeous 6 month old baby boy named Luke. When we got there I told her
about her beloved mare and she cried and cried and said that if they had
let friends fence in their land and brought Susie out, she would still be
with us, I told here there were no guarantees on that fact either. Susie
had been pampered and spoiled the last year of her life with love, brushings,
talks and singing and plenty of carrots, apples and her very favorite starlight
mints. We miss the old girl, she helped us all, most of all Erica and her
new owner, Casey.
I know she is in a better
place where there is plenty of sweet, tender grass, cool water
and lots of shade and no bugs. She is with a couple who have passed away
from us that were wonderful horse people and we are content with that. I
have made up a plaque for Erica with a picture of her and her mare and the
Rainbow Bridge poem beside it. It won't bring Susie back, but it is
my tribute along with this.
Avenger's Sue, aka Susie,
was a great western pleasure mare and a great friend to two girls. We will
never forget her.
Ruth VanCise
Susie 
