Without question the best day of Teddy’s life was the day he met his mom, Ellie. She went to look at a horse for sale and found an extremely neglected and very skinny Quarter Horse. She said she simply couldn’t leave him there and agreed to take him. That was 15 years ago and Ellie and Teddy have been together ever since.
Teddy is, without question, the toughest and most stoic horse I’ve ever met. He has more conformational and special challenges than any one horse should ever have to deal with. Yet he did so amazingly well. I remember being shocked the first time I saw him trot. He took off across the paddock in a beautiful, floating trot and I stood there with my mouth open trying to figure out how on earth he could move like that.
Teddy lived with us for the last three years and today the time came to say goodbye. Teddy was 27 years old. Although his spirit was still strong his body was failing him. All of the avenues for keeping him comfortable had been exhausted and it was time to let him go. Although it was a hard decision, and a very sad decision, it was definitely the right decision. He had a wonderful last day with his friends today. Blue skies, 68 degrees, and a warm, gentle breeze made for a perfect day of easy companionship with his friends. He was loved and cared for to the end and no horse can ask for more than that.
Below are a few pictures from Teddy’s retirement with us. Rest in peace Teddy, you will be greatly missed.
Teddy
Teddy’s first day at our farm
This picture of Teddy standing watch while O’Reilly napped is one of my favorite pictures. I took this picture early one morning in October 2009. As I was walking through the pasture and saw this I had one of those “this is why I do this” moments. They could not have looked more content or more peaceful.
what a tough life
snow day
nap time
Snappy and Teddy
O’Reilly, Snappy, Teddy and Lightening
Lightening, Teddy and Lucky
O’Reilly and Teddy
Lightening, Clay and Teddy
“look at my cute expression”
Slinky and Teddy looked pretty with the fall colors
although this is not a great picture of Teddy it is one of the better pictures for seeing his beautiful color
Teddy, Snappy and O’Reilly
O’Reilly and Teddy
Teddy and Lucky
grazing on a foggy morning
O’Reilly, Teddy and Lucky
everyone needs to have good friends
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