In Loving Memory Of Our Beautiful "Jack"
June 16th 2007
When a horse you love becomes a memory...
... the memory becomes a treasure
Jacks story:
When Jack was only a couple years old he lived with a mare and 2 cows on a huge piece of land. He was wild and free. Nobody could even get close to him. Jack was 5 years old when a big storm came through and tore barb wire and posts around the pastures down. It was around midnight when Jack got caught in one of the barb wire on the ground and cut through his whole sene on his right back leg. the cows were screaming and there was no way to catch him. It was raining so hard, lightning, thundering and dark but he was running on three legs like you could never believe a horse that is injured that bad would be able to even walk. You could hardly see your hand in front of your eyes. The only way to catch him was to shoot him with anaesthetic. Not even one was enough. 3 finally laid him down. He was in the hospital for over a week after surgerys and painkillers. The decission for the former owner was eighter let him in a stall for 6 month or longer and see what's gonna happen, there is no guarantee if he will ever be able to get ridden or even be able to walk without pain agein - - - or, put him down. The former owners decission shocked us!
During the week when Jack was out of the hospital and at our barn (I couldn't believe the owner didn't even show up during this week), I talked about it at home and my sister (Chrisiane) was listening to the conversation I had with my parents about Jack and what happened to him etc. I (Jac) fell in love with this dark blue-black muscular horse with his long mane and tale. He was just as beautiful a horse can be.
My sister and me were never been anywhere together and I can not remember what the reason was that she showed up at the barn. We couldn't even have a small conversation without fighing - that's why we not even talked to each other at all. But, she was there - at this day. And we made a decission that changed our life completly.
The ownere showed up and after she got to hear from the Doctor that Jack doesn't have a big chance and he needed to be in a stall, full time, for more than a half a year, she said she doesn't have money to pay full board rent for a half a year or longer at no guarantee - and she called the slaughter. The slaughterer told her to give her $850 for him because he is heavy and has a mascular build. 1-2-3 that was one last look in my sisters face and I was on my way to the bank and back to the barn with $850. We paid her the same than the slaugterer offered her and got him. It was a long, hard way - the next 8 month. He got skinny because we couldn't work or even move him. Result out of that was that he had several colics and twice we were right on the edge that we had to put him down. He was weak and tired but every time he was laying down and couldn't get up, he looked at me and I knew he wants to live - he was asking for help. We called everybody together, the strongest guys in our little town, tied big tractor straps underneath his body and pulled him back up. We made it through - through the whole 8 month. I missed a lot of school. I was in college at this time. I just left class everytime I got a phonecall that there could be something wrong with Jack. My siter left work every time. After that we started walking him and lightly exercising. Every month more was a big step forward. After one year. He was the same he was before. But he was calm and lovely. He was thankful as a horse can be. He went on Trailrides - nobody ever believed he would ever be able to even walk again. When I moved to Texas. My sister was taking care of him, riding him going on trail rides and that although she was afraid and did never wanna ride a horse again after a bad experience when she was 7 years old in riding school.
Three years later...
the night from Friday June 15th to Saturday June 16th... he got a colic. It was in the middle of the night nobody expected that nothing was wrong with him Friday evening. He laid down in his stall and when it was feeding time in the morning he was laying down already way too long. He got up and my sister walked him and walked him. He didn't seem bad at all. The Doctor came and he assumed more than everybody expected. Take him to the hospital, NOW or we gotta put him down right here and right now! It was 3:30am in Texas when I got the call from my sister. She could hardly talk, she was crying so hard. She told me she is going to the hospital.
The Doctor wasn't even able to finish his words. Jack was in the trailer and we on the way to the hospital. But after a couple of hours of tests, the result weren't good at all. 30 feet of his intestines were already dead. It got twisted when he laid down at night and died. Nane called me again crying and asked me to make the decission... I asked her what she thinks Jack wants us to do...
- - And this time he didn't want to anymore - -
He knew it was time for him to go. He let us know that the past 3 years meant more to him than anything and I told her to let him go...
