2000-11-17
21:55:22

This is going to be kind of a tribute to Cracker, so if you don't want to hear about his life, go ahead and skip this entry

I got Cracker for the Georgia Equine Rescue League, which removes abused and neglected horses from their bad homes and places them in new ones. When I first got Cracker, he wouldn't let me touch him out in the pasture. The picture on the bottom of the photo above is me trying to coax him to me with food. Boy did we have some fun times playing tag. :)

He was the first horse I bought, and I had a lot of good times with him. When I first was riding him, he really had no sense of stop, or slowing down. To him it was gallop or nothing. I had to completely retrain him. After a while, I could put a three year old up on him and he woudln't move.

Once, a little girl, who was five years old, was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwitch...right under Crackers stall. She was holding one in her hand, not paying attention to it, when suddenly it was gone. She turned around to find Cracker happily munching on the sandwitch. After that day, I knew his achielies heal..peanut butter. I could catch him in the pasture any time I wanted :)

We also got another horse from GERL, she was a 26 year old polo pony. She was basicaly a pasture mate for Cracker. Her name was Ginger. When we first moved her over to our house, a gate got left open. Well, both Ginger and Cracker walked right out of it. I live near a two main roads, so a horse getting out is quite a big deal. So, me and my mom are up at three in the morning, chasing two horses through peoples gardens, and on the road, and through the woods. It took us an hour to catch them. Ginger almost got hit by a car at one point. I'll tell you, that was not a good night.

Ginger died of a broken back. The break snapped her spinal cord, so she felt no pain, but we had to put her down. She was eating happily until the last moment. Cracker was doing the same. I gave him some food, and a little bit of peanut butter just before he died. I think it was a nice last meal.

There are hundreds more stories that I could tell, but I don't want this entry to become one of those long drawn out entries. I just know that Cracker is in heaven, with Ginger and Sam, and he will be missed down here always and forever.

"They say everything must die
for a new life to begin
in the seasons of our love
I feel the winter setting in
in the bitter bitter cold
I always though that I would have you to hold me
hold me through the storm and keep me safe and warm
Through this bitter bitter cold

Tara Maclean "In the wings"

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