Her horse was stolen. Now she had to go to the slaughter and
identify Lady's hide.
This would be a nightmare to all of us horse owners.
I bought Lady out of a warm up ring at a show that I was showing at. Silly me thought they were beating her to death, didn't know that's how they trained halter horses when no one was looking. I walked her down the road (22 miles) to the barn I was boarding at, couldn't get her in a trailer she was so spooked. I spent the rest of the year working with her, loving her, telling her my whole life story so she would know who I was, and I never laid a hand on her. After about 7 months I took her back into the show ring, she took 5th out 27 in halter. She did absolute beautifully, and I never had to use a crop. I still have that ribbon and will to the day I die, to me it was gold.
Lady kept getting fatter and fatter and the work outs didn't seem to help, we changed her grain rations fed her less hay but nothing seemed to work. I finally called the vet. Lady was in foal and would deliver in less then a month. Nice people didn't let me know that they had bred her just before I purchased her. Lady had a beautiful filly which I kept until she was trained then I had to sell her do to financial reasons.
Lady gave me many years of companionship, she was there when I was pregnant with my son, she was there as I slowly lost friends to drugs, she was my rock, my one true friend who I could always count on, she was my therapist, she was my world.
After many years of service I decided it was time for her to have time to be a horse, to frolic carefree in the pastures, to have horse friends of her own. I thought that moving her to a boarding facility that had trainers and vets on the premises would keep her happy and healthy for the rest of her life.
I called once a week to check on her, I visited once a month. Then as I was planning my wedding (second) I let time slip between visits something I will regret to the day I die. After returning from my honeymoon I called to check on her, they told me everything was fine. I decided to go for a visit the next week, that's when I found out she had been gone for two months. I panicked called everyone I knew. I filed a police report and was assigned an investigator, a lot of help they were. I started combing the country side, knocking on every door that had a barn, walking thru barns when I couldn't find anyone around, I talked to anyone I could. I sent the police to places I couldn't get in. I finally found traces of her, people started telling me of how they had her there for a week or two but then she was moved. I was only one day behind her when they panicked and took her to Dekalb.
This I found out after. When a horse arrives in good flesh and coat they are moved to the head of the line. They do not check for brands or tattoo's, they will check for the chips but only to remove them before slaughter so they don't taint the meat. They also know that these horses are probably stolen. This was testimony under oath in the Dupage County Court House for those who don't believe that this is true, by three employees of the Dekalb slaughter house.
The police finally went into the slaughter plant after many phone calls to them, my worst fear was true. I would be allowed to pick her hide out of all the hides they had, seems they save for cases of stolen horses. I would then be reimbursed for the amount they bought her. I could not take a dime, I wanted them to know she didn't have a price tag on her head and all the money in the world would not give her back to me. I just wanted to have her nuzzle me, call out to me. I wanted them to know what they did was so wrong, I couldn't let them win by paying me off. I know its bad to hate and you should turn the other cheek, but I can't. While hate did consume me the first few years I have found that I can hate these people and still have a happy life. I just can't let the hate let them win. I believe that what goes around will come around, evil begets evil.
I went many years horseless, I hated everyone with a horse, I didn't want to be part of that world. It was like your child being murdered and you don't have the body, you have nothing and don't know what happened even though you are told she is gone. The biggest emotion is the guilt. I can never forgive myself for not visually checking on her, everyone keeps telling me its not my fault but that doesn't help. I have dealt with her death in my own way and its an on going thing, I will never get over her. How can you ever get over the murder of your best friend, I have learned to deal with it and I still cry but that okay too. If someone says "just get over it" I don't want to be their friend because they couldn't possible have a heart.
I have four beautiful horses now, while each are very special to me and will be with me for life, they can't fill Lady's shoes and I know that they aren't supposed to. Lady will always be with me in my heart, I loved her so much words can never show just how much. Spring tried so hard to win me over and its like he knows. Coty is just a clown and makes me laugh. Zar knows when I need a good ride or when I just need some quiet time. Sharona is just the queen around. Its as each of them has taken a piece of Lady. I call them the four pieces of a puzzle. While they can't be all she was, they can be part of what she was.
Sorry this was soooooooo long, if you need specifics let me know. I did sit through 5 days of court testimony and hundreds of witnesses, I heard it all. But I had some closesure with the court case, THEY LOST. What goes around comes around. When one door closes another opens.
Liz Pursian
Spirit Creek Ranch
Home to
My Sharona, Julies Tszar, Spring Feawer, Might Joe Coty
and
KARE rescue
Yankee
