Remembering Scooter...........

It's been a long week. Finding out about the passing of my friend, Barn Goddess, was just not the way I expected it to start. Then when it did begin on such a note, I figured the worst of it was probably behind me. I'm sad to say that was not the case.

There was a double whammy in this story. I learned Tuesday afternoon that Barn Goddess's beloved Scooter was euthanized a couple of weeks ago. Some might think it's odd that I bother myself with the passing of some old horse I've never really known but Scooter meant to my friend, Barn Goddess, what my beloved Solidare meant to me. I can't help but think the passing of a horse that was so loved needs to be honored in some way.

I know if my friend, Barn Goddess, was here that's what she'd be doing. Yet, Barn Goddess is gone so Scooter has not received the kind of memorialization deserved by such a horse. In honor of my friend, and the relationship with Scooter that led to our friendship in the first place, I've decided that Scooter must have his just due. Such horses are such gifts, their loss is surely felt in ripples throughout the horse industry.

I don't remember how long Barn Goddess and Scooter had been together but I know it was most of his life. The horse was thirty this year and Barn Goddess's last communication with me had mention of her concern for the coming winter. Even though the vet had recently given Scooter a thorough check and found him in great shape for a horse of his age, Barn Goddess worried the coming winter might be more than he could bear. The very thought of life without Scooter was disturbing Barn Goddess as any of us who love horses can attest.

Scooter could be a grumpy old guy. He really didn't particularly care for the company of other horses. His one and only love was Barn Goddess.........well, that is until her youngest son, Wee One, recently acquired eyes for him. The old boy decided the attention of the young autistic child was fine with him. Scooter stood rock solid as Wee One crawled beneath him waiting patiently for the child to tire of his ministries to the horse.

For the aging horse this was no small feat. Like most autistic children, Wee One's attention span is quite different from normal children. Intense and unwavering, it is difficult to sway the focus of an autistic child. They are done with their endeavors when they are done and NO ONE can change their mind.

I can imagine Scooter's patience was tested as the attention of this autistic child rested upon the horse. The many posts about Wee One's interests in animals suggest that the child rarely tired of an activity with any form of critter. Barn Goddess wondered on more than one occasion if the attention of Wee might not just be too much for any critter.

Once his mother finally allowed the child access to Scooter, I suspect the child made up for lost time showering all forms of attention upon the aged horse. I picture very long sessions with the blonde locked boy exploring any portion of the horse's body Scooter would tolerate.

I know that Barn Goddess was proud of Scooter's tolerance of Wee's attention. Waiting as long as she had to put the two together had always been about the boy and never about the horse. She'd known from the day the child was born that Scooter would be fine.

When I read the words of Scooter's demise, a damful of tears broke and a sound I didn't recognize emerged from some depth inside. I had been deeply touched by this horse I'd never known. Hearing of his passing somehow made the loss of his owner an even greater hurt.

I can't help but wonder if Scooter did not die from a broken heart. He and Barn Goddess had been a force to be reckoned with most all of his life. Rarely separated except for her days at work, poor Scooter probably didn't know what hit him when Barn Goddess passed.

Now, like BG's sister, I have to believe that Scooter and his mistress are riding across the fields of heaven never to be separated again. I have to say it's the only thought in this awful week that holds any relief.

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