Two years ago I made the very hard decision that I had to put my horse up for sale. I simply just couldn't afford him with school and it would have been very selfish to keep him somewhere crappy or put him somewhere where he wouldn't get ridden and get the attention he needed. This decision absolutely killed me. Just ask my mom. I spent countless evening crying on her should about it. For those of you that have animals you understand that they are like having children. And when you have to let one go it's the worst feeling in the world. This feeling was intensifed due to the face that Koda was 1) my first horse 2) I got him when he was young and really put a lot of training into making him the amazing horse he is today and 3) I spent hours and hours with him riding, showing, and evening bringing my homework to his stall just to spend some extra time with him. It also doesn't help that he is amazingly sweet and has puppy eyes that make you melt now matter how much trouble he caused at times. We had arranged to have him picked up for an auction ( NOT for slaughter...for people looking for new show horses) and it just so happened that there wasn't enough room for him to go.
It wasn't until the next day that I realized this situation was going to be a total God thing.
It just so happened that my friend from school was looking for a horse to use. It also just so happened that she lives on a farm and has two other horses. After a few minutes of talking she made the decision that she wanted him. Only she wasn't going to buy him. She just wanted him for riding.
And this is when things got super crazy. Not only would she take Koda, her and her family would feed him, house him, and take care of all his farrier and medical expenses for me in return for letting them use him.
In case you aren't involved in the horse world I am going to clarify that this NEVER happens. Horses are extremely expensive animals and having everything for him taken care of was nothing short of a miracle. I was extremely happy that I knew where he was going and knew that he was going to be loved and taken care of properly. But I also felt horribly guilty that morning as I loaded him onto the trailer knowing that I would be saying goodbye to him for quite some time and he had no idea that his life was going to be changed quite drastically. Although I knew he was still mine and that I could move him back home anytime I wanted I still left with a tear in my eye and a tremendous feeling of guilt. I knew that it would be quite some time before I would come back. Being a college student I was strapped for money and simply couldn't afford the time ( 18 credits and 2 jobs).
Today was the first day in a year and a half that I got to see my Koda-bear. I honestly thought he was going to hate me when I showed up after leaving him in the dust 1.5 years ago. Instead I was reminded of his unconditional love that he has always given me. Funny how animals do that. He was in the back of the field with the other two horses but as soon as I called him name to come to the gate ( like I often did when he lived close to me) he came running to greet me. It was like he had never forgotten. It was the best feeling in the world to be able to scratch his neck, kiss his soft velvet nose, and let him nuzzle into me.
(Koda after running to the gate to see me)
What a handsome guy!
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