Our oldest mare, Oreo, was off her feed Thursday evening. Not coming in for her grain was very suspicious, so off to the vet we went. We had to wait for Saturday morning because the office was closed Friday for the 4th.

The vet said she was ancient. My best guess was 30. He gave her a shot for pain after checking her over. Fortunately, it wasn’t colic.

Oreo has been part of our family for at least 15 years. She was the best horse ever. I never regretted buying her, not even for a second. She kept my younger horses calm since she’d seen it all before.

I went to feed this evening and found her under a tree in the shade. She was gone, and our family is devastated.

I had to call in backup to braid and cut her tail for me. I couldn’t do it. I’m thankful he could.