Sparky's Last Photos

Ellie and I had SO MUCH FUN at our first Pony Club jump rally this year. We drove up to Clay Brook Farms, where we had our D-1/D-2 rating, in order to compete for the day on July 20. This happened to be one of the hottest days of summer, so the organizers modified the schedule a bit. Instead of doing two rounds in the morning and one in the afternoon, we all did just two rounds (with a ten-minute break in between) all in the morning, so we were done and headed out just after lunch.
Everything ran so smoothly despite the condensed format. We were able to do our formal inspections right before we mounted up, and we were all encouraged to limit our warm up time. We were not allowed to wear jackets, and there was a TON of horse water and ice cold human water available at numerous stations around the field.
I was competing with Epona Pony Club, but I was again put on a Horsemaster team with two other adults from Foxcroft Pony Club, Angie and Beth, the two riders I competed with at the…

Sparky's Last Photos

When I made the appointment with my vet to put down my old sweet mare, I called my childhood friend, A, who is a talented photographer. We grew up together riding at the same barn, she had known me before Sparky, and was a huge part of my horsey life for many years.

We made an evening date of July 1 to take what I thought would be amazing final photos of my girl. Unbeknownst to both of us, I ended up having to put Sparky down the very next morning, so it was such a perfect evening in so many ways.

I could never thank A enough for these photos. I cherish each and every one of them.

Senior photo (left) 1997
Last photo of us together (right) 2014
~ same spot ~

She looked so good, it was hard to come to terms with the idea that I had to put her down.

Being the horse savvy friend she is, A was wise enough to take photos of how Sparky stood. She knew that while I might not be able to look at these specific photos immediately, it would help if I should ever doubt I had made the right choice. This mare's hind end was literally giving out on her. And I DID NOT want her to go down and never be able to get up again.