On a good day

 The title is a bit misleading....

The thing about owning horses is that it isn't all unicorns and fairy dust. We always hope that everything will be uncomplicated and easy. Over the years I have had my share of having things go badly, some worse than others. But I wouldn't trade a day with any of my horses.

When I first brought Happy home, I didn't notice anything untoward with her. But as the days went by, I could see something wasn't right; she would reach back and bite at her inner thigh . I checked her out thoroughly then, and found weird growths in several places. 

She would bite at them until they bled...

I had checked under her tail for that tell-tale melanoma growth the day I bought her, as it is common in older grey horses and that is where it is usually found.  She is very hairy so I had to get hands on to find anything, and unfortunately I did find it in the worst possible place- her throatlatch.  As the lump grows, it can impede her ability to eat. 

I hauled her to my vet for confirmation, and yes it is melanoma. He also checked her foal, all is well there and he said Happy is holding her weight well. She should be able to foal out and nurse. He agreed with me that this will be her last foal. 

The next decision is the hardest. Happy is such a sweet mare, I hate that this is happening to her. I have made the decision to lay her to rest at weaning time; I won't risk her going rapidly downhill and trying to make it through another cold prairie winter. 

Let them go on a good day...