The old girl and greener pastures....

This is the pasture where the twisted sisters live. Pretty much, year around, it looks just like this.  It isn't quite 5 acres and they share it with one resident goat.   I am pretty sure the goat thinks he is a horse.   Tough life huh? 

We had a tragedy last week.  It was bad, bad, bad.  The gate from the pasture to the yard at the ranch was accidentally left unhooked.  It has a chain that wraps around and hooks with a large snap and I think someone just didn't get it clipped right.  The horses and the goat left the green pastures and went for a little run down the drive way.  The drive way is probably 1/8 of a mile and comes out on a two lane road. You all see where this is going.  Old girl ran out in front of a car and was hit.  This is the first time that Mr. Wonderful can remember that they have lost an animal on the road. Not bad considering the family has owned that property since the late 1800's.  Not that he can remember back to the late 1800's - he is old, but not THAT old. She was killed instantly and no one in the car was hurt.  Since our family has always had livestock of some sort we are insured for accidents like this.  It is still tragic for everyone. The horse, the family in the car, for my mother-in-law (bless her 82 year old heart, she was so upset), my daughter who had to go down and see the Old Girl laying along the side of the road. 

What I'm having trouble wrapping my head around..is what would possess the horses and goat to leave the green pastures they have for a romp down the gravel driveway towards an asphalt road, surrounded by flooded rice checks. They have never set foot in a rice check, won't go near them. As green and lush as they look, horses won't have anything to do with them. So why leave? And the 3 in the above pictures - were back standing in the yard before anyone was even aware they had gotten out. As far as we can tell they were only out for about 15-20 minutes. I know this isn't something to joke about but I swear I can here Mystic and Rosie - the original "twisted sisters" cheering on the Old Girl... "Run, run for it Old Girl, the pastures are even GREENER over there" as they stand by the side of the road with that darn goat - snickering.  Then they beat it back to the pasture like nothing happened.  Bitches.

I rescued Old Girl several years ago. She was 25 or 26 this year.  You can read about her here.  We think that she had a slight stroke about 18 months ago and she hadn't been quite right since but her weight was holding and she seemed to be getting around o.k.  She didn't appear to be in pain or anything like that, just not quite as bright eyed and aware. I feel horrible about her passing the way she did. You always want it to be a natural, painless, fearless ending.   I hope that the years she had with me were good. 

RIP Old Girl.