Sara had to put Tess down today

Here is my tribute:

TESS
You wild old mustang
I know you aren't really
But you always reminded me of one
Your long shaggy forelock hanging in your eyes
Thundering across the field
Tossing your head
You were great!
Sara had alot of good years with you...
Remember your rearing and head throwing
people said 'get rid of her'
But you went to school
How quickly you learned
Oh you put the instructor through her paces alright
You always were 'a tad' stubborn!
Then Sara went to school too
And then you made a GREAT team!
The crazy rides you two took!
I don't even like to think about Wolf River
But when you two went out
You had fun!
Remember going to sleep for, what, three weeks
To the sound of 'Snowy River'
Then true to form you did it your way
And when sunup came there was TeDe
No one saw, No one helped
You did it all by yourself!
Did you laugh at our poor attempt at a shelter
(I don't know how TeDe survived her first week
It was May and the weather was AWFUL)
But you felt loved didn't you!
You didn't want to move to Calgary
Poor Andy
What you did to him when he tried to load you
But laying right down?!
That was innovative!
Maybe you knew
it wouldn't be as good riding out here as in Dorion
(Even though it was Cowboy country)

You sure worked hard at camp though
Only the privileged kids got to ride
'Sara's horse'
How their eyes widened and mouths dropped open
when Sara rode you at a canter,
and then without a visible signal,
You stopped on a dime!
I remember, Oh yes I do
thinking I could ride you
I took several ladies from church out
They of course rode Silky...with the saddle
I thought I could ride you as long as we took it slow
You were great for, what, two, three days?
They you woke up and said
'Let's have some fun!
I think I'll be afraid of everything today'
At one point you got 'afraid' of a tractor two fields away
Reared, Whirled, and took off at a gallop!
I chose to fall off (cause I knew I would at some point anyway)
But I forgot to hold on to the reins
I sat on the ground with a broken arm
watching you disappear, with Silky right behind, over the hill
I learned that day
'I'm not enough of a rider to ride Tess'
(funny enough its one of my favorite personal memories)

Wasn't Okotoks great!
Finally back with Silky
A whole field to yourselves
Peace and quiet
Beauty
And fields of horses either side to visit with.
There Sierra learned to ride
I think you enjoyed her on your back
You could tell, couldn't you
That she loved you too
And was a 'natural'
like her mother.
That little girl...that big horse
What a picture
Then that last crazy ride with Sara and Mark
You were gone so long
I scoured the area
Looking for you
Sure something awful had befallen you all
Then, there you were,
all sweated up
Looking happy as can be
Yes, I believe a horse can look happy

Living in Chestermere wasn't as great
The field was awful
Not even any grass
BUT
You could see Sara in the house...couldn't you
And she could see you
You were so much closer
Specially when you were in THE back yard!
And you had your friends
AND
You got used to the cows!

But we noticed your pain
each winter it got worse
Sara tried everything
You never complained
Always willing
Even glad
When Sara or Sierra came out for a ride
The rides were short though, weren't they
They knew it hurt
So its time

Thanks for being a gift from God
Thanks for being there for Sara
Thanks for all the memories
We love you and we will miss you
You are a character!
Now
Go to sleep
And when you wake up
It won't hurt anymore.