When I went outside to feed, I knew immediately there was trouble. There stood CC, our quarter horse gelding, 
covered in dark mud on both sides of his body and face. You couldn't see through his beautiful chestnut coat. It was just black mud. He stood there rocking back and forth. CC has been a gas colic problem in the recent months. So I started our usual gas colic routine (including banamine) but I had a sinking, sick feeling in my gut that this was "it!"
I notified my husband and called our vet, Maria. She should be used to my frantic calls in recent months. For years our vet calls were nothing more than for spring shots and occasional lameness issue with Dakota. Considering Dakota's medical history, lameness issues were not of the question. This past year has been the year from hell with multiple colics for both Dakota and CC, lameness, possible ulcers and choking. We become experts utilizing Maria's emergency protocol. God Bless her! She has always been there to answer our calls!! This morning was no exception!!
As the early morning proceeded, I called my husband to come home. Things didn't look good. CC always knew the sound of my husband's truck and would nicker when he heard it. This morning it was no different. When he heard my husband's truck coming down the road, he turned his head to the sound of his truck and nickered. I will never forget the precious moment. His Daddy was home! He left me the memory of hearing him nicker one more time. He adored my husband and my husband adored him!
We were unable to load him to take him to the vet and Maria decided it was best she come ASAP. I told her I thought he had a twisted colon and we were prepared for the worse. This wasn't his ordinary gas colic€.
Upon Maria arriving and giving CC his rectal exam. The news wasn't good! He had a displacement in his colon. Prognosis...terminal! We tried one other procedure and unfortunately, it didn't yield the results we were hoping for so we decided to euthanize him.
We acquired him 5 years ago at the age of 8 yrs. The stable where he was purchased gave him the name CC (Calm and Collective). Paul named him Cheyenne Conference.
Babies were safe on his back. As they say in the horse business, he was honest! My husband has a good eye for horses. Unknowingly when he test rode him, he had the bit upside down. CC never complained. He was very quiet but had a sadness about him. He was also a cribber. We took him any way!
When we got him home, he was wormed and passed worms for 3 days! Although he was fed at the facility we purchased him from, he wasn't getting the nutrition due to the worms. My husband rode him up and down the hilly neighborhood we have and he never complained. However, he stumbled going down the hills. When the farrier came, we discovered he had a pair of shoes that were 2 sizes too small! To say the least he hated the farrier and would not let anyone touch his feet. Shoeing was a nightmare! We eventually went to natural shoeing (bare foot) and CC's feet issues were resolved.
It took him a while to realize he had a home and people who really cared for him. Once he realized he was "safe" his true personality came through! He never got past the eating disorder and became the equine centurion of the Mueller household.
Food was always a top priority for him and we never made it an issue for him. He was an equine comedian of the horse world as well! (CC also stood for Clancy the Clown) He was hungry all the time!! He had a number of tactics for getting our attention. He would watch for the light in the bathroom, kitchen and listen for any movement in the house. He knew exactly how long it would take between the time we got up and went out side to feed. His first tactic was to nicker. If that didn't work, he would bang his bucket and we often found it sitting on top of his head. If he was really anxious and annoyed with you, he would rattle the fence until you came out of the house to feed. He created a symphony nickers, bucket banging and fence rattling.
He self-appointed himself as the equine centurion. He knew the sound of both vehicles. He would run to the side of his pen and look down the road to see us coming. As we pulled into the drive way he would run along the fence line and nicker at us even if he had food in his mouth as we pulled in the driveway. He was always happy to see us.
He was terrified of the sound of snow falling off the roof tops or trees. He would freeze in place and tremble or run into his stall and hide. He had a favorite place to crib on the fence. During a storm a large limb fell on fence where he would crib. He never cribbed on the bent fence again. I guess he figured that was a little too risky for him! We tried a lot of different things to stop the cribbing from a collar to electric fence. One day we just gave up and accepted him as a cribber. He was what he was and it was ok with us. I think CC and we were all happy at that point.
Sometimes he would just block you from during your work in the pen. He just wanted your attention and touch for one moment! A simple pet, or a run of your hand over his top line, a kiss and tell him he was a good boy was just enough reassurance and in a few seconds he would walk away.
Cesar Milan (the Dog Whisperer) says animals live in the moment. They live in the here and now. We engaged an animal communicator to try to help him with his trauma. We weren't interested in what caused the issues as much as we wanted him to know Now he was loved, safe, always would have a full belly, and would never be sold or given away. He was here until the end. We even have provisions in our will for them. This was his home and that was our promise! It is what we want to communicated to him. I think he knew it. We were true to our word.
We were hoping to have him for several more years, but his soul was called home. Most people would have sent him down the road with his gas colic and cribbing but my husband and I keep our animals to the ultimate end. We all deserve to be accepted for who and what we are regardless of our idiosyncrasies.
Our greatest joy was giving him a second chance and his joy was showing us how much he appreciated it. We saw a depressed animal emerge into a charming, loving animal companion full of life, laughter and character.
As we rearranged the barn dynamics Friday afternoon, his presence is still felt. Our herd of 3 horses is now a herd of 2. The dynamics of this loss impacted the remaining horses. Dakota (a.k.a Denise the Menace) was CC's barn buddy. He has been anxious, pacing and nickering for his buddy. Thunder, the miniature, was CC€s nickering buddy. They were the verbal bunch of the herd. Thunder is always prancing around and full of life. Thunder hasn€t nicker once Friday afternoon and his demeanor although it has been subtle it is obvious. I can€t coach them through this. I have no comforting words to say to them. Like them we all have to grin and bear it.
Saturday morning I woke up about 4 am waiting to hear his nicker. I kept tossing and turning all night. The silence was deafening. His symphony was sweet music to our ears. It will take some time to adjust, the trauma of this weekend events will fade but our love for CC and his spirit will not!
When Paul and I transition to the other side, I'm sure we will be greeted with an equine centurion chestnut faced horse named CC hanging his head over the Pearly Gates with a symphony of nickers, bucket banging, and gate rattling with hay in his mouth. He will be looking down the road anxiously waiting for our arrival. He will be anxious to see us and to welcome us home.
Love and time are powerful healers. When you heal the heart, you heal the soul. Love is about acceptance. You can't tell a horse you love them, you have to show it. Paul and I feel good about what we accomplished with CC. We are honored and privileged to have him part of our family and life experience.
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