Billy.....

What sad news we received tonight! It's nothing completely unexpected, but still heartbreaking. I'm sort of at a loss of words for the moment, a combination of being heartsore, tired from my 4 1/2 miles, a little sunkissed, and tired of the wind. So, instead of searching for words that just won't do this beast justice, I am posting the "obituary" I wrote on an equine forum, with pictures added here. It's a bit vague, but it's also a forum. There are other family members who are hurting as badly as we are, and I wanted to protect them. In the meantime......

Billy was my husband's absolutely wonderful, wonderful, would take care of a flea roping horse. He was 3/4 BLM Mustang and 1/4 Quarter Horse (in other words, a whoops!). He was not bad to look at, but the most gawd awful thing to ride. He's the only horse I've ever been on who actually had a very uncomfortable walk!! And forget trying to post the trot....it was impossible! You just ended up standing in the stirrups. But talk about a baby sitter!


Billy taught countless people to ride, kids and adults alike. He never complained, he never spooked, he never blinked an eye. It didn't matter if you were clunking around completely scared out of your mind (as in not holding the reins because you were too afraid to let the death grip you held on the horn go for fear you might fall off...yes, we saw that often), or if you were advanced enough to track down and work a cow back to where she was supposed to be. I even saw him pin his ears back to the point they disappeared over one stupid, stupid act that got me screaming at a family member, but Billy just went to work. The very last person to ride him was our now 2 1/2-year-old son...back when he was 17-months-old.


Billy was so great that he experienced two (yes, TWO!!!) trailer wrecks and didn't care an ounce. If he saw the trailer hitched to the truck, he dragged you to climb in.

But the best thing about Billy was that he was 27-years-old and had nobody but my husband own him. Mr. Flory was there when Billy was born, assisted the mare. Mr. Flory did every ounce of work on the horse, including breaking him. Mr. Flory took care of every aspect. He's had Billy since he was 6-years-old (hubby's age, not Billy's obviously) and very heartbroken.

Billy will remain on the very same property he was born and lived each day of his life on. He's buried in his pasture. I'm grateful for that, and I'm grateful we all had the chance to know such an incredible creature.

Godspeed, Billy. You will be very greatly missed, and we will love you forever......