Yesterday while driving home from the feed store after picking up bedding and grain, fully prepared to unload the truck and then take advantage of the beautiful day and work the geldings before heading to my job, I was KOd

The phone rings, its Dad, I'm expecting it to be about bringing the kids up.

Instead I get a blow that knocked my spirits on their ass.  Tango's dead.

He was recovering from a bad colic where his intestines displaced and part flipped over his other organs, I was still recovering from the emotional strain of not having been able to get down to him through that.  All signs pointed toward him continuing to do well.  But at some point durring the night he lay down to sleep, and never got up.  My dad and aunt say the bedding was not disturbed, it was not as if he struggled and suffered, more likely he lay down to rest and his heart gave out. 

My heart went with it.  Tango was special, he fixed me when I was a broken teen, and broke me when I was an overconfident idiot.  We got him at auction, too skinny and covered in rain rot.  Was amazing on the trails, and while headshy a total joy on the ground. he was with us two weeks and I rode him bareback in a halter in my halloween costume.  

As he gained weight and felt better it became obvious he was not as well trained as we had believed, and that he had endured abuse and neglect greater than we had originaly assessed, but we worked through it, and had several years of amazing trail rides and laughs in the arena.  Sure, hes the horse who fractured my cheekbone and tore the muscles in my shoulders/back, but even on his most psychotic days he was an amazing friend.   he's been in retirement for the last several years, fat and happy in the field with his bud...I like to think we gave him the best life he could have asked for, and know it was better than the one he had come from.

RIP baby boy, go find my Luna on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge...keep her company until I find you both there.  Nothing and no one can hurt you now, the only think left is the love you know we had for your crazy stupid wonderful self