A Sad Farewell to Chester

 

It was with great sadness and a heavy heart that we said goodbye to longtime therapy pony Chester on Tuesday, March 4th.  We discovered Chester that morning unable to put any weight on his hind leg.  Even under those conditions, Chester bravely got into and out of the trailer for a ride to the veterinarian.  Xrays revealed a broken femur bone.  This type of injury isn’t repairable even in a young horse so the decision was made to humanely end Chester’s pain.  We sent him across the Rainbow Bridge after one last peppermint candy and many tearful hugs.

 

Chester was a Welsh/Quarter Horse cross pony that  was orginally owned by Barbara Vanlieu.  She first got Chester as a weanling  for her daughters for 4H.  She also used Chester to take care of her young foals when she had a breeding program (a first glimpse of Chester’s compassion and caring ).  She eventually sold Chester to a family who had a daughter that used him for eventing. That family eventually donated him to Spring SIRE.  A few years later Barbara contacted SIRE to see if she could have Chester back for her grandchildren.  Chester’s current owner reclaimed him and sold him back to Barbara.  In 2007 Barbara donated Chester back to SIRE and he returned to the SPRING site.

 

 

As Chester aged he developed Cushing’s Disease and also foundered several times.  He was eventually started on a medication which brought his Cushings under control and made Chester a much happier horse.  He also had a condition called Anhidrosis which prevented him from sweating.  On the advice of a wise vet we started giving him lite salt and, although he still struggled during the summer with the heat, was able to remain comfortable and participate in classes.  Chester continued to be a hard worker through all of his health issues.  He was one of our steadiest and most reliable horses.   We could put the most involved rider on him and he did his job with the utmost care.

 

 

 

Chester was a bit unusual because he wasn’t much of a “herd animal”.  He loved to be off by himself with the herd in sight but not too close.  He loved to play a “Where’s Waldo” game with the volunteers.  He would go deep into the trees and then stand absolutely still as the volunteers walked by, trying to find him for classes.  His brown coat was a perfect blend with the bushes and trees.  He got them every time!  His grumpy man exterior hid a real sense of humor.  You didn’t dare stand next to him when he got a drink from the water trough because he sank his face in up to his eyes and then splashed water everywhere.   If you were too close, you were in for a bath.   His lead rope ended up a soggy mess that you had no choice but to touch.  And he knew it . . .

Whenever we had the need to isolate a horse due to an injury or some other issue and needed a companion, Chester was our man. He didn’t really like anyone but he got along with everyone because they all loved him.  Our 17H Thoroughbred Max chose Chester as his protector when he first arrived at our site.  The sight of this huge horse cowering behind this little brown pony was something to see.  Our mare Nola fell head over heels in love with Chester which he found truly dismaying.  He was a small pony but he left a huge hole in our herd.

Another horse will take Chester’s place but we will never be able to replace him because there will never be another like him.

RIP Chester . . .