There’s just no easy way to say this…

Bell has died…

Quite suddenly.

I left the house for errands at 10:00am, and everyone was just fine.

…………….when you have livestock, you always count heads when you leave the property……………I did.

You make a mental note of how everyone is looking.  What their attitude appears to be…………..their energy…………..their aura……………whatever word works for you…

When I left in the morning, all of those markers were all right.

 

Two hours later, I got a call from my husband………………..Bell was dead.

 

 

Stunned.

That’s a good word.

I was stunned.

What happened/why/when/how……….?……….?………?…

 

But……………….she was all right when I left.

She was standing with Brave.

She looked fine.

And now, she’s dead…………………

 

 

She was due to foal Brave’s first baby in two to three months.

 

 

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What follows next is the necessary graphic grunt-work of farmers…

I won’t go into details……………..that’s not necessary…

But, we had to know what killed Bell…………

Therefore, a field-necropsy was in order………………………sigh…

 

 

In the pasture………………..in the dark………………that’s when the vet could make it out after appointments were completed for the living…

So, you suck it up…………..and you help the vet…………………………..and you don’t allow emotions to hamper your responsibilities……..

 

You do what you have to do.

You just do.

Because you have to.

Bell was my friend…………………

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Important parts of Bell are refrigerated in our garage now in labeled plastic bags and cups……………….I did that too…

The necessary diagnostic laboratories are closed until after New Year’s.

We can’t do anything until Wednesday.

So…………….we wait.

We wait to find out what killed Bell………………..

………………and her baby.

She was carrying a beautiful, spotted filly…………………………

 

 

2018 has been a very very hard year……………….