Celebrating the Good Times

Whether you had time to have a party and say goodbye, or your loss was sudden and unexpected it???s not easy to lose a horse you love.

My horse Teddy is very sociable and loves nothing better than to be the center of attention. When I found out he was facing some serious health problems, I decided to throw him a fabulous party so that he could enjoy a great day that was just for him. I also wanted to give the people who have been part of our lives a chance to visit and help me celebrate a very special horse.

Horse Illustrated photographer Sharon P. Fibelkorn, who is also a very good friend of Ted’s and mine, attended and did us the great honor of taking Teddy’s official portrait. You should have seen his eyes light up when he saw the beautiful rosette she brought for him to wear! I think he was very proud of it. Thanks to Sharon, I have many beautiful photos of my horse, including the party photos here.

Enjoy the party, and remember to celebrate the special horses in your life, too.

Cheers,
Liz & Ted

Equine Lymphosarcoma
Teddy was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma (also sometimes referred to as lymphoma), a very deadly cancer in horses. For information on lymphosarcoma from our featured veterinary expert, Dr. Janice Posnikoff, Click here >>

Dr. P. has been a longtime contributor to the magazine, and Teddy’s vet as well.

Saying Goodbye
As you may have read in my August Free Rein column, “Letting Go,” I had to say goodbye to Teddy not too long ago.

Whether you had time to have a party and say goodbye like I did, or your loss was sudden and unexpected, it’s not easy to lose a horse you love.

Here are some resources on HorseChannel.com that can help:

Horse Loss >>

Coping With Loss >>

It also helps to talk to horse people who understand what you are going through. Log on to the HorseChannel community, where you're among friends.

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Celebrating the Good Times

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Reader Comments

Katie Clarington, OH

6/2/2009 9:36:39 AM

A party is a great idea! When we put our mare down a month ago she colicked suddenly we had no time.

Jackie DeMotte, IN

7/13/2007 7:40:12 AM

I thought your party for Teddy was a wonderful idea. The photos are beautiful and I couldn't help but be reminded of my own special Thoroughbred, Jake, who died very suddenly of colic one day in March at the age of 26. I didn't have time to throw a party for him, but thank you for making it happen for Teddy!

Marti Moretown, VT

7/12/2007 10:40:33 AM

My Horse Illustrated magazine just came in the mail so as I was eating lunch I happened upon the article about Teddy. As I read the article, tears streamed down my cheeks. I,too,lost an adored equine friend in January. My Morgan, Link, was a part of my life for 15 years after I rescued him from a trip to the slaughter pen. We learned so much together and achieved so many unbelievable feats. And then, one day he was gone. He, too, had a special way of telling me his time was coming. Our last ride was on Christmas Day and was most enjoyable. A month later,I had to make that awful decision to put him down as I didn't want him to suffer. He had a ruptured intestine due to a suspected tumor.It is no easy task to actually tell the vet that it's time. It's no easy task to lose a very dear friend but I like to think Link is around guiding me with my two young companions.
My heart goes out to Elizabeth Moyer. She did an excellent job writing about Teddy. I bet there was a lot of Kleenex involved.

Pat Newbury, OH

7/11/2007 8:53:04 AM

I can relate to this story since I too lost my soul mate in July, 2006; after having a stroke in 2002 & cataracts in both eyes I couldn't ride him. In July of '06 he dropped dead in my back yard. Now again I'm going to lose another precious pal I bought in 2006 - he has melanomas popping all over but especially a big one in his mouth. He is soooo good; don't want to lose him but I know it's going to happen. It really stinks when you love horses so very much