Lexie

[Mephibosheth1]

Two years ago...

That was when I first met Lexie. I remember the day well; the autumn winds were crisp and the sky was clear when I first met Lexie. When I first saw her I knew we would be enemies…she was standing out in the pasture of the Farm…the Farm that I had helped build. Our other horses–Jake and Chance–were keeping their distance from her; while they were friendly and calm, Lexie was a ball of fire dipped in caffeine; a Warmblood Mare with enough energy and sass for 7 horses. We were instructed to halter all 3 of these animals and perform exams on them. Somehow, Lexie was the only one available for me to work on.

The exam went terrible; I became convinced that this beast was the spawn of the Devil. When she was told to stop, she started; when she was told to turn she stopped. She constantly threatened to head-butt us, and almost killed a number of students when we vaccinated her. She quickly became my least favorite…I didn't want anything to do with this monstrosity that dared to call itself a member of our Farm.

As the months turned, Winter gave way to Spring, and with it came new life and a new sense of purpose to our College Program. Every day after class, a few of us dedicated students would follow the long trail out to the horse pasture and socialize our equine friends. As luck would have it, I constantly began to be paired with Lexie rather than Chance or Jake. Eventually Jake was adopted away, and we were left with Chance and Lexie. As the days became weeks, I realized that Lexie was changing…or was I changing?? Each time I worked with Lexie she would stop a little bit sooner, or turn just a little bit better; she would stay where I told her, and lift her feet when I asked her nicely. That spring was when I finally MET Lexie By the end of summer, Lexie was my best friend at the Farm…other people would try and get her to mind, but when I was at her lead or asked her to do something, she always listened.

Another year has passed, and as I write this, Lexie is stricken with Navicular Disease, standing in a lonely pasture in intense pain. Every move is painful for her, and instead of prancing gracefully through the field she just stands in one place waiting to be fed. By this time next week she will have passed…euthanized to prevent needless suffering. The fields will grow, new students will join the College Program, and she will be forgotten.

But not by me…I will always remember the day I met Lexie...