BEHS 021 – Petey

Petey was, at one time, a beloved riding horse. When he came to BEHS he was a 1 on the Henneke Body Scoring Condition Chart, which is quite literally a walking skeleton and is a very critical condition. Petey wasn't with us long but in that brief time he touched many. Unfortunately, malnutrition caused Petey to suffer from chronic irreversible liver failure and he was humanely euthanized. We will all remember Petey and his amazing spirit and we all share in the loss with his foster home. One of our members wrote the following poem in memory of Petey:

In Memory of Petey

She looked at you, Petey, and shuddered to seeSkin stretched across bone like a timpani.The urge was great to turn awayBut your sweet, open face compelled her to stay.In your brave eyes she saw a lightThat said "Let's try. I want to fight."With the bumps and the pain and bones so wearyYou watched her smile, saw her eyes grow teary.You heard her curse: "What evil forceCould allow a person to hurt such a horse!"You should have been someone's beloved pet;Such pain, she thought, you could never forget.She couldn't have known what you wanted to say:"With each touch that you gave, a bad week fell away.With every kind look, an old hurt was displaced.You whispered you loved me; my past was erased."With faith and with courage, she seemed to knowWhen the time had come to let you go.Her heart's fiercest wish was for you to stayBut she held you so gently as you slipped away.When you run with the others, the wind through your maneYou imagine you hear her whisper your name.You eat the lush grass, your body restoredNo longer discarded, unloved or ignored.You left this earth not broken or shattered,For you knew you were loved; you knew that you mattered.As the moon starts to rise and you rest in the cloverYour thoughts turn to the one who helped you cross over.Author - Karen Daw