Goodbye to Galahad (“G”)
https://www.thegoldencarrot.org/meet-the-horses/meet-the-horses.html?horse=1143&action=detail

Passed away, June 10, 2024

 

Yesterday I found G down, passed away. A guesstimate of his age at his passing is 28-30 years. G came in with a swayed back, a bent over knee, and ringbone in both fronts, basically a 1-2 legged horse. And yet despite these disabilities, the power of his personality made him a force in the herd.

 


I actually named him “Galahad” when he came in, with his proud carriage and gleaming coat. But reality is my twinkler was a thug! So, his ‘thug name’ became G. He obviously had great training, had been there and done that, so he would test. In his first couple of days here, he reared up and ‘sorta’ struck at me with his front hooves because he didn’t want to go in his stall, and I was startled as could be! Ok, dude, if you want to be like that! I haltered him, and walked him in, and left him there to eat dinner. When I let him out the next morning, you could see the surprise! Our relationship changed right there. He didn’t get beaten, wasn’t punished, and next day got that freedom again that so thrilled him. The horses go into their stalls at night, and sometimes he holds back, but now when I tell him, he goes in.

G gets floated
Thereafter I slowly became enchanted with ‘the twinkle’. When I came each morning to let him out, he’d be standing by Kaz, at their gates, and would look right at me. When I reached for the gate fasteners, he’d drop his head and pretend to nip at my hip. I’d warn him, knock it off G, and he’d look at Kaz all innocence, ‘what? I didn’t do anything’. I walked away to let Kaz out with a grin every morning.

Breakfasting with Cole

Breakfasting with Cole

He was a friendly guy, with a lot of friends over his 6 years here. Geldings mostly but he loved Tolly and Kaz, and hovered around them. Sometimes I worried for him keeping up with sounder horses, but he was up for the challenge. He was good for the vet and farrier, and me, and once he had the routine clear, he was no trouble. He took care of Cole for the first six months Cole was here (Cole had a pretty bad injury before he came in), he squired Tolly until Jedi took over her care, and then joined Jedi as her bodyguard, he had taken care of Monopoly, and then Blue, until they were gone. I think he would have given Laddie a run for ‘herd gelding’ if he wasn’t so damaged. He had the strength of personality, the leadership qualities. Its odd how often that kind of personality ends up in a physically damaged/frail body. Despite that authority, I mostly remember the twinkle. A soft look on his face, with just a bit of mischief. It always surprised me that no one wanted to sponsor him. He depended on TGC as a whole for the last, happy six years of his life. Thank you for giving him that.

Hanging with Cole and Tolly

Hanging with Cole and Blue

He was one who made it out of a very nasty SoCal rescue, literally by a hair. The story I was told is that he was walking to that rescue’s killing ground, the proprietor holding his lead rope in one hand, and a gun in the other, when a surprise visit by Animal Control caused an about face. But he wasn’t beaten down, by his earlier troubles, or by his physical difficulties, he had spirit and interest in the world, and became an important part of this herd. And with him, I lost an important part of my heart.