Goodbye to Jules
Arrived 9/2015
Deceased 5/2017
Today, Jules (“Soinouye”) left. There was no alternative. She failed fast, and we helped her on the last little bit.
I don’t know a lot about her. She was an off track thoroughbred born in 1990, so 27 at the time of her passing. She didn’t run, but did segue to an even harder job, that of polo pony. She was referred to as “high goal”, which I suspect means she was good at her job! Later, she was put in a polo lesson program, where she worked until arthritis cause a little too much tripping. So it seems to me that Jules worked and earned her living her whole life. And when she couldn’t anymore, she was dropped here.
In September of 2015, she came here to the Golden Carrot, where she was able to be a horse. She came in with Rebel, who wanted really badly to be her friend, but she saw Daisy and never looked away. And when Princesa came in and did the same thing - saw Jules and never looked away - the “Dark Ladies” were formed. The lead mare and lead geldings hung around them, they seemed to be the heart of the herd. Always together, a hen party of older mares.
Jules was excitable and so protective of Daisy. She wouldn’t go in her stall at night until Daisy was in - if she went in and realized Daisy was still out, she would immediately start calling and dashing around her stall until Daisy was in. Usually, although her dinner waited for her, she would go into her stall and directly to the point where she could look over and see Daisy’s butt. (On her last day, that’s where I found her.) If she felt there was a problem, she’d run you right over to get as close to Daisy as she could. Every picture I have of her, almost, she was glued to Daisy’s side.
Jules is the second polo pony TGC has taken in that had severe anemia. She had more time here than Saki, but it just seems so odd to me. We never identified the etiology of Saki’s anemia, but Jules had a tumor, a big one. I wonder how long these girls still tried to do their jobs .... how tired they must have gotten but still tried.
On her last few days, after the lab results told the tale, I gave Jules bushels of carrots and cookies, all she wanted to eat. We had a talk. I told her to say goodbye to her friends, and she told me they knew. She was tired and I think grateful. Do they understand words? No. But I’m sure they understand beginnings, and endings. And she knew I was gonna help her, I don’t know how I know that but I do. Perhaps the look in her eye. And she was grateful.
The Golden Carrot is committed to providing care for horses who, with no choice at all, have slaved away their lives at the whim and demand of humanity. These beautiful symbols of freedom, caged in cramped quarters day in and day out, allowed out only to perform exactly as we require and nothing more. Kept apart from their own kind. Fed a monotonous diet. Simply because all that is more convenient to us. Even those humans who work for a living by choice feel they are entitled to some retirement years. So sad that Jules was not remembered, once she was too broken down to work any longer. One person provided some financial support for about 10 months; one or two people had complimentary things to say about her. But that was it. I’m so glad we were able to give her more, and show her she was appreciated, and let her meet Daisy and our herd. For a precious 20 months, she was allowed to live as Mother Nature designed her, and she reveled in it. Bye-bye Julsie - the Dark Ladies, and TGC, won’t be the same without you.