Goodbye to Manny
Passed away February 28, 2020
OK. I promised some sad news as well. And even knowing I need to write it, this has been so hard for me. Not just because I miss him so. But because Manny’s story was a story so sad to me. A story of an unappreciated, discarded life, dismissed by all. Manny died of complications of a colic (or possibly internal cancer). He went down, and while he bravely tried to remain calm, he was in terrible pain. His quiet passing, unvisited by those he loved, broke my heart.
Manny was a tiny Arabian pony. He had a tattoo, and the neglect which seems to have characterized his life (as far as I know about his life) continued when I posted the tattoo and every single person who said they would read it for us, in an attempt to identify him and learn about his life, simply failed to do so. O my. People are sooooo busy. Pfffft….
He was stone white, but you could see the blaze on his nose. When Dr. Zadick looked him over, he said this guy is ancient – he hardly has any teeth at all. His cheeks caved in, like his topline, and some sort of injury to his left hind leg that prohibited him lifting it, at all, for the farrier or anything else. He cooperated with anything we wanted, just not lifting that leg. The little stinker ran on it, tho, he didn’t let his infirmities control him.
Manny picked up some weight but never enough. He ate his pelleted feed with gusto, but he also ate hay and never left quids – I honestly think he swallowed some stalks whole! He came to TGC from a private owner who had a whole line of bullshit about him, how she got him, that she couldn’t control him, how she would help support him (NO), would volunteer here (NOT ONCE), would get others to be interested in him and helping him (NO). It makes me sick that such a nice pony, smart and strong, ever ended up with that woman, or that he had to end up one of many at a sanctuary. Someone should have loved him all his days.
At TGC, Manny first loved Sassy. A lovely also elderly little black pony, the two were an adorable pair. But Sassy passed away in January of 2019, and briefly Manny was alone.
He tried to befriend Dilly, who was new, but that didn’t really last too long. Then in April, Renee came to TGC, and Manny lost his heart and mind to his lovely chestnut lady. Sadly, that was another dismissal for our boy. He chose a woman who was hopelessly enamoured of RJ – they became the end of our string of lovelorn pearls (Woodie, Maggie, RJ, Renee and Manny). He remained devoted to Renee despite her dismissal of his overtures, until his last day. Indeed, it was seeing him alone that made me realize something was wrong.
Somewhere in his life, he was valued enough to brand, and train very well. He was hurt, I suspect, and tossed away, probably because he was “too old” and “not rideable”. And when he landed in a place where he could be himself, he lost one love, and was ignored by another. Did Manny ever catch a break?
I try to tell myself his time here was pretty good - how many of us know guys who continually choose unavailable women? Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed to me! And I guarantee you that once Renee realized he was gone, her gloom was palpable. Maybe they had one of “those” relationships….. And sometime in his past he was deemed worthy of attention – I’m so hopeful he had memories of a young girl who adored him…..
I know that I loved him. He was smart and determined. He was a little old-man-cranky too – he wasn’t the least bit cooperative for a physical therapy/massage session (although he loved it if I gave him scritches while he ate). Leave me alone, he said! I’m fine! I love a horse with attitude, and he had it going on. I hope that at least his life here interested him. I lost him sad that I’d never know anything else about him, so I could celebrate his life here.