Dunny, an apricot-colored red dun Quarter Horse, came with some of the most unique facial marks on any horse. He came from the era where Quarter Horses were bred to have small feet. At over 16 hands, his hooves were the size of an Arab's.
Dunny paid the price for those small hooves all of his life. From the time he arrived at the rescue, Jim, volunteers, farriers, and vets attempted to make his life comfortable. If viewed from the front, Dunny's chest looked very small, like his muscles had atrophied. He seemed to go back and forth from periods of arthritic pain to pasture soundness. Jim bought various boots, and different massage therapies were tried. All seemed to work for a little while, and then he would have another bad spell.
During this time, Dunny was a great sport, and he was a good friend to the volunteers, especially Scott. He was also a good friend to the draft mares and babies. Every so often, Dunny would take off with the rest of the herd and run around the pasture. He could graze and play with his friends.
Dunny enjoyed spending time with people, too. A couple of weeks ago, Joey and Becca visited with Dunny and tried to give him some horse massage that they learned at a workshop. Dunny seemed very receptive to the attention. However, he also seemed like he was in some pain. Each step was slow and tenuous.
Today, Jim was digging holes, burying concrete, and noticed Dunny standing nearby. Jim watched Dunny closely. He seemed like he was in great pain, even when he was laying down. Jim decided that it was time and made that most difficult decision. All the recent treatments helped for a little while, but then would stop working. Dunny wasn't getting better. No living creature should be in pain. It was time for Dunny to be pain-free, too.
In the evening, Dr. David Asmar came to Hytyme, and he put Dunny to sleep. Dunny is buried in the big pasture, near his favorite spot, one where he spent much of his life at Hytyme.
Says Jim, "It's a strange thing. After Dunny was gone and laying in peace, Hobbit and Snickers, both geldings, came up to him and licked his face all over. Not just a little. They were there for about ten minutes, saying goodbye. Then they walked away and never came back. It's hard for me to write about this, but thought you all would like to know."
Even after Dunny was gone, he didn't want to go without making his mark. While Jim was tending to Dunny's body, the horses in the big field escaped through the open gate and went into the first barn, where they all happily ate Juliet and Tempest's beet pulp and alfalfa mash. Jim had to use that mash to lure them into the arena, and then back into their pasture. Then he made some more mash for the old girls.
Jim went into his house to inform all the regular volunteers about Dunny's passing. Sherry remarked that the water pressure seemed low. Jim went back outside to see if there was a leak somewhere. Outside of the first barn, Jim noticed a small swamp growing. The young horses had pulled out the faucet, so Jim turned off the water, and had to fix what they'd done.
Says Jim, "I think Dunny just wanted to make his last day memorable." And, "If you ever start an equine rescue, make sure to keep calm whenever you can. There is always something that can set you off. You have to deeply love what you do, and have passion for helping these big, majestic creatures. Makes days like today not so bad."
Goodbye, Dunny. You will be missed.
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