A Different Kind of Friend
(And Epilogue)
By
Bonnie McGuire
He was lonely, and lacked confidence. In a group he wasn’t very noticeable. Then, one day she came into his life and everything changed.
Midnight is our daughter Sue’s horse. Almost black, with small white patch over the nose and on his forehead, long wavy mane and tail. He was rather handsome for a horse...but looks aren’t everything. He’d spent a couple of insecure years boarded here and there, until Sue moved him to a relatives ranch on Jones Bar Road. There he had acres to roam around on, but there was something missing. He was downright lonely.
This became obvious when some hikers left the gate open and he went back to Cement Hill searching for his old corral mate. We found him with several other horses at another ranch.
Midnight successfully convinced us that he needed a friend, so that Sue and I could go riding together and we’d all have a great time. I knew very little about horses, but envisioned a gentle mare, in the habit of taking care of her own babies. Maybe she would do the same for me. With this in mind, I enlisted the help of Cousin Diana, who seemed to know something about horses.
Eventually our search paid off. It was a warm July (1983) afternoon when we brought Toots and her foal (Tuney) from a neighboring ranch and introduced them to Midnight. It wasn’t hard to see that he thought they were beautiful. The three soon became inseparable, and Midnight and Tuney played together like a couple of kids. Whenever we went riding, Tuney led the way with her little bushy tail waving like a flag.
From then on, it didn’t matter if the gate was left open. We’d whistle, or call them and within minutes they’d come at a full gallop. Once they didn’t show up, so I set out to find them. About a quarter of a mile up the road a man had tied Toots up and was trying to catch the wily Midnight. After identifying myself as the owner, he volunteered to help me get them home. I thanked him and said his help wouldn’t be needed. They saw the pail of grain I carried, and eagerly trotted beside me. Suddenly they got the message and like a couple of racehorses at the starting gate, they bolted for home. There I was, laughing and choking in their dust. When I finally got there they nickered as if to ask, "What took you so long?"
Eventually Steve, who sold me Toots, took Tuney back to his ranch. That was the deal, because I didn't know anything about training horses. Toots really missed her for awhile. Then we moved her and Midnight to the family farm on Idaho Maryland Road, where our three little grandchildren lived.
They would climb on Toots’ back and ride her for hours with only a halter and lead rope for reins. In the beginning I told her to take good care of our babies, and she seemed to really love them.
The feeling was mutual. Little Katie would hug her front leg, and when toot’s put her head down, Katie kissed her on her soft nose and said, "Toots, I love you!"
The mare’s eyes would ecstatically soften like when I praised her for being so nice to the children, or about being so intelligent about things. Many times she demonstrated the term "common horse sense."
When it came to trails and tracking, I noticed she’d put her nose down like a bloodhound and seemed to know where and why she should go this or that way. On one such occasion we’d ridden up highway 20 to Scott’s Flat, and hadn’t allowed enough time to return home before dark. We had to cross Deer Creek to get to our home on Red Dog Road. It was so dark we couldn’t see, but Toots took her time crossing the creek and found the trail that took us through Deer Creek Park and home.
Words cannot express what wonderful creature’s horses are towards those who treat them with the respect they deserve. We made this an issue to our children and their children...that our horses love and trust people, therefore they were never to abuse them and break that trust.
Toots was always that way. When I first got her she kicked sideways, caught my midriff and sent me flying a few feet away from her. I’d been spraying fly repellent on her while she was nursing Tuney. She chastised me for being so inconsiderate.
She also bucked me off a couple of times, and had this habit of jumping at the bottom of a hill when she was galloping. This was pretty unsettling for a greenhorn like me, and continued until I asked her to "take care of me." As we developed some sort of understanding she actually demonstrated that she knew a lot more than I suspected. Like the time I put straw bedding in the stall. She walked in, lay down, stretched comfortably; then got up and walked out. I couldn’t help laughing, because she was so obvious.
On another occasion, a group of us rode down into the Yuba River canyon. It was a long, hot ride.
We dismounted by the river to go swimming. I splashed in the cool water and invited Toots to join me. She waded in and lay down long enough to cool off. She was the only horse that went swimming that day.
There were so many times that she demonstrated her intelligence and trust towards me. During our rides we’d sometimes encounter difficult, narrow places most horses shy away from. All I had to do was get her attention, and show her how to do it and she would follow me just like I showed her. We rode so many places that a friend once remarked, "I don’t know if I’d want your horse...She’s got too many miles on her."
All those years together made many happy memories that now nostalgically haunt me wherever I go. Toots turned twenty-three in 1998, and by late December she developed a serious health problem that ended her life. Midnight stayed with her to the end and nudged her lifeless body trying to make her get up. We took him away while we removed her body. When he returned he vainly called and searched for her...and stayed where she’d lain. We were so concerned about him that an acquaintance gave our grand-daughter another mare to fill the void.
Arietta
It worked, although he’s quiet, sadder and comes over for that extra hug and reassurance from his different kind of friends that remind him of her.
Epilogue
Saturday morning (12/04/04) Cheryl called to tell us that Sue's horse Midnight had fallen down and couldn't get up. The weather was bitter cold and at age 31 he had grown weak, had failing eyesight and hearing. She also phoned Veterinarian McRae, who was there when we arrived...Cheryl and Katie were saying goodbye and crying. Susan arrived and tearfully said a few words to him also. Within seconds Midnight peacefully shed his earth life. Dr. McKrae commented that winter was very hard on old horses, and was impressed so many of us were there. (We buried him nearby, and consequently learned that Arietta was better able to accept his passing. She watched, and actually slept on his grave for awhile.)
That same day, 1,500 light years away in the constellation Orion, this Horsehead and Flame nebulas picture was taken by someone in Grass Valley through a 10-inch telescope. Alnitak, the eastern most star in Orion's belt brightly shines to the left of the Horse head.
