Jax was purchased when I was a teenager to be my trail riding horse.  He is awesome!  He covers ground like no horse I have ever ridden.  Although he is now retired he still makes a few rides each year with us and still puts all the other horses to shame.  No one can keep up with this old guy.

He is a registered Appaloosa, but the papers never found their way to me and at the time I really wasn't interested in having them.  I also learned after owning him for a couple years about his past from a previous owner.

He was a pony horse at Canterbury Downs.  Also rode Dressage and Hunter/Jumper.  I also believe he was trained to pull in a harness.  To bad I was never into that stuff at a younger age. He probably could have taken me to some ribbons.

Jax

Red Roan Gelding, 26 years old

Just wanted to let everyone know that we euthanized Jax last night

November 19, 2009

 As much spark as he still had in his eyes I no longer could think of a cold and wet Fall/Winter day when I would have to put him down without a choice.  This way he won’t have to go through the weight loss and shivering that we know would have come soon enough with the change of weather. I know it was for the best, but as I’m sure many of you can understand, it has left a “spotted” hole in my heart. 

Jax was an impulse buy many years ago. We had gone to the auction looking for a Paint mare and ended up having my Dad drive down to pick up Angel’s new QH gelding and this red roan Appaloosa gelding, who I might add wouldn’t get in the damn trailer!  Dad was less than pleased.  Angel and I had the discussion last night about how long ago it was.  I still think it’s been longer than the 12 years she says it was.

I know a lot of you give me crap for having my Appys, but he’s where it all started.  He had a huge heart, never give up attitude, could always make you smile, would do everything you asked of him, and was also pretty stubborn at times.  He was a trail riding machine.  To this day I have not ridden a faster walking horse. I only wish I had the chance to see him in his younger years.  I’m sure now he is running around in heaven with all my other ponies that have passed.  Happy, fat, and tossing his head as he always did at home to show his enjoyment of something.  Someday we’ll ride again, but until then I have the memories to carry me through.

The Bond

I looked into his eyes and saw his soul.

He looked into my eyes and saw my soul.

He was my horse and I his person.

We knew each other’s thoughts, each others feelings.

We trusted one another.

We took joy in each other’s company.

He was my horse- I his person.

 We shared a bond, a bond of love.