sold Ethel

For some time I have been saying I would keep younger animals and let them go as they approached 15 y/o or so. Of course it is easy to say until it is time to let a good animal go. Ethel is seventeen, and she has been the second best animal I have ever had, ( the first being George’s mother, Kelly).

This year she has been a spare animal as I started a fifth animal later this summer. She was lame with an abcess in July, but her hoof has regrown well with extra attention. She has had ring bone for a number of years, and is just a half step slower than the rest of the crew. There is nothing that feels worse than asking such an honest worker to “step up” to keep up with the others. Other than that she is healthy and sound.

She left today to go back to the woman I bought her from, for almost as much as I paid six years ago. She will drive her with another old horse once in a while, but mostly she will be in retirement.

I will save a little hay this winter and in the spring I can look at some options.