Yesterday was a very difficult day for us at home. We had to say goodbye to a long time part of the family. Our quarter horse, Mandy, has been sick the past month or so, and she wasn’t making any progress, so we had a tough decision to make. At nearly 31 years old, we figured it was time. We’ve only had Mandy here at the house for about 16 months, but my wife has had her for 22 years, so it was a very tough decision to make. But it was for the best – she had lived a long life (in “human” years, she would have been about 82), and up until she got sick, was a very happy girl. We decided to put her down since she hadn’t eaten in the past five days, and it would be better than letting her starve to death. It was hard, but at about 4:10PM on Friday March 6, 2009, she took her last breath. She died as she had lived – a tough old girl. We laid her to rest right next to her barn. Last night, I went through the photos I had of her, and picked a few out as a tribute.
Anne’s Command (Mandy)
May 22, 1978 – March 6, 2009
Mandy up at the barnREF#:Mandy-TMX.jpgTaken with -
Rolleiflex MV-EVS TLR
Kodak T-MAX 100View in the gallery 
Callie pets MandyREF#:20070623-185455-_MG_7013.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 20D |
| Date Taken | 2007:06:23 18:54:55 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.005 s (1/200) | | Focal Length (mm) | 18.00 (18/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery 
Mandy at her new home in LebanonREF#:20071202-_MG_6079.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 20D |
| Date Taken | 2007:12:02 12:32:32 |
| Aperture | f/6.3 |
Exposure Time | 0.008 s (1/125) | | Focal Length (mm) | 18.00 (18/1) |
| ISO | 400 |
View in the gallery | Mandy at her new home in Lebanon |
Mandy grabbing a snack on the front lawnREF#:20080630-_MG_1962.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2008:06:30 18:35:13 |
| Aperture | f/5.6 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/320) | | Focal Length (mm) | 122.00 (122/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | Mandy grabbing a snack on the front lawn |
Mandy taking a break from her snackREF#:20080630-_MG_1987~0.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2008:06:30 18:38:37 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.005 s (1/200) | | Focal Length (mm) | 168.00 (168/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | Mandy taking a break from her snack |
Katina riding Mandy in the front yardREF#:20081109-_MG_5815.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2008:11:09 15:47:46 |
| Aperture | f/5.6 |
Exposure Time | 0.005 s (1/200) | | Focal Length (mm) | 28.00 (28/1) |
| ISO | 400 |
View in the gallery | Katina riding Mandy in the front yard |
Callie riding Mandy in the front yardREF#:20081109-_MG_5832.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2008:11:09 15:51:29 |
| Aperture | f/5.6 |
Exposure Time | 0.005 s (1/200) | | Focal Length (mm) | 18.00 (18/1) |
| ISO | 500 |
View in the gallery | Callie riding Mandy in the front yard |
Mandy at the barn as the snow fallsREF#:20081231-_MG_8106-Edit.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2008:12:31 17:50:47 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.020 s (1/50) | | Focal Length (mm) | 50.00 (50/1) |
| ISO | 1600 |
View in the gallery | Mandy at the barn as the snow falls |
Mandy on the front lawnREF#:20090101-_MG_8150.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2009:01:01 12:08:12 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.001 s (1/800) | | Focal Length (mm) | 47.00 (47/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery 
Mandy running through the snowREF#:20090101-_MG_8175.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2009:01:01 12:09:54 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 80.00 (80/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | Mandy running through the snow |
Tom,
My condolences. Animals can be almost as close as people. I will admit however, it is hard to think of a horse as “pet”
Marty
Marty-
Thank you – it is greatly appreciated.
You know, I thought it was a bit odd when we first decided to move her to the house from my in-laws (Jill’s father was ill, and we took her in to help him out). But after a short while, you get to know the horse and her personality, and it’s no longer an animal, but another member of the family. We would always joke that she was just a 1,000 pound dog! My wife has always had a horse in her life from when she was born, so this is second nature to her.
We’ll get another in the future…
-Tom
Thanks for sending this. I have had that sad experience over and over in my 65 years of raising horses. Not all of them are lucky enough to live with a loving family for such a long time.
Mary Jean
[...] Rest In Peace Mandy [...]