Roots - Ode to a Friend

Sometimes I reminisce about the good ole' days... but inevitably, they turn into the most bittersweet memories that I have. This is for you, buddy.
Friends can come in any color, shape or size. They can touch you in so many ways, that even when they’ve gone, they continue to affect your life. I found a friend in wise brown eyes, copper hair and four hooves. My friend’s name was Peaches when I met him, but he came to be known as Sierra. He was not what anyone would have considered the perfect first horse. After being tossed in a field for years and being plagued with endless hoof issues, he was a little bit hot, to say the least. During the first year, every time I tried to hack him, he would hit the pavement and then the sky. He would take off after jumps. Buck me off. Make me cry. I was terrified of him for a few months.
Sometimes, though, it takes some tears and some hard choices to figure out how to handle yourself or your situation. I resolved myself to fixing his issues.
Sure, he was never mr. athletic. He was a mediocre mover and a safe but very limited jumper. What can I say? I was young and I was in love.
Regardless of his limitations, I could slap a halter on him and take him into the endless fields, spending the whole day pretending I was an indian. I could sit in the corner of his stall while he ate, telling him my deepest, darkest secrets. I could spend hours just pouring over his body, memorizing every little bit.
Nearly ten years later, I can still recall the little scar on his back in the shape of a '7'. I can remember the peculiar discoloration on his rump - what we all nicknamed the 'rotten muffin'. I can remember his kind eyes and those bad feet.
I can remember the day my heart broke.
I spent the hour before the vet came crying into his mane, giving him a final brush.
It was the hardest goodbye I have ever said, knowing it was the last one he would ever hear.
So this is for you, friend. This is for all those endless summer days we spent together. This is for saying goodbye way too soon. I miss you every day. I love you every day.