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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

"Goodbye Old Man"


Dan Morton

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The saddest thing I have ever been through with a horse was when , while travelling in a trailer, the top of the trailer shifted and fell to the ground behind the moving vehicle. The horse was dragged along bitumen for about five hundred yards. My first knowledge of this was a woman beating on the door, asking if we had a phone, could we call a vet.

We did this and went to the scene.

The damage to the horse was horrific, and due to unforeseen circumstances, the vet was delayed.

The whole time, that horse lay there in agony. He had no way of communicating his pain, but by grabbing the blanket that I laid under his head, with his teeth and biting down on it, as he made soft groans. At no time did he lash out or try to bite me, while I held his head. His eyes, if any one knows how deep a horses eyes can be, said everything, and made me feel so helpless. It was not my horse, so I could not make the decision for him to be shot immediately , to be put out of his pain. When the vet arrived, and very quickly summed up his injuries, the horse was euthaunised by needle.

The memory will stay with me forever, and I think of the horses of WW1. This happened many times a day, over four years. A man can yell and scream, and explain.

They could not explain. They suffered, maybe not in silence, but it may as well have been.

Anyone who has heard a horse in agony will never forget it.

Kim

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Kim - Words just escape me. I've never come close to such an event in my life. One of the toughest days of my life was helping my old friend, Dickens, a standard schnauzer, end his pain from congestive heart failure and old age. I could see the pain in his eyes too.

Bless you for being there and caring enough to try to comfort the injured horse.

Dan

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Dan, This is truly amazing stuff. I love the way you have portrayed the horse's head. It looks in agony - the poor thing and you have not even begun on it yet. It will be a truly moving study when finished. I cannot wait.

Kim, that is a very sad tale. You (in my mind) are a true heroine to stay with that horse, knowing its agony. That was a very brave thing to do. I know I would do it myself, but it is not something you would go looking for. It must have taken a lot of courage. But in the end you just think of the poor defenceless creature. How sad - it had to bite on that blanket. Bless that poor creature. It must have been very very distressed. And how couragous of it not to have bitten you. Poor thing would not have been able to help it in any case. That was really one very sad story. I so love animals. They are the best friends we will ever have. They ask nothing and give so much.

Susan.

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Tafski - Many thanks!! Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I will try to complete the figure of the artilleryman and the harness. Roger Newsome, a forum regular, has agreed to paint it, so we can all look forward to its being completed superbly by Rog. ;)

All the best,

Dan

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