Pik's Promise RIP 5/2002 - 10/12/2007

This is probably the most difficult post I will ever write.

Her name said it all. She was full of promise and hope and talent and beauty, everything I had hoped and dreamed, and all too soon, she has gone to join the angels. I never even had my chance to ride her, except the one time at the walk.

Promise sustained an extremely rare traumatic injury--so rare that her two primary vets, in 40+ years of combined experience between them have only seen a total of five cases--resulting in a catastrophic breakdown. It could not have been foreseen or prevented, and there was no treatment. She was relieved of her suffering on October 12, 2007, when the extent of the injury became clear. I am grateful to Richard Markell, DVM, who cared for her during her illness--kinder, more compassionate veterinarians do not exist, nor do veterinarians that work harder or more intelligently to look for miracles. If there had been one to be found, I have no doubt that he would have found it. He's the best. I'm also grateful to consultants Mark Martinelli, DVM and Lynn Richardson, DVM. It was not for lack of care or caring that we lost my precious girl.

Pik's Promise was a Gold Medal Premium foal with the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar who fulfilled that initial potential when she matured. As a mare, she received straight 8's across the board for all aspects of conformation and gaits at her Mare Inspection. Her score was the highest in the United States for the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar in 2005. No mare scored as high or higher in 2004, 2006 or 2007, either. Even though she was from a "non-recognized" studbook, the NA/WPN agreed to inspect her for possible entry (no guarantees) into their Auxiliary Mare Book. They liked what they saw so much that they awarded her a First Premium, and once she fulfilled their x-ray and endoscopy requirements, she was entered into their Main Mare Book with the coveted Ster and PROK Predicates. She has a lovely yearling foal that fell just short of a Premium with the NA/WPN, which didn't surprise us, since the foal was born almost a month premature and hadn't caught up on her growth at the time of the inspection.

But Promise wasn't just lovely to look at. She was amazing in the show ring, too. She was a little shaky at her first show, where she went all by herself, with no friends for reassurance--but she still kept her scores in the mid-60's. She was in the high 60's at the second, and at her third show, she won the high point award for the show with a score of 74.4% at Training Level Test 4. Every score was better than the previous, and her confidence level was skyrocketing.

I had my first lesson on her scheduled for October 16, after my trainers returned from vacation.

I have lost a beloved friend and I no longer see bright future in front of me. Right now, I thank God that Quila is healthy (and I pray that she remains so), and I will take each day as it comes, but I have no plans to show. I'm afraid to push my luck with Quila and I need her at home.