Rural Heritage June/July 2026

time to time, I couldn't dismount and leave him tied to a tree if I planned to go very far. He would stand until I was out of sight and then he would explode. If I hung the reins on the saddle horn and walked away, he'd follow, with his nose practically in my hip pocket. He was as faithful as any dog. I would turn the other horses, and later mules, out to go to their stalls. Doc would always go, taking his time, as if he knew the rules didn't apply to him. He would pick grass on the way, sometimes making a circuit of the house. If I was in a hurry, I could always call for him, “Doc!” and he'd come at a trot, go into his stall and wait to be snapped in so that he could have his breakfast. Eating was always something he took great pleasure in and would never rush his food. In the evenings I could always plan on it taking 10 to 15 minutes longer for him to finish than any of the others. I would sometimes brush him while I waited, and, sometimes, I think he took his time deliberately so that he could enjoy the currying. If we were doing yard work, he

was often turned loose in the yard on his own, and he could always be depended on to stay around the place and to come when called for. More often than not, he would call for me long before I had to call to him. He liked to keep tabs on where everyone was. In the last few years, he had started having trouble keeping on weight. I had had his teeth floated several times and was always alerted to the fact that each time there were fewer molars for him to grind his feed. I knew he wouldn't last forever, but I tried to push that to the back of my mind. This year he seemed to have gotten thinner than usual. In the last few weeks, his appetite would fluctuate. Sometimes he would act famished and other times he hardly touched his feed. A week ago, he started choking on his feed and had difficulty swallowing. I fed him less, but more often. He finally stopped eating all together, and I knew it wouldn't be long. Yesterday was a fine warm day, and I wasn't concerned when I saw him on the top of the hill grazing. I hauled some hay from a neighbor's place

June/July 2026

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