Goodbye Sky

My oldest grandson has spent a lot of time with us while growing up. He's gone to the barn with us to watch us ride, helped muck stalls and groom horses, and even gone and watched horse shows. In the beginning he was somewhat intimidated by the horses, but over time he became more and more comfortable with them. One day he decided he would like to learn to ride. We got him enrolled in riding lessons at the barn where we boarded our horses. He learned to ride both in english tack and in western, and last year he showed at the Clackamas county 4-H fair in both divisions. His favorite horse was an Arab gelding called Skyview Express. Sky was a wonderful horse for a kid to learn to ride on. He was very patient and pliable. He had a lot of try in him and he was well rewarded with the love and care of his young riders. Recently we learned that Sky was to be retired, and since our family had such a soft spot for him, I contacted some of my family in Central Oregon to see if he might come there to live out the rest of his days. Unfortunately that was not to be. Sky passed away Friday night from a bout with colic. He will be missed.