Starry's Page

Starless Night
Liver Chestnut Morgan- TB Cross Mare 1976
Done Rainin x UNH Starlet

In September of 1986, with Salim out of commission with a chip fracture, I began the search for my next mount. I contacted a dealer acquaintance to ask her to keep an eye out for me. She called me back 2 weeks later. She had 2 horses for me to look out. In her words, "One that you can afford, and one your are going to buy." She knew I would not be able to resist! My friend Robin and I drove over there to see her. As we drove into the yard, I saw her standing there, and it was all over.

She was as close to perfect as a horse can be. Her conformation was exquisite. Her gaits were soft and her mouth like silk. She had good feet, she was smart, and she was well trained. I began conditioning her for her first 25 mile ride. I later found out that when I jogged her out for inspection on that ride, my friends all said "we might as well go home".

We won our division, missing being Grand Champion of that ride by 2 time penalties!

Starry (right) at the 1987 GMHA 40 Mile ride, her last ride.

Starry's time with me was short lived. On the night before the GMHA 50 mile ride in 1987, as I was preparing her for turn out, she coughed while standing on the crossties. She had not been sick, but the cough sounded like more than nothing, so I got out my thermometer. She had a fever of 103.

I called the vet. For the next 5 days we nursed her diligently. Her temperature vacillated between 102 and 104, but never broke. The coughing continued. Ultra sound showed signs of abscesses in her lungs. On the 6th morning I came in and found her with her eyes swollen shut. She was transported to the Rochester equine clinic and place in intensive care. She never came home.

Ten full days after that first cough, her fever spiked at 106, and then broke. By this time, the peripheral edema that started with her eyes had affected her limbs and underbelly. She had lost her eyesight and was now loosing skin in the other areas. Remarkably, during this entire ordeal, she had never stopped eating. She was adapting remarkably well to her lack of vision. After much soul searching, I decided to try bringing her home and breeding her. I made arrangements for a friend who happened to own a blind stallion to go with me to pick her up on a Friday.

At about 3 AM that Friday morning, I sat bolt upright in bed, wide awake and sweating with anxiety. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something, somewhere was NOT right. At 8:30 AM, the phone rang. It was Starry's vet. During the night, she had had a stroke. Her balance was effected. She was afraid to move. She didn't really want to eat. The prognosis was very poor for any kind of recovery. It was time. The end had come. It was my decision. On September 25th, 1987 she was euthanized.

I was saddened beyond belief. I hadn't realized how deeply into my heart this little mare had embedded herself. It was almost a year before I had the desire to ride again.