We lost our old horse friend and co-worker Otto this Spring to old age.  Tom, our beautiful new Belgian-Percheron gelding came to us this spring from an Amish farm in Minnesota.

We were able to take Tom straight to the field this spring, plowing with him a week after his arrival–that is amazing for a draft horse new to a farm!   He had a wonderfully slow “plowing gear.”  We appreciated his willingness to work and his companionable nature.

This fall, we woke up one morning with Tom across the street in the neighbor’s yard in some distress.  We brought him back, but he continued to act strangely.  We called our mentor Betsey who told us to call the vet who came and announced that we had a case of severe colic.  Tom was 5 years old.  We had brought him across the country.  We liked him.  We decided to take him to the hospital, on the vet’s advice.  He didn’t make it.  We felt like we had lost a family member.  He was a great horse.

 We were glad to have the time we did with him.  Losing both Otto and Tom in one year left us feeling bereft.  After some grieving time, we decided to buy a horse from our friends at Welcome Table Farm.  Dandy will be joining us at Around the Table shortly.