Charmsley E Kay G, 'Kay'
Kay's Memorial (5/17/95 to 9/27/24)
Kay, our sassy but sweet, Welsh pony crossed the Rainbow Bridge at 29 years old. She had multiple health issues that couldn’t be maintained or managed with diet and medication. After thoughtful consultation with our veterinarian, it was decided that the kindest and most humane thing to do would be to let her go before her health deteriorated any further.
Kay, registered name Charmsley E Kay G, was foaled on May 17, 1995, in Monkton, Maryland. She was a registered Welsh pony who spent most of her life as a beloved family member of a local farm family. Kay participated in horse shows and was often ridden around the farm, providing a steady and reliable mount to anyone. When the children had grown and gone, Kay’s owners wanted to ensure that Kay would continue to bring joy to the lives of children in her retirement years. That’s when she and her best friend, Mixie, came to CTR in November 2018.
As a pretty, little white pony, Kay soon became a favorite of our riders, staff, and volunteers. She always nickered when she saw people. She was like the “Gladys Kravitz of the Pasture”, waiting at the gate and noticing everything and everyone who was on the farm. She always wanted to be the first one in at feeding time and made sure that the pecking order was observed. The first time she saw herself in the mirrors of the indoor arena, she had a complete conversation with herself. We were able to integrate her in lessons almost immediately.
Kay endured being dressed up like a unicorn, because who wouldn’t dress a little white pony up like a unicorn?!? She patiently stood at the mounting block for hundreds of lessons with our riders. And when she couldn’t provide mounted lessons anymore, she patiently stood to be groomed and loved by our clients who participated in unmounted lessons, especially our veterans.
With every issue and diagnosis Kay had, we were always able to get the medication, buy the supplement, get the piece of equipment, change the care regimen, and basically meet her needs no matter what the diagnosis was. But old age is tough on horses. Despite all the care, all the stuff, all the time and energy spent on making sure she had everything she needed, time slowly stole her away from us. We managed the laminitis. We managed the striated muscles in her jaw. We even managed her endocrine system for a time. But all these factors finally reached a point that it became clear that the kindest thing would be to let her go.
So, on a gray, rainy day, with those who loved her, we said our goodbyes to our sassy, but sweet, Welsh pony. We gave her a “spa day” and told her how much we loved her. She had all the treats she could ever want. We told stories and took our last photos. We celebrated the gifts she gave us, simply by being a part of our wonderful herd.
Run free, sweet Kay. You really were a unicorn.
“My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my friends under the apple trees.”
― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
