# R.I.P. Jet--story of the tragic day that took my horses life



## MightyEventer

So I had to write about an event who made me the person I am today and I decided to write about how the death of my first horse I ever owned made me a stronger person.

I figured I would post it here to honor Jet. 










It was the morning of March 2, 2008. It started out to be just a normal day at the barn, everyone was happy and I was getting my horse ready to go trailer to a lesson that was not even 10 minutes away. I loaded my horse, Jet Stream, into my friend’s horse trailer along with her horse, Amber. We closed up the trailer and proceeded down the barn road. All of a sudden, Jet started to kick, rocking the entire car; we slowed down to a stop. Jet calmed himself down and we slowly inched forward down the road. As soon as we moved, the kicking started again. We decided that the chance of Jet hurting himself seriously was not worth continuing to our lesson so we unloaded him and walked him back to the barn. Although I was disappointed that I was not going to go have my lesson, I knew I was doing the right thing to prevent Jet getting hurt.
The next day we decided to put Jet back on the trailer and do “practice-runs” up and down the barn road to try and get help comfortable with the trailer again. We loaded him up and closed the doors to the trailer. We got in the truck and moved forward and all you heard was a big bang coming from the trailer. I got out and decided to get in the trailer so I could talk to Jet to try and calm him down while we were moving. As soon as I waved to my mom, who was following in a car behind us, that I was ready to go; the trailer started to move forward and Jet was tense but not kicking. I started to praise and pet him to relax his nerves, which seemed to help. 
As we turned the corner, Jet started to shake vigorously and looked like he was about to sit down like a dog. He had never done this before so I patted him telling him he was a good boy when I looked back at the back of the trailer and only saw blood. I stood there in shock and wondered where the blood was coming from and as soon as that crossed my mind, Jet raised his foot up and I watched blood gush out of the hoof. I screamed and started waving my hands frantically, signaling my mom to tell the driver to stop. As the trailer slowed down to a halt, I jumped out of the trailer and pulled the ramp down to start to get Jet out of the trailer to try and help him.
With every step he took going down the ramp, more and more blood came out from the hoof. How could this be happening to me? I loved that horse to death and now he was slowly being taken away from me. We called the vet to come out and she told us she was in the middle of scheduled appointments she had at other barns. We called our trainer who was at a horse show and he called the vet back to tell her that she needed to get to the barn as soon as possible because it was extremely urgent. While we waited for the vet, other boarders from my barn saw us down the road and came to help with ice packs, bandages, and towels. By that time, there was a puddle of blood around Jet’s leg and as I looked closer, I could see the hoof split from top to bottom. After I saw that, his hoof was soon wrapped in towels to keep pressure on it so he didn’t lose any more blood. We wrapped bandages around the towel so we wouldn’t have to keep holding the pressure. The vet finally came and evaluated just how bad the injury was and I stood there in shock listening to her talk about the damage. Then she said it. She said the phrase that no pet owner ever wants to hear, “I think it could be possibly life-threatening”. That’s when I turned around, walked as far away as I could and started to cry the tears I had been fighting back all morning.
They loaded Jet into a different, more spacious trailer to take him the vet’s clinic to fully evaluate the damage that was done to the hoof. After many x-rays, the vet brought us into her office and showed us the x-rays on her laptop. To me they almost seemed like nothing was wrong with his bones but those speculations were quickly lost as the vet gave us our options: pay thousands and thousands of dollars to send him to get his hoof healed and have a slim possibility that he could be ridden again let alone walk without a limp, or put him down. 
I never thought I would have to make a decision like this at age 14. I didn’t even know I had the strength to get through something like this. But my mom, the vet, and I agreed we shouldn’t put Jet through the pain and suffering for just a small chance that he will live a pain-free life once again. Jet spent the night at the vet’s and on the 4th day of March, after I said my goodbyes, he was put down.
Luckily, I had so many people around me to support me losing my first horse I ever owned. My trainers, Ray and Beth, assured me that all things happen for a reason and that Jet was only protecting me from something bad happening from riding him in the future. I still continue to think that. As well as thinking that if this horrible thing hadn’t happened, I would have never gotten the amazing opportunity to help train my new horse, Mighty Mouse, which I will take through some of the upper levels of eventing and will own him as long as I possibly can. Having Jet die gave me strength that you cannot get any other way. Although I would give anything to have him back, I know that this happened for a reason that I will never find out. Going through this experience has given me strength to overcome anything that comes my way and has shaped me to be the person I am today.


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## MightyEventer

Here is an "edited" version of the original post so it is easier to read 

It was the morning of March 2, 2008. It started out to be just a normal day at the barn, everyone was happy and I was getting my horse ready to go trailer to a lesson that was not even 10 minutes away. I loaded my horse, Jet Stream, into my friend’s horse trailer along with her horse, Amber. We closed up the trailer and proceeded down the barn road. All of a sudden, Jet started to kick, rocking the entire car; we slowed down to a stop. Jet calmed himself down and we slowly inched forward down the road. As soon as we moved, the kicking started again. We decided that the chance of Jet hurting himself seriously was not worth continuing to our lesson so we unloaded him and walked him back to the barn. Although I was disappointed that I was not going to go have my lesson, I knew I was doing the right thing to prevent Jet getting hurt.


The next day we decided to put Jet back on the trailer and do “practice-runs” up and down the barn road to try and get help comfortable with the trailer again. We loaded him up and closed the doors to the trailer. We got in the truck and moved forward and all you heard was a big bang coming from the trailer. I got out and decided to get in the trailer so I could talk to Jet to try and calm him down while we were moving. As soon as I waved to my mom, who was following in a car behind us, that I was ready to go; the trailer started to move forward and Jet was tense but not kicking. I started to praise and pet him to relax his nerves, which seemed to help. 


As we turned the corner, Jet started to shake vigorously and looked like he was about to sit down like a dog. He had never done this before so I patted him telling him he was a good boy when I looked back at the back of the trailer and only saw blood. I stood there in shock and wondered where the blood was coming from and as soon as that crossed my mind, Jet raised his foot up and I watched blood gush out of the hoof. I screamed and started waving my hands frantically, signaling my mom to tell the driver to stop. As the trailer slowed down to a halt, I jumped out of the trailer and pulled the ramp down to start to get Jet out of the trailer to try and help him.


With every step he took going down the ramp, more and more blood came out from the hoof. How could this be happening to me? I loved that horse to death and now he was slowly being taken away from me. We called the vet to come out and she told us she was in the middle of scheduled appointments she had at other barns. We called our trainer who was at a horse show and he called the vet back to tell her that she needed to get to the barn as soon as possible because it was extremely urgent. 

While we waited for the vet, other boarders from my barn saw us down the road and came to help with ice packs, bandages, and towels. By that time, there was a puddle of blood around Jet’s leg and as I looked closer, I could see the hoof split from top to bottom. After I saw that, his hoof was soon wrapped in towels to keep pressure on it so he didn’t lose any more blood. We wrapped bandages around the towel so we wouldn’t have to keep holding the pressure. The vet finally came and evaluated just how bad the injury was and I stood there in shock listening to her talk about the damage. Then she said it. She said the phrase that no pet owner ever wants to hear, “I think it could be possibly life-threatening”. That’s when I turned around, walked as far away as I could and started to cry the tears I had been fighting back all morning.


They loaded Jet into a different, more spacious trailer to take him the vet’s clinic to fully evaluate the damage that was done to the hoof. After many x-rays, the vet brought us into her office and showed us the x-rays on her laptop. To me they almost seemed like nothing was wrong with his bones but those speculations were quickly lost as the vet gave us our options: pay thousands and thousands of dollars to send him to get his hoof healed and have a slim possibility that he could be ridden again let alone walk without a limp, or put him down. 


I never thought I would have to make a decision like this at age 14. I didn’t even know I had the strength to get through something like this. But my mom, the vet, and I agreed we shouldn’t put Jet through the pain and suffering for just a small chance that he will live a pain-free life once again. Jet spent the night at the vet’s and on the 4th day of March, after I said my goodbyes, he was put down.


Luckily, I had so many people around me to support me losing my first horse I ever owned. My trainers, Ray and Beth, assured me that all things happen for a reason and that Jet was only protecting me from something bad happening from riding him in the future. I still continue to think that. As well as thinking that if this horrible thing hadn’t happened, I would have never gotten the amazing opportunity to help train my new horse, Mighty Mouse, which I will take through some of the upper levels of eventing and will own him as long as I possibly can. Having Jet die gave me strength that you cannot get any other way. Although I would give anything to have him back, I know that this happened for a reason that I will never find out. Going through this experience has given me strength to overcome anything that comes my way and has shaped me to be the person I am today.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-stories-poems/r-i-p-jet-story-tragic-73507/#ixzz18WULLgX8


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## Endiku

I'm so sorry that happened <3 it must of been horrible to have to make that choice at such a young age. I'm fourteen, and a decision like that is something I cant even imagine having to make. I think you did the right thing though- and now Jet is in a better place, free of pain.


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## MightyEventer

Endiku said:


> I'm so sorry that happened <3 it must of been horrible to have to make that choice at such a young age. I'm fourteen, and a decision like that is something I cant even imagine having to make. I think you did the right thing though- and now Jet is in a better place, free of pain.


I have no doubt that i made the right choice, just some guilt since it was my idea to put him in the trailer, even though no one could have seen anything like this coming. I dont want to say it was a good thing he died, but in a way it was a blessing in disguise because i couldnt move up levels with him much more since he was getting older, and now i have a horse that can pry go up to prelim and intermediate. And he behaves exactly like Jet--- sweetest horse ever, willing to learn but still a bit stubborn at times. It's like Jet died and his spirit is with in my current horse, Mouse.


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## LeosAmericanShadow

what a beautiful horse. im so sorry, i know that was hard...but i'm glad to hear it made you stronger.


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## MightyEventer

LeosAmericanShadow said:


> what a beautiful horse. im so sorry, i know that was hard...but i'm glad to hear it made you stronger.


Thank you, He was truly one in a million


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## kpptt2001

Thank you for sharing your story with us, and you are very right, everything happens for a reason. 

So sorry for your loss, RIP Jet.


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## tinyliny

That is really a sad story. Heartbreaking. 

Was it that he had just kicked the wall of the trailer so hard that it broke his bones and split his hoof? When I read the part about the blood I thought maybe he foot had gone through the floor and ground the hoof down on the pavement. (this has happened before, so I have read).
Was he familiar with trailer loading? 
So sorry and thank you for sharing.
On a brighter note. I love the name of your new horse!


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## churumbeque

I was impressed at the actions you took with not trailering him for the lesson and the precautions and trial run the next day. Most people would have just kept going down the road. That is a fluke that is highly unlikely and nothing you could have forseen.


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## MightyEventer

tinyliny said:


> That is really a sad story. Heartbreaking.
> 
> Was it that he had just kicked the wall of the trailer so hard that it broke his bones and split his hoof? When I read the part about the blood I thought maybe he foot had gone through the floor and ground the hoof down on the pavement. (this has happened before, so I have read).
> Was he familiar with trailer loading?
> So sorry and thank you for sharing.
> On a brighter note. I love the name of your new horse!


we arent exactly sure how it happened, the trailer was not damaged at all so we think that he some how kicked his own hoof with his opposite foot, so hard that it spilt. The more logical way is that he kicked the side of the trailer-spliting the hoof but like i said there was no damage or even a dent on the trailer and it was just a brender up which arent that strong. He was familiar with trailering but he had experiences in the past where he got claustrophobic and freaked out but if the back windows were open he was fine- I think he might have felt a bit claustrophobic in the small brender up.


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## MightyEventer

churumbeque said:


> I was impressed at the actions you took with not trailering him for the lesson and the precautions and trial run the next day. Most people would have just kept going down the road. That is a fluke that is highly unlikely and nothing you could have forseen.


Thank you, we had experiences in the past where he got nervous trailering so we didnt want to risk having him get injured-even though i suppose that was inevitable.  I think it was mostly to due to the type of trailer. We didnt own a trailer at the time--well we had access to a bumper pull but we decided to trailer with a friend who was also taking the lesson with me since we were working on a pas de deux---anyway their trailer is a small 2 horse brender up and i think he just feel claustrophobic and panicked. 

Now we have a big spacious 2 plus 1 gooseneck that i use with my new horse, its old and ugly but it sure makes me fell like my horse is comfortable and doesnt feel cramped!


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## Phantomstallion

So sorry, thanks for sharing I love the name Jet Stream.


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## tinyliny

I have often wondered how safe those Brenderups are. They look flimsy to me.


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## MightyEventer

tinyliny said:


> I have often wondered how safe those Brenderups are. They look flimsy to me.


You would think that, but apparently they are pretty strong! I know for a fact he at least kicked the ramp. I personally hate them-although i might be biased now since i lost my horse in one. I would never use one again since my horse i have now is 16.3 hh, and jet was 16.0hh we were pushing it with him but he had trailered in that trailer before and didnt care. Horses are just unpredictable.


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## PintoTess

I literally cried reading your story  
R.I.P Jet


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## MightyEventer

PintoTess said:


> I literally cried reading your story
> R.I.P Jet


it will be three years in march since he died, and i still cry everytime i read it or talk about it


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## Adenfire

I feel for you, I lost my brother's horse in a tragic accident June of 2008, crazy to think it will be 3 years. I personally get nervous about hauling anywhere with my horses, not because i've had issues but because i know so many that have. I know that most full sized horse owners think i'm weird, but my minis all ride loose in our trailer. Horses naturally face the doors/back of trailer when loose because it's easier for them to balance and compensate trailer movement. PLUS I have more then 1 friend who has lost a horse to a misstep while tied and broke their neck/got trampled that kinda stuff.
I'm truly sorry you had to make that decision for your horse, but glad you found comfort in your new one.


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## Belle

So sad reading your story..
RIP Jet...


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## MightyEventer

Adenfire said:


> I feel for you, I lost my brother's horse in a tragic accident June of 2008, crazy to think it will be 3 years. I personally get nervous about hauling anywhere with my horses, not because i've had issues but because i know so many that have. I know that most full sized horse owners think i'm weird, but my minis all ride loose in our trailer. Horses naturally face the doors/back of trailer when loose because it's easier for them to balance and compensate trailer movement. PLUS I have more then 1 friend who has lost a horse to a misstep while tied and broke their neck/got trampled that kinda stuff.
> I'm truly sorry you had to make that decision for your horse, but glad you found comfort in your new one.


Thats terrible,  but thank you...Luckily my new horse doesnt mind trailering, he actually enjoys it but he is starting to get attached to a few mares that we show with/occasionally park next to so when they leave he gets a little rowdy, so it gets me so nervous! especially since jet has literally tried to jump out a trailer window once!!


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## QOS

So sorry you lost your horse. I lost one (stolen) at 14 and it broke my heart. I think of her often as Little Bit was just a terrific gal. 

As for the trailer, Brenderup's are pretty darn strong - the walls are made to flex when kicked. There is a possibility that he kicked himself as you said, or had a weakness in that hoof due to old injury, illness. How very sad. RIP


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## lildonkey8

that is tragic, i am so sorry for your loss


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## Bossy Bum

R.I.P Jet


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## MightyEventer

lildonkey8 said:


> that is tragic, i am so sorry for your loss


Thank you


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## EquineLover

So sorry. RIP.


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## Caitlinpalomino

that is so sad!! Beautiful horse


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## HairyCob

First off I'm sorry to hear you lost such an important horse to you. And you were very brave at 14 to make that decision, it's true events like this are terrible but they in their own way make us stronger. 

Rip Jet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MightyEventer

HairyCob said:


> First off I'm sorry to hear you lost such an important horse to you. And you were very brave at 14 to make that decision, it's true events like this are terrible but they in their own way make us stronger.
> 
> Rip Jet.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thank you for your kind words


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## barrelburner06

Sorry for your loss. It truely is a hard choice.


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## DoubleJ2

I am so sorry. 
I know how you felt, I just lost my first horse just the other day.


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## monkeyleap

Good luck with Mighty Mouse and RIP Jet...


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## JerBear

What did the vet say was wrong with his hoof if you dont mind me asking? Or was it his kicking that made it bleed? Sorry you had to do that... Must of been hard


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## henrybo99

you did the right thing you only trying to help him get over the kicking in the trailer i probably would of done the same thing. im sorry for your loss but this is all done in Jet's honor.


R.I.P jet


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## MightyEventer

JerBear said:


> What did the vet say was wrong with his hoof if you dont mind me asking? Or was it his kicking that made it bleed? Sorry you had to do that... Must of been hard


he had kicked his hoof so hard that it split open, and fractured his coffin bone in two places. Not sure if he kicked himself, or kicked the trailer wall to cause it to split though


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## Marlea Warlea

what a beautiful horse


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## glitterhorse

Wait, so how did the hoof split? That sounds so painful and sad! When I was eight, my horse Winnie died in front of my eyes. Im scarred..she was just standing normally, then suddenly she collapsed and starte having seizures. She stood back up, ran straight into the gate, and then fell back down
again and died..it was tragic. No one should EVER have to go through having their loyal companion dying..but sadly you can't escape from it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## glitterhorse

I hope Jet and Winnie are galloping free in horse-heaven together<3
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Marlea Warlea

and missy  (my pony that got hit by a car)


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## MightyEventer

glitterhorse said:


> Wait, so how did the hoof split? That sounds so painful and sad! When I was eight, my horse Winnie died in front of my eyes. Im scarred..she was just standing normally, then suddenly she collapsed and starte having seizures. She stood back up, ran straight into the gate, and then fell back down
> again and died..it was tragic. No one should EVER have to go through having their loyal companion dying..but sadly you can't escape from it.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


We believe he kicked his hoof so hard on his opposite hind hoof, that it split open. I am sure it was very very painful for the poor boy  and sorry to hear bout you past horse  I was at a horse show and watched a horse have numerous seizures and ultimately had to be put down, very sad and heartbreaking.


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## Phantomstallion

Poor boy and Poor you.


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## live2ride8

I'm so sorry... that's a horrible thing and I couldn't imagine how you must have felt...


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## fuadteagan

This is so sad. It makes me want to cry. I can't believe a horse can die that way. Well, you made the right descion. Many people just don't have the courage to just say "It is better to put him down". But, you did. I bet he is up their with Spencer (Got kicked in the head and passed away) and Eight Belles . I send you best regards.


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