My Dear Sweet Patches. . .

Patches was my dear sweet horse that I practically grew up with.  He  passed away on Easter Sunday.  What a day to go.  He was nearly 40years old and as my sister reminded me he only had one bad day in all  those 40 years.  My sister and I grew up riding horses and showing all the time.  That was a family thing with us.  We have shown everywhere.  We always ended up in Raleigh at the State Fair.  My Daddy always joked that Patches was the only horse he knew that would get a check every year from the Fair.  When Janice and I showed we usually earned some money in some of our classes.  We figured up one year back in the 80's that Patches had paid for himself several times over with all the money we had won showing him.

He was a great horse.  He wasn't much to look at but man could he ride.  He had the slowest jog of any horse ever.  He got so used to riding and showing that he knew when to jog, walk or lope  when he heard the crack of the PA system.   He has beaten horses that were professionally trained and shown.  He has beaten horses that some folks were ashamed to admit how much they had paid for their horse.  He was like a big ol teddy bear.  You could do just about anything with him.  We used to carry the flag in the local parades with him.  He never offered to bugger or balk at anything.   They even used him to let the preacher at one of our shows ride in to the ring and give the opening prayer.  Patches felt he was a little long winded so he began creeping toward the gate.  I will give it to that preacher he kept praying until the cord from the microphone ran out. 

We rode him on trails a lot.  He liked that and he knew his way around.  You could feel him going just a little faster when he was headed for the barn.   If you ever got lost you always  knew Patches would find his way to the barn or the trailer.  
My Daddy has been offered a great deal of money on many occassions for Patches, thank goodness he never accepted.  My Sisters' husband wrote a great Epitaph for Patches:

                                                              "Son of Patch"
                                                Waiting Patiently at Heaven's Gate
                         "When you get here, climb up in the saddle and drop the reins, I know the way
                           to the barn."                   Patches