April 6, 2025 Goodbye Scootery Dootery, We LOVE You Sweet Boy.

Written by Maisy Star

April 06, 2025•8 min read

It started out as a usual Sunday morning before going to the ranch.

But then my Mom read the text from Kristen (the ranch owner):

"Hi Marybeth. Unfortunately we just put Scooter down.

He was unable to get up this morning.

It was very peaceful."

WHAT?????

Oh no.......

My Mom was sobbing.

Onyx didn't quite know what to do.

Scooter was the last of the 3 Senior horses my Mom first started working with, after she told her instructor Sophia that she didn't really want to ride horses.

She just wanted to "be with them".

Kind of like the Buddhists, who I think say,"to be one with".

That's been what my Mom's been trying to practice.

Not just with horses and other animals, but with humans too.

My Mom said it's just "being present" with someone or some being.

To just relax in their presence and let them be who they are, while you're just being who you are.

No talking, just being.

My Mom did that with the Seniors, and then as they began to trust her, she touched them.

And if you've read, Max, Mija and then Wiki, all were possessive of my Mom's time with them.

They only shared my Mom when they had had their "fill" of her energy.

Kind of like filling up at the gas station, one car at a time.

Wiki was the best sharer when he came to live with Scooter.

He'd let my Mom brush one side of him and then let my Mom brush one side of Scooter.

Max, who was truly the "King", in NO WAY did he let Mija or Scooter come near my Mom at all!

And beautiful Mija?

Well, she actually KICKED Scooter in the shin to keep him away from my Mom,

while she was brushing her.

It's the end of a chapter.

My Mom had a true connection with Max, Mija and Scooter.

She said she feels kind of empty inside now.

She knew them and they knew her.

They were comfortable with her and she was comfortable with them.

Now what?

Wiki hasn't really deeply connected with my Mom, and my Mom thinks that Chief gets a lot of care and attention, because he is a lesson horse.

My Mom's plan today is to go to the ranch and spend time with Wiki, and see if Liam and Faralli would like a little LOVE.

Those guys are privately owned but truthfully, my Mom has thought about adding them to her brushing roster, since she doesn't think they are paid a great deal of attention.

Scooter was supposed to have another BioScan and treatment today.

My Mom had to cancel the appointment with Donnis; she didn't think she wanted to work on Wiki with Donnis, while feeling sad about Scooter.

When she cancelled, Donnis texted:

"My heart is breaking for you.

When you spoke about him I could tell how much you cared about him.

I'm so grateful to know that we gave him a little relief."

That made my Mom cry too.

She told Donnis that she felt like she was like the cat at the nursing home,

who sits on the bed of the next person to pass on.

I don't think Scooter thought much about my Mom in that way.

My Mom thinks he just loved to be "Loved" on.

My Mom said he Loved the attention, because he would relax into one of his poorly hips, or drop his head down low, or yawn or flicker his lips, or just stand and "be one" with my Mom.

Come to think of it, there's a role reversal.

Maybe Scooter had the Buddha mindset of "being one with".

He allowed my Mom to "be" the loving caring person she is....with him.

That's a nice thought.

Here's another nice thought:

My Mom usually puts bread crumbs out for the locals, who visit our Juniper and our back deck.

She usually waits until she sees a bird or squirrel before doing that.

This morning she saw a squirrel, through her teary eyeballs, and took some bread out to the deck.

She saw a little Chickadee bird, and as snot was dripping from her nose, she said she had a thought....

Maybe Scooter's spirit has come to tell my Mom that he is fine, and that she can care for him anytime she sees a bird or squirrel, or horse.

The little Chickadee actually had more nerve than the Blue Jays and squirrels.

This little guy nearly took the bread from my Mom's hand, he was so close.