Reno Hancock(Grey Bill x Alice Reno)
May 18, 1966- February 16, 1981
Bay, registered quarter horse mare
It doesn't seem real that thirty years have passed. My memory is as crisp as if it were yesterday. I'll always think of Valentine's Day 1981 as "hindsight is 20/20". If only...
My husband had taken me to Disneyland for Valentine's Day. We were having a great day with friends when I had to leave to feed Reno her evening meal. Everyone thought I should just call a friend to feed for me, but I needed to see Reno every day. I'd grown up with her & she was my heart. She was the rock who got me through my teens. I never trusted her care to anyone. Once at the stable I turned her out for a run & roll while I cleaned her stall. She was about six weeks from foaling so I was keeping a close eye on her, hoping to see the baby move. I thought she looked a little full, even puffy, in the flanks but no one else seemed to notice when I asked them to look at her. I decided I was just a worrywart so bedded her down & returned to Disneyland for the night.
I knew as soon as I saw Reno the next day that she was extremely ill. I a took a picture of her standing in her stall & the look in her eyes still haunt me. While no one at the stable thought she looked very sick, I KNEW her eyes were telling me she was dying. I don't know how I knew other than Reno & I were that bonded. It was an hour or so before she started acting colicky, showing outward signs of trouble by going down & rolling. The vet was already in route & would later admit that he hadn't believed the vital signs I'd given him over the phone.
Thirty years ago tonight, February 15th, 1981, was the longest night of my life. My best friend sat with me, bundled in sleeping bags, hoping beyond hope that Reno would live. The vet hadn't given very good odds but had been hesitant to make a final decision too soon, so left medications with me for during the night with instructions to call him in the morning. By early morning on February 16th, while the vet was again in route, I lost my beloved Reno. My life shattered as I listened to her last breaths.
There are still times when I think of Reno. Telling her how much she meant to me; how sorry I was for my teenage impatience; thanking her for always being there for me; letting her know that she's the reason I'm the horsewoman I am today; & that I will always love her. Thirty years and my heart still aches for the horse of my youth; for my beloved Reno.
Hindsight is always 20/20. I will always 2nd guess myself on Valentine's Day when I thought Reno's flanks looked puffy. While everyone thought it was just the foal's position, it turned out to be gas build up. Today I panic if a horse has "puffy" flanks. Something else I learned in hindsight is never trust a vet to do the right thing by your horse. Reno never should have suffered through the night & the vet should have euthanized her when I'd asked him about her odds on the 15th. I literally asked him to put her down so she wouldn't suffer if she didn't have a chance. I know that if my regular vet hadn't have been out of town, Reno wouldn't have suffered needlessly. Hindsight is 20/20 & no horse of mine will ever rely on a vet to make a decision that I know needs to be made. Today I listen to my "gut" when something isn't quite right but there's no real indication there's anything the matter either. Reno was my life & she taught me so much. Her legacy lives on in everything I do with horses.
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