How do you erase the memory of an animal that was a big part of your life?

YOU DON’T

Visions of Lieana never leave my mind (or my albums and hard drives).  And today especially since it would have been her 28th birthday had she survived the cancer she succumbed  too in April of last year.  Lieana was a purebred Arabian born on March 7, 1985 in Tigard, Oregon.

She was a grey who was almost black at birth I’m told but she eventually turned to what we knew her as a “flea-bitten” grey.  Sounds pretty huh?  She was pretty as most grey arabs are.  She had a lovely way of turning her neck around to look at you just like in this photo and the one above.  The one stuck in my mind and on my living room wall.

About the time of her birth I was a young mother living very near to the park I ride horses in now.  Horses back then were a pleasant memory from the past when I insisted on riding them at camp as a little girl so little I had to be “ponied”.  Or up in the Oakland hills as a teenager riding rental horses and getting bucked off and still loving it.  But as a young mother I cared nothing about horses since I was too busy changing diapers and wiping snotty noses.  Little did I know then, the baby girl who nose I was always wiping, is who would draw me back into horses.  You see, Andrea, my little bundle of joy who was all grown up at age 8 had to have a horse since her best friend had a horse.  AND this best friend’s mother happened to be a horse trainer and lived on a ranch nearby.  AND yours truly was getting the itch to be around horses so Andrea got lucky.  I don’t remember how we found Lieana but we got her in Elverta, California.  I was a bit naive buying her.  She was sweet and pretty and my sister had Arabians so I thought she was perfect for us.  As I later found out she was not exactly the best for western pleasure showing but we made good with her.  She was nick named “Speedy Gonzales” in the show ring….not so good.  Anyway after much hard work the result …. this SMILING FACE!

This was Lieana’s and Andrea’s FIRST blue ribbon. Yahoo! Can we say PROUD show Mom? After many NO RIBBON classes and many 3rd 4th’s and 5th places it was WELL deserved.

Fast forward several years and several barns and here is Lieana are her final destination “Sundog Ranch”  You could say Lieana got our butts up to Sundog.  I did not care for boarding her at other places.  I wanted to wake in the morning and go down to greet her,  take her soft muzzle in my hands and sniff that wonderful horsey smell.  We needed a place for her. And her buddy GQ.

Here is the nose I loved to smell and cuddle with in the morning.

Lieana was very happy at Sundog.

Rolling in the mud and golden leaves. then running like the wind.

She agreed to teaching children the art of balance.

She was very flexible despite her arthritis setting in. Here she is scratching her soft smelling nose while feeding with her buddy in the sun.

Lieana loved to roam around the barn.

She’d eventually make it up to the green lawn by the house she so yearned for.

Thanks for letting me roam mom.
Lieana looked very cute in her barn in the winter.

Especially at Christmas time.

A roll in the snow was a special pleasure.

We got to go on lots of fun trips with Lieana too.  Like Roy’s 51st birthday at Euer Ranch in the Sierra’s.

GQ did NOT want to leave Lieana alone the whole trip.  That caused a few problems but we had a good time anyway.

Our last camping trip was way out on the western side of the valley we look upon at Sundog on a beautiful piece of land belonging to my sister.  We had a scary run in with a llama, and Lieana escaped the electric pen in the middle of the night.   She did not go far as the delicious green grass was all around us.

Lieana was a great camping partner.
Lieana even got to go on a cowgirls’s overnight party we me.  She got to stay in a stall all of her own in my dear friends barn .  She got along well with all the other guests.
At the end of her life, Lieana got to boss around our new horse Chiron.  Here she is not exactly too happy about standing next to him.

She did NOT want to play with him no matter how hard he tried to get her to play.

For some reason I asked Rockin’ Roy to take some photo’s of Lieana and I together on her last “alive” birthday  March 7th 2012.  Little did I know it was to be her last live birthday.

SNIFF SNIFF

She still rides at sunset at Sundog but with out the aches and pains of old age.  And she has a special someone to run and play with and keep her company….. her twin, someone who thinks, feels and smells just like her.

My sweet Lieana I miss you so.  May you ride at sunset forever more.            Lieana Banana     March 7, 1985 – April 12, 2012

Until next post which will hopefully not cause tears.

Adios Amigos

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