My name is Bailey Polander and this story is true. It is about my first Thoroughbred, achestnut mare named Matinee Mimic or Matty for short.

Once cold winter just a few days after new years me and my mother went to go look at my new horse that her friend was giving me.We drove up at his house and went into the large pasture. I looked to see many horses. At a fresh round bale of hay was Matty. She was fuzzy with mud caked on her sides, mane and tail a mess, underweight, and hooves a mess. I thought she was the most beautiful horse out there though. I had recently found out that she was 19 years old, raced 5 times, and had 9 foals. About a week later me and my mom went and picked her up. We had trouble loading her in the trailer but after a minute she bailed in. On the ride home I stared back at the trailer.

When we got home I unloaded her and let her meet my Quarter horse gelding, Leo, my half quarter horse mare ,Marie, my mini horse, Homie, and my mini donkey\, Jasper. They sniffed at her an squealed. After they met I put Matty in a pen alone so she could settle in. About 30 minuntes later I brushed her and saddled her up. She was fit enough for me to walk her around and trot her just to stretch her long legs. After riding her for about an hour I unsaddled and let her out with my other horses where they quickly let her join their little herd.

Weeks past and I rode her down the road. But I noticed she was losing weight rapidly and she was peeing slight blood. I told my mom and she said it was most likely from her racing and birthing. One night I e-mailed Matty's birth farm. It was called Darby Dan Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. They said they didn't know anything about a Matinee Mimic and had no record of even owning her. This made me extremely angry but I was too worried about Matty's health. It was now April and grass was beginning to grow. All my horses began adding the slight weight they lost during winter. All except Matty. She was losing more and more weight and had even became a few hundred pounds underweight. I tried putting her on a new feed and putting her in my bigger pasture alone. No improvments.

Me and my mom finally decided we couldn't afford to keep giving her the expensive feed and care for my other horses.We had also had the vet out twice to look at her but her said it was just from old age. My mom called Safe Haven in Gilmer, Texas seeing if they could take her in. The man said he could and Sunday morning he would meet us half way.

Saturday night before we had to get rid of Matty she went down. She tried over and over to stand up but fell back down. I sat beside her rubbing her head. Her chestnut body covered in sweat and flies. I sprayed her down with fly spray trying to keep the flies away. My mom called our vet and he told us she might be colicking. I finally managed to get Matty standing and grazing. When the vet arrived it was at least 10pm. I was tired and had been sick with 103 fever that week and my fever was spiking up again. My mom told me to go inside but I said no. The vet gave Matty two shots for worming and ran a tube with oils down her nose and into her stomach. He told me that the blood in her pee was from her straining too hard.

The next day we took Matty to Texas and I got one last kiss from her.
When I got home I went and cried in my pillow. Ilooked out my window to see my horses. I smiled hoping to hear that Matty became fat and healthy.

Weeks later I bought me a new Thoroughbred but kept Matty in my head. I finally got my mom to call and see how she was doing. I was devistated to hear that they had to put her to sleep. My mom told me that the man said they tried to save her and even kept her at the vet's house but she kept laying down. The man also said that MMatty had been pregnant while we had her. Tears rolled down my face as my mom said that she had aborted her pregnancy when we had her and the blood was from her aborting. The man also said that she wasn't cleaned out after breeding which caused an internal infection to slowly kill her. I was happy to know she was in a better place and spent her last of life with someone that really loved her. Now when I look out to the pasture I see her grazing and picture me riding her again. I miss her but know that she knew I loved her. Now when I look at my new Thoroughbred gelding I see a little of Matty. He has the same personality like her and temperment. He follows me and even listens to my stories that I tell him as I ride him. Sometimes I wonder if Matty was his mother but I know she wasn't. Matty had to suffer because of someone's ignorance and lack of care. When you breed a horse, you should know what you are doing.