Page 9 - Leisure Living Magazine August 2019

Maggie is the greatest horse to have ever lived, in my humble opinion. I was 10 years old and
my little sister Catie was 8
gie came into our lives. All
a horse...I had been ob-
sessed with horses since
age 2... so you can imag-
ine the looks on our faces
when we walked into the
barn one day after school
and found Maggie stand-
ing in her stall with a big
bow around her neck. Af-
ter a lot of determination
and a session with a train-
er, I was finally able to ride
her, and we rode all over
the countryside with my
sister and her horse. We
did not have helmets or
cell phones at this time- only God knows how we survived all those adventures. We rode through fields, woods and streams, down roads and even into town for ice cream. We would travel miles and be gone for hours. We would meet up with our school friends who had horses and ride lon- ger. Maggie would just go and go and go without wanting to quit. When riding Maggie, I could be Ronnie Turcotte on Secretariat, be Alec Ramsey
on The Black, be a show jumper or a cowboy. She would weave through heavy woods, jump fallen trees, and full out gallop down field drives.
In junior high and high school, and all the teenage stresses that come along, Maggie was, of course, my best friend and companion. She was also a quiet ear for talking or crying while I was in her stall— she would just let me lay my face on her neck and drink in that comforting smell of horse, hay and sawdust. After I grad- uated from Oak Harbor High School, Maggie moved with me to the University of Findlay. I still saw her regularly and rode her when I had time, even with my busy curriculum and a part-time job. Next phase was vet school, so off she moved with me to Knoxville, Tennessee. She loved living in Knoxville. She had 80 acres of rolling green fields to enjoy. I worked at the
Pet Tales
Irene “Renie” Lavigne, DVM
By Sherri Roth, Feature Writer
An estimated 70% of households in the Unit- ed States include one or more pets. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have shared our lives with beloved four-legged friends understand and cherish the power of the human-animal bond. In this issue of Lei- sure Living Magazine we present Pet Tales, a new feature which will share tributes from our readers to their unforgettable animal compan- ions. We lead with Dr. Irene (Renie) Lavigne, DVM and her thoughts from the heart about her horse of a lifetime “Maggie”.
years old when Mag- I had ever wanted was
barn to pay her board, so I saw her regularly and we enjoyed regular trail rides in the Smokey Mountains and surrounding areas. Maggie was then enter- ing her 20’s. She was still spunky with spring in her step, stamina to boot and beautiful to look at. After graduation, I moved back home to NW Ohio to prac- tice veterinary medicine. I continued to ride her and she continued to enjoy and eat up life.
Dr. Renie Lavigne, DVM and her “greatest horse ever” Maggie.
www.LeisureLivingMagazine.com
August 2019 LeisureLiving | 9
Maggie and I are both in our mid 30’s now— she turned 34 on April 8. I am currently engaged, and Maggie and I are residing in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m not sure how many people have been so lucky to have had such a companion through so many stages of life.
Maggie is grace. She is proud and athletic and
Continued on page 10