As I drive North on the highway, I see a couple in their mid 60’s repairing a fence that was damaged last Winter when a vehicle crashed through it. A motorist swerved to avoid a lost horse standing broadside in the highway, and lost control on the wet road. It was pouring rain. Most people travel much faster than the 55mph posted speed limit in the early morning hours. Steering and braking are already compromised in wet conditions, reaction time is delayed in the dark. All that was seen after the emergency medical helicopter lifted off, was the chestnut mare stuck from poll to withers through the windshield. The horse is a dense creature, and the muscular barrel of this one had enough rigidity that it suspended the weight of its rear-end upright. It was displayed in a haunting and cadaverous type of way; a taxidermy model created for a movie set, partially cantilevered over the hood and decorated with tempered glass remnants. Blood and hair washed away slowly down the quarter panels as the storm died.
