Saying goodbye it one of the hardest things to do and even harder when you didn’t think you would have to say it for years to come. I had to say goodbye this past March. I had to say one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to say. I had to say to say goodbye to my baby boy, my one and only, my loving gently giant, my rock, I had to say good bye to EJ.
Nobody saw it coming one minute he was happy, fit, and healthy the next he was injured, hurting, and slowly slipping away. One day I was thinking everything was going great the next I am coming off work to panicked texts and voice messages from the leaser and the barn owner.
He punctured himself with a nail in the back of his left hind leg just below the fetlock from a downed fence rail. Nobody is 100% sure how it exactly happened, but we knew it wasn’t good. We tried everything to make it better and to make it so he wasn’t in pain. We went from thinking he was going to be okay to being told that unless the penicillin worked he was not going to make it. In the end there was nothing we could do and I made the tough decision that is was in his best interest to put him to rest sooner rather than later.
On March 6th, 2014 at 12:53pm Emperors’ Jade (EJ) was put to rest at his final home in Shawinigan Lake. I wanted to desperately bring him home to Nanoose Bay to be buried, but it wasn’t meant to happen. I know where he is though and that he was happy and loved by everyone there for the remainder of his days.
The following days and weeks have been filled with tears, hugs, laughs, and words of sympathy. I am so grateful to everyone for their support and I hope you all know that your support has helped me heal. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him and want to hug him. I think about him all the time. I think about all the good times we had and the journeys we went on with other riding friends and on our own. I will never forget him.
Rest in Peace EJ. I will love you forever. Thank You for Everything.
Meredith
Meredith Soer-Equestrian 
Meredith: Very sorry to hear about Jay.
I know the girl we got him from in Vancouver and Heather in Victoria had the same great friend ship with Jay as you had.
Emperors Jade was originally raised as a barrel racer in 100 Mile House. The family in Vancouver trained him in the hunter ring. We brought him over to Victoria and Heather did the hunter / jumper series with Saanich Shows in the Sun. We kept him at Westside Stables. A few trips up to Arbutus and St Margrets School in Duncan, we had a lot of fun with Jay, lots of good memories. I even took riding lessons on him. I think you got him from a women in Duncan, we sold him to. She had him a very short time, as he was a lot of horse for her.
He was loved by all
Jim MacIntyre
Jim: WOW! Thank you for your comment. It means a lot to here from the people who loved and cared for him down in Victoria. I didn’t know much about his history; only that he was from 100 Mile and that your daughter used to get lessons with on of my trainers of the years, Libby Naylor. Yes, I did get him from the lady in Duncan that you sold him too. We didn’t take very long to buy him as we had called you guys about him right after he had sold. My mom and I couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw that he was back on the market again in such a short time. He came at just the right time for us too; having just had a disappointing trial with another horse. We always wondered if he had some western training in him as when I was trying to find a lease home for him a number of western people tried him out and thought he did. Your comment just confirms our curiosity; thank you!
He was loved by all up here as well,
Meredith Soer