“I’m gonna miss him like hell.”
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These six words bespeak the pain Chris Broers is feeling right now, less than a week after losing his best mate Prince.
Prince, one of four Clydesdales who lived at Cooma Cottage, was described by Mr Broers as a “true gentle giant”, and at only 18 still had at least a decade of entertaining and educating the public left in him.
He had been with the cottage for four years, and over that time he and Mr Broers became inseparable.
“He wasn’t just a horse, he was something so special for me,” Mr Broers said.
“Still hard for me to believe he’s not standing at the gate waiting for me when I go out in the afternoon.”
Around the middle of last week, Prince was struck ill. His rear right leg went limp, and his mobility was reduced to a hobble.
A day or two later, his lip began to drop as well, and by Saturday he was circling “constantly” Mr Broers said and panting.
Soon after Prince fell ill, Mr Broers brought vets to the cottage in an attempt to diagnose the problem.
It was clearly neurological, they decided, but they could see no sign of an infection or virus which might have caused the issues.
“It’s a poison or snake bite,” Mr Broers said.
“I nearly put him to sleep three times.”
There was nothing the vets could do at that stage except to prescribe anti-inflammatory medication and wait, which is what Mr Broers did.
By Sunday, Prince appeared to have recovered somewhat. Mr Broers said that he was happier and able to move with relative freedom.
“Sunday he came really good. He stopped circling, he got back on his feet, he was happy,” he said.
“Still a bit lame in that rear side, but really improved and happy within himself.”
However, the recovery was not long-lived, and on Monday morning, Mr Broers’ daughter Emily found Prince collapsed in his stable.
The loss, Mr Broers said, has not just affected him personally, but all of Yass Valley and Prince’s friends from across Australia.
“A lot of people [are going to miss him],” Mr Broers said.
“That Australia Day Twilight Picnic we had, people came from Newcastle just to see him that had met him before.
“People from Canberra come back to see him all the time.”
Clearly missing his best mate, Mr Broers recalled what endeared him to Prince.
“Prince would do anything for anyone,” he said.
“He’d never hurt anyone, he’s never kicked, he’s never bit.
“And kids, kids just...it’s gonna be hard, anyway.”