I bought Mystic as a green 4-year-old for my 12-year-old daughter, 14 years ago. She trained him and then gave him to me. We did performance English and Western before discovering Western games. We learned barrels, poles, figure eight, etc. together, and even went to state one year. We just did trail riding, exploring the mountains, cruising rivers, and making friends for the past few years. On our last ride, Mystic showed signs of a sinus infection. The vet came out and said it was caused by an infected tooth, so we went to Pilchuck to have it removed. Antibiotics for sinus, antibiotics for tooth removal. More antibiotics...And it turned out to be a perfect storm, destroying his gut. He developed sepsis and had to be put down. He was 18, I am 69. We were supposed to "ride into the sunset" together. The day after he died, we heard a loud whinny. No horses anywhere. I think Mystic stopped to say goodbye on his way to the green pastures of heaven. I will miss him forever.