It is with the heaviest heart and tremendous sadness to let you know we lost our beloved *Sasaki this past January.  We were out of town when my daughter-in-law Michelle called and told me she found him in the pasture.  The vet said it looked like he had a ruptured Aortic Aneurysm and of course there is nothing that you could do or prepare yourself for.  It must have just happened when Michelle found him.   He died within a couple hours and had very little pain, if any, so the vet told me.  Michelle was with him along with neighbors Jud and Lisa. He looked to be in excellent health, except for his feet, of course, but we had a great farrier who kept him comfortable. He looked wonderful physically.  You don’t care for a special needs horse with all his past and present social and health issues without feeling that special bond.  You somehow know, they really appreciate all you do. *Sasaki did things on his terms but he was not at all demanding.  Feed him, make sure his stall was clean, take care of his feet, give him a warm bath occasionally, take care of him if he was sick, and don’t touch him.   That was about all he demanded.   He sure loved life and had more HEART than you can ever imagine.  What an honor it was to have him in our lives and he will always remain in our hearts.  I have heard all the arguments about him being 29 and having feet issues that would generally have taken him, but my heart is broken and I wasn’t ready to let him go.  I truly love *Sasaki.  He is buried in his pasture where he LOVED to wander about and play over the fence with his sons and daughters.