Candy - What a terrible, terrible night you must have had! I totally get that you have a migraine. I know that distinctive gutted, hollowed out feeling very well, but you must feel it even more knowing you couldn't be there with your pony, I just want to cry with you Yes, of course it would have upset you, but you might even have felt a bit better knowing Ryan was coming along to help alleviate some of that pain. Now you just have secrecy and that's making me angry. Children are often mistakenly shielded from the mortality of animals, but not adults!! I'm so, so, sorry that you've lost your buddy (let's treat it like it just happened, cos it essentially has for you). I'm about to go out and see mine, so I'll give him an extra hug in memory of your pony and the hug you couldn't give him, ok? I'm so sad. I'd love to provide a balanced view from your parents' perspective as to why they would keep it from you, but it's pretty indefensible. But DO think of this, they wouldn't have done it to hurt you, they were actually thinking of you (even if the end decision was a complete dud), AND, whatever he had to be put down for is not bothering him anymore (in the end we act for the horse's welfare, don't we?). It would have been very hard for them to do, too, even if it's not your responsibility to think about what they went through to do it they actually did it for you. You will feel like riding again, so even though you're going back to work to pay for agistment, buying the horse is the cheapest part, so don't feel defeated. You'll get another one...in your own time (I know what this is like...took me 6 months before I decided it was time again).
I'll reply to everyone later, I think I may have missed the farrier...