On to green pastures for Joe 🐎 I used to volunteer at a place that rehabbing and re-educated standardbreds from harness racing to saddle. We got a few in really sad condition (these were never from racing stables, they'd all be private rehomes). And so often once you got some weight back on and got them strong again they'd be ok for light work. One of the local riding schools had a dear old mare that gave the little little kids their first lessons. She was old and arthriticy, and the owner said it was time to retire her even though the horse loved her kids and always pulled to get into lesson yard. So, they retired her over winter, and let her be a paddock princess with warm feeds and no lessons. And the mare just started going downhill bad. She'd stand at the gate watching all the kids go to and from the school, and drop weight. Vet can't find anything wrong, just losing condition. Owner started thinking this is the end, I'm going to have get the vet out to have her put down. She organised one last day for her to go to school and have her kids fuss over her for one last time (kids wanted to say goodbye to a favourite, too). And she picked up. They put her back in the little little kids lessons, and she was completely fine. Happened for years. They'd retire her, she'd go downhill. They let her stay in the school, she'd plod slowly but surely, and she'd get better. Even when she couldn't fairly be ridden any more, they let her be a demo horse for how to groom, and feed, and put rugs on, and she just wanted to be around her kids. Eta- I'm so glad you and Joe got to have fun together.