Snowflake was 12 when I started riding him. I was also 12, so I thought that was great. I felt I was riding on the wind when I rode him. He had such smooth gaits. He was very patient with me until I learned to ride him well and he could fly over jumps. I rode him all through middle and high schools. When I thought about college, I was able to chose a college that I could bring him with me. We won a number of competitions, but the joy in riding him wasn't the winning, it was just riding him. I returned to my home town and found a job. Snowflake began to slow down a bit when he passed 25 years old, so we would just take pleasure rides on the horse trails. He injured his leg badly and was having a difficult time carrying me, so we would just walk slowly together. Eventually even this became to difficult for him and he was in great pain. It was time to let him go. It was one of the most difficult decisions I had to make. I was able to bury him at a farm nearby so that I can visit his grave when I want. I will never have another horse like Snowflake.