False Gods: The Show Jumper's Challenge

“I don’t imagine you’ve ever seen a horse put down, have you?” Vee asked, looking directly at Cory. “No, of course not. Well, it isn’t pleasant, even for an old horse whose life was well spent, let alone a young, talented horse.” Vee sighed. “It’s horrible when you are doing it for the animal’s good, but when you know it’s all your fault he’s going to die—” Vee stopped short. Her breath caught. She impatiently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You have to hold him still, even though he’s really hurting, long enough for the vet to inject about thirty ccs of the tranquilizer—it’s bright pink. Then you’ve got to jump back quick because he’ll usually thrash and fight the stuff hitting his system before he can’t stand up any longer. Then he hits the ground. Sometimes the horse will lie there paddling his feet, trying to fight whatever is flowing through his organs, stopping his breathing, his heart, and like a horse, he tries to run away from it.”