What a fitting name – strong, graceful, wise, full of heart. We knew this day would come and hoped against hope we would be able to send our good friend off with a degree of peace and comfort and tender loving care.  And we are very thankful we got that chance.  Discussions with the vet early this morning were followed by me (Susan) taking Pharaoh in to be ultrasounded and scoped, just to be absolutely sure that his illness could not be treated.  Turns out there was, indeed, a sizable tumor in the wall of his left kidney.  The vet confirmed that his condition would worsen very quickly based on the amount of blood it was pumping into his bladder and then losing when he urinated. Surgery was not an option.  I stayed with Pharaoh during the tests and saw the bubbly inside of the bladder and the two openings from the kidneys, one pouring blood into the bladder and the other already pink-tinged. Pharaoh was sedated for these tests so he was calm but steady on his feet for the more than an hour that it took to be sure of what was going on. The young ladies assisting in the vet clinic were very compassionate and kind to him and he got lots of peppermint treats which he sleepily ate, one after another.  When the difficult decisions were made and it was time, I led Pharaoh into the warm sunshine; his ears were perked up and he was calling to the other horses in adjoining paddocks.  Sociable and polite to the end. What a great horse.  He made great memories at Saddlebrook and he will be terribly, terribly missed.