National competitive trail mileage record holder Elmer Bandit, 38, passed away Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the pasture of his longtime boarding stable, Misty River Equestrian Center, in Independence, Mo.

Surrounded by several friends and his lifelong owner, Mary Anna Wood, Elmer was attended by J. B. Scott, DVM, of the Odessa Animal Clinic, Odessa, Mo.

Elmer was discovered earlier Sunday, February 14, unable to rise in his pasture. The gray half-Arabian appeared alert and determined to get his hindquarters under him, but the cold north wind and dropping temperatures began to take a toll on the horse. Snow moved into the area and the windchill dropped to around 10° degrees as people worked to assist Elmer and keep him warm.

Scott found Elmer to be hypothermic and honored the decision to euthanize the tiring horse. "This is the hardest part of my job," said Scott of end-of-life treatment and the hard choices facing owners and caregivers of geriatric animals