Chico

The Breath of Paradise is that which blows between the ears of a horse.

- Arabic Quotation

It's been a sad weekend for me. A friends horse passed on.

He was one of those horses you remember, for a lot of reasons.

I knew him in two lives. His first with a lovely young girl who's face lit up every time she saw him. I have fond memories of her giggling with him at horse shows, standing at the fence between classes chatting with her while he stood curious about everything and everyone. They were a pair that made you smile each and every time you saw them. His first owner passed away suddenly at a young age, Chico I think helped many people through the grief at her memorial service. Animals some how know when people are hurting and seem to be able to comfort, and Chico was good at that.

Chico then moved on to his second family. Another young girl, another special person who again I have such fond memories of. My first memories of her are on a sweet but sometimes challenging pony, and when she moved up from that pony to a horse Chico was the one.

I have the pleasure of living beside the community riding ring and often I'd get to see glimpses of Chico in his lessons. Sometimes being a challenge, but they always had a air of happiness about them. It was infectious, I cannot count the number of times I got to watch a min or two of them riding and smiled the connection they had was easy and heartwarming to see. Not often do I become attached to a horse that I don't own, I can think of two over the years and Chico was one of them.

So it was a sad day to hear he'd been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. And an even sadder day when he declined and was laid to rest peacefully.

I always makes me feel a bit helpless, like I should be able to DO something, anything. But a wise friend told me softly one day when my own horses were ill "sometimes thing just are what they are, and it will all be ok, even if you can do nothing, one day it will all be ok, maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually you will be ok"

So as I sit today, feeling sad and a bit helpless. I send thoughts to Chico's family that I hope and pray that eventually you will be ok. He was very loved and will be missed.