Thanks, Barbaro

The sight of a world-class thoroughbred in full stride is the personification of grace. Complete freedom, but complete control.  A burning desire to get to the finish first; and you can see them challenge each other around the bend.  The thundering hooves and the sweat on their chests is testimony to the effort, the joy and the exhilaration these animals must experience when they are doing what they do best.

I don’t know what it is about horses, but they have been linked to the history of our nation from its earliest days.  Cowboys herding cattle on the range, the Pony Express and the Budweiser Clydesdales are all part of our collective culture.  Most of us never have a chance to actually ride one, but we feel as though we know horses.  They are the free spirits on the high mesa and our devoted companions on the trail.

Girls and horses have their own special chemical bond.  When Tom Cruise uttered those words, “You complete me”; he was actually pretending to be a horse.  The female equestrians I know are certainly made complete by their horses – forget the Hollywood Hunk.  These girls are not the same people if they do not have a horse to ride.  They don’t actually need to be riding at that moment; they just need to know they can.   They need to see the muddy paddock boots in the back hall or smell the leather of the tack draped across the back seat of the car/truck.

Every horse is different and they each react to people in a unique way.  Just as Eragon and Sephira (I am sure you have seen the movie) are paired, so too in horses.  If ridden a certain way and cared for appropriately, that horse is yours and there is no separating the two.  You can even step into the stall while they are sleeping and get them to put their head in your lap.

This is why I am sure it was extremely difficult for Barbaro’s doctors and owner to decide to euthanize him.  An amazing animal in its prime suffered a horrible accident.  After trying desperately to save him over many months, the complications were just too overwhelming.  The suffering of an innocent animal is particularly acute for us because we feel so helpless.  We want the animal to know we are doing everything we can – we seek forgiveness and understanding, perhaps.

Barbaro gave us everything he had; and the doctors gave him everything in return.  He was a marvelous animal that gave many people a tremendous amount of joy and many thrills. Thanks, Barbaro; we will all miss you.