Imagine.... Imagine for a moment being in so much pain you don’t think you could make it one more day.

Imagine going out and getting on your horse for one last ride.

​

Imagine as you come across the back field, as it opens, and ride along the river as your horse gently puts one foot in front of the other. It’s almost like you hear God whisper "one more day".

 

Imagine each time you feel like you can’t go on. You climb up on your horse and take that ride that seems to give you the strength to go just one more day.

 

Imagine taking that horse across the country from rodeo to rodeo going on to win buckles, saddles, lots of money, and even a horse trailer. And, in that time, have hundreds of kids that want to pet your horse. So you take time to put each one of them that wants to get on your horse, even if it’s only for a moment, and you watch it change a child before your eyes. 

 

Imagine the seed that’s planted which would one day be a ranch for kids.

 

Imagine that same horse serving at the local community kid’s day event each year and literally have hundreds of kids in a short few hours ride around the circle on her back.

 

Imagine a horse that is so gentle it takes care of the biggest down to the smallest child.

 

Imagine that same horse serving at-risk youth for years and years until she gets too old to carry them upon her back.

 

And, now imagine as you watch this horse, your horse, your best friend; a horse that’s one of the reasons you’re here. A horse that is the main reason there was ever an idea of a ranch that is now in its 20th year of serving kids. A horse that you’ve had with you almost half your life, 25 years.

 

Now imagine the moment you look out and you see your horse down in the pasture and can’t get up. And through several vets that diagnosis, realize that she has something terminal. Something that a 30-year-old horse cannot recover from. So now, selfishly, you put her in a stall, then doctor and love on her for several weeks the best you can, knowing the inevitable.

 

Now imagine that horse knicker and whinny to her friends in the pasture as if to say…let me go be a horse and do what horse do one last time. So you grant her last wish and let her run free with her friends in the field.

 

Now imagine when you look out the next morning you see what you’ve dreaded, your best friend lying down. But this time can’t get up.

 

Imagine what a Blessing it is to be able to spend those precious moments, as you talk to your old friend, knowing this is the last time. The time has finally come.

 

Thursday, July 28 was truly one of the hardest days of my life!  I had to put down, and say goodbye to my old friend. She will be greatly missed. She impacted so many. And, until my time on this earth is done, I will always love that horse.

 

Winston Churchill said it best…”There truly is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.

​

Shadow girl, thank you for all the good times, and for all the love you showed so many hurting kids over the years.

​

RIP my Friend.

 

Aaron