Dearest Andorra,
Memories are flooding me
of our life together. We haved shared much n a very short span of time.
Your life and your death seem very surreal to me. It's almost
dreamlike.
I can remember it beginning
with the sale of my beloved geldings that I'd had since babies. I was heart
broken but knew that someday I would share a special bond with someone different,
someone new. So I pooled my money and asked myself what I wanted to do.
Dressage. I had never ridden
dressage. I was only an admirer of the beauty in its art. I was in love with
the music created between rider and horse. I so much wanted to be a part
of its rhythm, a part of the picture created in my mind. Upon my finding
of knowledgeable and caring instructors, I began my journey one hoofbeat
at a time.
When the time was right
and I was ready, I asked my angels to find me a horse. Although I was taking
an active role in this journey, I was really wanting a horse to come forward
and claim me. I wanted a fairy tale ending, a wish to come true, my dreams
to become real.
Andorra, do you remember
the first day we met? I do. I had traveled out to White Horse Vale farm with
my instructors to see a group of pre-selected young Lipizzans. Saw four or
five striking mares and several others that were also for sale but not on
my wish list, just in case. They were all so personable and shared a beauty
of health and spirit. I took note of these horses.
Came to find out one of
the mares, Onianta, fulfilling my wishlist couldn't be caught. I was asked
if I minded taking a short drive out to the summer pasture to see her. I
remember thinking to myself, "Why not? What if this is the one?"
Well sure enough, it was
indeed a short drive. We got out of the truck and took a quick hike through
some pine trees into a large open pasture. With a shrill whistle we heard
the mares whinny and a thundering of hooves. Here comes a heard of white
lipizzan mares and their brood of offspring at various ages galloping up
to us. We are soon caught up in a swirl of galloping horses.
I only got to see Onianta
from the corner of my eye because this lap dog of a horse keep coming between
us. I stroked you and walked all around you. You kept all the other horses
at a distance and me at your flank. I must have been only a few days pregnant
with Skylar, but you seemed to be accepting me as one of the girls and were
welcoming me into the broodmare herd!
Andorra, you came as such
a surprise to me. You were not what I thought I was looking for in a horse.
You were an unbroke, 10 year old broodmare, and very much in organic shape
from extended pasture conditioning. But there was something intangible about
you that kept you in my mind long after we left the area. In pursuit of finding
my next horse, I was bewitched by thoughts of you. No matter how many other
horses I saw, none could compare with what I had experienced with you. We
were meant to be together. It was indeed magical. I bought you without regrets.
You were the one! My princess.
Our life since them has
taken us down a path of learning that has only strengthened our bond. Some
of my favorite memories are of us riding together through moments deeply
seated in trust. Each of us became the selfless guardian of the other's
wellbeing. I took care of you and you took care of me. We were indeed partners
with a bond that seemed to grow stronger everyday. You helped me find strength
I never knew I possessed. And we both learned what we were capable
of.
It's these memories I cling
to as I face the day without you. My heartbreak began Saturday morning at
6:38 with a call that my princess was down with colic. I quickly got myself
and Skylar dressed and drove as fast as I dared to the barn. We walked up
the grassy hill to where you layed outside the arena. Just the day before
we had had a most magnificent ride here. There was no lift of your head or
welcoming nicker. The flies were landing thickly on your body like never
before. A bad omen I felt but I was willing to stay by your side and help
you fight for your life.
I was able to get you up
on your feet and thus our walking campaign began. With each buckling of your
legs I would ask you to please get up, we'd get through this together. But
no matter how hard you tried or I tried or our vet tried there was no relief
to be found. With the last of my strength I proclaimed my unfaltering love
for you and said when you were ready just stop walking and lie down. I would
help you transition through death. We gave it our all and you were amazing.
I could not have asked for a better horse.
You got to your feet one
final time and faced yourself looking out over the rolling pastures one final
time. Our vet gave you a fatal shot of anesthetic and you immediately fell
to the ground. I kneeled at your head and stroked your face. I could feel
your slowed breath at my knee. With a final beat of your heart and a twitch
of your hooves you were off again galloping in a swirl of horses.
I keep your memories with
me. They are a comfort to me. I celebrate your life with every breath I take.
I can still picture you with my eyes and feel you with my hands. Hear you
breath and smell the scent of your body. Andorra is the song I hear in the
hoofbeats of my heart. All my love and thanks to you. You helped bring life
to my dreams. Journey on!
Gratefully yours,
Jenny Dalby
Let a horse whisper
in your ear and breathe on your heart. You will never regret it.
Author
Unknown
Andorra 
