My Horse

So, not sure if I've blogged this yet, but my old horse, Shaggy (full name is Shagara) who I said goodbye to 18+ years ago is STILL ALIVE and lives out at the Hobby Farm. I was stunned and elated when I heard she was still there. She's an old lady now.... pushing 30 years old which is reeeeally old for a horse. I barely recognized her, although she still has the same sweet face and unruly cowlick on her mane. She came from Iraq and there they tattoo the inside of the lip of their horses. I had to check. Yup, it was her.

Looking at her in the sunset of her life made me so sad, but so, so glad to be able to see her again. It was hard to look at her and see the star show jumper she was when I had her. For such a small little horse, she out-jumped the huge Warmblood horses from Riyadh at the shows.

She is not ridden anymore, but has a wonderful owner who takes very good care of her. I'm going to see if I can find their email address so I can stay in touch and find out how and when the story of Shagara ends.

It was a tearful evening as I was at the hobby farm, the sun was setting, and the desert doves were cooing.... and I gave carrots to my horse from 18 years ago... for the last time. The Pakistani grooms (laborers who care for the horses) did not quite know what to do with me as I was in her stall sobbing. They were like, "WHO are you and why are you crying all over Mrs. Spalding's horse?" All they could think to do was to cut up some carrots and hand them to me. It was so nice of them and simply the best thing they could have ever done at that moment.

I have to say, leaving the stables tonight was the hardest part for me. I never thought I'd be back there and I never thought how hard it might be for me to leave it all over again. It truly is my heaven on earth.... always will be. When I saw a dad dropping his young daughter off at the stables, I just hoped she knew how lucky she was at that moment.