03/30/2026
Blue.
You. Were. Magic. đ
An unexpected gift that crept up on me sixteen years ago in the most unexpected way.
You were âjustâ supposed to be my pony horse while I chased a dream at the racetrack with close friends. One wise friend told me, âYouâll become closer to your pony horse than any of your other horses.â
I brushed this off. Youthful ignorance shone bright.
Blue, we spent hours together every day, in all types of weatherâgetting beat up by frisky racehorses, working under the lights on race nights, keeping everyone safe, and sleeping in your stall together between races. You worked so hard for me. You never sold out. Not once.
You were so solid, so safe, so extra special that I thought someone else should enjoy youâmountain riding, pleasure ridingâwhile I stayed hyper-focused on competing and training young horses. I sold you after I moved on from the track.
Twice.
And twice, you found your way back to me.
Call it serendipity. Call it fate. I vowed never to let you go again. You proved to me your most important role was yet to come. And you were exactly where you needed to be.
When my momâyour grandmaâgot sick, who else could take her on her last rides? It had to be you.
When she was in hospice and too weak to ride, who trailered into the city for a visit so she could still get her equine fix? You. When she passed, who carried her remains to her final resting place? You.
Of course, you had already lived an incredible life before meâpolice riot control horse, experineced ranch horse, among so many other things. What couldnât you do?
Iâve learned the answer: outwit time.
You werenât impervious to it. I thought if anyone might be, it would be you.
I used to joke that you came to me sixty years too earlyâthat you were the horse I wanted to swing a leg over when I was ninety. Now I know: you were right on time.
Blue, I love you with all that I am. Youâll always be on a pedestal, because thatâs where you belong. Your quiet stoicismâyour most defining traitâhid a depth few were allowed to see. You let me see it though. Iâm honored to have been chosen - the most sacred gift was to know you fully.
Iâll miss your gregarious whinny whenever you saw me.
The way you walked to the gate to meet me.
The hugs and the secrets we shared.
You became my best friend when I thought I didnât have room for another. I tried to keep you separate, compartmentalized from the rest of my horse worldâhow silly, when you were the glue that kept everything together, no matter what was needed.
I wonder if Iâll ever have another horse I can take out ba****ck with my coffee, just to stall starting the day. If I do, Iâll surely be reminded of you, and that the most impactful partnerships are so often the unexpected ones.
I love you, Pony. I wish you didnât have to go.