02/13/2026
I never babysat as a kid. My sister did. She even got to go on cool family vacations with the kids! My first time being called on to watch other people's children was when I was a working student for the Poulins. I had no clue that was part of what I was supposed to be doing but he asked, so I babysat. This is way back in 1989, so a couple of them were still baby-esque! 😂 I never had a connection with kids. I never planned to have kids. In fact I had actively planned to NOT have kids. One day, their daughter Kate brought me a drawing from school for Easter. That was my first foray into how much little things, like paying attention for a brief moment before bedtime, made a difference. Based on what my own kids remember, I doubt she even remembers it. I found the card one day when i was moving from the barn apartment into the house. I kept it all these years.
I consider Kate a friend and her mother was a surrogate mom to me. Over the years Kate and her mom have sent me many horses. They were either retired too soon and needed a light job, like Pickles, or needed a soft place to land like Remy, or they were simply the wrong horse for their current owner. Every single one of them has been a blessing, but Maddie was the first.
Her very gracious owner, Sally, never relinquished ownership of her but she didn't need to. Maddie became ours as soon as she set foot on the property where she was cherished for over 13 years. As soon as I rode her a couple of times, I knew she was the right horse for my student, Kari. Kari took Maddie on with enthusiasm and learned so much from her. Maddie carried her through some of her lowest lows and some of her highest highs. Over the years, Kari generously shared her with many other riders. Unfortunately, Kari succumbed to covid in the second round of outbreaks and Maddie became the farm's horse again.
Maddie taught countless riders how to horse show, from Introductory A through Intermediate I. She let you know the value of an independent seat and a light leg. If you told her to go she always went. If you told her stop, well eventually she would stop if you asked properly. She'd give you changes if she was balanced and you were out of her way; and she would give you endless frustration if you were not. She did two Century Rides during her time with us, one for her owner Sally and one for our wonderful student, Ann.
Her last couple of years in her 30s were spent teaching kids the ins and outs of intro and training level and carrying our Special Olympics athletes all the way through the state championships. As a coach, you never took your eye off of Maddie when an Independent Rider had her in the ring with no one leading, even at 31!
The last couple of weeks Maddie started to struggle and need some help to get up if she laid down too long. If you have been fortunate enough to know many 32-year-old horses, they lay down to rest frequently. Wednesday morning, Maddie decided she wasn't going to push herself to get up anymore. I sat with her while she laid comfortably waiting for the Coleen, our vet, and I fed her her breakfast. Gus whinnied to her as he left the paddock next door to go inside to eat. I'm hoping he was saying, "See you later," and not, "See you soon." I am not ready for, "see you soon." Fire, who was still in the paddock next door, having just finished his breakfast, came over to the fence. He wanted to see what was going on while I was feeding her, because no one wants to miss a snack. She nickered at him in a low voice and then she squealed, because Maddie didn't share her food with anyone, even fire.
Maddie and I had a long chat about her life and how thankful we were to be a part of it. I told her that Sharon and Kari would be waiting for her. RIP and run free Maddie...
