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Precious
Memorial
She greeted me over
a fence from a pasture where she was standing. There was
something in her eyes that drew me toward her. It was truly
love at first sight. We were there to see her friend,
Samson, who had walked, trotted and loped into John's heart.
I asked about her, and was told that her name was Precious,
that she was very special, and that she was already in her
forever home. She was their first official rescue and was a
kind of mascot for the rescue. I looked forward to seeing
her when we visited the farm. The day came when we picked up
Samson to take him to his new home. Precious was curious and
concerned about where we were taking him. We tried to
reassure her and told her that he would have all the love we
could give him. She stood for one last picture with him
before we loaded him in the trailer.
Time went on and Samson was not the same horse we had known.
He let the other horses push him around and wouldn't fight
for his food. We worried about him, but figured he would
adjust soon. One day we got a phone call. Tony and Kathryn
wanted to know if we would like to take Precious home to be
with Samson. It seems that Precious missed Samson as much as
Samson missed her. We were shocked, thrilled, and extremely
honored to be trusted with such a treasure. The timing was
perfect. Our 13 year old son, Jonathon, had been struggling
with depression and we thought this would be just what he
needed. John went to pick her up, and after many hugs and
tears, he loaded her and brought her home. Jonathon, Sarah
(our daughter) and I were waiting for him when he pulled in
to the farm where we were keeping Samson. John opened the
trailer doors and Precious let out a beautiful nicker.
Samson's head popped up from the round bale and he ran to
the fence. He and Precious "talked" to each other while we
got her ready to put out in the pasture. We led her through
the gate and released her. Samson ran off all the other
horses and took Precious to the hay where they began to eat
together. It was a beautiful reunion.
She was just the medicine Jonathon needed to pull him out of
his depression, and she put smiles on all of our faces. What
a beautiful gift the rescue had given us.
Time went on and we finally got our own farm. Samson and
Precious would finally be right in our own back yard where
we could spend time with them every day. They adjusted
beautifully and were ambassadors for the other horses that
would be joining them. Precious was like a mama to everybody
in the pasture. We had a party to celebrate our new home and
she was so patient as she let people, young and old, ride on
her back.
Precious continued to bring love and laughter to our lives
in the months to come. She befriended a very sick horse,
Gentle Ben, when we brought him home to help him recover
from the abuse he had suffered. She scratched her butt on
the chicken coop until the roof came off. She watched over
Samson and protected Bo. She pulled our hitching post out of
the ground when she tried to scratch her back on it. She
gave John someone to talk to every night and gave me someone
to hug every day. She taught many of our kids' friends to
love horses rather than fear them. She made a special
connection with everyone who met her in the 11 months that
we were graced with her presence. She is always the first
one that everyone asks about and everyone has special
memories of her. We know that she touched so many other
lives through her work as a therapy horse and at the
rescue's summer camp and during the many years she had at
rescue after having her life spared from the kill pen. Even
at the end, she spared us from having to make a difficult
decision by taking her last breath on her own. Her final
gift to us was waiting until we were at her side before she
passed. She has left a Belgian sized hole in our lives and
will never be forgotten.
She was truly a Precious gift. |