Inspiration

I've been thinking about telling our story for a while. Mainly because, sadly, my memory is not what it once was; and morbid though it may seem, my boy is 20 (!) this year and there are many, many times that I feel as though time is slipping through my fingers like water. Sometimes it seems like yesterday that he was that crazy, barely broke OTTB (oh wait...he WAS like that yesterday, LOL!) and I was a fearless college kid...and suddenly, BAM! He's almost old enough to vote, and I think back to some of the antics I used to ride him through and feel a little faint.

And while he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon (knocking wood ferociously here) I know in my heart that no matter what, one day he will be gone and I don't want to forget a single one of these precious memories that we've made together.

I'm writing this alone in a hotel room, at a veterinary conference in the town where I lived until last summer. This aftrrnoon I got the devastating news that a friend of mine lost her horse today; he collapsed on cross-country at an Advanced level horse trials (his first at that level). My friend was so full of pride, hope and love for this horse; he was truly her heart horse, as mine is to me. A once in a lifetime horse. Now, more than ever, I feel the need to write this down. So Hopper, this is for you...and all the other "heart horses" out there...