This week has been very difficult. Yesterday we said goodbye to a very special horse. The place already feels weird without her. This morning I went out to do chores and it felt all wrong not to walk back to her pen and throw her morning ration. Babe taught me so much, not just in dealing with a blind horse but in overcoming odds and accepting the simple things in life. Yesterday when I lead her out of her pen, she followed without any complaints. She loaded into the trailer like she’d hauled every day of her 31 years.
Trust.
She trusted. I could have led her into the depths of hell and she would have followed, no questions asked. Why? Because she trusted. She trusted me to protect her, to keep her safe. She gave everything. What little I could do for her simply will never be enough in my eyes.
After she loaded, she started whinnying. In my heart, I know she was telling the herd goodbye and telling this world goodbye. She’d given us signs that I’d ignored.
Her old owner (of 26 years) stopped out the night before to say goodbye. Babe loved peppermints. But her owner couldn’t get her to eat them. That was her sign that she was ready to go. Sometimes it’s hard to see the signs and sometimes it’s hard to come to terms with the signs.
Everyone says she was lucky that she had the opportunity to come to Borderlands for the last five years of her life. I think that I was the lucky one. It was such an honor and a privilege to be the one to care for her in her final years. I truly believe I was the lucky one.
Her previous owner posted on Facebook about her passing. I read some of the comments. Babe touched so many people’s lives. It’s amazing to read the comments and it fills me with such joy. How can one horse touch so many people’s lives? Babe did it. And she’ll continue to keep a strong hold on my heart.
I will grieve for her passing but I will also rejoice in knowing that we were both able to cross paths at the right time. So many don’t have tears shed over them for their passing. As much as I say we cannot take another one on, her passing and seeing all those that she touched solidifies my desire to do more for an older deserving horse. She is the reason why I will continue to battle the odds and be a supporter of old horses.
There will always be an open door policy for the children of Babe. No matter what, there will always be a place for them.
My thoughts are too scattered today to really know how to put what I am feeling into words. I am trying to grasp all that she has taught me in the last five years. There’s too much to put into words the knowledge she taught me. She provided an immense amount of knowledge. The old ones have so much knowledge and wisdom. We as humans should be tapping into that knowledge and wisdom.
I can say for a fact that I was the lucky one to know Babe. May we meet again some day.
