It was the saddest day yet on our farm. As parents we had talked about how difficult that day would be, but imagined it would be a long ways off. Brooke’s horse, Chief–her strong gelding horse who was the love of this 12 year old’s heart–had injured his leg. We thought it was a simple cut, but it turned out to be much more. Through tears, we had to have the horse euthanized. Our whole family was heartbroken, and Brooke was deeply saddened.
She had only had Chief for about 14 months, but he impacted her life for so much good. He taught her some valuable lessons all of us need to learn.
- Courage to triumph fear. Brooke had a passion for horses. She just had one problem–she was afraid of them. Her fear would triumph over her desire. She would panic, get upset, and want to quit. Doing a simple task like leading our pony could conjure fear if he acted up in any way. She wanted to ride the pony, but struggled to overcome her fear. Her determined, strong-willed spirit, and Chief taught her to be courageous. She learned to calm her fears and overcome them to accomplish what her heart wanted.
- Trust is earned. Trust takes time and effort to be gained. Chief taught Brooke that trust is gained through time and experiences together. She grew in her trust of him as they explored and rode daily. He grew in his bond and trust with her as they spent days together. A bond of trust isn’t formed in an hour or over a social media friendship, trust is gained through time, work, and experiences together.
- Marvelous joy is often accompanied with minor irritations. Brooke experienced sensational joy flying around our farm with hair flowing in the wind. As parents we loved watching her smiling and having such a great time. But Chief was also a horse, and even the best of horses has its quirks. One day he didn’t want to go where she wanted, and he didn’t have energy to run. She got so frustrated and upset with him. She stormed off saying she was done with him, but a few hours later she was back grooming him in the stall. That is love and relationships isn’t it? Nothing is perfect in this world. While there is great joy in riding fast, there is much work in cleaning stalls.
- The pain of loss and how to grieve. Brooke’s tender heart fell in love with her horse. Death snatched him from her. She felt the pain of searing loss. Not a great tragedy, but the loss of a friend and dear pet. She experienced feelings of grief and sadness. She learned how to handle them maturely and how to reinvest in the future.
We buried Chief under a big oak tree on the edge of our farm. His time was short on our farm, but his impact will last a lifetime. He did his job. Brooke is confident and capable now because of Chief’s impact. She is a better person. She is more equipped to handle life because of what he taught her.
Check out Brooke’s horse videos at B Horsecrazy on Youtube. Here is her first video. A second one is coming out soon with her new horse; Beau.
