For Razzie, I hope there’s endless love in heaven for you.

Any athlete knows: once you start, you can’t stop. For equestrians this mentality begins after the first time they really get to ride a horse that means something to them. I’m not talking a pony ride at the fair, or your first ever “get-to-know-you” riding lesson at pony camp. Even though those things might spark an interest, nothing really sparks the passion quite like getting on, having full control, and really connecting. Thank you for teaching me what it feels like not to stop. Thank you for giving me the confidence to soar over jumps. Thank you for standing in the isle-way of the barn for hours while I braided (and re-braided) your mane.

Horses are a gift no matter when they reach you in your life. But nothing touches you quite like your first horse. We experience an undiluted kind of freedom when we ride them. To become a teammate with a horse is becoming a teammate with an animal that feels nothing but unconditional love for you. Think about your first horse, think about his big brown eyes, and think about how he would never hurt you on purpose.

He put up with you slamming him in the mouth over every jump. He put up with your incessant lack of balance. But every time you fell off, he moved his feet so that he wouldn’t land on you. He waited for you to dump the sand out of your first pair of riding pants and hop back on, all while the reins were slung on the arena floor.

Thank you for teaching me everything I know today. Thank you for igniting the passion that I’ll never let go of.

Because of you, I will never stop riding. I will never stop craving the feeling of freedom I first felt after you showed it to me. But because of you, no other horse will be the same. Thank you for being the best teacher I’ve ever had.

Thank you for being my companion.

Thank you for being my teammate.

Thank you for being my best friend.

When we lost you, I remember finding a quote by Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze about his horse Hickstead which reminded me of you, and what you did for me.

“What these horses do for us is incredible. They become part of our family. They really change our lives. It is a sport we choose because we love it and it is sport we choose because we also love the animal. It is not like breaking a hockey stick or breaking a tennis racket. We become very close to these animals and we have great respect for what they do for us."

Thank you for being my family.