Sunday evening diary – saying goodbye is never easy, even if you know in advance.

Yesterday we said goodbye to a beautiful horse named Cayman. Cayman was owned by one of my very good friends, and Alfie was Cayman’s first horsey friend. In fact, both boys became very good friends very quickly when they first met a little over 2 years ago.

Cayman had cancer, yes, horses can suffer from the same diseases as humans. My friend Heidi, did everything for Cayman that was medically possible, and her efforts gave Cayman an extra year to his life.

The night before we were going to say goodbye to Cayman our barn held a party for him. Cayman, as well as all the other horses got to indulge in fruit, candy, cupcakes and ice cream – none of the horses liked the ice cream but the sugar cones were a big hit. It was a party to celebrate his life. It was a party to honor his life. Cayman was 22 years old and spent most of his life teaching kids how to ride. This horse gave so much to the world, it was only fitting that the last 24 hours of his life be full of fun, love and yummy food.

Horses are viewed by people in different ways. Some look at them as a tool to achieve their own goals in the equestrian world. Those people buy and sell horses like they were baseball cards, disposable once they are no longer useful in getting their rider to advance further in this sport. Then there are the people that take the time to love and accept the horse for what they are, what they can teach them and in return shower them with all the love and support possible. This is me. This is my friend Heidi. This is the majority of people at our barn.

Below are pictures of Heidi and Cayman and Alfie.

Cayman – a beautiful soul, inside and out. ❤️🐴