Today we said goodbye to our friend of 15 years. We bought King in August of 2002 when we lived in Port Orchard, WA. It was in the days before we had kids. King was purchased to be Rob’s horse, as Anna rode Cinder at the time. Over the years, he became a horse that didn’t belong to any of us, but was a member of the family. He moved with us from WA to SC to CT. He taught me how to show horses, ride dressage, jump, hunter pace, trail ride, and so much more. King would pull kids on sleds in the snow, race through the fields at a full gallop, and be as gentle as you can imagine with a kid in the saddle. For the few years Anna taught lessons, King was a favorite for the students. King could be brutally mean to the others in the herd, but would also protect his closest friends.
Over the past 2 years, we watched as EPM took it’s toll on his body and his muscle control and we finally decided it was time to let him go. There hasn’t been a dry eye in the family for the past few days as we said our goodbyes. I can only hope that one day, another horse will be as hard to let go.
The first photo we have of King. Anna riding in 2002
