Dear All -
I took my horse, Toci, for our first liberty walk yesterday. We spent a delicious hour exploring 18 acres of serene beauty – smelling, breathing, and enjoying each other’s company. We wandered at liberty, no halter, no rope, nothing but heart connection between us. Occasionally, we’d stop - Toci would nibble grass, I would breathe in the beauty of the land and my equine companion. Soon another corner of the property would intrigue me – I’d ask Toci to leave her grass and come along. Up would come her head and off we’d go. Yesterday is also the day I learned of her suggested execution. After joining us along our meander, the lovely owner of the property and now dear friend allowed as how, unbeknownst to me, the first vet to meet Toci and her sister Koko, upon their arrival a year ago as PMU rescue mares, had recommended that they were dangerous, unreachable and should be put down immediately, in plain talk: killed. He was ready to do so. My heart breaks for the untold magical lives and dreams we kill to assuage our own fear of the dark.
And there was dark, plenty of it - Toci and Koko were huge and scary, I had never owned a horse in my life and what did I know? But as you all know, I said YES to them, vowed never to force them to accept domination again. Instead, I began the long slow process of winning their trust. Spent many hours, days and months building relationship and res
