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“I watched quietly as the truck and trailer rolled down the long lane away from the barn. Gravel crunched beneath its tires as it left.
“That moment evoked more emotions than I could identify at the time. Some good, some bad. But they were all much different than the emotions that played in my memory of the day the truck and trailer first arrived.
“I thought back to the numbered card I grasped tight in my hand as the auctioneer called for lot 3. I felt my heart speed up the same way it did when bids raced through the room, and I heard its beating slow gradually as he called for the final offer. I felt the way it dropped as the gavel fell and he pointed at me.
“Legends and stories about horses have been shared for generations. Books tell their history as noble steeds, beasts of burden and military mounts. But even the most poignant narrative fails to express how profoundly one four-footed soul can rattle one person’s world.
“I thought I knew. I had spent my whole life dreaming of that moment. But I had no idea until I called one of them my own.
“Finally.
“Lita was a dark bay mare with one quarter-size white spot just above her tail. She was young and brave. Most importantly, she was mine. I had waited 25 years to swap my savings for a horse.
“My story isn’t unique, but that little mare was. From day one, that 2-year-old carried me as carefully as an old broke trail horse. I trusted her so quickly and so sincerely. And she was as goofy and playful as she was poised and proper.
“Undetected damage to two of her hooves cut short our time together. As quickly as she came into my life, we parted ways.
“For her, it meant a new job bringing joy to others as a therapeutic riding horse. It meant another good home with even more treats, even more people to dote on her.
“When the trailer departed with her inside and slowly disappeared into the distance, I expected a somber goodbye and indelible heartbreak. Instead, I was left with unexpected comfort in knowing that mine wouldn’t be the only life changed by that little mare and that, although I stayed behind as the trailer pulled away, there was someone, somewhere, anxiously awaiting its arrival. Just like I did.”