Letter of Thanks

Dear,

Thank you Arabians Ltd for breeding Thee Ashke, son of Thee Asil out of Bint Kieshta, born on April 17th at your farm in Waco, TX. Thank you for raising him in your foal program in such a way that he loves and trusts people, for it is that love and trust that sustained him through his long, dark ordeal. It is that beginning that imbued Ashke with such a great heart, with such affection for everyone he meets, with his verbal communication with the barn crew, regular riders, our trainer, myself and my family. His ground manners are impeccable and even when he is excited or nervous he is respectful of my space.

Thank you Judy, for deciding when he was 10 months old that he was worth saving. I'm sure surgery to repair his fractured patella was not recouped in his sale price. However, thank you for seeing him as an unique individual with potential, despite the fractured leg, and not simply as a business decision. Thank you for spending the time to rehab him before sending him out into the world to find his own way.

Thank you, Steve, for not understanding what you were given. For dismissing this wonderful steed as small and unbreakable. Thank you for not being interested in saving him. Thank you for not "breaking" him, either physically or emotionally. Thank you for not being invested enough to bond with him, since that might have destroyed his will and indomitable spirit. Thank you for giving away something invaluable while drunk at a party.

Thank you J, for putting up with credit card bills and hair covered clothes, and me being gone in the evening, for making dinner and helping with homework, for riding your bike on our trails, for towing the horse trailer, for allowing me to make mistakes with tack. Thank you T, for letting me make Ashke a priority, for doing your homework by yourself, for being supportive and understanding when I want to ride. Thank you both for making this a reality for our family.

Thank you, N, for showing both of us what consistent and persistent care, consideration and correct work could do for Ashke. Thank you for all of the support and encouragement as I found my way toward a new riding style, new method of thinking about riding, and for our trainer. I'm not sure we would have progressed as much or as quickly without your guidance and support. Thanks for being as obsessed and willing to discuss every little thing related to horses, and dressage and life. Thank you for introducing me to Diane and holistic veterinary care.

Thank you blogreaders and bloggers for your support and encouragement and all of the comments. It's been wonderful to meet others with the same passion in this journey, to learn and share and commiserate and recommend. Some of you feel like family and I wouldn't have met you without this medium.

Thank you, Ashke, for being a rockstar, for bumping me in the back of the shoulder when we walk, for whinnying when you hear my voice for the first time, for whinnying at me when I walk back to the grooming stall after going to the tack room, for licking my face and hands and shirt, for tugging on my clothing, for putting up with my struggles to get back into a balanced, relaxed riding space, for your eagerness to explore new venues, for your sweet smell and how much you love it when I groom you, for waiting for me, for not giving up, for trying, for listening, for being wonderful and perfect and mine.