Reflection on loss

When I lived in Kentucky for almost nine years, I rode whenever I could. I never got to the level where I would call myself an experienced rider, but I grew to love horses.

The news of Barbaro being euthanized hit me hard. I was on a business trip when the Preakness occurred, and watched alone in my hotel room as the breakdown happened. I'm not ashamed to say I cried; I didn't believe then that he would survive, but as his drama unfolded, I wanted to believe he would.

What struck me yesterday was this quote from his owner: "Grief is the price we all pay for love."

Truer words haven't been spoken. I think you could apply that, on a lesser scale, to the Guiding Eyes raising experience. What I try to tell people is that yes, it is always hard letting go, but the tradeoff is the love and time you have with that animal.

Poor Barbaro. But from what I've read, his owners tried everything they could to save him -- in my opinion, not for the potential monetary gain they'd get if he survived to be a stud. (That had seemed increasingly unlikely.)

No, just for love.