SAYING GOODBYE TO A DEAR FRIEND!
Greetings and salutations loyal Hands and Hearts for Horses Followers! It’s me, your friendly “NEIGH”borhood horse blogger back with another entry of our weekly blog!
Remember, I have been hiding clues to my secret horsey identity in each week’s blog entry, so if you haven’t checked out our first two blog posts, go back and read them and search for the clues! I have included the link to each post below for easy access!
Week 1: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/walking-the-fencelines/2024-3-11-itsallfunandgames
Week 2: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/walking-the-fencelines/2024-3-18-showyourspirit
Tune in each week for another clue! REMEMBER, if you think you know which horse I am, shoot us a message or email Stephanie at stephanie@handsandheartsforhorses.com ! Don’t spoil the mystery for our other followers by posting your guess publicly! Can you piece together the clues and figure out which horse I am? Because I’ll never tell, well not until enough of you have guessed my secret! Once enough correct guesses have come in I’ll post a summary of the clues that should have led you to guess my identity and we will do a big reveal!
In exciting news, the first person to guess my identity correctly will win a Hands and Hearts for Horses sticker and a piece of pretty Hands and Hearts for Horses themed jewelry created by our very own boss lady (or as the humans call her executive director) Susie’s own mom! So tune in for those clues and get those guesses in! One guess per person, per week please!
Now onto more serious matters. As your friendly “NEIGH”borhood horse blogger I LOVE sharing fun, exciting, and funny news around the barn! However, I feel like I should update everyone on all goings on at the barn, particularly ones that have a big impact on our herd, staff, riders, and volunteers. SO, it is with a heavy heart I want to share with you all that we had to say goodbye to our dearest friend Houdini in February. Anyone who has been out to Hands and Hearts for Horses has met Houdini, our barn cat, feline protector, and according to the humans, the boss of everyone here.
Houdini
Houdini kept a loving and watchful eye on the herd, staff, volunteers, and riders at Hands and Hearts for Horses!
Houdini appeared at Hands and Hearts for Horses in the early 2000s and adopted us as his home. He knew he had found his place. He loved spending his days lounging in his favorite sunny spot, napping on the couch in the classroom, napping on the saddle pads, or even helping the humans type things on their computers in the office! He loved having free roam of the barn and getting loved on by all the humans who came here. He won the hearts of riders, volunteers, staff, and horses alike and was a fixture and by far our most popular staff member! When school groups would arrive for their lessons, he would usually head to the classroom to greet them so that he could get some pets! He was one of the sweetest, most affectionate, and patient cats I have ever encountered. He even rubbed up on my BELL BOOTS sometimes!
Master of Snuggles and Napping!
Houdini could often be found napping on saddle pads, comfy blankets in the office, or in his favorite sunny spot!
Unfortunately, his health was failing steadily this year, and he then became extremely sick very quickly, and the humans and his doctor had to make the call to let him pass away peacefully. We waited to make this public until the humans had a chance to share the news more personally with our riders and volunteers. He passed here at Hands and Hearts for Horses and now rests in his favorite sunny spot with us forever. This has been a very emotional time for the human staff here and for us horses, and many of us have struggled with talking about him because he was so loved, so we hope you understand why this news is getting shared a little late.
Boss of the Barn!
Houdini can be seen here sitting in his element in his director’s chair! The human staff could often be heard to joke that he was the true boss at the barn and that everyone takes their marching orders from him!
Please join us in saying our loving goodbyes to our bestest cat friend Houdini! Please feel free to share any sweet memories you have with him on our blog or on Facebook! We will treasure our memories with him forever.
Sweet Memories
“A true friend is never truly gone. Their spirit lives on in the memories of those who loved them.”
With those words, I am signing off for this week dear readers, and will be back next week with another “NEIGH”borhood blog entry.
‘Til next time!
XOXO Your friendly “NEIGH”borhood Horse Blogger!