A Horse Named Fire

The thing about letting go of a dream is that it never truly goes away. Looking back on that day in September, 2015, I was a total bundle of nerves and for good reason. I had just traveled across my home province of BC to “see a man about a horse.” 

Actually, it was to see a woman about a filly – a filly I had dreamed about long before she even existed. The filly was out of a mare I was lucky enough to ride nearly ten years ago, a Hanoverian mare, bought at The Verden Auction in Germany by the family I worked for at the time. Dondula and I had a fantastic first year of horse showing and figuring each other out. I remember when I would pick up a trot in the ring people would stop and stare, she was just that impressive. Dondula jumped a perfect 10 and had more heart than any horse I have ever ridden. Unfortunately, her riding career was cut short due to an injury and my heart was irreparably broken. No matter how much time passed since I sat on that horse, I always joked that I would “give my first born for her first born.

Fast forward a few years, add idle hands and an internet connection, and there I was trying to track her down to see where she had ended up. I was thrilled to find her and even more excited when I saw that she had just had a filly. Because I have little to no self-control, I typed out an inquiry about the filly and asked if she was for sale, and thus began the dance that lasted for about two years. At that time she was not for sale, and to be honest I was relieved. I was certainly in no position to be buying a horse, so this made it that much easier for me.  

When she did come up for sale I was still not really in a position to be buying a horse, but through persistence, patience (on mine and the breeder’s part), and some support from friends and family, I eventually decided that no matter how, I had to make this happen. I scheduled a pre-