Well, by now you probably get the drift that I am mildly infatuated (some would be rude enough to suggest this is the understatement of all time) with horses, dogs, cats, donkeys and the world of fauna and flora in general. You might have guessed that Torchlight is a horse. A beautiful, bloodbay Thoroughbred gelding who came off the track with a bowed tendon and the strange monicker, Tom the Torch. Considering the thousands of new Thoroughbreds born every year, I guess they can't all have cool names......
Photo Courtesy Coco at Firefly Photos.
His new owner, a friend of mine, renamed him Major Tom. You know, the David Bowie song? Ground Control to Major Tom....he was aptly named at the time as when he left the stall his four hooves generally also left the ground for extended periods of time. Once recovered from his injury, I was tasked with helping bring him along and to instill in him the idea that he no longer had to run for the roses or express his extensive gymnastic talents under saddle in ways unsuited to preserving a rider's longevity.
Long story short, I was madly in love with this classically handsome, but deeply neurotic and damaged young horse from the word go. It was love at first sight. A few years went by and it was apparent he was more suited to me than to his owner, so when we moved to Texas from California, he came along.
Photo Courtesy Bill Laraia
That was ten years ago. With the move, a whole new phase in our lives began. With the change in environment, Tommy went from being interesting and challenging to near impossible. My learning curved increased exponentially....
We had alot of adventures together - we went a lot of places. We showed a little, we travelled to Colorado to experiment with Natural Horsemanship, we travelled far and wide for clinics with riders from the Spanish Riding School and teachers from schools of thought I respected and trusted. I had to be very careful in whose hands I placed us - Tom's trust in life and in me was as fragile as the shell of an egg.
Photo Courtesy Caren Ruthven
I renamed him Torchlight, because that is what being with him felt like - the journey with him was vague and challenging, faintly lit, each step barely illuminated till it fell behind us, but the learning I gleaned from this extraordinary teacher was worth it's weight in gold. He inspired my column at Horses For LIFE, Riding By Torchlight, a column that slowly but surely would change my life, just as he has.
Photo Courtesy Coco at Firefly Photos
Today, Torchlight has a new home after my failed experiment at retiring him. I felt he had given me all I had asked and all I could ask for, but he did not enjoy life as a pasture ornament, though God knows he had earned it. Torchlight is showered with daily attention, while enjoying showing Sarah all he knows and taking her on trail rides and foxhunting. At some 19 years old, Torchlight continues to shine a light for the humans around him. He still shines a light in my heart - I know I am the horsewoman I am today because of him and all he showed me I needed to learn. It is only fitting his name continues to grace my life and my efforts.
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Photo Courtesy Coco at Firefly Photos
P.S. For the full story on how Torchlight and I met, you can read more about him at Horses For LIFEand at my website on the articles page. Here is a quick link: Torchlight's Story
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