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Equus Spirit
Horse
of the Year
Photo Contest Winners
Val Hampson,
Editor
The Horse of the Year is
Big Red, a
quarter horse type gelding of unknown lineage who passed on this
summer at the age of 35. He was an extraordinary horse. He was owned by
Sue Newman (snewsy@rnsmte.com)
of Benson,
AZ, an equally extraordinary
woman. Sue is the author of the story below, which is also the side bar
for Red’s story on the Equus Spirit Horse of the Year Calendar, 2007.
Jan Loveless of Visalia,
CA, and JBar Ranch (www.jbar.com
) shot the photo and submitted it. Here
is Sue’s story and the winning photo:
Big Red
photo
by Jan Loveless
I thought I was rescuing an older
horse suitable for guests. But that was not the plan. Big and not
much to look at, he was in rough shape with one shoe clinging to a
hoof growing 6 inches underneath it.
The
level of his past abuse was so intense, he forced me to ‘listen in’
before I could do anything with him. He was to become my master
teacher.
Over the
years, I gave him everything I absolutely could almost as if in the
giving, I could somehow surgically remove or erase the sadness of
the old horrific abuse and perhaps also mine.
This
year at 35, I had to put him down. He had tangled in barbed wire and
his struggle had flipped him. He was too weak to get up. At that end
moment, he gave a breathy whisper of a nicker in last recognition of
me. Somehow, it told me we had crossed a bridge together. The
teacher and the student were complete.
Susan
Newman
snewsy@rnsmte.com
Congratulations, Sue and
Jan, and thank you for sharing Big Red and his wonderful spirit!
Sue has
written more about Red and their relationship. Equus Spirit will
be publishing more of his story in an upcoming issue.
There were
10 other finalists, as well. We will be featuring some of the
horses and their stories in upcoming issues of Equus Spirit. Here are
the names of the 10 finalists and their horses (listed alphabetically by
submitter's last name):
Cindy
Allen with LiRoi
Teresa
Fay with Junior
Samantha
Heath-Lange with
Jericho
Barbara
Ellen Ries with
Sweet Adeline
Christi
Scalera with Dillon
Deborah
Schneider with Bo
Leigh
Shambo with Gallant
Mary Ann
Swim with Harley
Mary Ann
Swim with
Tempestuoso
Bonnie
Treece with Dancer
Also
included in the calendar is Connie from Riverside Farm
and the Stepps Rehabilitation Clinic (
www.steppsrehab.co.uk
) in Gloucestershire, UK, - Sam Quinlan, Director. That photo
also shows Leigh Shambo conducting her workshop, “Horse- Human
Connection: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning”, at Stepps
with Connie.
You can
see all these great photos by viewing the Calendar in the
Equus Spirit
Online Store .
Your
purchase helps support Equus Spirit!
The printer/distributer
(Cafepress) is running a special 20% off all calendars under $24
through December 3,
2006.
Normally
$24.95, the price is dropped to $23.99 through Dec 3, 2006, so you can
take advantage of an additional 20% off.
Order
early to avoid the rush if
you are buying them as gifts- and they make great ones!
*
The Calendar is
published by Equus Spirit and printed and distributed by Cafepress, an
established, secure online printer.
Val Hampson, is the editor of Equus Spirit. Contact her at
valh@equusspirit.com
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