Roxy

This is probably one of the most famous horse video's of all time, within and outside of the horse community. Of course, it is Stacy Westfall and Roxy (Whizards Baby Doll), performing to Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying". The two performed this at Congress in the 2006 reining freestyle, completely tack-less. The performance also came shortly after Westfall's father passed away, which, I think, makes the communication and bond between rider and horse mean so much more. 

As horse people, we've all had those moments where words are just either not enough, or too much, and we turn to our equine partners to give us that unconditional silence we so need. To see someone having gone through such a tragedy and then triumphantly emerge and have such a fluid bond with an animal is a work of art unto itself.

Roxy was a champion, and gave the world a glimpse of the exceptional bond between rider and horse. She was also a pretty major celebrity - Ellen DeGeneres got the chance to ride her when Westfall was on her show. She will be missed, and like Hickstead who passed earlier this year, she was magnificent.

Definitely, another great has been taken from the horse world.

"Heaven's remuda improved with one fine mare"

& what a remuda it must be.

For more information; go to http://stacywestfallhorseblog.com/

Hickstead

Sunday morning, the sun was shining into the barn, I was talking with a boarder, leaning on my pitchfork and feeling a little less-frazzled than usual when she said, "Oh my god, I have news, I heard last night from a friend in Europe that Hickstead died in Italy." The first thing that went through my mind was, .. well, not Eric's Hickstead. Then, How is that possible?. She continued that he had jumped a clear run, and after the course he seized, fell and died... most likely of a heart attack. Everyone in attendance agreed that it was an absolute tragedy to the horse industry, and then we went back to what we were doing.

But for some reason I couldn't shake it, Hickstead was dead. Impossible. You see, Hickstead is the horse that every little girl that loves ponies dreams are made of. He was cute and compact, but powerful and awe-inspiring. He was that out of the blue, nobody saw it coming (not even Eric Lamaze in the beginning), who woulda thought, kinda horse.

When I was a little girl, dreaming of ponies, my grandparents would take me to Spruce Meadows, and I would wander the grounds for hours, happily petting the noses of the massive jumpers in their beautiful stalls. I could have spent days just sitting there, watching those animals literally leap into the sky. So, although western is my heart and soul, a piece of me has always loved the "Spruce" atmosphere, English saddles, jumps so high that you couldn't climb them if you wished and those horses... that fly. It always seemed so magical.

Magic was definitely in the air this year when I went with a good friend to the CN International, Eric and Hickstead jumped both rounds clear, and the crowd roared for them. You could tell the second Hickstead walked onto the course who the crowd favourite was. Everyone stopped speaking and the world seemed to stand still as he took those jumps, and by the time he had cleared the last one the crowd was in hysterics. Eric and Hickstead, Canada's dream team.

So, although I never personally met Hickstead, and have never met Eric Lamaze, and realistically have no true connection to the Show Jumping world, I felt that sting of losing a hero, losing something that meant so much to so many people. The little stallion that could. May he rest in peace.