The word ‘family’ has meant different things to me. The biggest change happened in 2011, when I met Bo. I was working as an administrative assistant when my husband Rick’s position at the university was eliminated. I was stressed out. I didn’t know what would become of my family.
But, serendipitously, a neighbor rode by on her horse, and I called out, “Wait!” Without knowing what I meant but knowing I had to say it, I told her “I need horse time.” Within minutes of meeting Bo, a Rocky Mountain horse, I felt something different. I felt whole. I felt light. I felt empowered. I asked myself, “what the heck just happened?” My neighbor pushed me into getting a saddle on Bo, and off we went on a ride! When we came back, Bo’s owner almost gave him to me, for she had never seen a connection like I had with him. I was surprised, and I thought “Isn’t this just the way it is with every horse?” While Bo never came to live with us, I changed that day and welcomed the horses into my family.