3521 Friday Family Photo--The story of Beau

A few weeks ago I told you the tragic story of my niece's husband, who manages a ranch in Illinois, developing a terrible infection in his hand when a thorn went through his glove, which required surgery, hospitalization and then physical therapy (still going on). While he was in the hospital, some of the horses got out of the corral before dawn, and two were hit in the road by a passing car, injuring severely the driver and two passengers, killing the one horse outright, and disabling the other. The injured horse was Beau, my niece's special pet, and this is his story.



Beau and Amy saved each others' lives five or six years ago. She was about as down and depressed as a young single mom could be, and he was headed for the slaughter house to become dog food. A girlfriend called her about two horses she heard about and Amy, who surely didn't need another pet to complicate her life (she already had a burro that was stretching her budget), fell in love at first sight. Beau was a young, unbroken stallion--had never worn a saddle or bridle. She got books and read everything she could about gentling and training horses--although I've seen her with animals and personally know she always has had a special knack with them. They spent a lot of time just loving each other, talking about life, sorting through the problems and walking--for miles. People used to ask her how her "dog" was because she wasn't riding him--just walking along with him. He would lay his head on her chest and come when she called his name. Eventually, the riding stage was no big deal because there was such a trust between them.

The night of the accident someone came to the house and told Amy some horses had escaped from the corral and been hit. It was dark so she couldn't see which ones, but in the headlights of the stopped traffic, she could see Beau standing along the road. She'd brought a halter with her, slipped it on his head, which he rested on her just like he always did, and she asked someone standing nearby to hold him while she checked on the other horses. She told him Beau wouldn't go anywhere, that he was gentle, but got a very strange response she didn't understand. Then the vet came up to her as she was about to lead Beau to the barn. The vet stopped her and said that wouldn't be possible, the horse was in shock and critically injured. Just then the traffic from the other direction started to move, and the headlights shone on Beau. She was horrified to see his injuries and knew right away, that he would need to be put down.

Beau will always have a special place in her heart, and I suspect he is irreplaceable even if someday she owns another horse. He came into her life when she rescued him, he then rescued her, worked his equine magic, and moved on.

After Amy told me this story I asked her if she knew that Beau had been her father's nickname when he was a little boy. She didn't.