I came across this lovely poem on Facebook. The author is Miska Carlberg Paget, a large animal veterinarian in Prescott, Arizona.
Saving a bit of your horse’s tail after they die to make into a bracelet or a necklace or a fly whisk, is how many people choose to remember the partners they loved.
I was very grateful when my husband went to Tufts after my Trakehner, Kroni, died to get some hair from his tail. However, I have to admit that I’ve never been able to open the box. It upset me so much when I lost him, that it’s become a Pandora’s box. I just don’t want to open it and let out the memories.
My new theory is to take a little bit of hair from the horses who are still with me (Zelda has enough tail for maybe three horses) and wear it proudly. The idea came to me as I looked down at my fly whisk and noticed it was woefully thin after several seasons of use. Perhaps mixing a bit of black and chestnut hair will do the trick.
The Best Horses in Heaven, They Have No Tail
The best horses in Heaven
they have no tail.
This is a rule they all know
without fail.
For when a new horse arrives
with a short cut bob,
they all know that this horse
did a very good job.
His owner could not bear
to part with her friend
so she saved his tail,
wrapped in ribbons
and in braids,
to hold with his memory
in a very loving way.
To enter Heaven
without a tail
is an honor,
a message,
that without fail
announces to everyone,
far and wide
that this horse
was more than a wonderful ride.
But
this horse was loved and cherished by one
and when his time serving on this Earth was done
he left behind
a broken heart
and a soul
from which he never will part.
Yes. I have Jordan’s tail. It will be cremated with me. Sue had Raven’s tail removed but hasn’t had the heart…so she says…to retrieve it from the vets
But years ago, I had a bracelet made from part of his tail. So…I have tail hair from the two most important and loved horses I ever had.
If you want to take hair from the tail of ahorse that’s still alive, take it from the very end of the tail bone itself. This way, you’re not butchering the horse’s tail, it leaves no indication of being ‘cut’ and it grows back, eventually.
My daughter, a large animal veterinarian in Prescott, Arizona, is the author, Miska Carlberg Paget. She is working on a book, in between all her other commitments to creatures large and small. Recently, she’s been asked to perform her poetry at Cowboy poetry festivals and is finding it great fun and inspirational.
I will gladly give her credit!
Thanks for sharing my poem! I will be sharing this one….and many other special poems….this year (2020) at the Arizona Cowboy Poetry Gathering and the Cimarron Gathering, among other appearances!