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.