May 10, 2010 ~ From the moment that we delighted having met such a lovely little filly, our lives forever changed. As this little horse makes her way into our hearts, much to my surprise there were many others too, after her story had been told. Although my interests were already piqued in which the industry this little filly came from (she was a by-product of the pharmaceutical industry that produces HRT ~ Hormone Replacement Therapy for women) I was intrigued to see something else very special happen. The man in the picture here also had something show up for him and this came out through his story telling of his Grandfather who was from Germany; a caretaker for many of the horses that were used in World War 2. As he tells his story he shares how his Grandfather used to sleep in the barn often with the horses, as he found a special kind of peace in being with them. Having this horse brought on much meaning for both of us and with the observations of these new insights we were experiencing, we set out to find a name for this filly that would best describe her and what she meant to us. We looked everyone for the perfect name but nothing hit home. She did not suit a mystical name of any sort nor did she suit her first given name before we got her, Fatty Patty!!
As fate would have it, we decided to do a search on what the name Angel meant because I had called her this from the day I met her. The first descriptive we found for the name Angel came from the Coat Of Arms; I Stand In The Track Of My Ancestors This was enough! We were convinced this was to become the new name of this little horse that we knew back then, had much to teach us.
A Close Moment ~ Vernon & Angel ~ Winter 2011, Langley, B.C.
Almost three years has passed now since this little horse came into our lives in the spring of 2008. The writing for this project seemingly has hit a point where now we are putting energy into thoughts that moves our hearts, with all that we have learned. Angel has grown into a lovely four year old mare who is doing very well. She is sensitive, trusting but still holds her clever edge that she came to us with which we are thankful for. She has become a fine teacher and has a younger sibling by the name of Mischief as well. As we continued to learn and find answers to our questions; we began to find more questions as to the meaning behind Angel's given name. We think today about Vernon's Grandfather and the war he fought in and having the comfort of horse's surrounding him in times when I am sure his heart felt heavy. I think about my family and the ties they have to the horse ~ there is no where we can look back to and not see that the horse has always been by our side; to carry us through wars, to plow our fields so we could grow crops of grain for food, to carry us across our respective countries to places where we would claim as home.
The horse has been our beast of burden ~ but did they complain?
Sgt. Reckless ~ Korean War Horse Hero
So here we are today with many questions answered yet we find there is still so much more to learn. We know we are not yet done on this journey that Voice For The Horse has opened up for us; I think we have just begun. It has only been a small piece of time that has past since our own Grandparents lived as they did and in many if not all cases, there was a horse by their side. At Voice For The Horse we ask that if you come across this page on the web that you take the time to reflect back on your grandparents lives and that of their ancestors and see what it is you learn. One thing that we will all have in common is that their were horses by all of our sides.
We believe that in the years to come the horse will no longer be bred in the abundance they are today. Times certainly are changing; we are even seeing horse's been noted as teachers in our lives. It must be mentioned though that with all this being said there is still a huge area of concern and where is it we go today with what we know. Perhaps we have piqued your curiousity and we hope so! Maybe you are questioning more about your own grassroots and your ancestory. It is an exciting journey to take as we realize how not so very far away we are from those that have come before us.
Our horses have taught us well. It is our hope that the next time you are with a horse be it yours or one that crosses your path, that they may offer you some insights as to where you have come from ~ and if you take the time to look through their eyes you will find that they too were by your side.
"Look back on our struggle for freedom. Trace our present day's strength to it's source; and you will find that man's pathway to glory is strewn by the bones of a horse" ~ Annonymous
For those that are interested in learning about the history of the horse we have put together a number of educational online videos to further help you learn about the horse. Enjoy!!
