Dear Sheila,
I own Sweet Summer V, a Desperado V daughter out of Sweet Illusion V. I thought you might like to hear about her and her life in Massachusetts.
She has never been to a horse show. She has never been shod. She has all her whiskers, though I do clip a short bridle path and the thick winter fuzz at the base of her ears. There is no baby oil rubbed onto her face for fancy photo shoots. Everyday she enjoys the company of her pal, Calista NA, and three acres of rocky New England pasture. Sometimes she rolls in mud, sometimes she rolls in sand, and sometimes she rolls in new snow.
I have seen her heal broken hearts and broken spirits. When wounded people come to my home, I bring them out to the barn. I open up Summer's stall door and my guest and I sit in two folding canvas chairs in the center aisle. Ever so slowly, Summer steps out to join us. She approaches the wounded soul, places her forehead against their chest, sighs loudly, and closes her eyes. Most of the time, the person looks at me and smiles. Sometimes they start to cry. Summer stays with her head on their chest for a long time.
Oh, I almost forgot, she is a riding horse too.
I know that there are hundreds of Varian horses that have won ribbons and championships. Summer will probably never join the ranks of those famous Varian horses. But to me, she is the best horse in the world.
Best regards,
Kathy Buckley
