Bright Eyed Clyde, a Love Story
Since the beginning of our journey I’ve wanted to write Clyde’s story but until now I wasn’t sure how. Finally after three months and countless explanations I’m ready to share with the world the love story of Clyde and Olivia.
Choosing the horses for our Journey was an excruciating task. We had coordinated with a rescue organization in Italy who had put us in contact with a horse dealer who bought horses from the Lombardia Slaughter auction. For me buying a horse means agreeing to commit to care for the remainder of its natural life. I seldom sell a horse, in order to buy one of my horses you have to be able to give them a better life than I can, and that’s pretty hard to do. So buying three horses I knew I would have to sell was difficult enough but not buying horses destined to die if I didn’t buy was worse. So I tried to stay focused on what we needed in a horse to successfully complete our trip. Although almost any horse can walk 20 to 25 kilometers in a day. Not every horse can do that every day for six months. We needed horses we could get along with and horses that would get along with other horses on our journey. Training wasn’t as important as disposition and considering we were beginning in February a good strong constitution was also very important. At least that’s what I told myself until I met Clyde.
Olivia picked Clyde out from the herd from the fence. She spent the next thirty minutes trying to catch him which didn’t make a very good first impression with me. Once she’d managed to get a halter on him and get him where I could take a good look at him I immediately said “NO!” Olivia went about brushing and cleaning him as if she didn’t hear me and I left her to look at some of the other horses. When I returned the discussion began. Olivia was certain we had to buy Clyde, he was young, well trained and had good feet and legs. I was certain that he was too sick, too thin and too independent to begin a journey of 2000 kilometers. Olivia assured me that he has strong and would recover from his ailments and the walking 2000 kilometers was exactly what he needed to build muscle and learn to bond with humans. I assured her that I was not riding across Europe like Don Quixote on a skinny horse, after all our Journey was about neglected and abandoned horses and I didn’t want to be accused of doing a horse any harm. That was the moment I knew I had raised one of the most amazing young women I’ve ever met. With her steel blue eyes locked firmly on mine she said “if you are more concerned about what people think and might say than saving this horse you are no better than the people who sent him here! What are we showing people if we only take fat healthy horses? Isn’t it more important to show people that even sick skinny horses are valuable and worthy of respect.” It’s difficult when your children challenge your convictions. I wanted so badly to explain to her that she was young and naive and that although her motivation was pure the outcome of taking an obviously sick horse on a long journey would do more harm than good. But as I stood on the cold and the mud looking at that sorry excuse for a horse I realized she was right, if our journey failed to reach England but we saved this horse then we had not failed at all. The journey was not the important part, the important part was to share the horses’ stories. After all they were the reason we were riding and it was their story we wanted to tell. With the condition that Olivia was responsible for Clyde’s health and well being, I paid the horse dealer for three “sound” saddle horses and we began our journey.
It’s been three months and 1000 kilometers and as I predicted we have been judged harshly by some for traveling with a skinny horse. Olivia has monitored his health and treated all of his ailments along with monthly checks by veterinarians. She healed his skin which caused large patches of his hair to fall out so not only was he skinny but he looked like a baby bird that was molting its feathers. She treated his runny nose and congestion which cleared up vey quickly and after six weeks we treated both he and Lapo with some medicine provided by a veterinarian to completely clear their lungs. Finally we found the right cure for his sarcoidosis and all are gone except the one behind his ear which is currently shedding more and more each day. He has gained about 100 kilos and still needs another 50, his skin is healthy and his hair has almost grown, shed and filled all the gaps. His back and hips are still filling in and I’m sure in another month or two it will be impossible to tell he was ever anything but healthy and the only thing people will notice when they see him is the upside down heart between his two bright eyes. But for now I still find myself explaining that we are not the cause of this horse being skinny we are actually the cure. Some days it is so difficult for me to bear the criticism I just want find a nice barn to leave him in and continue without him but Olivia never falters. She is so strong in her conviction that what we are doing is the very best thing for Clyde and that it’s important for people to see a horse can recover from sickness, neglect, abuse and injury. She ignores the criticism in favor of the mounting stack of data she has compiled on him over the last three months that empirically proves walking and minimal weight bearing are very good ways to build muscle and stamina in emaciated horses.
Young Love
This morning I watched out the window as Olivia fed the horses. As always, Clyde saw her coming and trotted to meet her. Long gone are the days of him being difficult to catch. After she set out the grain she went over and caressed him gently laying her head on his shoulder so all I could see was a mix of her blonde hair and his red mane shining in the morning sun. He didn’t stop eating but gently turned into her so she was wrapped in his neck. The love, respect and admiration was unmistakeable, she is his partner and his friend. At that moment I couldn’t image our journey without Clyde. I couldn’t image anything more important or more special than providing this horse with the opportunity to heal his body and his mind and providing my daughter with the opportunity to live her convictions. As with everything there will be a cost for both Olivia and Clyde. Olivia will have to leave Clyde behind. Her summer of love will come to an end and they will both have to move on with their lives. Olivia will begin the University and Clyde will have a new home with someone who will reap the benefits of all the love and effort she has placed in him. Clyde will lose the first person he has ever trusted, while his body and mind will be healed but his heart will be broken. But as with all young love that ends too soon, someone or something will fill the gap and ease the pain and they will both go on with their lives better for the experience.
Tomorrow Olivia and Clyde will saddle up and ride again sharing a bond of trust and respect only dreamed of by many. Tomorrow we will meet new people and tell the story once again but tomorrow I won’t consider what these people may think, tomorrow I will trust the convictions of my daughter and those bright eyes of Clyde and be grateful for getting the opportunity to take a skinny horse across Europe.
