A few years ago my daughter met her first love, her best friend and one of the best teachers she would ever have. She was in first grade and struggling. At the time I was fighting for her to get some help academically and trying to help her through the beginnings of encounters with mean girls. Yes, mean girls in first grade. Rachel was dealing with a yet to be diagnosis of dyslexia and an undiagnosed case of anxiety. She was one of those kids that was falling through the cracks because she was too smart for the help she really needed. She was also dealing with girls calling her fat, slow and saying she could not be their friends because she was not popular. Really?!
Enter horseback lessons. My parents found a place and took her out for a visit. She had always loved horses/ponies. From the time she could walk, pony/horse rides were what she craved. The wooden ones, the rocking ones, the carousel ones and the real ones! Any time we were someplace that had live pony rides, Rachel went right to that. She wanted to ride each and every one that was available. She also always wanted to ride the biggest one. (Someday this girl will own a Percheron or a Clydesdale.) Of course she wanted to take lessons immediately. We got her signed up and headed out to the barn in January. What were we thinking?!
Her first lesson was on this scraggly, old horse named Cody. It was love at first site. She was over the moon when she found out that he was for sale. She begged grandpa for Cody. My mom was shocked that this was the horse she wanted. He looked so ragged. None of this mattered to Rachel. To her he was the best horse ever, and she loved him. So just a few weeks after she started lessons, we became horse owners. 
Looking back at this picture, I still smile at the pure joy of a girl and her first horse. This picture shows him with his winter coat. He was 25 years old, sweet and well loved by all at the barn.
Cody became the blessing that Rachel so needed. He was patient with this little first grader that led him around, bought wildly colored halters and even a blinged out bridle for him to wear. He guided her as she learned to take care of him by picking up each foot she needed to clean out in the order they needed to be done, lowering his head for her to put his bridle on and even positioning himself in front of the mounting block so she could climb onto his back. When her trainer would ask her to walk or trot, I am pretty sure he responded to the verbal command so she felt confident. When she accidentally led him towards a jump, he jumped. Not bad for an old boy. When she fell off he stopped, stepped over to the side and waited for her. He never got upset when she was too loud, pulled a little too hard or moved a little too quickly. He just stood and waited for this little girl that adored him. Through Cody, I saw Rachel becoming confident and learning responsibility (she had to do all tasks related to caring for him). She even started attending and competing in some shows with him. Together they got her first blue ribbon. 
Cody became Rachel’s world. Often we would be at the barn and I would overhear her telling him stories, talking to him or singing to him. He would sit there looking at her with what I swear was love and understanding. She loved him more than anything else in the world. Eventually he needed to be retired from showing, and we had to purchase another horse. We did not get rid of her boy. We promised her she could keep him. She promised him she was his last owner and that she would be with him until the end. I am sure he believed her and felt content. Even when her other boys (4 and 2 legged) came into her life, Cody was her #1 boy. Every time we went to the barn she started with him and then moved on to the other two. He always got love, treats, brushing…first. Up until about a year ago, she would still get him out and ride once in awhile. I think he was her confidence booster, and she wanted him to know she hadn’t forgotten him. I smile at the fact that he always stuck his head out of his stall the minute he heard her voice. He nickered for her when she talked to the others. He always wanted the first and last love on her visit.
Cody turned 34 this year. That is quite an accomplishment for a horse. Just a few weeks ago she was out to visit him and they had quite the conversation. Even as a teenager, she knew he had her back and would keep her secrets. She video tapped him answering one of the questions:
Three days ago, Rachel had to make one of the toughest decisions of her young life. We got a call that Cody was not doing well. The vet was called and we headed out to the barn. Cody was showing signs of colic. After treatment and a long night, we found out he was not better. The vet was sure there was twisting of the gut/colon. At his age surgery would not have been good. We had long ago told our vet to let us know when it was time, because we would not be able to make that call on our own. It was time. Rachel wanted to be with him. I was worried about her seeing him go down and watching him take his last breath, but she was adamant. Bless her boy’s heart, he laid down for her so she did not have to see him fall. She sat by his head and confided her final secrets and her everlasting love for him. She was there until he took his last breath, reassuring him the whole time that he was her boy.
I have never been prouder of my girl. She handled this all with maturity, grace and love. As we were driving home she commented that she had kept her promise to him, she was his last owner and she was loving him until the end. She also shared that she asked him to watch over her other boys, Texas and Shadow and her. We are having him cremated, and she decided to have the plaque say: My boy, Cody. She is also going to have his registered name, birthdate and passing date added. She has also informed me that she knows he is her guardian angel now and he will take care of her always.
Just Jennifer... and her thoughts 