Music is a powerful masterpiece. If you want to really shake me to my core as quickly as possible, send me a song name and artist. I'll get the message quicker than anything you could ever imagine saying directly to me. Music is amazing. This song is amazing. I used to sing it quite often growing up. Whether I was singing to my animals, my parents, or myself, I can honestly say that I've never sung it to or about a friend in the true definition of the term.
Summer Thurber is the wonderful woman I've spoken about in past blog posts who I got Maxwell from, and who currently has Bella, the pony I owned prior to Max. I've talked in part about what an amazing individual she is, but I feel like I've never done true justice in explaining what this person is to our world.
Summer is one of the most benevolent people I've had the pleasure of ever knowing. Her level of compassion for those in her life both human and animal is unimaginable. Her knowledge, passion, time, blood, sweat, and tears are all poured into these amazing creatures we call horses. Her biggest downfall is her big heart and her need to nurture those who require nurturing. Aside from her personal string of misfit animals and those who call her home their home, she spends whatever remaining time she has caring for her beautiful family and a herd of retired Thoroughbreds from Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa Bay (TROT). Summer has always offered with each horse that she places in a home, a 24/7 365 day a year open line of support. She really wants to ensure that these horses, some her personal horses, some those of TROT's ownership, seek out the perfect fit and that the new owners are well equipped to handle everything. It's not often that someone sells you a horse, and regardless of if the horse was bought for $5 or $10,000 you are offered an unsurpassable amount of help whenever you request it.
This brings me to my point, now. In obtaining Maxwell, I obtained a life long, great friend in Summer. We're forever connected by the bond of our horses. I've found a kindred spirit. They tend to come along at the right time for the right reason, just as was with this case. I'd been dealing with a growing laundry list of issues with Maxwell. All were minor in the grand scheme of things, but a lot of little issues add up to big ones if you let them get out of hand. I recognized that my horse was speaking to me in such subtle ways, and I craved assistance. I hope I haven't driven the woman mad yet, but she made good on her offer to always be a system of support for me and Maxwell, and now here we go, through each issue as a TEAM. I'm forever in debt to her not only for the horse I have, but by the help she offers me on a daily basis.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of Summer coming over to work with myself and Maxwell. We covered all the basics from ground work to saddle fitting to riding. It was really nice to have another person who takes things as seriously as I out there, working for one common goal: to have a happy harmonious connection between owner and horse. The changes in Maxwell after just a few hours of work are fascinating. I learned a LOT about my little Thoroughbred in the short time we all worked together.
This song has always had some form of a meaning to me. That meaning was renewed and grew when Summer mentioned one day that this was Maxwell's song. It makes perfect sense. He wasn't rescued from a dire situation. He was simply a grumpy racehorse who didn't want to race any longer. The song perfectly ties in what Summer is to Maxwell. It ties in what Summer is to me. A friend. Someone you can lean on when times are dark and you need help. In any respect, horse related or otherwise, I have no doubt that Summer would lend a helping hand. And now I can finally put a face other than my horse's to this song.
Summer snapped this picture of Maxwell and I after a very hard day of work
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