The Official Writing Challenge
This article has been read 2175 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Thank you for writing this. Though I never met him in person, I too loved Barbaro and was both sad and relieved to know that his suffering had ended. I had to put down my own beloved horse, the one I had that once-in-a-lifetime connection with, last spring, and while there are other horses in my life that I love deeply, no one will ever take my dear Sammy's place. This is such a beautiful tribute to all the horses we've ever had to say "goodbye" to.
OK. I'm crying. I don't usually do this when reading entries, but...you got me on this one! When the pounding music turned into hoofbeats I melted into a pool of tears. We lived outside of Lexington in Wilmore when Secretariat was at his peak. So although I'm not a horsewoman, this hits a nostalgic chord for me. Beatifully crafted ending!
03/16/07
This is so beautiful and moving and sad. Your details truly made this. I was blessed and touched by this more than you can know.
03/18/07
Wow. This was amazing. To see this from a horses' POV - and so vividly - is something I couldn't have imagined. Extremely well written and very touching
As a horse owner I sang this hymn with you. And, I agree, they are indeed running free in greener pastures, waiting...

Horses, magnificant animals, your writing a perfectly matched gait.
This was beautifully written. I loved the line "Dread hung in the air like a heavy wool blanket." You did a good job of expressing the emotions of all. It took me right back to the moment I saw him falter. The Scripture verse was very fitting.
Beautiful. Very descriptive. Sad when we have to have an animal that has been so much a part of our lives put down. This was a nice tribute.

I'm glad you put the lines of "All Creatures of Our God and King" close to the end. Tied the whole thing together.
03/20/07
A beautiful and heartbreaking story. This line so touched my heart: “His way of saying, Help me, please.” And this one, too: “In their eyes he could see an end to his suffering and he was finally able to relax and shut his weary lids." You have a gift of helping us to see things from the animal’s perspective. This was very nicely done.
This brought a tear to my eye. I love horses and you drew a lot of emotion in from the Barbaro's perspective adding a very nice twist to it. I loved the end with running through the fields and singing-great choice of hymn too. ^_^
This is so touching and sweet. I have a huge soft spot for animals, and this really struck a chord with me. It's well written, too. Thank you for sharing this.
No child of God likes to see an animal suffer. I think the reason this piece has so many views is because all of us were impacted by Barbaro's touching, sad story...maybe not even realizing how much until we (and I) read your story.

It's perfect. No words beyond that, just...perfect. God bless.
So amazing and beautifully written. I loved this piece and the hymn at the end was so perfect! You are truly gifted, don't ever stop writing for Him!
03/22/07
I admit I am not a big animal lover but Barbaro's story touched me, and your hymn was so moving and emotional. The end was just right. What a tribute.
sniffle sniffle Oh you are there, sorry I was really into your story. I would have my 12 year old daughter read this but I would not be able to stop her tears for a week. Wonderfully written!