Milagro’s rescue took place in December, a few days after my 43rd Birthday. As I focused on celebrating the holiday season, Milagro was starting his slow but steady climb to recovery.
The months slipped by and Elizabeth and the others at the barn took special interest in his care. As he began to gain weight, he started a daily ritual of exercise in the arena. Sometimes his body would react negatively to his new balanced diet and exercise and his legs would swell. But he worked through it and within months he was looking more like his old self again. A horse none of them had known before. He grew and changed and blossomed.
Summer came and went. Milagro spent this time rehabbing with lots of food, water and love. All the girls brought him carrots, and he especially loved to be turned out into the pasture to graze the green grass to his hearts content. He was a happy horse. Incredibly grateful for this new lease on life. But he was lacking one thing. He didn’t have his person. While the others horses in the barn had their owners who came each day to ride and spoil and dote on them, Milagro waited. He was not about to complain because it was a wonderful place to be, but he was missing one thing.
It was October and I went to a ladies luncheon with a good friend of mine named Nicole. These meetings were open to over 500 women, but not all members came to each luncheon. This meant you could always plan on meeting a couple new faces. We sat at a large table with a few empty seats. As the restaurant filled, a few ladies joined us. We all exchanged names and know hows and began to chat about this or that.
These two ladies began talking about horseback riding and I asked where they rode. Both of them have horses and ride together at a stable not far from where town. I told them how much I loved riding, and missed it dearly. Its hard to find things to do in Cabo that are not centered around the beach or ocean. Being the country girl I am at heart, I often wondered how or where people rode or keep their horses. These places are private, and mostly by invitation only.
The two of them were nice enough to invite me to ride with them the following morning. I was thrilled! They explained that there was a spare horse at the barn who needed some exercise and didn’t have a person of his own, so would I like to come out and meet him and go on a trail ride. It took me all of three seconds to say YES!
The next morning I dug out my riding clothes and mustered up a pair of old tennis shoes since my boots were back in the U.S. in storage. After loading some carrots and apples to give to the horses, I was on my way.
I arrived at the barn and was soon introduced to the owner of the horse I was going to be riding that day. She was coming back from the trail herself, and I immediately recognized her. It was Elizabeth, the woman I had met 10 months prior at the Dressed To The K9’s Holiday Party. She seemed as surprised as I was to see me there. We had only met that one time but she seemed to remember me. My mind began to race and I was quick to patch the story together. And then it suddenly it made perfect sense. The horse I was about to ride was the one she had described to me that night. The one she had rescued just days earlier. Almost one year later that story resonated in my heart.
We walked through the barn past a few stalls. And then we stopped walking and she introduced me to her rescue horse. I looked into take a look at this mystery horse. And there was Milagro. This beautiful red boy, just waiting for me. He lifted his head from his morning breakfast and turned to look at me as if to say “what took you so long”. He needed someone, he needed me, and until that very moment, I had no idea how much I had needed him.
Suddenly I had tears in my eyes as I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. That feeling of being a visitor was no more, and suddenly I had a profound sense of purpose to be there.
The photo above is of our first meeting. I look at this picture and it tells me a story of two lost souls who have found each other. Two souls who may have known each other from another life or time. And from that day forward I hoped we would never part.
Milagro and Me
animals/animal rescue/equestrian/horses/horseback riding/books/memoir/Cabo San Lucas
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