In Memory of a Special Horse

Bonnet

A special horse to the VandenBerg Family passed away yesterday in San Diego. Bonnet was a beloved lesson horse for Briarwood Riding School for many years. I remember pulling Bonnet out of a pasture full of dude string horses at the ranch where I was teaching. These dude string horses were ill treated, thin, overworked, and when they became too old to work, they were sent to the killer buyer. I needed another lesson horse and was offered Bonnet. She worked out perfectly and remained a part of Briarwood for the next 20 years. Bonnet was eventually bought by Nancy Daniels, a member of Briarwood, where she was spoiled and cared for beyond any horse's wish. Shiloh sends our thoughts and prayers to Nancy and her beloved Bonnet.

On behalf of the Shiloh Horses, and rescued horses everywhere, Jill made a $200.00 donation to Shiloh's Slaughter Fund in Bonnet's memory.  

The following was written by Nancy, 

 "It is with a great deal of sadness, but also great joy and respect for her life, that I let everyone know that Bonnet passed away last night. As most of you know, Bonnet had been battling, among other things, an acute case of laminitis since mid December. We aren't sure how old she was but we believe she was at least 35 years old or older. Even though all of us made every effort to save her over the past 60+ days including close work with Dr. Chandler from ECLAP and Dwight Weinberg for special shoeing, the laminitis, aggravated by a metabolic disorder, was just too much for her and I believe it was just the outward sign that she was ready to move on. Last night things progressed to the place where there was no other decision to be made and she was peacefully euthanized on the grass on the cross country course.

I have been extremely privileged by the horses in my life, but Bonnet was the most incredible. Barely 14.3 hands tall, Bonnet was not only an an amazing horse, she was the epitome of the word "old soul". The list of people she taught to ride (me included) is longer than we will ever know about. There are so many people who benefitted from her generosity (and a few that got dumped on their heads but we won't dwell on that!) but it was impossible not to love Bonnet. One look into her wise, soulful eyes told a lifetime of stories. She was the cornerstone of the Briarwood school horse program for the past 20 years, but more importantly, she was our friend, companion, and teacher in life.

Please join me in remembering Bonnet and spend some extra time with those you love in her honor."

Nancy