Tribute to Sir Norfleet Chex

I knew you after your career. 

I knew you through front porch stories from grandpa. 

I knew you through old photos, and phone calls, and hours spent at the barn. 

I knew you as the horse who didn’t take treats unless they were cheap fake apple biscuits. 

I knew you standing for hours as I brushed your tail, braided your mane, and bathed you.

I knew you nudging the gate open, but never stepping out. 

I knew you soft on the end of a lead rope, flirting with a mare. 

I knew you loping soft circles, teaching me what I didn’t know. 

I knew you winning me a scholarship as I headed off to college. 

I knew who you were, after who you were…

As a friend,

A confidant, 

A partner, 

A cherished family member.

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I knew you for how you kept your stall clean. 

I knew you for how gentle you were as you carried children. 

I knew you, standing in your doorway as I opened the barn doors. 

I knew you dirtier than you were clean… 

Somehow it felt special to me, to know you differently. 

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They’re never just horses, are they? They become a part of our hearts. 

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I think when an animal takes their final breath, the greatest thing we can offer those who love them is a reminder of the immeasurable ways they changed us and how much they mattered. 

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Animals leave behind more than memories. They leave behind a version of us that would not exist without them.

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Cheers to gentlest stallion I’ve ever known. It was an honor to call you a friend.