As every well-versed equestrian knows, dental health is incredibly important to any aging horse’s mouth. And when I was about 16 years old I became friends with the man who would float our horses’ teeth. I’m a bit of an old soul when it comes to any sort of health care so I preferred this man because he did it all by hand. He refused to sedate and place any horse in any sort of contraption to force their mouth open; he was of the dying cowboy breed. Throughout the years we would keep in contact and I would hire him as needed to take care of all of the dental needs of my horses.
Out of all my horses (who were mostly mares), I knew he favored Dillinger the most. I mean, let’s be honest, hardly anyone likes mares. And as the years flew by he began to ask me if I’d ever consider letting Dillinger go and for a long while, I refused. He’d ask me, “How much would you want for him?” and I’d respond with “He’s my baby. I could never” and in true cowboy fashion I was met with “Well that honey, tells me he’s out of my price range.”
Years continued to pass and in 2018 I welcomed my second daughter and ended up moving to a house with significantly less land. I was frustrated with it all. Not having enough space for my horses, being a new mom for the second time eight years later, and the hustle and bustle that comes with owning livestock and children. In the Winter of 2018, my equine dentist, Forrie Smith, came out once again to float my horses’ teeth. And again, he asked if I was ready to get rid of my gelding, except this time I said yes.
I’m not one of those people who are interested in the idea of ‘horse trading’. It’s really not my jam at all. Once I have an animal I intend to keep it until it passes, but if I were able to sell any horse I had, I’d sell Dillinger and to Forrie only. So I made the phone call to him and told him where my mind was. He said he would be back down in Arizona in a couple of months so he’d grab him then. It was a day that I was dreading, but I also knew it was the best thing for my horse. It was one of those things where if you love them you have to let them go… or something like that.
The day approached quicker than I expected and deep down I was incredibly sad. It just felt wrong but I knew he was going to a great home and a man would appreciate and care for him. After I said my goodbyes and Forrie loaded him we chatted for a few minutes and updated each other on our lives. He congratulated me on the baby and lastly, I asked him if he ever wanted to sell Dillinger in the future, I’d love to have first dibs. He smiled and nodded, we shook hands, and I watched Dillinger as they drove off until he got smaller and smaller until I could no longer see him.
In the following five years that Dillinger was gone, Forries’ career blew up. He was doing what he loved and finally found a sweet spot on a well-known television drama series. He’d send me updates on the horse about once a year and we still remained in contact even though he no longer needed to float teeth to get by.
This past late June I received an update that was unlike any of the others. He called to tell me he wanted to ‘half his herd’ and Dillinger was one of the horses he was going to let go of. After the phone call, I froze as I thought to myself “I’m going to get my horse back!”. Forrie remembered me and didn’t forget our deal.
On July 27, 2023, Dillinger and I were reunited. Before he was even unloaded out of the trailer I was standing behind his hind end and I called his name as they drove through my front gate, his ears flickered back in excitement, he remembered me! That beautiful little stud colt that was born during a monsoon storm back in 2011 that I had to physically carry out of the mud, was home. My heart burst into a thousand tiny pieces that day.
After Dillinger was unloaded, Forrie and I caught up once again. It’s absolutely wild how quickly life flies by. I told him how much the family and I enjoyed watching him on the big screen and how proud I was of him. His eyes glimmered and he smiled back saying, “Me too, Honey”.
And before he drove off that day I asked him if I could get a picture of him with my daughters (I have three now) and he was more the willing. For those of you who are not familiar with Forrie Smith, he’s the older cowboy in the bunkhouse on Yellowstone, Lloyd. An honest cowboy who was a man of his word, regardless of fame.
I don’t even know if this post is an ode to good horses or to honest cowboys who keep their word, but maybe both.
Thank you Forrie for being the man, the cowboy, and the friend that you are to me.
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