Healing a Broken Heart...

In December of 2008, I purchased the Eb’s Sunbeam,  the prized golden palomino owned by Westwood Farms.  Miss Scarlet O’Hara was the product of two of the best bred TWH in the industry.  Her dam, Threat’s Palomino was the only palomino offspring of the great WGC, Triple Threat.  Miss Scarlet’s sire, Ebony’s Mark of Gold was the son of the unforgettable Ebony Masterpiece and out of a daughter of Midnight Mack K.  Who could ask for a better pedigree?  It wasn’t her papers that made Miss Scarlet who she was, it was her heart and she gave it to me unconditionally. We did everything together, riding the beaches of Maine, swimming in the lakes, foxhunting,  competing in local shows, spending our winters in Virginia and our summers in Maine.  I purchased her at the same time as another horse, Portrait of a Lady, also a TWH.  These two mares were my very first horses.  They taught me everything, they gave me everything and I loved them completely.  Miss Scarlet was my hero, my guiding light, my best friend.

On September 26, 2103, Miss Scarlet O’Hara passed away after a four day illness.  We discovered she had cancer and went downhill quickly.  Surgery wasn’t an option and so she was laid to rest.  She made the decision for us.  Miss Scarlet was stoic, she never complained.  She stood proud and tall, until her last breath.  My life was forever changed when I met her and again when she left.  I’ve never experienced the kind of bond I had with her.  We were soul mates, we were an absolute union. 

Knowing that she had one offspring still alive, I sought him out.  Stephanie Ford tried contacting the person she sold him to with no response.  I decided to try the internet.  We knew she sold him to Howard E. Harris from Montgomery, PA.  Google is a wonderful thing….. I found him and it listed the street he lived on.  Calling information on my cell, I hit a dead end with no listing to be found.  I explained, through tears, to the operator what happened to Miss Scarlet and that I desperately needed to find Mr. Harris.  She kindly suggested I use my land line as Verizon’s 411 had a limited directory.  So I followed her advice and called 411 again from my home phone.  Another dead end…no listing on that road.  Overcome with grief, I burst into tears trying to explain how desperate I was to find him.  I asked if they could search for anyone listed on the same road.  The operator transferred me to her supervisor and through sobs and more tears, she listened to my story.  This woman was all choked up as she agreed to help me and found an address with a phone number!  I must have thanked her a thousand times. 

Pulling myself together, I dialed the number.  A child answered the phone and I asked for the man name on the listing.  He handed the phone to his mom and I began telling my story.  Once again, I found myself breaking down while trying to explain to her that this wasn’t some prank call.  I just wanted to speak to Mr. Harris.  I told her the story of Miss Scarlet and what had happened to her and how I was trying to find her son.  I asked her the one question I was almost afraid to ask.  “Is there a golden palomino that lives on your street?”  She gasped!  “Yes, and my children visit him all the time!”  She went on to tell me how sweet this gelding was and how her children love to help with the feedings!  My heart was so full I thought it was going to explode!  I asked if she would be willing to take my name, phone number and deliver it to Mr. Harris. This wonderful woman agreed to help me!  She was all choked up, listening to me thank her over and over.  I hung up the phone not quite believing what had just happened.  I emailed Stephanie letting her know the good news! 

Hours passed and then the phone rang.  I was not near my phone when it rang and the number was a Pennsylvania phone number.  It was Mr. Harris!  I returned the call and talked for hours.  Through more tears, I told him what had happened to Miss Scarlet.  Mr. Harris had a kind and gentle voice.  He listened intently while I told him my story.  All I wanted to know was how her son was, Gambler’s Gold Threat.  Was he happy?  Was he healthy?  Yes and Yes!  We shared stories, laughed together and cried together.  I could tell that he loved this horse more than life itself.  Ending our conversation, “Howdy” asked for some pictures of Miss Scarlet and told me he’d send me some of “Rebel, a/k/a Rebbie”.    I asked him to please consider me if he ever would sell his Rebbie.  The response I received hit me like a bullet.  “Oh, I’d never sell him or even consider selling him until I heard your story.”  We ended our call with promises to exchange photos.  I told Howdy I would send him the video tribute I created of Miss Scarlet along with the beautiful obituary that Stephanie Ford wrote.  That night I sent along these two items to Howdy.  Two days later I received an email from Howdy saying that he and his wife balled their eyes out watching the video and reading the obituary.  He wrote that I had been weighing heavy on his mind and that we needed to talk.  My heart skipped so many beats I thought it was going to stop beating all together!  We talked later that evening and Howdy told me that he wanted me to have Rebbie.  He said he wanted Rebbie to be all he could be and the only way that was going to happen is if he came to live with me.  He said that God had a plan to heal my broken heart and Rebbie was part of that plan.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  The only thing Howdy asked in return is that I help him find a new horse.  I agreed.  We agreed to meet at Westwood Farms on December 13, 2013. 

My husband, Dan, and I were driving from Maine and Howdy was driving from Pennsylvania.  I set up the appointment for the Vet to arrive in the afternoon for the pre-purchase exam. I arrived shortly before Howdy.  When I saw them driving up, I literally ran towards them with my arms reaching for the sky.  I couldn’t believe I was about to meet Miss Scarlet’s son.  Off the trailer he came, bright eyed and anxious.  He’d had a 5 hour trailer ride and was ready to get out!  He was sweet, handsome and loveable, just as I knew he would be!  Rebbie is 6 years old and full of life!  The Vet performed his exam and found his front left leg was a little off on the flexion.  We decided to give him 10 days of rest and try again.  It was the longest 10 days of my life!  Stephanie agreed to keep him during this time, play with him and ride him.  She also flexed him and he passed!  I was receiving all good reports from her and in my heart I just knew this was all going to work out.  I kept thinking what Howdy said….. God has a plan. 

Well, on Saturday, December 28^th, Dan and I drove back to Westwood Farms and we tested him again.  He passed!  God did have a plan for us!  Gambler’s Gold Threat was coming home with us!  He looks very much like his dam and has many of her silly traits, too!  I am so very blessed to have been able to track Howdy down, and have this miracle occur.  It is truly a miracle.  I miss Miss Scarlet more than words could ever express.  There have been millions of tears run down my cheeks but they are now being replaced with tears of joy with the arrival of her only son.   I’ve renamed him “Lucky Starr”.  He is his mothers’ son, has his mothers’ star, is my lucky star and he will shine her light on all of us forever. 

While at Westwood Farms, Dan fell in love with Gambling on Faith, Rebbie’s half sister.  They share the same sire, Golden Gambler.  We have Faith on a 30 day trial so this is another story in the making!  Please join us in welcoming these two very special horses, Lucky Starr and Faith! 

Thank you to Stephanie Ford, for without her generous heart, none of this would have ever happened.  I’ll never forget Miss Scarlet O’Hara and all she gave to me, especially  the gift of herself and now her son.  God Bless us all.