This One is for Galen and Ann – Two Friends Departing

Portrait of Galen and Ann

As those of you who know I am enthralled with Galen and his friends (see previous blogs “Galen and Friends” and “Galen and Friends, Part 2“), it is with sadness that I said goodbye to him yesterday. Ann is moving east to Virginia and cannot take him with her because she will not be in a proximity to keep him nearby, among other reasons.
So, my trip yesterday wasn’t one that I relished doing but one, instead, that had to be done. It was, for all intents and purposes, the last time I expect to ever see Galen. What a fine horse he is…and what a fine woman Ann is as well.

My Two Friends

Had it not been for Ann, I would never have known the incredible beauty of horses, other than seeing them in a book or some other 2-dimensional form….certainly not “up close and personal” as I have in the last couple of months! I also would never have known how to let a horse know that I am a friend and can be trusted, as a part of the herd. Learning how to do that was something I had never known and am grateful in my knowledge of it now.

Trotting in a December Wind

Galen and Friends

Galen

A couple of weeks ago, I went back up to Timnath again and spent the bulk of the day with Ann. My intent was to take photographs of her horse, Galen, but the photographs turned out including so many other horses where Galen is boarded. I know virtually nothing about horses other than the fact that they are gorgeous creatures to photograph. I know a bit more now but I still have a lot to learn.

Galen and Ann

Ann explained Galen’s lineage but, for the life of me, I can’t remember all of the names and places his lineage runs back to, all I can tell you is that he has one impressive set of fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. (See Ann’s explanation in the comment to the post, below; for those of you who know horse lineage, I’m sure it would be as much of a treat to read as it was to hear her tell it!)