Old Friends

Out to Pasture, but Not Yet Over the Hill...

Matt with Silver Charm

There’s just something about a horse… Whether you participate in a specific equestrian sport, trail ride or just keep them around as pasture ornaments, there’s something mystical about them that makes you want to draw near.

I prefer to keep my two feet on the ground. A lifelong fear instilled deeply into my being by an ornery pony, renders me as nothing more than an interested observer and hopeful story teller.

Even as a kid who watched westerns on television, I loved those scenes where the Native Americans seemed to be able to communicate with their horses in a way that the cowboys couldn’t. I loved that part and always secretly wished for that same super power.

I guess that’s why I love to watch folks like Buck Brannamen and Monty Roberts. It is why I started noticing the way that horses responded to their owners. You could always tell when a horse felt safe in their owner’s care. Those bonds shared by horse and human are lovely to witness.

This spring, Matt and I had the privilege of attending the Kentucky Derby. We met a young veterinarian who has a close relationship with Old Friends at Dream Catcher Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. She told us that if we ever had the chance, we should visit Old Friends and she’d schedule a tour for us.

Last Friday, Matt and I took her up on the offer and the experience left me feeling a little bit better about humanity. The founder of Old Friends is a fellow named Michael Blowen, a retired Boston Globe movie critic who fell in love with racehorses but then began to worry about what happened to them once they no longer raced.

The thought worried him so much that once he retired, he and his wife, Dianne moved to Kentucky and started out with a simple idea that he shared with former Kentucky governor and horse breeder at Airdrie Stud, Brereton Jones: “I’m going to put them in my yard,” Blowen told him, “and hope people come visit.”

While the idea seemed simple, implementation was a bit more complicated. Luckily for the horses who live at Old Friends, passion has the capacity to accomplish seemingly impossible things. Because what started out as one horse in his yard is now Horse Racing’s Living History Museum with around 160 horses on hundreds of acres.

It was pretty clear to me that Michael was one of those people that the horses loved. He showed up in a golf cart with a bucket of carrots sliced in varying degrees of thickness and passed them out according to the amount of teeth left in the oldest horse’s mouths.

As we made our way towards Silver Charm’s paddock, (Derby and Preakness Stakes Winner (1997) and Dubai World Cup Winner (1998)), Michael told us that these horses had been told what to do their entire lives but once they arrived at Old Friends, the horses got to tell their handlers (volunteers) what to do.

Over the next two hours, we were entertained with stories of the equine and human variety. We stopped and offered treats, got the highlights of each horse’s career, dodged a nippy stallion or two and got a sloppy kiss from Silver Charm, whose tongue hangs out of his mouth because he’s missing so many teeth.

As I heard a bit about each horse, I began to see them more fully. Some of these horses had traveled more than I ever had. Most made more money. They’d put in years of hard work and now they had the opportunity to just enjoy life out in the pasture.

As we made our way back to the car, I said to Matt, “This is a weekend for old friends.” He looked at me as if I was stating the obvious. Then I said, “Old Friends today and old friends tomorrow.” He grinned at me and said, “Yes!”

Old Friends

On Saturday, we’d scheduled lunch with two of Matt’s vet school buddies and their spouses. Matt met them at the Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine when he was around 21 years old. Left to Right, they are Dr. Andy Purdy, Matt and Dr. Phil Prater,. Matt and Phil were both Kentucky residents. Kentucky didn’t have ( and still doesn’t) a vet school. Andy was a southern Ohio resident. The spouses (vet’s wives) are Mary Alice Prater, me and Sandy Purdy.

As we sat over lunch and later dessert, old stories were rehashed. New stories were shared. While life has served its ups and downs with each family the friendships have remained. And now these old friends whose life’s work focused on improving the lives of animals in their care have begun to slow down and enjoy each other’s company a little more intentionally.

There was something very symbiotic about the weekend. You see horses have supported me and my family for 38 years. They’ve sent my kids to college, put a roof over our heads and hopefully will allow us to one day make our way out to pasture. We need horses and they need us.

I’d like to encourage you to visit Old Friends farm and if you are able, I ask that you to consider donating to this important cause. Any amount will help. Donate Here.