In Spring of 2020, my daughter Clara Rose and I decided we wanted to make our dream of adopting and owning a horse come true within a year. We put out a wish and a prayer and in March of 2021, almost exactly a year later, our boy arrived!

It was the day after St. Patrick’s Day and I was at our lesson barn watching her take a lesson. Little did I know that our #RightHorse was in the stall behind me as I watched. Felipe was at the barn for training from a local rescue, Heart of Phoenix. I turned around to meet him and right away I felt a connection. My first impression was that he was loving, smart, and curious.

When my daughter finished her lesson, she came over to meet him. All I can say is that it seemed like they already knew each other. The bond already appeared to be there between them. In the weeks that followed, Felipe would be out in the pasture with 20 other horses, and even if he was over 200 yards away, when Clara Rose would come to the fence he would lift his head to look at her. He always seemed to light up a bit when he saw her.

We expressed our interest to his trainer, and she suggested that we visit him every day and start groundwork with him to see if we would be a good fit. So that is what we did! Early on, we could feel it in our heart that he was the right fit for us. We were fortunate to be able to spend a month with him before making the final decision to apply for adoption. We were able to watch his training process with his trainer, as well as working with him some every day.

By the beginning of May we were handing in our paperwork and applying to adopt Felipe. We had never adopted a horse before but had a great experience. We appreciated how careful Heart of Phoenix was in their adoption process to make sure we were a good fit. We also are very grateful for Laura, the trainer at the farm, as she helped us get to know him and has continued to be available to support us in this journey.

The adoption became final on May 17, 2021. He has continued to be the loving, sweet curious horse we met the day after St. Patrick’s Day the previous year. Every day that we have worked with him has yielded amazing growth for my daughter and I, as well as Felipe.

He is as healing to myself (and my husband) as he is to our daughter. There is no replacement in life to grooming him and spending time with him or doing groundwork with him. We all learn in the process. When our daughter rides him, she is so happy to connect with him in that way. They work so well together, as if they understand one another. They are both so happy when they are together, and it seems very mutual.

He fits the story line of “who rescued who.” Everyone who has come to the farm to see him has mentioned either how kind he is, how connected to people he is, or how he just makes their heart feel a little lighter and happier.