Canadian Vet, published since January 2006, provides continuing education to the veterinary profession in Canada through coverage of national veterinary conferences. Written with the busy practitioner in mind, each bimonthly issue offers news, relevant and practical clinical and practice management information, as presented by leading experts. All articles are veterinarian reviewed and approved prior to publication.

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Shake That Sass – a story about believing…

By Karen Tousignant

On January 24, 2011, a girl met a horse. “Sasquatch” was a large, dark bay horse with big feet, a remarkably beautiful face, and an oversized, barrel-like stomach. The girl is my 14-year-old daughter, Meghan. After the sudden closure of the barn where she’d been riding, Meghan followed her coach to a new riding facility. She tried riding several horses, but none was just right. She then tried “Sass”, as she fondly called him, and knew that he was the right horse for her.

Many people, myself included, doubted Sass. He had been declared “sour” and put out to pasture. When Meghan found him, Sass hadn’t been ridden for several months, and he was overweight and lacked muscle tone. Some of the barn girls jokingly called him “the pregnant gelding.” “Nobody can ride that horse” we were told. “He doesn’t like people.” But Meghan could ride him, and she rode him well. Meghan believed in him and Sass knew it!

Over the next several months, Meghan continued to work with Sass and their progression as an equestrian team was nothing short of amazing! Meg’s coach told her that she had achieved two years worth of training in six months because Sass responded to her so well. They were described to me as “poetry in motion.” People noted that Meghan and Sass seemed to be one together – in perfect unison both mentally and physically. Nobody could believe what Meghan had achieved with “that horse.” But Meghan could; she had always believed in Sass.

Show time came for Meg and “Shake That Sass.” Sass was clearly excited, standing with his head up high and his ears up. He was intently listening to and watching all of the other horses, and every now and then he would let out a series of great big neighs and whinnies! To everyone’s surprise, Meg and Sass came home with two 2nd place ribbons. Meg’s coach said to me, “I hope she realizes just how well she is doing on that horse.”

At their second show, which would be their last, Meg and Sass won the 1st place ribbon in the 2’6” speed class! Sass was a winner and he knew it! Together, Meg and Sass had shown us all the power of believing.

But it wasn’t just about winning first-place ribbons. It was about the pure joy Meghan got from simply being around this horse. It was about the way that, in response to her asking if he was a beautiful boy, Sass would enthusiastically nod his head up and down. It was about the way he would turn and hug Meghan with his head when she was grooming him. It was about the way that one could always hear Meghan saying “good boy” as Sass accomplished yet another jumping feat and about the way that she always left the arena patting Sass on the neck and praising him for his efforts – even on a bad day.

For Sass’ 8th birthday Meghan found a recipe and made him a birthday cake with oats and molasses. I have never in my life seen such a happy horse as Sass was when he devoured that cake. He had a happy birthday alright. He had Meghan and a molasses cake. What more could a horse ask for?

I’ll never forget the way Meghan took the time to figure out Sass and learn to work with that “impossible” horse. Initially, he would run away from her when she went out in the field to bring him in for her lesson. It was like a game that he played. He would let her walk up close enough to him to almost be able to catch him, and then he would dart away and hide behind another horse, looking at her as if to say “Haha…you didn’t catch me.” Even food did not work, as Sass was smart and he would grab the apple and run! But Meghan was patient with Sass, and she had an uncanny understanding of him. She learned that if she went up to the horse standing beside Sass and patted it, then Sass would come right over to her! He didn’t want Meg paying attention to any horse other than him.

One time, Meg fell off Sass as they were going over a jump. Spooked by the fall, Sass dashed madly around the outdoor arena. He darted away from the girls who tried to catch him, and we were all thinking that he was going to be a challenge to round up. Then Meghan stood up and calmly called “Sass,” and that wildly running horse stopped in his tracks, looked, and walked straight over to her!

Sadly, on Thursday, August 25, Meg went to the barn to ride Sass and noticed that he was acting out of character. Her coach had a look at him and recognized the signs of colic. Despite valiant efforts to save him, Sass’ life ended later that night when the veterinarian advised that the kindest option would be to put him down.

Meghan lost her riding partner and the love of her life. The heartache was unbearable. I cried with her until we could cry no more, or so we thought. But Meghan showed me just how strong a young woman she is. She stopped crying, and she accepted that Sass was in a better place where he was no longer in pain. In Meghan’s words, Sass will always be her favourite horse no matter what, and she will love him forever. In a note alongside his picture, she wrote, “Happy you’re out of pain and in a great place buddy, have fun up there for me.”

One has to believe that this horse and rider found each other for a reason. They taught each other a great deal about love, and about the power of believing!

RIP Shake That Sass. March 31, 2003 – August 26, 2011