"I am home now, home now...
I've been waiting for forever to find you, find you
I'm not alone now, alone now
'Cause you've takened in my heart from the cold
All I know is everytime I look into your eyes
I know, I know you're where I belong
I belong with you...."

Rainy Mondays, the horse with a past none of us could imagine or explain.  She had come a abusive background, one that cannot really be explained since I do not know the whole story except she looked like hell when she was first rescued.  Tattered, beaten, whipped and tired, she was full of rage, mistrust and fire when I first saw her.  She was definitely trouble from the nasty look in her eyes I had gotten whenever I passed by her stall.  It was times like that I was glad I had a horse like Argyll, who was the gentle giant, nothing like this wild horse.

 

"You're where I belong
And I know it's the truth
You're part of my heart
There's nothing I can do
Oh, you're the one who keeps me warm
My baby, you're where I belong..."

As a favour, I was asked to help with this wild horse.  I was skeptical that I could do anything since I have never met a horse that looked at someone with such hatred in their eyes.  I felt she was just waiting to stab that knife in my back when I wasn't looking.  I doubted my ability to even handle this horse, since the ones I have ridden are all well-behaved.  I looked at Argyll, then at Monday and back at Argyll again.  Argyll's gentle eyes gave me confidence, he and I found our way to each other.  Monday was lost.  Perhaps I could help her find her way.  She deserved a chance.

After much fighting, I managed to get her in the cross-ties.  She flinched at my touch, pulling at the cross-ties and kicking out.  How could anyone have done this to a horse?  It had been abused to the point where she lost her nature to forgive.  It was a struggle to get her groomed and tacked up but I was patient and gentle.  She quieted it down and I took her into the arena.  Seeing her stand so still, I thought perhaps there was a chance.  I thought wrong.  The minute I got into the saddle, she took off like a bucking bronco and tossed me off instantly.  When I tried again, ready for the bucking and kicking, she took off and came to an abrupt halt by the wall which I crashed into.  She then tried to bite me on the ground.  I jumped up quickly and grabbed the reins quickly, just missing her chomping teeth.  The one who rescued her watched from the gate, looking forlorn.  Monday had not tolerated anyone on her back at all.  She wasn't tolerating much anymore.  She had become vicious.

"You're my first taste, first taste
Of the sweetest feeling I've ever known, that I've known
You're my safe place, safe place
From a world that can be so cruel and cold
You're my harbour, you're my shelter
You're the welcome smile
That lets me know I'm home..."

After that incident, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue helping to trust again.  But looking at Argyll, being so gentle and protective of her in the pasture, I felt I had to take another approach to getting her to trust me.  For months I worked at it, always treating her with a gentle hand and giving her all the patience I could muster.  She started to slowly lose the hatred in her eyes, almost looking forward to seeing me daily to give her the love that she had never received.  After a tremendous amount of work that took a year, I was finally able to ride her.  She was marvelous to ride!  I could see Argyll in the pasture watching us.  I could have sworn he was beaming at me.

"You're where I belong
I belong with you
You're where I belong
And I know it's the truth
You're part of my heart
There's nothing I can do
Oh, you're the one who keeps me warm
My baby, you're where I belong
You're the one I come to
To keep me from the cold..." - Trisha Yearwood

Everyone was happy.  The woman who rescued her was finally happy that Monday was starting to trust again.  I had developed a wonderful friendship with her and I had two of my best friends, Argyll and Tuck, by my side.  Life was good.  Life was happy.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Argyll became ill and had to be put down.  My best friend for more than a decade was gone.  I never felt so lost and alone.  He was put down the night before Monday's first hunter show.  In honour of Argyll, I continued on with the show, knowing that my heart wasn't completely into it.  Monday didn't let me down, she guided me through everything, listened to what I asked her to do and came in sixth overall.  As much as everyone was proud of her, I had a hard time celebrating when I knew I had to put my best friend to rest.

Three months later, I went to the barn to pick up the last of Argyll's stuff.  I couldn't bring myself to get it before but I knew at some point I had to get it.  I was sleeping with his "show" halter under my pillow, hoping that he would visit me in my dreams.  It was then I had learned that the woman who rescued Monday couldn't afford to keep Monday and couldn't find anyone else who wanted to earn her trust like I did.  The thought of hearing Monday would be put to sleep really hit me hard.  As I held the box of Argyll's stuff, he did visit me, not in my dreams but in my memories of him beaming at Monday and me when we finally clicked as friends.  Monday nickered at me from the far end, she was in the stall that Argyll had occupied.  It was a sign.  I had to save this horse, this wild and crazy horse who was nothing more than a troublemaker.  But I discovered something else -- a new friendship, a brand new partnership and a light that helped me carry on without Argyll.

"If you have not seen Jo and Monday interact as a team, bond as friends and see their trust in each other, then you are missing out on something so incredible, so beautiful, that it's just simply magic.  I can see how protective they are of each other.  Jo has protected Monday from ever being abused again, Monday, in turn, nearly gave up her life to save Jo's in a horrific accident that nearly took both their lives.  They take care of each other, inside the show ring, in the paddocks or just riding around.  I almost swear that Monday thinks Jo is her child sometimes, the way she is protective of her, like a mare is with her foal when it's first born.  They say horses don't show graditude.  They don't know this horse.  They say that magic doesn't exist, well, you haven't seen Monday and Jo."

- written by Aynsley

Monday was sadly put down on August 8th, 2002.  Read about it here.

Go to Monday's Photo Gallery

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