Gypsy Girl
by Jessica Katz
Like most girls, Ive wanted a horse for as long as I can remember, but didnt get the chance to take lessons until I was 19. Gypsy Girl didnt come along until December 2002. I was going through a really difficult time and wanted nothing more than a positive distraction to help me deal with everything. Gypsy had been abandoned by her previous owner and was going to be sent to the auctions if someone didnt come along to lease or buy her. Someone at the barn told me about her and I just had to ask my mom. I went home that evening and told my mom about her, expecting to hear all the reasons why I couldnt lease a horse. I did have to listen to that, but at the end, my mom said she agreed it would be a good idea and said shed let me half-lease her for 6 months. Gypsy wasnt exactly the ideal horse - she was very independent and preferred being alone over being with people. The first time I went to groom her, she looked like a top-level dressage horse with the way she pranced with nervousness. She was also very difficult to catch - taking up to 30 minutes at times. I had people tell me all the time that I should give up on her and get a better horse. There were plenty of times she even left me in tears of frustration, but I just couldnt give up on her. There was just something in her eyes that I saw that told me to just give her time, love and patience. I knew that if I gave her these three things, eventually she would come around. In the meantime, I was also working on my mom to help me buy her. In the beginning, she would discuss it as though owning her could be a possibility. As time went on, she started to change her mind and become more and more opposed to me buying her. By May, we were almost fighting over why I couldnt buy her. Little did I know what my mom had in store for me... May came very quickly and I was distracted - I was a month away from graduating from college. I was busy working on my thesis, working at the vet and spending time trying to get Gypsy to trust me. It was still a battle of wills, although she was starting to improve a little. Graduation finally came. I was very excited about the possibilities and what the future had in store. Never could I have imagined what my future REALLY contained! The night of my graduation dinner party, we sat at a restaurant with family and close friends, including my trainer, her husband, and 4 year old son. My mom handed me a card with a small envelope inside. I read the card and then opened the envelope expecting a check or some money. When I took the piece of paper out, and I read what it said, my heart stopped. It was a bill of sale naming me Gypsys new owner! I tried to laugh and cry at the same time and when that didnt work I just stopped breathing! Total shock set in. I couldnt believe that she was finally mine after all those months of fighting and begging for her! Its amazing how quickly time can fly. Its now over 2 years since I started leasing Gypsy and almost 2 years since I became her owner. Im so proud to say things are wonderful! She still has that independent streak and likes to challenge me, but I can now say that we have formed a bond. If she doesnt come to me from the field, shell stand there and wait for me to come over to her. She is very spoiled and expects a treat every time I go to the tack box! She still has her quirks, but she really is a different horse. People who remember how she used to be will sometimes comment on how far weve come. I too have come a very long way since getting her. Gypsy Girl has helped me in so many more ways than I can even say. We were an unlikely match - we have such different personalities, she was not a beginners horse and I didnt have the experience at first to deal with a difficult horse. I feel like we came into each others lives at the perfect time. She was a challenge and I insisted on rising to the occasion. As a result, I gained experience and lots of confidence. Yesterday while at work, I got the news that Gypsy had a massive heart attack and passed on during the night. I feel so lost without her, but I know she's ok. A friend just told me that she had a dream before Gypsy died that she saw a brown horse (Gypsy was bay - a brown color) galloping over a rainbow. She tried to get the horse's attention, but the horse kept going, whinnying. She said she also heard the horse say "tell Jess that I love her and will always be with her." When I went to see her yesterday, she did look so peaceful and I knew she had found her way to the barn owner who had passed on. He was the one who sent her to me and I know he was the one waiting to greet her on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. Gypsy truly is my heart and soul and not a day goes by that I dont thank my lucky stars for her.
Comments would be appreciated by the author, Jessica Kat
 
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