Adjusting to the loss of your beloved horse, and keeping a connection.

It’s not something we want to think about before it happens, but when your horse succumbs to illness or old age, it can be both traumatic and devastating. The pain of losing your cherished horse can be little different to losing a close family member. The emotional, physical and financial investments you have made into them run deep.
So just why do we allow ourselves to love a horse, that with almost certainty will die before we do? Irving Townsend offers an eloquent response:
“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan. The life of a horse, often half our own, seems endless until one day. That day has come and gone for me, and I am once again within a somewhat smaller circle.”
John Lyons further captures our emotional ties to these most beautiful creatures:
“When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine...you know you are loved.”
Dog owners will rightly argue the same extent of bonding, and whether you’ve lost a horse or a dog, they were considered a part of the family, there’s no “he was just a horse” about it - they are an incredibly special part of our lives, depending on us to feed, exercise, train, care for and simply enjoy being together.
The process of grieving unavoidably takes time. The transition from pain and loss to one of treasured memories is a gradual one. One doesn’t so much reach a point where you forget, but the memories transition into a warming and comfortable mode, where you can happily linger.

Getting the timing right

It is actually not unusual for an owner to contact me on the same day they have lost their horse, enquiring about having a portrait painted. Fully understandable, as the initial shock of loss immediately makes one want to find a way of easing the pain. However, in truth the grieving is often still too raw, the owner finds out that in fact they need a bit more space and more time before they can focus on the cathartic positives of creating a lasting memory.
Equally, those family members more removed from the grieving, can often be the ones to approach me for a portrait painting, as they can see more clearly that a carefully considered and special painting is a constructive way of enabling one to continue your relationship with your horse, in a different form, and the connection need never be lost - it’s just a matter of getting the timing right.

Making arrangements for your horse portrait painting

If you would like to consider a portrait of your own horse, or one that belonged to a family member, I am happy to discuss the process involved, and explain how we can work together to ensure the resulting painting fulfills all your expectations . In particular, it will require sorting through all the photographs you have, considering which ones present the horse in a way that will best capture their looks and personality. Equally, as reference for a successful painting, it helps me to have access to as wide a range of shots as possible - providing close-up detail, poise, coat colour etc.
With the reference imagery in place, I can create a unique portrait painting for you, a homage crafted to covey the special qualities of your beloved horse, enhancing your fond and cherished memories.