My Two-Year-Old Daughter Loved Spending Hours with the Neighbor’s Horse — Then We Learned Something That Changed Everything

I never could have imagined, though, just how deeply she’d bond with one in particular or how that bond would one day save her life.

We lived in a quiet town where the houses were spaced far apart, leaving plenty of land for gardens, pets, and, in our neighbor’s case, a horse named Jasper. He was a large, white horse with a sleek coat and deep, contemplative black eyes. Though his size could intimidate anyone unfamiliar with horses, there was a gentleness about him. He had never panicked, never bitten, never kicked. There was a steady calmness in him that naturally inspired trust.

The first time my daughter, Lila, saw Jasper, she was only two. We were outside one morning, and she noticed him grazing in the pasture behind our fence. She stopped mid-step, pointed her tiny finger, and whispered, “Horsey.” It wasn’t unusual for her to notice animals; she loved birds, dogs, and even the squirrels in our yard, but there was something about the way her eyes locked onto Jasper that felt different.

Our neighbor, Mr. Caldwell, happened to be in the pasture that morning, brushing Jasper’s mane. He waved us over. “Want to meet him?” he asked kindly.

I hesitated. Lila was so small, and Jasper was, well, enormous compared to her. But something about the gentle patience in his eyes reassured me. So, with my hand firmly holding hers, we walked closer.

Jasper lowered his great head, almost as though he understood how tiny and fragile she was. Lila reached out her chubby fingers and touched his muzzle. Then she pressed her cheek against his nose and giggled. That was it, the beginning of something I couldn’t quite define. Continue reading…