Ten years ago, in 2003, we met a horse that stole our hearts and we had to bring her home. She was in so much pain she could barely walk because she had been ridden very hard and her body was destroyed. Even though she flinched when we lightly touched her, she was grateful and sweet and kind and we wanted to help her. We brought her home to The Gentle Barn and called her Cinnamon Apple Pie. When we loaded her into the horse trailer she practically ran as if she knew we were going to help her feel better.

It took us months of acupuncture, ultrasound, massage therapy and chiropractic care to get Cinnamon pain free and completely mobile. But once we did, she was on fire. Cinnamon would gallop around the pasture and flirt with all the young male horses and seemed full of life. Cinnamon loved being groomed and the minute we began, she would close her eyes and hang her head down and drool. We brushed her tail until it was soft and untangled and brushed her body softly. Cinnamon would let us do that for hours and would not open her eyes until we were done. We have had many horses that enjoyed being groomed but we have never met a horse that loved it quite like Cinnamon.

Cinnamon very quickly became fast friends with one of our other horses, Mamma Dear and the two were soon inseparable. They would move together as if they were joined at the hip and would do everything together. Years later when Mamma Dear passed away, Cinnamon was inconsolable and we worried that she too would want to leave her body. She was very depressed for a while but we gave her lots of attention and TLC and put a handsome, single horse next to her and she soon perked up and learned to love life without her best friend.

Cinnamon ignored him at first, but after persistence and patience, she fell in love with Prince Charming. Prince Charming thought that Cinnamon was the most beautiful girl in the world and he delighted in following her around and keeping her away from the other horses. Charming ushered her around the pasture making sure she always had the best spot in the shade or the choicest blades of grass to eat. The two of them enjoyed their chiropractic and massage therapy sessions together and slept in the temperature-controlled barn at night so they were warm, dry and cared for.

About 6 months ago Prince Charming became ill. He was old and arthritic and his body was worn out, but he tried to hold on for Cinnamon. After his hardest fight, he could hold on no longer and was helped out of his body at the hospital. Cinnamon was left alone again and it was very hard for her. She had her girlfriends and was well liked by the herd, but without her Prince Charming, life was not the same.

Over the last several months we did our best to keep Cinnamon comfortable and happy. She continued to get her treatments every week, special hay and senior grain, Sun Chlorella Algae Super Food to boost her immune system, a soft cool barn to sleep in and time with her friends. She seemed very happy and well for a long while, until a few days ago. She was breathing shallow and she seemed off so we called the vet and he examined her and told us that she was very ill and would not make it. He told us she was in pain and suffering and it seemed that a tumor had ruptured in her stomach and was bleeding inside. He said that there was no way to cure her and she would not last more than a few more days and that she was suffering.

We knew that we had to help her leave her body with dignity and love. So we said goodbye to our beautiful, sweet, kind, gentle, lovely Cinnamon Apple Pie and we thanked her for always being so loving to all of us. She seemed content and ready to leave and she slipped away peacefully and easily. But, not smelling her sweet horsey scent, not giving her treats and not looking into her deep eyes will take a lot of getting used to. Cinnamon might have been ready to leave her old body, but we were certainly not ready to see her go. We will miss her so much and are grateful to everyone who met her, loved her, cared for her and made her feel special.

You will always be our sweetest Cinnamon Apple Pie and we will always remember you!