Warrior Horse
Living and Dying With Animals in a Soulful and Heartfelt Way
by
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The highway stretches straight and more straight and fades into a faraway point somewhere way ahead. A raw red sunset fills the sky, bloodied by both the primal mystery born into the South Dakota plains as well as the wounded history of the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota reservation. The miles pass in speed that is asked for by the road. My eyes are lost within the horizon while Matea rests in the back on her dog bed. Her brown and tan Husky colors fade into the white paws she rests her head upon. Her calm eyes, one earthly brown and one celestial blue, look ahead with mine. The windows are down, the music plays to our lives, the summer wind dances through our hair, and up ahead I see something in the road that shouldn’t be. A body. My foot quickly shifts to the brake. The car sucks back and grounds to the highway. I tense and lean forward and Matea knows what this means—something is in the road—and she scrambles to her feet and quickly steps forward onto the center console and stares ahead from in-between the seats. We slow down and come to a complete stop ten yards away. It’s a dog. I take a moment, feeling the pain of this, of what this is for the dog, for me, for all of us. Whatever is to happen I’m already embracing it. I’m meant to be here. I put the car in park, put on the four-way flashers, and take off my seatbelt. Matea looks to me. “Just me. You stay here.” She looks back to the road, looking at the dog. I wonder what she thinks. What she understands about this. I get out and walk to the dog. The idling engine of the car fades into the background. The pavement is calloused, worn. Through the soles of my sneakers it speaks of tired decades. Many deaths. I look up ahead and see a home in the distance far off the highway. The dog is multi-colored; black, brown, some white. A Pit Bull mix maybe. I don’t walk slow, I don’t walk fast, each step is like a hundred. I’m gut-punched and my heart is breaking and as I get closer I see breathing. I kneel beside her. Her eyes are open but show no sign of knowing I’m here. She innocently stares into a place beyond life. Her chest heaves as lungs fight for each breath. Her body is torn and bloody, twisted and broken, like a forgotten rag doll. Her paws and their tough padding holding all the miles of her life lay spent and done on the pavement. In her eyes she is almost gone.
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About the Book
“Be prepared. This book may change the way you look at animals. It may even change the way you look at yourself.” —Phoenix Rising Star Author of The Hollow Bone of Healing In life we will experience loss and grief with those we love. When we connect with others we sign on for an inevitable heartbreak that will come as each relationship shifts, changes, and evolves. Those that have experienced this with animals know the journey alongside them is just as deep, just as profound, and just as beautiful as any relationship in this world. Warrior Horse—Living and Dying With Animals in a Soulful and Heartfelt Way is the true story of three friends—a dog, a horse, and a human—who journey through life and death together. Bonded in ways born from the home they find within each other, they lovingly walk together through joy and pain while facing the challenge of death as it slowly approaches. Heartbreaking, insightful, and powerful in its epic journey from life to death to coming alive again, Warrior Horse inspires us to embrace this journey, to be all in, and to step forth with those we love into the great unknown and beyond. “Lombard’s words capture the profound connection between human and animal that is possible when you open your heart to it.” —Melissa Priblo Chapman Author of Distant Skies—An American Journey on Horseback
About the Author
Horseman and author Chris Lombard works with people and horses to help them connect with each other. Through this work he’s found that connecting with horses leads to a deeper understanding of ourselves, others, and all of life. He helps people in their journey with horses to find their own unique way through the challenges, joys, and growth that unites horses and humans in universal ways. Chris travels the country working with people through one-on-one work and in group clinics, while also doing demonstrations with his horse Tally at expos, fairs, schools, and at their home barn. He has also written two other books: Land of the Horses—A True Story of a Lost Soul and a Life Found, and The Horses in Our Stars—A Story of Life, Love, and the Journey Within. He lives in Maine and you can learn more about him at www.ChrisLombard.com.