Solas's Journey

Solas, her name means "light." She is jubilant, gentle, intelligent, funny, and kind. Solas is one of those horses that comes along once in a blue moon - a "unicorn" - a rare and special kind of creature that shows itself to you when you need them most. She is powerful and magical, fiercely loves her sentient companions, and is the alpha in her herd. Solas is a strong and regal mare, standing tall and proud. But, Solas did not used to be the mare she is now, and in fact, was quite the opposite. 

When I was searching for an equine companion for myself and my therapy program, I looked tirelessly for the "perfect" horse for nearly a year. My friend and trainer at the time, Amy, had been assisting me in this process. Amy is a member of the Colorado Horse Rescue Network (CHRN), which saves thousands of horses every year from slaughter, rehabilitates them, and finds them new and loving homes all over the Front Range. Amy came upon a grey mare that had just been listed on Drifter's Hearts of Hope (DHOH), based out of Franktown, Colorado. I had not been looking for a grey horse, especially one that was slightly higher in age. But there was something about her eye that caught me - something in her stature that intrigued me and pulled me toward her. I had made an appointment to go see her later that week. 

Once I pulled up into the dry gravel driveway late in the afternoon, I began to look for her. I saw her in a shared paddock wearing a thin, white fly blanket, sequestered in a small pen, looking around with wide and bulging eyes. DHOH staff came out to greet me, then haltered and led Solas (previously named "Phantom") into the barn for grooming and tacking up. They explained to me that Solas tends to run away from people and was difficult to catch in the herd, which was the reason for her temporary exile in the holding pen. As I examined her beautiful body, I noticed that she had been marred by a hundred scars - some huge, some tiny. It was like a novel written clearly on her skin, recounting the story of her painful and horrific past. With permission, Solas demonstrated her groundwork skills for me, and then allowed me to ride her through obstacles in such a kind, protective, and sweet way. I knew that no matter what, I had to take her with me. Three days later, Solas was in her new home - Spirit Heart Ranch, operated by Sean Davies (Colorado Reinsman) and his lovely partner, Dani Scott. 

The day after she arrived, a deluge of rain came. Spirit Heart tends to be a hotspot for inclement weather (blustery winds, deep snow, never-ending mud), but normally the horses hide in their shelters when the clouds come rolling in. But not Solas. She stood in the middle of her paddock with her body positioned toward the rain, head down, ears floppy, looking utterly and completely despondent. Sean noticed how sad she was, how she had seemingly gotten to the point where she had almost given up. From the safe distance of the barn, we wished her love and a promise that we would never give up on her, ever. 

Shortly after she settled in, we began to work with her. We worked on asking her to bend - healing her body so it became loose and malleable. We worked on building her ability to yield instead of fight, through endless hours of groundwork and loving touch. We had her adjusted by a chiropractor and rolfer, we gave her grains and essential fatty acids. Solas slowly began to trust and to believe that maybe she had been given a second chance at life. She began to follow me everywhere, and started to let her true personality shine through. After a while it became apparent that some of Solas's psychological wounds were too severe to heal, so we created an adaptive headstall and a flexible saddle for her that profoundly reduced her anxiety. 

And then, Solas began to colic. She colicked several times over the course of 8 months. We intubated her several times, gave her medicine, applied essential oils, made teas, had healing sessions, stayed by her side for hours until it passed. Then one day, one of our local veterinarians had a hunch that we needed to test her fecal matter. It showed that she was sick with ulcers and bacteria. It took two rounds of antibiotics and a daily regimen of aloe vera juice and sand rid to heal her. And then her health began to drastically improve. 

Solas blossomed! She began to love to trot under saddle. She carried me in the arena and all over the property. We began to understand each other's bodies. I began to understand my own. Solas was so willing to approach me no matter how I showed up - she showed me love and kindness, no matter what else I was dealing with in my life. She stopped running from her caretakers and other humans. She now walks to me every time I come in to see her, and watches me when I'm working with other horses or doing errands around the ranch. She has chosen me as her person. I am hers and she is mine. We share a heart, she and I. 

Solas, her name means "light." She is as bright as the stars and as soft as pussywillow. She is radiant and beautiful. She is magic.