- DOB: 2000
- Breed: American Warmblood
- Sex: Gelding
- Height: 17 hands
July 2020 Update: It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Emerson. On July 2nd the decision was made to have Emerson humanely euthanized due to an illness that was beyond our control. He passed surrounded by volunteers who loved him. Click here to watch a beautiful tribute to this gentle giant.
One of our past participants who is now a volunteer, Aliyah Witmer, wrote this tribute to her best friend:
“Emerson was a 19 year old American Warmblood standing at 17 hh and was the most gentle of giants. He came to the program in 2014 and quickly found his way into the hearts of many. For being such a lanky and sometimes uncoordinated horse, he was a quick learner when it came to more technical movements. He was a great teacher for riders of all ages. Large horses can be very scary, yet he was able to show everyone how gentle and loving a giant can be. He was also able to teach older riders the importance of your attitude while riding and using aids effectively. He easily picked up on when his rider was upset or angry, and it often reflected in the lesson, as he would not respond the same way to aids and could get easily frustrated with an upset rider.
While he may not have had the most time as a lesson horse due to an injury, he still had a large impact on everyone at the barn. He was able to make everyone smile when he would run around in the arena or roll around like a young colt again. He also liked to check up on everyone to make sure that they were ok, by popping his head in over the gate or peeking through the window of the brown door. He was also very vocal and made sure you said hi to him, especially if he knew you had treats. His favorite snacks were candy canes and carrot cake. He was never mean towards another horse or person and always wanted to make people happy.
Personally, Emerson is the reason why I am going to school for equine training. For such a large and intimidating horse, he was quite the scaredy cat. Every day brought a new fear or challenge, whether it be tight spaces or brightly colored cones, he was always challenging his handler to stay on their toes. By working with him through his fears and getting to see him grow as well as help me grow, it showed me what my true passion was. Emerson came to the barn shortly after one of my other favorite horses, Cole, moved to Ohio. I was really upset about Cole not being around, but Emerson was able to show me what true friendship looks like. I’ve never been the girl to have lots of friends, but he was always there for me. He was the best listener when I needed to talk about my stresses of school, he shared my snacks with me and made me laugh, and he was always accepting of hugs on my darkest days and in my highest highs. I’ve never had a friend be so loving, gentle, and accepting as he was, and he was always straight forward with how he felt. Even on the days where he threw me off or didn’t want to be caught, we were learning from each other and growing in the process.
On July 2, 2020, Emerson wasn’t himself. He normally would nicker and be very loud at meal time, just waiting to scarf down his mushy beat pulp, but he wasn’t acting like this. Myself, along with a few other volunteers, kept watch over him and did our best to do whatever would help him feel better. As things weren’t getting any better, the vet was called and after a few tests and checks, we were notified that there was little that could be done. He was old and his situation was severe. Although it was an extremely hard decision, we had to relieve him of his immense pain and let him go.
While we are all very sad about the passing of this gentle giant, he wouldn’t want us to remember him this way. He would want us to remember him as his happy, loving, crazy self and live our lives as he did. Every day could be your last, so run around and be crazy like a kid, love everyone and never give up a hug (or a snack), and be the best friend you can be to everyone around you because you don’t know whose life you will change for the better.”