Courage, Strength, Devotion, Love
These are some pretty strong words but they represent a very strong soul.
On August 8, our dear Balou said farewell to everyone who he cared deeply about, both two and four-legged friends.
Before arriving at AHT, life for Balou started as many large horses do, working. We are told that Balou (or Bill, as he was known) worked in the logging industry, pulling large fallen trees from the forest. Always eager to keep working, eating as much as four full bales of hay per day and weighing close to 2600 pounds, he would be paired up with the strongest equal they had. He was a sight to behold. Bill later moved into doing wagon rides, where again he was paired with a companion. Just before arriving at AHT, Bill was renamed to Balou and was tried as a carriage horse in Montreal. As these are single horse carriages, he didn’t do so well and retired at AHT with Dolly.
At AHT, Balou came to befriend many. Balou would never leave his beloved Dolly's side. He would protect Caesar from all and the two loved grooming each other. Balou and Big Jim were inseparable and often got into mischief together. Trooper and he would share their bowls. Balou and Chocolate could often be seen together by the fence that separated them. In Balou's final months, Jack would follow him everywhere and they enjoyed many hours in the pasture together.
Throughout all these years, many saw Bill/Balou as insecure and needing to be comforted by others, unable to work or be alone. But they had it all wrong. What many saw as insecure was simply the strongest heart you could find. One that packed so much courage, strength, devotion and love. This was all he knew. A heart that would stand up and protect anyone he cared for, this is courage. A heart that after many years of pain, still stood strong until his last breath, this is strength. A heart that would never leave his loved one's side and shared every meal he had, this is devotion. And finally, a heart that could light even your darkest days by simply allowing a hand to touch his fur, the bat of an eyelash as he turned to look at you, or simply standing completely still as your heart flowed into his, when we most needed it. This, my friends, is love.
It’s hard for many to image that a horse could represent such power and a hold on so many humans. A horse that could bestow all these qualities without even trying. But then, this was no ordinary horse.This was Balou.
His courage, strength, devotion and love could be felt right up until his final moments at AHT, before he closed his eyes for the last time, free of pain, free of stress, but most importantly, simply free. The following song was played to help him on his path. Justin Hines "Wish You Well"
