Going Home / Pedro the Wedding Horse

I left Eumundi at age 5 and returned at 40 years of age not intentionally.  I really felt like I had come home though. This is the beginning of my love affair with horses.  The journey begins…

When my partner asked me to marry him I could see myself arriving on a beautiful big white horse.  Even though I had never been interested in horses even as a child, I know now the horse’s presence was sent to me to heal my breast cancer.  After having breast cancer twice, horses are angels sent into my life one after the other.  People kept giving me horses and I kept saying yes.  Not that I had ever shown any interest in horses or any animals before.

Even though I had six horses at the time of planning the wedding, I did not have a large white one for my magic day.  A wedding without a horse just did not feel right.  Funny how we change.

I even knew where to find my horse, not that I knew a particular horse there.  My intuition took me to a local Andalucian Stud and I asked if I could borrow one of their horses for the big day.  They showed me a horse called Pedro and mentioned they might be interested in selling him, even though they had not sold a horse for over ten years.

I purchased Pedro and took him home.  I believe Pedro was sent to me for this time of my life.  He was very special.  Pedro was started by Monty Roberts in front of 5000 people and on a big screen and worked as an energy horse for bowen therapy workshops teaching people how to heal. He also won the Supreme National Champion for the Australian Andalusian Gelding in 2006. I said he was amazing.

Pedro’s eyes had a knowingness about them like he knew his purpose.  He made me feel like a Queen when I was on his back.  His regal appearance was so powerful he captured everyone’s attention.

Pedro bowed his head and gracefully carried me to the top of the mountain of my home where over 100 family and friends awaited our presence.

Waiting patiently for the ceremony to be over, Pedro then carried me down the mountain while the sunset went down.  Being on Pedro I felt as one, like we are soul mates, together again.  I was the happiest girl in the world.  It really was like I married two men that day, my husband, and my horse, Pedro.

One and a half weeks later, Anzac Day, I returned home to lunge all my eight horses (still collecting horses) lunging Pedro last for a couple of minutes only.  My father was walking away and I called him to admire Pedro’s beauty.  I led Pedro out of the round yard and towards the stables, then it happened.

Pedro stopped and began to lose control of his legs.  I started panicking and tried to hold him up.  Mum was screaming at me to get away, the other horses collected around us, my daughter Lili Rose and her friend were close, my husband and his friend were driving towards us.  Pedro was surrounded by everyone who loved him, then he dropped to the ground and died right in front of us.  Just like that.

My fairy tale has ended but my journey with Pedro was just beginning.  He was nine years old, quite young for a horse. His aorta valve came away from his heart and caused his death.  No one was to know he had a weak heart.

Anzac day, a day that represents over 20,000 horses dying in the war is the day Pedro chose to die.  His death on Anzac Day is by no means an accident.  This was his choice.

We buried Pedro at the highest place of our property on top of Cooroy Mountain, the same place we had our wedding photos with Pedro just over one week prior.

We placed a large rock from my garden as a headstone and a plaque for Pedro calling him ‘The Wedding Horse’.  On the rock, just after it was placed on the grave appeared a clear vision in white of a horse carrying a bride with the veil flying behind, just like the wedding.  Both are wearing crowns. A cross lays on the right side of the rock with a dove.  We released white doves at the wedding and have wild pet doves at our beach house in New Zealand, that is another story.  No-one could believe their eyes or argue the power of the picture on the rock.  This photo is featured at my bed and breakfast near Noosa, Eumundi Mountain Retreat, and still amazes everyone who admires it.

Pedro’s funeral was a spiritually enlightening experience.  Ken the builder wrote and sang a song for Pedro.  Frank, Pedro’s previous owner bought Pedro’s full brother, Budismo, to the funeral.  Budismo gave me strength as I held him through the whole ceremony.  My girl friends sang two songs and had everyone do a chant.  An older woman, a stranger turned up and simply asked to play guitar and sing a couple of horse songs.  Another friend Mandy and her daughter, Candice laminated beautiful wedding photos of Pedro and I, handed them out and read a special poem for Pedro.  Terry spoke about why Pedro left this earth and explained how he had reached the highest pinnacle of this life and has moved on to his next journey.

The love that surrounded first the wedding then the funeral was overwhelmingly beautiful, felt by everyone around.  The tears did not stop and I admit this is the first real love I have lost unexpectedly.

I believe when it is my time to die Pedro will be waiting to take me on my next journey.  Of that I am certain.

I am now a Light Horseman supporting the men, women, children and horses who died for us and lead the Anzac day parades on my first horse Arnie, the rig, this is another story and the journey continues.