My Love Triangle
Equus|September 2017

Much to my surprise, bringing home a new horse has helped me forge a stronger and happier relationship with my old one.

Susan Bennett
My Love Triangle

I feel like I am having an affair. Blame it on my recent retirement, or the acceptance of my own mortality, but I was beginning to feel like something was missing in my life. Whatever the source of my dissatisfaction, I allowed my heart to rule my head: I fell in love with a second horse.

On the plus side, my aging heart races when I see him approaching, a white shock of hair falling rakishly over his forehead. I feel younger and more vital, and my friends notice my increased energy.

On the other hand, I feel guilty. I had to change my routine, walking a different route to do my chores to avoid being seen by my old horse, Cleo. Each hour I spend with my new horse is tainted by feelings that I am slighting Cleo, and I spend too much energy justifying my behavior. I have bored my friends obsessing over my situation, trying to validate my decision.

My friends have taken different approaches. One rode her gelding, Cookie, for 26 years, and she never considered getting a second horse until he died at age 32. After searching for three years, my friend decided that no one could fill Cookie’s shoes, and she has adjusted to living without a horse for the first time since she was a young girl.

Then there are those who are never satisfied. I have another friend who, in her search for her perfect partner, adds to her herd every year or so. And she had to buy a new property equipped with an arena and training pens to accommodate her current herd of four horses of varying breeds, temperaments, sizes and genders.

This story is from the September 2017 edition of Equus.

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This story is from the September 2017 edition of Equus.

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