In Loving Memory

Cinda Sue Spice

April 27, 2001 – June 1, 2023

We first met Cinda quite accidently at a farm in Southampton, Ontario, in the fall of 2006.  Bill was looking for a foundation Quarter Horse for himself and we had seen one advertised, called and made an appointment to have a look.  We made the scenic drive to Southampton where they had several horses and a group that had just a few days ago been trailered in from North Dakota.  The horse we went to look at did not really appeal to us – but, as we wandered through the barn on our way out, we spotted this absolutely black, beautiful, horse that immediately caught our eye. She had magnetic energy.  (When Bill was looking for his first horse, he had his heart set on a fully trained, black horse, that he could ride.  As love would have it, he ended up buying an unbroke, 2-year-old, bay, appaloosa filly, that he still loves dearly.)

We asked if this black horse was for sale and of course, they’re all for sale.  They saddled her up and Bill tried her out and said, “She feels like a lot of horse, I’m not sure.” I said, “Here let me try her.”  The minute I got into the saddle I could feel her vibrant energy.  It flowed through my body.  She was so light, so responsive to the slightest touch and shift of my body.  All I could think was, ‘she is magnificent!’ To convince Bill I offered to work with her so that he would be able to ride her.  I knew he liked her.  Bill bought her, we had a trailer at the time, came and picked her up, and brought her home.  Bill already had the lovely appaloosa horse that, by this time, was green but level-headed, and good to ride. 

Less than a year after buying Cinda we sold our small farm and bought a place with more property just a few miles away.  I will never forget Cinda’s reaction to seeing her first two herd mates leave the old property in the two-horse trailer.  After dropping them off and returning  we loaded the third horse in the trailer. I went to get Cinda out of the pasture.  Cinda started walking to the outermost areas of the field with her head down away from me.  I caught up to her and she appeared to have tears in her eyes.  No stranger to the sales arena, I thought right away that she thought she was going to be sold.  I cuddled her and assured her that she was our family now and she would stay with us.  I told her we were all moving to a new place that she would really like.  She let me halter her and walked right onto the trailer with Strider, who was already on the trailer having his own anxiety with nervous energy about all this. It was a short ride to the new place.  We arrived and let the two horses out in the field with their two buddies and they all whinnied loudly, checking I think for other horses in the area. They ran together around this new field, rejoicing loudly and claiming every inch of this grassy field as their own. It was beautiful to watch.  I hope to never forget that moment.

After moving to the new place neither Bill nor I did much riding.  There was so much other work to do and even 16 years ago we weren’t young people.  We enjoyed living with the horses, watching the horses, feeding the horses, listening to the horses, and doing the work associated with the horses. 

In 2010 I completed training for doing Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning and began working with clients.  Cinda was “THE QUEEN OF THE ROUND PEN”.  She excelled in this one particular activity that required energy and responding to a person’s output of energy.  She taught a lot of people how to touch in with their power source and project energy in a way that allowed them to set personal boundaries without alienating.  She also excelled in an activity where two or more people had to work together to have her go into a “pocket” (marked by 2 poles on the ground). Cinda loved to come into the round pen and really put on a show for people.  She would often gallop and buck and rear up as her warm-up when first entering the round pen.  The look on the clients faces when I would ask them if they were ready to go in with her would be, “are you serious?” Cinda had a lot of energy but not a mean bone in her beautiful body.  Clients often felt a sense of self confidence after completing an activity with Cinda. They also felt loved as she would walk beside them when they indicated they wanted her to do that. 

Cinda was most definitely, Bill’s horse.  They had a special connection and although it breaks my heart to not have her around anymore, it breaks my heart more to see Bill grieve her loss.  They had a very special bond.  He understood her and connected with her on a personal level.  She brought both of us great joy and comfort.  We honor her with our love as she passes to be with her ancestors and the Creator.  With gratitude to the Creator for allowing us to care for his beautiful horse and to experience the richness she brought into our lives.