Happy Birthday to My Best Friend on Four Legs!

Happy 18th Birthday, Snow! 🎉

Hey guys, this is more of a rant about my horse, so it might not be super interesting to everyone—but if you're still here and feel like reading, feel free!

Today, April 10th, 2025, is my horse’s birthday. On this day 18 years ago, my best friend was brought into the world—born in Alberta, on a racehorse farm. His mother, a racehorse named Copelan’s Aisle, gave birth to him during a brittle April snowstorm. No one could leave the farm because of the storm, so they named him Snowbound in April—but to us, he’s just “Snow.”

18 years later, Snow has lived such a life. He raced for six years, pulled chuckwagons in the Calgary Stampede, and even worked as a western horse—maybe even did some barrel racing. He was put through so much, almost sold for slaughter, and traveled across Canada to Ontario. By the time he arrived, he was so weak he actually fell off the trailer. But then, he became a show jumper.

He was sad, depressed, and so underweight he became anorexic. And then… I met him.

That summer changed everything. I started part-boarding him, and since then, he’s become a much happier, healthier, and very loved boy.

I’ve always preferred animals over people, and Snow is my kind of guy. I proudly call him my best friend. We’ve been through so many ups and downs together, and he’s always been my best listener, my escape, and my safe place. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without him, and I’m so grateful to be spending another year with him.

This year for his birthday, we made his favorite homemade molasses and oat treats—with lots of apple and carrot—and brought him tons of mints (his favorite). We all sang him happy birthday and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. He was such a smartie—we even played the cup game where you hide a mint under one of three cups and move them around, and he guessed the right one! Of course, he wore a birthday hat (he looked adorable), and for his gift, he got a new doughnut-shaped keychain for his bridle. He’s our little doughnut, after all. 

It was such a fun day, and his reaction was so sweet when we surprised him.

I also find it so special that we were born only three days apart. I truly believe our friendship was meant to be.

Anyway, I just love my horse so much and I’m so thankful for him, so I felt the need to write about it. What an awesome guy.

Happy 18th Birthday, Snow!!

Here’s Snow in his birthday hat!
(Sorry for the blurry photo—my dad has shaky hands, lol.)