05/29/2026
This past Tuesday we said Farewell to Amy Goan's 22 year old Spirit. The rambunctious, champagne colored Tennessee Walker was the class clown of the herd entertaining us every day with his antics.
Amy & Spirit came to Nelsons Ranch in October, 2014 and he easily assimilated into the herd. Since he had never experienced herd life he was totally fascinated wandering the huge pastures and napping in the shade up in the Highlands.
Spirit also easily made friends with the other horses. He was always friendly and playful, never displaying any aggression. Of course that made him popular throughout the herd and he easily moved in and out of all the small herd cliques and groups.
Spirit was also friendly to all of us Feeders/Handlers. And as you can see from some of the pics, he did indeed enjoy eating his meals with great gusto and usually came in with the first wave through the gate. When he was finished there was nary a crumb left in his feed dish and he'd poke his head through the slot asking for his dessert treats. Since he never quite mastered the art of taking treats with his lips, for us, feeding him treats always felt like he was swallowing half your hand! But we all got used to it, he never meant any harm.
And Spirited as he was (his name fit him perfectly!), he carried Amy, her husband James, their kids and various others safely without incident. Amy also took lessons with Nicki Chandler who deemed his quite "Spirited" but safe.
So Rest in Peace beautiful boy. We will miss seeing you glistening like gold out in the pastures and coming through the barn with your head held so high as to almost touch the ceiling. But we can see you now, cantering through those endless fields of green with your new herd. And that will help to wipe away the tears.
