Pony by Jim Klein
“No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.”
Herman Melville, American novelist
As we make our way through life we come into contact with countless people, animals, and places that, more often than not, we forget these important pieces of us. It is unintentional; our human brain is simply incapable of remembering every single face or address we see.
Secretariat by Jim Klein
That is until one random memory leads to another, pulling a string of thoughts and feelings until a seemingly lost experience resurfaces to bring nostalgia, warmth, and light into your life. Such a moment reappeared to contemporary artist Jim Klein: a childhood recollection on his family’s ranch.
Jim: Years and years ago, my family had a quarter horse on our farm in Kersey, Colorado. His name was Cocoa. Technically, he was my sister’s horse, but he was the friendliest horse ever and just as smart.
We kept Cocoa in a fenced paddock with a big boxelder tree in the middle. The neighborhood kids, my sister, and I would gather at his fence, petting his shiny red coat and offering him treats he would kindly accept. We would even take turns climbing up on his back and- being a very friendly horse- Cocoa would carry us around the paddock.
King by Jim Klein
Horse by Jim Klein
However, when Cocoa was sweaty and felt his time entertaining in the hot summer sun was complete, he would lay right down and roll in the dirt. It didn’t matter if he was in the middle of a ride, you had to jump off!
One summer, my dad built us a treehouse in the tree in Cocoa’s paddock for us to play in. Supported by the tree and two poles, the fort worked out to be just the right height so that if Cocoa lowered his head he could walk under.
You might see where this is going… Like I mentioned, Cocoa was a smart horse.
When he felt his riding quota for the day had been met, Cocoa figured out he could walk under the treefort, forcing the kids on his back to make a quick decision: hop off or risk a good knock on the head. This became his favorite go-to for clearly communicating “the ride is over”.
Cocoa lived a full 22 years. We had this incredible understanding with each other and we all loved him.