April 9, 1994 – February 14, 2019
Sheila was not discretionary in the loving relationships she established with particular horses.
They need not have been bred by her for her to love them.
They need not have been showered with accolades for her to love them.
They need not have been a certain ‘look’ she cherished for her to love them.
They only needed to speak to her soul, and then she pledged her care and devotion to them for the rest of their days. No holds barred. No condition attached.
Besides a rare few in her life, the likes of Bay-Abi, Ronteza, and Huckleberry Bey, one horse stole her heart in a profound way, as he did nearly every other living being – horse or animal – who ever met him.
Audacious ps and Sheila seemed to enter into this wordless, beautiful dance together every time they were in the same ring… Sheila standing in the middle, smiling from ear to ear as the ethereal and soulful white stallion played around her, and with her.
Audacious was easy to love. Beyond his unforgettable beauty – including those famous tipped-in ears, liquid eyes, and quintessential flagged tail – Audacious oozed with a gentle, otherworldly joy, anointing those around him with a special reminder that the world is just as it should be, that beauty can be seen everywhere around us, and that joy is ours for the taking.
It is no wonder Sheila loved him so.
Did you know that when we started his Facebook page in 2014, he amassed a worldwide following of thousands of people in only a matter of months? The world saw this special soul and fell in love with him just as Sheila did. Sheila is nobody’s fool… she found Audacious at the ripe age of fifteen years of age and gave him the world stage he deserved. He thrived at Varian Arabians for the remainder of his days, just as Sheila had promised.
Audacious was lovingly laid to rest on Valentine’s Day.. of all days. The irony. On first glance, it seems to add another layer of pain to a colossal heap of heartbreak.
And yet, what did Audacious always communicate to us? Yes, the world is as it should be. Yes, there is beauty all around us. And, yes, joy is ours for the taking. Maybe – just maybe – it was his way of reminding us of these truths on the one day of the year that is dedicated to all that he stood for… Love. And from that place, it suddenly feels… just as it should be.
There will never be another Audacious ps, just as there will never be another Sheila Varian.
But their legacies and their truths will live on in our hearts. And even though he didn’t display the royal “V” on his hip, Audacious will forever be intertwined with the most poignant values represented in the Power of the V.
Rest in peace, dear Audacious. We are better because of you.
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"He makes my heart happy." | Sheila Varian
