Sunny Lenzendorf

When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk. He trots the air, the earth sings when he touches it. William Shakespeare Nothing can compare to the relationship between a horse and his rider—my connection to Sunny’s Dunn Boy was no exception. When my first horse, Chester, became too large for me to handle as a rider, my father, Dennis, sought out a smaller quarter horse for me. We found Sunny from a local owner, and he was simply beautiful. Coming from a fabulous bloodline, mind you one that meant nothing to me, he was a perfect size for me, and he had a calm temperament. Sunny’s name came about from his coat color—he was a “true” Dunn with a dorsal stripe down his back. In the first year of owning him, I readily showed him at the county fair with Sunny boasting a neon pink halter. As I reflect on it now, I wonder if Sunny was embarrassed to be in such a color, but he complacently followed me around the ring. I didn’t win first place, but it did not matter—I was so proud to own such a beautiful, wonderful horse. Over the winter with the addition of minerals and supplemental feed, Sunny grew to be the size of Chester with an even more muscular stature. Over the years, Sunny became the comedian of the pasture. He would readily carry sticks he found in the pasture around in his mouth, and he welcomed birds to sit on his back for a ride. He loved his pasture mates, Chester and Cody. Chester, the alpha horse, was always followed by Sunny; lastly, Cody, made up the three stooges. Forgetting his physique, Sunny would break out of the pasture and run to the neighbor’s farm. They owned giant Pecheron Draft horses, and Sunny had a crush on all the large mares. I would stroll down to the neighbor’s farm, and I would find Sunny bashfully pacing the fence line, trying to make his way in by the mares. Sunny’s greatest attribute was his gusty whinny. His whinny was much like an old man’s laugh—guttural and raspy—even when he was young. His nose and mouth were soft as velvet, and like all horses, he had the familiar perfume of grass and dust about him—something I can smell even now just thinking of him. No matter how long I was away, Sunny would answer my whistle and come running to say hello. I will miss you more than you know, Sunny. I only wish that I may have said goodbye to you. I know that you are resting now near the fence line in the pasture with Chester. I imagine you and Chester running in green pastures in heaven, and I know that some day we will meet again. I love you with all my heart, Sunny Boy. I only wish we could have said goodbye. Rest in Peace, Sunny Boy.