Lost a zoo friend this past Sunday

goldstudservices

Zooville Settler
I know this thread is about the rainbow bridge for animals, but I felt losing my zoo friend relevant, especially since he is the one I learn about the existence of zoos from.
I see all kinds of threads on here where people are asking if anyone else has told non zoo friends/family about their zoo lifestyle and it worked out for them.
In this case I am the non zoo that was told about the lifestyle by a zoo, my friend. Such a great friend that I consider him the brother I never had.

For the purpose of anonymity, I will call him Beau here. Beau is actually the name of an appaloosa stallion that my friend (and I, as I loved that horse too) lost about 11 years ago (if you are familiar with videos there are 2 of him breeding a black mare and one of him breeding a black and white mare, sadly all in question have passed).

Beau and I met on a horse chat over 23 years ago. A chat about appaloosas if I remember correct. He learned that I wanted to go to college to become a breeding farm manager but I was not sure how I would accomplish that since I had a horse (the stallion that I call GoldStud in my videos). It so happened that he lived close to said college and had room enough for me to live and to bring GS with me.
SO,, Off I want to live with Beau and start college.

At that time I never dreamed I would meet a life long friend and dare I say "brother from another mother". I would become adopted into his family and excepted with open arms by all. That I would actually shape my life around him. Moving to Kentucky instead of Florida was because he did not want to move to Florida, and I could not imagine my life with out beau in it. Beau was there by my side before I met my girlfriend, and he was still there after my girlfriend and I split. He was there every time I started a new job and any time I left a job. If Beau or I had been of the opposite gender, there is no doubt we would have gotten married, despite our age difference.

Beau was there for me emotionally ever time I lost a beloved horse, and I was there for him every time he lost a beloved animal.
I am not sure how to get through losing him though as he is not here to get me through it :( !

The rainbow bridge is important here because he believed in it. Every time he lost a horse he would cut off a bit of the horse's main hair, and take one of the photos he had of the horse, and put it in a book he called the book of the dead with the name, and date of death. After his death he wanted to be cremated or buried with the book of the dead. The premise is that when he died, all the animals (and friend's) in the book whom had already passed, would come back across the bridge to meet him, and lead him back over the bridge.

Unfortunately his book of the dead was not complete as his diabetes induced dementia had made it so he could not complete it. SO, once he went into hospice and I realized I was going to lose him I started working on completing it for him. That has been an emotional roller-coaster for me because many of the horses in that book are horses he and I lost together during the 22 years he has been my friend. Also unfortunately, many of those horses are buried out west where we used to live and the rest buried here in Kentucky. Consequently I have decided to take the cremation route with his body so that I can bury half his ashes in Kentucky with the horses here, and half out west with the horses there.
That is double important to me because the property out west is for sale so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried there with those horses when I die, and this property here in Kentucky will be sold when I move to Florida so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried here when I die, so his sole will have to be the steward to all those horses to help them meet up with me when I die.

His book of the dead had such an impact on me, that as I was completing his book of the dead, I started a book of the dead myself as many of those same horses will be in my book. I may not have sexual interest in my horses, but I love them just as deeply.

I know this is a long winded post, but I cannot tell his true story anywhere else since he did not want his family knowing he was zoo.

This written in loving memory of my best friend I am calling Beau as well as the horse the name Beau actually belongs to, and all of the other horses Beau and I cared for together over the years!
 
I know this thread is about the rainbow bridge for animals, but I felt losing my zoo friend relevant, especially since he is the one I learn about the existence of zoos from.
I see all kinds of threads on here where people are asking if anyone else has told non zoo friends/family about their zoo lifestyle and it worked out for them.
In this case I am the non zoo that was told about the lifestyle by a zoo, my friend. Such a great friend that I consider him the brother I never had.

For the purpose of anonymity, I will call him Beau here. Beau is actually the name of an appaloosa stallion that my friend (and I, as I loved that horse too) lost about 11 years ago (if you are familiar with videos there are 2 of him breeding a black mare and one of him breeding a black and white mare, sadly all in question have passed).

Beau and I met on a horse chat over 23 years ago. A chat about appaloosas if I remember correct. He learned that I wanted to go to college to become a breeding farm manager but I was not sure how I would accomplish that since I had a horse (the stallion that I call GoldStud in my videos). It so happened that he lived close to said college and had room enough for me to live and to bring GS with me.
SO,, Off I want to live with Beau and start college.

At that time I never dreamed I would meet a life long friend and dare I say "brother from another mother". I would become adopted into his family and excepted with open arms by all. That I would actually shape my life around him. Moving to Kentucky instead of Florida was because he did not want to move to Florida, and I could not imagine my life with out beau in it. Beau was there by my side before I met my girlfriend, and he was still there after my girlfriend and I split. He was there every time I started a new job and any time I left a job. If Beau or I had been of the opposite gender, there is no doubt we would have gotten married, despite our age difference.

Beau was there for me emotionally ever time I lost a beloved horse, and I was there for him every time he lost a beloved animal.
I am not sure how to get through losing him though as he is not here to get me through it :( !

The rainbow bridge is important here because he believed in it. Every time he lost a horse he would cut off a bit of the horse's main hair, and take one of the photos he had of the horse, and put it in a book he called the book of the dead with the name, and date of death. After his death he wanted to be cremated or buried with the book of the dead. The premise is that when he died, all the animals (and friend's) in the book whom had already passed, would come back across the bridge to meet him, and lead him back over the bridge.

Unfortunately his book of the dead was not complete as his diabetes induced dementia had made it so he could not complete it. SO, once he went into hospice and I realized I was going to lose him I started working on completing it for him. That has been an emotional roller-coaster for me because many of the horses in that book are horses he and I lost together during the 22 years he has been my friend. Also unfortunately, many of those horses are buried out west where we used to live and the rest buried here in Kentucky. Consequently I have decided to take the cremation route with his body so that I can bury half his ashes in Kentucky with the horses here, and half out west with the horses there.
That is double important to me because the property out west is for sale so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried there with those horses when I die, and this property here in Kentucky will be sold when I move to Florida so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried here when I die, so his sole will have to be the steward to all those horses to help them meet up with me when I die.

His book of the dead had such an impact on me, that as I was completing his book of the dead, I started a book of the dead myself as many of those same horses will be in my book. I may not have sexual interest in my horses, but I love them just as deeply.

I know this is a long winded post, but I cannot tell his true story anywhere else since he did not want his family knowing he was zoo.

This written in loving memory of my best friend I am calling Beau as well as the horse the name Beau actually belongs to, and all of the other horses Beau and I cared for together over the years!
I'm sorry for your loss, but that was a moving and beautifully written tribute to your friend. You both were blessed to have been part of each others lives for so many years. I wish I had a friend I could trust to confide my true self to without fear.

Thank you for sharing his memory, and may his loved ones return to lead him across that rainbow bridge...
 
So sorry for your loss :( He sounds like a wonderful friend who gave and shared so much! I hope we are all reunited with our loved ones in the realm beyond life.
 
I know this thread is about the rainbow bridge for animals, but I felt losing my zoo friend relevant, especially since he is the one I learn about the existence of zoos from.
I see all kinds of threads on here where people are asking if anyone else has told non zoo friends/family about their zoo lifestyle and it worked out for them.
In this case I am the non zoo that was told about the lifestyle by a zoo, my friend. Such a great friend that I consider him the brother I never had.

For the purpose of anonymity, I will call him Beau here. Beau is actually the name of an appaloosa stallion that my friend (and I, as I loved that horse too) lost about 11 years ago (if you are familiar with videos there are 2 of him breeding a black mare and one of him breeding a black and white mare, sadly all in question have passed).

Beau and I met on a horse chat over 23 years ago. A chat about appaloosas if I remember correct. He learned that I wanted to go to college to become a breeding farm manager but I was not sure how I would accomplish that since I had a horse (the stallion that I call GoldStud in my videos). It so happened that he lived close to said college and had room enough for me to live and to bring GS with me.
SO,, Off I want to live with Beau and start college.

At that time I never dreamed I would meet a life long friend and dare I say "brother from another mother". I would become adopted into his family and excepted with open arms by all. That I would actually shape my life around him. Moving to Kentucky instead of Florida was because he did not want to move to Florida, and I could not imagine my life with out beau in it. Beau was there by my side before I met my girlfriend, and he was still there after my girlfriend and I split. He was there every time I started a new job and any time I left a job. If Beau or I had been of the opposite gender, there is no doubt we would have gotten married, despite our age difference.

Beau was there for me emotionally ever time I lost a beloved horse, and I was there for him every time he lost a beloved animal.
I am not sure how to get through losing him though as he is not here to get me through it :( !

The rainbow bridge is important here because he believed in it. Every time he lost a horse he would cut off a bit of the horse's main hair, and take one of the photos he had of the horse, and put it in a book he called the book of the dead with the name, and date of death. After his death he wanted to be cremated or buried with the book of the dead. The premise is that when he died, all the animals (and friend's) in the book whom had already passed, would come back across the bridge to meet him, and lead him back over the bridge.

Unfortunately his book of the dead was not complete as his diabetes induced dementia had made it so he could not complete it. SO, once he went into hospice and I realized I was going to lose him I started working on completing it for him. That has been an emotional roller-coaster for me because many of the horses in that book are horses he and I lost together during the 22 years he has been my friend. Also unfortunately, many of those horses are buried out west where we used to live and the rest buried here in Kentucky. Consequently I have decided to take the cremation route with his body so that I can bury half his ashes in Kentucky with the horses here, and half out west with the horses there.
That is double important to me because the property out west is for sale so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried there with those horses when I die, and this property here in Kentucky will be sold when I move to Florida so I will not be able to have any of my ashes buried here when I die, so his sole will have to be the steward to all those horses to help them meet up with me when I die.

His book of the dead had such an impact on me, that as I was completing his book of the dead, I started a book of the dead myself as many of those same horses will be in my book. I may not have sexual interest in my horses, but I love them just as deeply.

I know this is a long winded post, but I cannot tell his true story anywhere else since he did not want his family knowing he was zoo.

This written in loving memory of my best friend I am calling Beau as well as the horse the name Beau actually belongs to, and all of the other horses Beau and I cared for together over the years!
Reading this has brought me to tears and I didn't even know this person. My thoughts are with you at this time, and I think you are doing great honour to your friend through your actions as you have described here, we all should have such a good friend.
 
Sorry to hear about that man. I lost a good friend many years ago from diabetes as well; really crappy disease... and had to lay to rest a lot of good people in my life. I hope you and your horses are doing well man.
 
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