10/11/2026
🕊️ In Loving Memory of Clara 🕊️
28 beautiful years
You know the day is coming, but a part of you wants to ignore it and hope somehow it never arrives.
Today, my heart is broken as we say goodbye to our beautiful Clara.
Clara was a 28-year-old Percheron—a true gentle giant from God. And what a life she lived.
When Clara was just 3 years old, she went to live with my great-uncle Barry and aunt Trudy Ward, where she was raised and trained. Alongside her sister Tilly, she became part of a beautiful gray driving team.
Together, Clara and Tilly were part of so many special moments. They carried couples on their wedding days, drove the main strip of Red Lodge for many years, spent time at Reid Park Zoo, and proudly participated in more parades and community events than I could ever count.
Nine years ago, Clara and Tilly were passed down to me, and with them came one of the greatest gifts of my life.
They taught me how to harness.
They taught me how to drive.
They let me climb on their backs ba****ck.
But Clara taught me so much more than that.
She taught me about gentleness, trust, patience and a quiet kind of love that doesn't need words.
Clara was one of the most gentle, passive and loving horses I have ever known—and she certainly knew how to pose for a camera. ❤️ She was beautiful inside and out.
Last year, we said goodbye to her sister Tilly at the age of 26. And now, I find comfort imagining those two beautiful gray girls together again.
Our family was blessed with Clara for 25 incredible years. Twenty-five years of memories. Twenty-five years of love. Twenty-five years of having one of God's gentle giants in our lives.
If Clara's life has reminded me of anything, it is this:
Don't wait until something is gone to realize how beautiful the moments were.
Take the time.
Give the love.
Take the pictures.
Stand beside them a little longer.
Soak in the ordinary days.
Be present.
Love beyond words.
Because someday, those simple moments become the memories you would give anything to have just one more time.
Clara, thank you for every ride, every drive, every photograph, every lesson and every beautiful memory you gave our family.
You will forever leave hoofprints on our hearts.
Until we meet again, fly high with Tilly, my love. 🤍
Run together again, beautiful girls. No pain. No age. Just green pastures, strong legs and each other.
Draft horses truly are gentle giants sent from God.
Rest easy, sweet Clara.
1998–2026 🐴🕊️🤍
