Celebrating a Lifetime of Love for the Horse
Photo by Baylee Esquivel
94-year-old Ruth Frisch of Waterloo, Iowa, has loved horses all her life.
Photo by Baylee Esquivel
As all equine enthusiasts know, the passion for the horse never dims with age. That very love still runs in Ruth’s veins as strongly in her senior years as it did when she had a little black pony and two Arabian horses on their Iowa farm even though, she explains, one of them dumped her in a tank of water.
“I was riding her and all at once, she decided she decided she wanted a drink, so she ran for the tank, and when she stopped, I got a bath!” Ruth laughs.
Those days of horse ownership have faded, but this past weekend, Ruth sat beaming at colorful, beautiful Paint Horses in the warm Arizona sun, surrounded by family and countless new friends.
Ruth meets So Darn Lazy thanks to Katrina and Ella Grace Burns.
As Ruth smiled contentedly at the horses in the arena at WestWorld of Scottsdale, she explains, “I lived on a farm, and I rode just for fun.” She says it wasn’t her first show she’d attended, however, since Iowa has many good events, but her favorite part of the weekend has been “Everything – I like it all. It’s been fun!”
Her chance to enjoy the feelings only horses can provide came courtesy of an organization called Wish of a Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of AARP whose mission statement says, “Wish of a Lifetime grants life-changing wishes to older adults and inspires people to redefine aging in America.”
One of Ruth’s companions on the trip, granddaughter Baylee Esquivel, knew of Wish of a Lifetime when she worked in Minnesota as an art therapist at an adult day center. “One of our members there was approved for a trip through Wish of a Lifetime, and when my husband, Wilson Esquivel, and I moved in with Ruth in May in Iowa to be her primary caregivers, I decided to apply for her and see if we could get her approved for a wish,” Baylee explains.
When Ruth was interviewed by the organization to see what her favorite horses were and what they could do to get her around them, attending the 2024 Arizona Paint Horse Club Harvest of Color Show, November 21-24 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, was one of the options.
“We ended up getting flown down here from Iowa,” says Baylee, “and they paid for the trip and all costs of the trip for her and one person to accompany her, which ended up being me. They paid for a professional photographer to document the trip, put her up in a hotel, paid for flights, covered the cost for a rental car, and gave us a gift card to cover food expenses.” The last item was important, says Ruth, because “I like to eat!”
The trip wasn’t Ruth’s first time on an airplane, as she had been to Florida to see family a few times in the past, but it was her first trip to Arizona. “Flying is not my favorite, but I’ll do it for the horses,” quips Ruth. Wilson, Baylee’s husband, also came along to assist and act as chauffer, and all three were welcomed with open arms at the show.
Ruth also met Callie, Ella Grace’s pony, at the Mike and May Edwards QH barn.
“Everybody here has been so good to us,” says Baylee. “We didn’t know all that much about the event and we aren’t from the area, and anyone we asked a question of went above and beyond.”
Baylee explains that people went out of their way to say hi to her and have them pet their horses, like trainer Sandi Morgan, who gave Ruth some Arizona Paint Horse Club t-shirts, and who reached out for their address so she could follow up with a gift for Ruth. Kristin Metler-Armijo, the Arizona Paint Horse Club President, graciously welcomed her and also introduced Ruth to her senior parents, Conrad and Judy Fjetland, who were there not only to watch the show, but also for Judy, who is in her 80’s, to show her horse.
Wish of a Lifetime also provided their very own welcoming committee, three volunteers who normally work with the hospice population, who met them on the first day of the show. “They came and spent the whole first day at the show together with us, and they gave Ruth a gift bag with Arizona and horse related gifts just for her. It was so sweet,” adds Baylee.
The Frisch and Esquivel families want to thank everyone at Wish of a Lifetime and everyone at the show for going out of their way to grant Ruth such a special memory, and we at The Equine Chronicle also want to thank Cliff, Katrina, and Ella Burns and the Mike and May Edwards Quarter Horses barn for sharing their horses with the family!
Learn about Wish of a Lifetime here: Wish of a Lifetime | Wish of a Lifetime
