Horse Participates in Touching New Year’s Day Tribute to Claire Davis, 17-Year-Old Equestrian Killed in School Shooting
Photo Credit: Brittany Bevis
On New Year’s Day, a packed crowd sat silent as Claire Davis‘s horse was led into the National Western Events Center in Colorado. Wearing a hunter green blanket embroidered with the message “In loving memory of Claire Davis” and a yellow rose neck wreath, Davis’s horse was led into the memorial ceremony by her horse trainer, Rebecca Johnson.
In the background, blue and purple jump standards showed Davis’s initials and the date of her death, 12/21/13. Johnson quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson when she described her late student’s passion for horses.
“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and once it has done so, he/she will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
As the crowd watched, the horse’s saddle and blanket were removed and presented to Davis’s parents. Davis was the 17-year-old equestrian that was shot during a school shooting at Arapahoe High School on December 13th. She died as a result of her injuries eight days later.
Click here to view the video of KDVR’s coverage of the memorial.
Click here to view the saddle being removed from Davis’s horse (ABC 7 News).
Click here to listen to Rebecca Johnson’s speech at the memorial (ABC 7 News).
