“I Think I Need to Touch a Horse One More Time.”
By: Brittany Bevis
Life is rarely ever fair. Alzheimer and Dementia patients live a lifetime full of incredible memories, only to have them slowly fade away.
Taz Bellar is all to familiar with this scenario. She’s been a Registered Nurse for the past 26 years. She watched her grandfather pass away as a result of Alzheimer’s disease. “I call it ‘the Long Goodbye,'” Taz says. “You live for the moments of clarity that remind you of who they used to be and the things they enjoyed.”
So when Taz received a call from her longtime friend, Barb, she knew she needed to help. Taz and her daughter, Lyla, had just returned home from the AQHA Youth World Show, when Taz received a call from Barb. She had been caring for her mother, who was rapidly losing her battle with Parkinson’s disease in Hospice care. Meanwhile, she’d received an interesting call from the nursing home where her father was living.
“They said, ‘Your dad just took a shower, walked down to the nurses’ station, and said that he thought he might need to touch a horse one more time.’ Barb knew we needed a fitted AQHA horse. As a former World Champion, she knew her father would notice the difference, even with his disease. With my daughter’s horse having just returned from the World Show, she fit the bill.”
“Barb’s dad, Roger, has Alzheimer’s disease. He rarely speaks and needs assistance with the activities of daily living. Barb asked if Lyla would mind taking her horses to see Roger. I said to name the time and place and we would be there. Barb’s mother died the following day.”
Barb made a plan with Roger’s long term care facility to have the horses meet outside at 1:00 pm on a Thursday afternoon. In addition to taking Good Evanescence, aka “Gretchen,” a 7-year-old sorrel mare by Zippos Mr Goodbar, they also decided to take Hesa Heart Rush, aka “Herbie,” a 5-year-old gelding by VS Code Red. Taz thought both horses would be perfect because they love attention and Fruit Loops. Perhaps they thought Gretchen might relate well to Rodger as she has undergone her own battle with a devastating illness.
“She has nine lives,” Taz says. “In 2018, after the Congress, we brought her home, and she somehow contracted Equine Botulism. She spent 11 days at the Purdue Large Animal Hospital being fed by a tube. The botulism attacked the nerves in her mouth, and she was unable to swallow. It also caused her to have tremors in her front legs. All these symptoms went away after having the antitoxin. It has taken us a long time to get her back to showing. We tried to bring her back a few months after coming home, but she just really needed a lot more time off. We were able to finally get her back to the World Show to do Trail this year.”
Roger is a former World Show competitor as well. In his earlier days, he moved from North Dakota to Indiana to work with a rodeo. After being drafted into the Vietnam War and serving for two years, he moved back to Indiana where he met his wife, Betty. She is the one who actually started him on this journey in the horse industry. First, Roger dabbled with Appaloosas before moving onto Buckskins.
“Barb and her dad were show partners,” Taz says. “They enjoyed raising Halter horses together. He was a Buckskin Reserve World Champion in Weanling, Yearling, and Two-Year-Old Mares with Classic Color Girl. She also won a title at the Buckskin Congress. Roger was my first 4-H leader when I was growing up. Barb was Lyla’s first 4-H leader when we started showing horses and ponies. This is how both of our families met and stayed good friends over the years.”
Initially, Roger had requested a Halter horse for his special visit. Although Taz arrived with two all-around Quarter Horses in tow, he didn’t seem to mind much. He even wore one of his favorite shirts- with the Buckskin World Championship logo on the pocket.
“Roger has had Alzheimer’s disease for seven years. It has taken a toll on him mentally and physically. He rarely recognizes Barb. He’s not verbal very often, so asking to see a horse was unusual considering his current mental state.”
It just goes to show that even when you think all might be lost, never underestimate the power of the human spirit. Dignity, respect, and a little kindness is all that we really need after all.
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