“We put bits in the horse’s mouths that they may obey us

And we turn about their whole bodies

So is the tongue a little member and boasteth great things”

From the Fulmer bit in Splendid High’s mouth

To the Zenith on his back

And the cavesson for lungeing him

Carol Brett in inextricably bound in

With my life with my Splendid High partner, known as Mel

She dubbed him “Mellifluous” because his gaits flow as smoothly as honey

He is Doctor Mellifluous to me, as a Saint Bernard rescue dog it to a stranded traveler

And I would never have met him if it weren’t for Carol Brett.

She taught at a clinic and advocated for my being able to attend

And stood up for me when all the town believed the calumny.

Carol Brett is my heroine and will always be so.

Because of what she taught me, I did not blame another’s horse for throwing me

And fracturing three ribs

Because he had an ill-fitting saddle and a sore back

And I refused all pain pills and continued to do the remedial training with Mel

Wearing a rib belt

My doctor said I was the only person he knew who got through broken ribs without any

pain medication

Carol Brett was and is my heroine

I knew that I had the pain for a reason and I would not forget it

And now I know I will never again ride a horse who does not have a saddle which does not fit properly

because Carol Brett is my heroine

She has passed on, but she lives on in every horse who has had a lighter load

And less ego to carry

A burden lifted

Because Carol Brett is a heroine to all horses for all times

And I miss her terribly

And want to do her memory justice

But I cannot

So I dream of riding Mel in a BALANCE Western Saddle

in Western Dressage classes

With that Fulmer bit, if only I could bridle my own tongue

And use it to teach what she taught

But no one can.

She is irreplaceable

And she is riding with the Faithful and True now

in His Army as St. George slays the dragon

of the ego-centered Death Rider

Who only thinks of herself and her wants

And Carol Brett is all of our heroine

In the cause for humans to become humankind.

I bow to her heart and pray that we carry on somehow.

From the depths of our being, Mel and I are grieving our loss

and the world’s.

Our life is held in the BALANCE by the golden thread of the life

That is Carol Brett’s

Together with her life partner Lesley, they birthed a better way

for equestrians.

May the tapestry and the artistry never die

And I pray that Mel and I do justice to her legacy somehow

As we dance together for the star that is Carol

As her guardian angel carries on, inspiring us forever

teaching us through the Spirit of Truth which is

the wholeness she now knows

free of dis-ease and embraced by the Comforter

because she was a heroine to true horsemen

and she lives on as our conscience to do right by the horse

and listen and have empathy

for all creatures great and small

Goodbye dear friend.

We love you forever.

Love,

His Royal Mellifluous Splendid Highness and his imperfect caretaker, Caroline, in service to the Queen of Peace as Her servants–the only one who can teach us now that our only riding teacher and trainer has passed on