Tribute to our Magnificent Stallion and Friend TLA Halynov

TLA Halynov, our dear friend and family member of the last 12 years and champion Arabian sport horse stallion, had a

tragic freak accident, breaking his radius in four places close to the shoulder. Despite the efforts of two veterinary clinics,

there was nothing to be done; our wonderful stallion had to be put down.

He was kind and gentle enough to be ridden trail on family rides -- even when our kids’ mares were in heat. He would

never do anything to hurt the children. At age 14, our daughter Stacie was jumping him and competed in shows. I’ll never

foget the day she took stacked cavelletis 5 ft high and brought him from the barn, unbeknown to me, and jumped him. I

was just walking down to the arena when I saw her mid-air going over the jump -- breathtaking. I didn’t know whether to

chew her out, or hug her -- I did both.

It was devastating to our whole family when we lost Halynov. Our daughter learned of the vet’s decision to put him down

when she anxiously called me from high school. She went hysterical crying. A friend of hers was nearby and asked her

why she was so upset about just a horse. Stacie tried to explain it to him, “You don’t understand... He was like my brother-

--- I grew up with him.” That pretty well sums it up: we all grew up and learned from him -- his amazing heart and pride

that he showed at doing a good job in his classes at horse shows. The way he tool care of Stacie when she was jumping

him. The way he tackled jumps -- they were never high enough for him. He knocked down the low ones on purpose with

disdain. The way I felt when I was flying on him at the end of our family trail rides -- letting him run full our at the end in

pasture. I always felt that I had harnessed a powerful locomotive. And most of all, the way he wormed his way into our

family, shaping our lives for the many years we had him.

When you are on your last leg and ready to meet your maker, all you really have then is your memories -- and Halynov

was responsible for many of my best ones. I have to add that the feeling is mutual with our family. Mark cried for the first

time since the birth of our first child when he saw Hal take the Regional Championship in Jumping. Halynov left us his

legacy in his wonderful son, Riverdance.

Good-bye old friend