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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, January 14, 2016 | 14 Community mourns and finds strength in memories after barn fire sadness. These are people who know, relate and empathize with each other -- people who delight in each other's pleasure and share each other's pain. The news was devastating, the pain intense. Forty-three horses dead in an overnight barn re at Classy Lane Training Centre near Puslinch, Ont. An entire horse community plunged into mourning, spurred into action -- What can be W ord spread quickly across the tightknit horse community, as it always does in times of joy and in times of That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor O ZZLE PROM WINTER DA e hani Step with GIFT FREE + + CUT · Lady's COLOUR for long hair. $75.00 *add'l charges may apply + 2 EYEBROW DRY · 2 Lady's WASH + CUT + BLOW a Mari with $90 ES WAX Above promotions are not valid with any other offers. Exp. May 3, 2016 Hair Studio 1 Oakville Hair Studio 1 done? How can we help? -- and horse people talking (and talking and talking, as they tend to do about all things equine), not solely about the poor horses that died in that blaze, so much as 2368 Lakeshore Rd. W, Oakville (back entrance) To book an appointment please call 905-469-0344 www.hairstudio1.ca Hairstudio1mn the rich personalities that perished. As I kid, I fell in love with horse racing, lassoed by the beauty of the horses -- in absolute awe of their power, strength and speed -- and corralled by the excitement of the sport. Then along came Secretariat, arguably the greatest racehorse of all time, but also one of the sport's most memorable personalities. All these misty years later, I can still picture Secretariat, a born athlete, a natural entertainer -- known in racing circles as Mr. Personality -- mugging for photographers, hamming it up with fans. As one of his handlers said: "He was just a big kid. He loved people, he loved kids, he loved...." At some point in Secretariat's historic Triple Crown journey, I came to the obvious realization these huge creatures are blessed with even bigger personalities. And I went from simply being in love with horse racing to falling in love with horses. Years ago, a horse-obsessed woman told me mentally, emotionally and socially, horses are about at the level of four-year-olds. Playful, earnest, sassy, sweet, endearing, cantankerous, nice, naughty. Lovable, laudable, comical four-year-olds. Last week, mourners made their way to Woodbine Racetrack for an outpouring of communal grief, an evening of healing communal love. All involved talked about all that had been lost. And in a moving tribute to the rich person- alities that perished, each emphatically noted this was their own esh and blood that died in that re on that frosty night -- this was family. As I read the tributes, deftly captured by Robert MacLeod in The Globe and Mail, the spirits and personalities of those that had died came back to life and trotted off the pages. The stories got me thinking of the horses we've had over the years -- their strong personalities, and the indelible imprint they left on our lives when they departed for the pure, perfect pasture in the sky. There was Bambi, who was always one of the smaller horses in the herd but who could dominate an entire herd... especially when food was involved. Then along came Apollo, the largest and most lovable lug imaginable, a playful prankster who not only wasn't afraid of Bambi, he actually took great pride and pleasure in tormenting her. All these years after she succumbed to a swiftmoving cancer, I can still hear her squawking at Apollo. And all these years after a fall on ice felled Apollo, I can still hear him nickering (snickering?) in reply. Honestly, they were like an old married couple. That is, if you let four-year-olds marry. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www. facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www. twitter .com/thesportjesters. ABBEY ARMS GlEn ABBEY'S OnlY AuthEntic BRitiSh PuB! Happy New Year! liVe Music WeeKends 481 North Service Rd. @ 4th Line, Oakville Mention this ad to get 10% off your food order 905-825-1109 NEW YEAR'S SPECIALS! www.abbeyarmspub.ca Looking for direction in a volatile market? Let's talk. Marc Nutford - Financial Advisor 2387 Trafalgar Road, Unit E2, Oakville, ON L6H 6K7 905-844-4043 · www.edwardjones.com