Are you the photographer? Add your photo credit.Request removal
Some horses come into our lives and quietly change the direction of everything that follows.
For Emily Critser, HP Glowin Best, lovingly known as “Annie,” was that horse.
Emily purchased Annie more than eight years ago, never knowing that this beautiful daughter of RL Best Of Sudden would be the mare who made her fall in love with the bloodline and inspired so much of what came afterward. This week, Annie was unexpectedly lost following complications from a twisted gut, leaving behind a family and countless friends whose lives were made better simply because she was part of them.
But Annie’s story was about so much more than breeding.
During the years when she wasn’t raising foals, Annie found another purpose. She carried riders with disabilities, helped young 4-H members learn, and patiently introduced new riders to horses. She became a favourite of nearly everyone who met her, helping people achieve goals that once may have seemed out of reach. For some, she was undoubtedly the horse who gave them confidence. For others, she was simply a kind and trustworthy friend.
That may be one of the greatest compliments any horse can receive.
Emily will remember Annie’s unmistakable whinny and the joy she brought to so many, but her influence will also continue through the family she leaves behind. Among her offspring is a beautiful grey stallion owned by Trace and John Thompson, offering another way for a little piece of Annie to carry forward into the future.
Thirteen years never feels like enough when saying goodbye to a horse this special. Yet Annie filled those years with purpose. She was a beloved mare, a mother, a teacher, a confidence-builder and, above all else, a deeply cherished friend.
From all of us at StallionCompare, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Emily Critser and to every person who had the privilege of knowing, riding, caring for, or loving Annie.
Rest easy, sweet girl.
You helped people learn to ride, gave others the courage to believe in themselves, raised the next generation, and inspired a love for an entire family of horses. That’s a beautiful legacy for one very special mare to leave behind.
