26/10/2026
Princess Keikilani. 6.5yrs. 2,375 days. 57,000hrs. And 205,200,000 seconds. Cheers to the best companion, best horse, best friend a girl can have.
From a 14-year-old girl at the beginning of COVID-19, who had absolutely no idea what life had in store for her, to the girl I am today, almost 21 and still figuring it all out. You’ve been there for every version of me. Through the highs, the lows, the heartbreaks of life, the health battles, the diagnoses, and the moments when I genuinely didn’t know how I was going to get through the next day. Somehow, through all of it, you were always there.
And whilst the world might know you for your achievements, I’ll forever know you for everything that happened when nobody else was watching. 🤍
34+ OTT awards. Competed at MI3DE CCI2* in 2025. International title at Wandin International HT 2024, Inter-school National Championships, a team leader at Nationals in 2023 and podium finishes approximately 95% of the time. Placed at almost every event we attended, and proved time and time again that you could turn your hoof to absolutely anything across all three disciplines. Not many horses can do what you did. You truly were a one in a million horse.
But the ribbons, the titles, the gala’s the awards, ect will never be the things I treasure most about you.
It’s the nightly conversations after work when I felt like my entire world was crumbling. The nights I’d lie beside you in the paddock, talking your ear off about absolutely everything and nothing, until we’d both fall asleep. The times you stood there and let me cry, ramble, vent and tell you things I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone else, all whilst patiently waiting for your lucerne and licorice afterwards of course!🤍 You never needed to understand a single word I said. You just needed to be there, and somehow, that was always enough.
When life last year became heavier than I knew how to carry, and when my own body started fighting battles I never asked for, you were my constant. You gave me somewhere to go when I had nowhere else to put my feelings. You gave me a reason to get out of bed, something to work towards when everything else felt uncertain, and a purpose that existed beyond the things I was struggling with.
You taught me that I was so much more than what I went through. You taught me that I was capable of things I never thought possible, that setbacks didn’t have to define me, and that sometimes the best things in life come from the partnerships we never could have planned and knowing when to step back and take a break.
You gave me opportunities I only dreamed of, took me places I never imagined I’d go, and helped shape the person I am becoming. You gave me memories that I will carry for the rest of my life, and lessons that will stay with me long after the last ribbon has faded.
And now, for the first time in 6.5 years, I’m learning how to navigate life without you beside me every single day. Without a horse.
Selling you was never just selling a horse. It was closing a chapter of my life that began when I was barely a teenager. It was letting go of the horse who grew up with me, who knew me before I knew myself, and who stood beside me through some of the hardest years of my life.
You were the beginning of so many things, and now, for the time being, you’re the reason I’m stepping away from riding.
There’s no countdown to my return. No pressure to be back in the saddle by a certain date. I have surgery to recover from, a body to heal, and a life to figure out outside of the sport that has been my entire world for over a decade. I’ll return when I’m healed, when I’m ready, and when the time feels right. And until then, I’ll still be involved with horses through Equine Vitality, because although I might be stepping away from riding, horses will always be a part of who I am.
It’s a strange feeling knowing that life will keep moving, that you’ll have a new little human to love, new adventures to go on, and new memories to make, whilst I’ll be here learning how to navigate a world that looks a little different without you in it every day. Learning who I am without horses.
But if there’s one thing you’ve taught me, it’s that not every ending is a loss. Sometimes, loving something means allowing it to have a new beginning, even when your heart isn’t quite ready for yours.
So, my beautiful girl, thank you.
Thank you for every kilometre travelled, every early morning, every late night, every competition, every ribbon, every win, every lesson, every fall, every comeback, and every single moment in between.
Thank you for carrying me when I couldn’t carry myself. For being my safe place when the world didn’t feel safe. For teaching me resilience, patience, determination, trust, and a kind of love that only those who’ve had a once in a lifetime horse could ever truly understand.
Thank you for giving a little 14-year-old girl a reason to believe in herself, and for staying beside her as she grew into the woman she’s becoming.
Thank you for being so much more than a competition horse. You were my teammate, my escape, my therapist, my best friend, my constant, and a piece of home I could always come back to.
You didn’t just give me a career/reputation in the sport I loved. You gave me a part of myself that I didn’t know I was missing.
If I could go back to the very beginning and do it all over again, I’d choose you every single time. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Every single time. 🤍
It’s not goodbye, and it’s certainly not the end of the love I have for you. It’s simply a new chapter, a different kind of love, and a very big see you later.
Go and be someone’s heart horse. Teach them everything you taught me. Give them the confidence, the memories, the laughter, and the kind of love that changes a person forever. Let them fall in love with your quirks, your cheekiness, and that strong spirit of yours.
I’ll always be the girl who got to call you hers for 6.5 years, and that will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life. And believe me, I’ll always talk about you if anyone brings up horses to me for the rest of my life.
Thank you for the memories, the milestones, the lessons, and the love. Thank you for giving me everything.
Until our paths cross again, go make that kid’s smile as big as you made mine.
Some horses carry us over fences. Others carry us through life. You did both, my girl.
