Brooke's Next Partner

On April 22, 2017, 16 year old Brooke tragically lost her beloved partner, Lionella. Nellie was a once-in-a-lifetime  horse, and has been credited with healing Brooke from previous heartache. Erin Blackwelder described the experience of having Nellie as "a rebirth," and stated, "She brought more joy to our family than we thought possible." Nellie came at just the right time, and provided more for their family than can be described. In addition, Nellie became a major part of Brooke's social life; she would even bring dates to the barn to hang out! (What parent wouldn't want THIS to be their daughter's date plan??)

Nellie was not Brooke's first horse. Brooke first owned a wonderful mare, Jaxia, whom the Blackwelders purchased in 2014. Brooke worked for 2 years to develop a connection with Jaxia and was able to experience success in their work together. However, Brooke, following the advice she was given,  made the heartbreaking decision to find Jaxia a new home in June 2016. As much as Brooke, and the entire Blackwelder family, loved Jaxia, she simply was not a safe partner for Brooke. After searching, the Blackwelders found the lovely schoolmaster Lionella, who took the best care of Brooke, while also providing the loving connection that was so needed at that time.  Brooke and Lionella's trainer said Nellie gave Brooke the confidence to enjoy riding again, after working so hard with Jaxia. Sydni said, Lionella "never put a foot wrong. She was like a compass, she always pointed true north." 

On April 22, 2017, Brooke and Lionella competed in a dressage show, winning the Junior high point of the day, scoring very highly in their inaugural First Level test. However, upon return home, Lionella had to be rushed to the emergency vet, and Brooke, and the Blackwelders, made the heartbreaking decision to end Lionella's suffering. 

Brooke has a 13 year old sister, Ellie, who also competes in dressage. Both girls got their first horses a few years ago....Brooke got Jaxia and Ellie got Happy. Happy has also been a wonderful partner, but recently his health has suffered as he has aged. The Blackwelders had literally just purchased Ellie a new horse on April 20, 2017, and were so excited for both girls to move forward in their dressage careers with their new partners, while Happy is moved into retirement.

Now, the Blackwelders again face finding a new partner, while their hearts are broken. The costs they have had in the past few years, trying to facilitate their girls' dreams, have reached their limit. This GoFundMe has been created to help support them in one last effort to support Brooke's dreams. Both of the Blackwelder girls are incredibly hard workers; they are not the teenagers that sit back and wait for someone else to do the work for them. They work hard with their horses and love them unconditionally. As we all know, the Blackwelders are a wonderful family who are very active in the horse community. The response to their pain has been overwhelming, and working together, we can all help. Thank you!