In The Lord Of The Rings, the great wizard Gandalf, played by the amazing Sir Ian McKellan, has a horse:
Shadowfax!
But he’s not just some ordinary horse… he’s the Lord of all horses! Sadly, the horse who played Shadowfax, named Blanco, has died.
Blanco had been sick for a long time so his owner, Cynthia Royal, had him euthanized.
She said:
“Although my heart was breaking, as my final gift to him, I stayed strong, balanced and focused, gently repeating ‘Relax Blanco. Let go. Walk into the light. Relax and let go’ as the Blanco I’ve known so well and loved so deeply slipped away. While this leg of Blanco’s journey has passed and my heart still aches, I will live in peace knowing we gave our all to aid in his recovery. We spared no effort or expense, even though doing so in conjunction with the on-going expenses of my own health challenges has placed an additional financial burden on my family.”
Wow, she gave everything to her beloved horsie. Excuse us, we need to go grab a tissue.
We like to picture Gandalf by Shadowfax’s side during his final moments, one hand on the horse as it lays in a beautiful Middle Earth field. In Gandalf’s other arm he’s slowly, repeatedly hitting his staff on the ground, saying, “You shall not pass away,” tears streaming down his face.
R.I.P. – Blanco/Shadowfax