It all kicked off last Tuesday night. I was scrolling through old photos on my phone, right? Found this blurry picture of teenage me grinning like an idiot on horseback. Dark bay coat, white star on its forehead – clear as day. But the name? Blank. Nada. Zip. Like my brain hit delete on that file.
The Desperate Search Begins
First, I did the obvious: sat there squeezing my eyes shut like I was trying to juice a lemon. Nothing came up but static. Tried texting my cousin who used to ride with me back in ’09. His reply? “bro i barely remember MY horse’s name”. Useless.
Wednesday morning, I hit Google hard. Typed “horse names starting with S” (swore it began with S), then “popular horse names 2008”. Fell down a 3-hour rabbit hole of ridiculous lists: “Top 500 Equine Appellations!” Got sidetracked reading about a racehorse called “Potato Champion”. Still had zero clue.
The Memory Breakthrough
Thursday, I’m cleaning out junk drawers and find my old riding gloves. Smelled like saddle soap and hay dust – BAM! Suddenly remembered washing that horse one summer with mint shampoo. Called up the retired stable manager. She goes, “Oh honey, that was Sundancer! Spooked at plastic bags but jumped like a deer.”
Instant lightning bolt! YES! Sundancer! How could I forget? That horse once dumped me straight into a manure pile after seeing a Walmart bag blow by. The memory came rushing back so hard I tripped over the dog.
The solution? Triggering smell memory + talking to someone who lived it. Fancy brain science? Nah. Just stubbornness and a dusty pair of gloves.
