Katherine Schwarzenegger had to say goodbye to her best friend of 24 years this week, and she’s got the internet crying along with her.
Schwarzenegger, wife of one Hollywood superstar (Chris Pratt) and daughter of another (Arnold Schwarzenegger), posted on Instagram this week a farewell tribute to her horse, Cinco, who’d been in her life since she was 11.
“My sweet Cinco! I’ve always dreaded this day coming,” she wrote.
“Saying goodbye to an animal is never easy, especially one who has been there for nearly every chapter of your life.”
Schwarzenegger said she’d had Cinco and another horse, Brandy, since she was 11, and they’d been with her through thick and thin.
“He and Brandy were my safe place. I spent every day after school with Cinco and Brandy at the barn. I did my homework in their stalls, traveled to horse shows with them, and embarked on new chapters of life with them.”
Schwarzenegger was a child of privilege and power — her mom, Maria Shriver, was a TV news personality and member of the Kennedy clan, and her film star dad became California governor when she was 13, remaining in office until she was 21.
That was likely a lot to deal with, on top of all the normal challenges of a kid navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence. But she said Cinco and Brandy were her lifelines.
“Throughout my teenage years I’d find myself going to their stalls whenever I needed to process life: to work through fears, worries, anxiety, joys, triumphs, first loves, first heartbreaks and so much more — finding calm and comfort in their presence,” she wrote.
“The barn became my sanctuary, the one place I could always exhale. It was the place where I instantly could take a deep breath and just be.
“It’s where I went when my parents told me they were separating. I sat in Cinco’s stall just to be in his calming presence.
“When the Palisades fires forced us to evacuate from our home in January, I went to Cinco. Nothing else soothed me like being near him.”
She said she even brought Pratt to meet Cinco on their first date, just to get her equine friend’s approval.
“I figured if Cinco got a good read, I could take him seriously,” Schwarzenegger said.
“I remember watching Cinco stick his head out and nicker while Chris and I had a picnic on the lawn outside his stall.”
“Cinco was witness to every version of me and saw me through it all: high school, college, a young woman entering the world, single, dating, engaged, married, pregnant 3 times. Then he met all 3 of my kids. Cinco loved and accepted all these versions of me and wow, what a gift that was to have.”
Her tribute drew thousands of likes and many “broken heart” emojis in the comments. Followers expressed condolences, including one who said, “I’m so sorry. The pain is real. Sending hugs and support.”
Schwarzenegger concluded by marveling at the special relationship humans have with their animal friends.
“The unconditional love of an animal, big or small, is one of the greatest gifts we are given on this earth — and I wish everyone could experience it. To be seen, accepted, and healed by them is a blessing,” she said.
“Cinco, I love you! 24 years as partners. 33 years of your life! Everyone was in awe when I told them your age. You were a legend and forever will be.”
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