2017 Miniature Horse World April E-Magazine | Page 29

When my mom , Betty Kennedy passed away last May , during my grief I told myself it will be “ O . K .”, as I knew I always had Shari to rely on for friendship and guidance . YES she was there for me for seven months and YES I was there for her .

The whole month of January , 2017 , and into February we spent together . It started off with going to town , getting her nails done , and even a couple lunch dates out of the house . The rest of the time we laughed , talked about old times , horses , and wonderful friendships we both were lucky enough to have because of the miniatures .
During this time , she enjoyed having Celebrations Tennessee Keepsake back home for a visit and loved getting to know our Charles Legacy Royale great grandson . Seeing the horses out in the field would make her heart and soul happy , she would just smile . We looked through old pictures and talked about all her World Grand and Reserve Champion trophies and awards which inspired us to buy a new horse together . She then started to call me “ partner ” and would give me a grin . She also told me I needed to diet before show season so I could show OUR horse ! ( If you knew her , you could just hear her saying this to me ).
One of my funniest memories we shared was at the World Show ( then Nationals ) in 1996 . I was showing Two Sister ’ s Celebrity Beth and , if I remember correctly , Shari was handling Celebration ’ s Flirtatious Miss . This yearling mare class was one of the largest in history , it had three splits and we both were in the same one . I followed her in thinking it would be a good strategy , because she always had winning horses and had a little more experience than myself at the time . This was going to make me look good , but oh boy was I wrong !
The first time she bent down to pick something up I heard a noise , looked up , and saw that she had split her pants wide open ! This class seemed to go on forever , at least a half hour , and the whole time she was squeezing her legs together , making sure to keep her backside from any judges view . She kept her composure and humor , laughing , and maybe cursing , under her breath . We were both called back even though through most of the class we were hysterically laughing . We were still joking about this recently as we were telling family and friends .
Shari was a beautiful , amazing , classy and strong woman who I have looked up to for many years . Our amazing and close relationship developed over the time I lived on the ranch with her and Phil and my continued frequent visits . I have always referred to Celebration Ranch as my second home , “ Heaven on Earth ”.
Her friendship I will cherish forever , and her sense of humor , with a little sarcasm , I will truly miss . Shari ’ s straight-forward words about dieting and other things in my life will guide me to be a better version of myself . She was courageous to the end , her laughter with that beautiful smile never left her . I know she will be there with Phil and I rooting on our new horse at worlds this year . – Love You Partner
Helynn Emory , Gallery Originals Miniature Horses
Shari ’ s family will be hosting a Celebration of Life for Shari this summer at their ranch in Roseburg , Oregon . If you would like to be a part of this celebration , or if you would like to leave a comment or memory about Shari for her family , please visit the party ’ s Facebook page https :// www . facebook . com / events / 177666639394994 / or email Troy Willis troyswillis @ gmail . com .
April 2017 Miniature Horse World 27