(Diamond Solitaire / Photos by Sarah Horsegirl Friesen)

I have never met “Sarah Horsegirl Friesen.” Not in person. Not over the phone. Not even spoken a single word.

But I can tell you, right now, that I love “Sarah Horsegirl Friesen.” Just love her. Just love her heart and soul.

Why? How? Really? You may ask, with good reason.

Well, the reason is simple. Very simple.

For the past 5 years, Sarah Horsegirl Friesen has loved and continues to love — absolutely, 100% pure love, to quote the great Ronnie Milsap — our 5YO mare Diamond Solitaire.

She loves Diamond with a passion that is truly both amazing and inexplicable.

She loves Diamond with a commitment that has transcended both time and distance.

She loves Diamond with an amazing depth that I cannot explain, only feel.

And, because of that, I truly love Sarah Horsegirl Friesen, back. Too.

You see, to fully grasp and comprehend this horse-related relationship, you have to go back in time and to a story that I have told, written and recanted for you so many times before. But it is a story worth remembering. And, living and reliving. It is a story worth appreciating. It is a story that is tied to both the heart and the person — Sarah Horsegirl Friesen.

When Diamond Solitaire was just a week old on this earth and not even named yet, her mother was stricken with a severe bout of colic at the farm. Only because they are always there to monitor and care for their horses (babies), the horse’s amazing caregivers and co-owners, David and Lori Hebel-Osborne, loaded the sickened mom and baby into a van and raced like it was the first Saturday in May to the clinic and equine hospital just a few minutes away.

But, by the time they had arrived, the mom — Diamond Seeker — was too sick and stricken to save. She was euthanized.

And, by the time they had arrived, the baby — who was to become known as Diamond Solitaire — was limping with an injured right front leg. Apparently, mom had kicked her, accidentally but significantly, on the way to the clinic. An x-ray revealed she had sustained a fractured front leg that needed to be set.

The situation was not good. It was really pure dire. The questions about the future of the baby were already being asked. Some of the alternatives were heart-breaking for a one-week old, broken-legged little filly, who was left in a stall and this world all alone.

It was then that I received the dreaded phone call from my partners. You know the one. The one where you always answer the phone with a rapid response sentence:

“Hey, how is it going. Everything OK?”

Of course, everything was not OK. And, I was 4 hours away. I quickly said that I was packing up and I would be on the road very soon. I was headed to see the survivors. I wanted to see the survivors.

But just before I loaded into the car for that awful and gut-wrenching drive, I stalled for just a second and I took to Twitter.

I asked for prayers for our little filly. And, they flooded in. Praying hands emojis flooded my account.

I asked for help, too. I asked if anyone knew of a nurse mare that we could find and adopt for the next few months, to please pass along the name and phone number. I got several names. I got some phone numbers. I got the name of Bill Roseberry — who just so happened to have an amazing mare by the name of Geri; who just so happened to be available; who just so happened to be a life-saver.

And, I begged for assistance from God above. Just begged. With tears in my eyes, I just begged. We needed healing hands that only the Big Vet in the Sky could offer up. And, we needed it now.

It didn’t take long for the phone to ding. And, ding. And, ding.

Offers of help, advice, counsel filed the screen. And, they all helped make the 4-hour trip home both bearable and tolerable. They were comforting. They were sustaining. They were amazing.

One of the first people to respond on Twitter was Sarah Horsegirl Friesen. Just seconds after my pleas, she replied. Over and over and over. She checked on the filly. She checked on the veterinarians. She checked on Geri. She checked on me.

From the moment I arrived at the clinic, and walked into the bear dirt floor — with only a bucket of warm milk hanging on the side of the stall and a lame little filly as the only resident — Sarah checked.

She checked on Geri’s arrival later that day. Thank you, Bill Roseberry. Thanks be to God for you, Geri.

She checked on when Lori and I unilaterally decided to remove the blind-fold off the beautiful nurse mare; remove the hind rubber boots; and untie her from the wall to allow her to see; sniff; and examine her new, potential baby.

She checked on the very moment Geri snuggled the little filly and allowed the nervous, body-shaking little girl to nuzzle her nose under Geri’s belly and begin to nurse.

She checked on the filly every day for awhile. And, then she would check on her every month, or so. But she always checked. Always.

Sarah Horsegirl Friesen was one of the first people to contact me when we named our little filly Diamond Solitaire — which was the most fitting name ever and chosen by Lori for our little Diamond who was left so alone and single at such a early age. Sarah loved the name.

Sarah Horsegirl Friesen was one of the first people to reach out when Diamond Solitaire won her first race at the age of 2 at Horseshoe Indianapolis — by a whopping 10 lengths. It was almost as if Sarah’s spirit — if not her image — was in the photo with us.

Sarah Horsegirl Friesen was one of the first to congratulate us when Diamond placed in her first Stakes race.

And, every winter, it was Sarah Horsegirl Friesen who was always checking on Diamond to see how she was doing in her “off time.”

As the months slipped — somehow — into years, one may have thought that Sarah Horsegirl Friesen would drift away, too. After all, Diamond ran again at 3 and again at 4. She has been back to the track this year as a 5YO, too. She has now run an amazing 28 times. More amazing than that is that she has hit the board on 16 occasions and has now placed in 7 different Stakes races. She has earned over $300,000 in purses. And, Sarah Horsegirl Friesen has been along — rooting, cheering, and always checking.

You see, Sarah Horsegirl Friesen doesn’t drift. She just cares.

Before every race, she has been the first to wish us luck.

After every race, she has been the first to check on her girl. After the good races, to be sure. After the tough ones, too, to be there.

And, sometimes in-between races, Sarah would just check to see how Diamond was doing. Just checking.

On Wednesday of this week, Diamond ran in the $150,000 Cardinal Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis. As she always does, she fought like the day she was injured and suffered that broken leg — at the tender age of 1-week. And, she gutted out a nose for a great 3rd place finish.

On Thursday, Diamond got an amazing visitor to her stall at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, KY.

For the first time ever, Sarah Horsegirl Friesen got to meet her “daughter.”

This week, Sarah got her first chance to travel from her home in Manitoba, Canada to Kentucky. And, although I was scheduled to be out of town this week on work, I knew that she wanted to make a visit to see our very own Diamond Solitaire. We made that meeting happen.

Sarah Horsegirl Friesen brought along some peppermints for her “daughter.” Just to sweeten her up, a bit more.

But she didn’t need them.

By all reports, all girl met “Horsegirl” — her best Twitter friend — with both love and affection.

Got this Direct Message after their visit:

“Diamond is so sweet, thank you for letting us visit her.”

Are you kidding me? Right now, are you kidding me.

Diamond is sweet due to people like Sarah Horsegirl Friesen.

Diamond is here due to people like Sarah Horsegirl Friesen.

Diamond and all of us are lucky for you letting us into your life.

It is our honor — every day — to have you visit Diamond and us.

And, then Sarah Horsegirl Friesen sent some photos.

They are great. They are perfect. They are special.

And, I knew right then and there why I own a racehorse.

Where else can you meet people like Sarah Horsegirl Friesen from Manitoba, Canada.

Where else can you love someone you have never, ever, ever met.

Where else can a filly bring people together with the tie that forever binds.

No where.

Thanks, Sarah Horsegirl Friesen for loving us.

We are are the lucky ones. Again.

And, I hope to meet you in person one day. One day very soon.