We hope you are ready for this installment of “As the River Flows”. This episode is a little longer than usual, but for good reason: friendships that last 12 years need just a little more time to tell.

Last week, we discussed the bonds that stallions form. Today, we turn to the gentler sex—mares. While the boys tend to be more like rock’em sock’em robots, mares are the ones who rest near each other and share quiet girl talk. When we think of best friends, we think of Cholla and Bella (there are others, and we will tell their stories too). Bella and Cholla’s story began like most mares’—thrown together either by birth or by being stolen by a stallion. Both mares found themselves together in Old Dillon’s rather large band. Cholla was already 12 years old, while Bella was in her second year. Perhaps their bond started out motherly on Cholla’s part, but it eventually grew into a beautiful friendship as time went on.

Now, in this large band, there were three younger lieutenants: Chief, ET, and GT (who was eventually renamed Moon). When Dillon was severely injured in July 2012, the band was split up, with ET and Moon taking Bella and Cholla.

In mid-September 2012, Cholla was stolen once again, this time by another stallion. By October 2012, she had been stolen again—this time by Robin. The musical mares continued on the Salt River into January 2013, when Robin found himself left with Cholla as his only mare. In March, Robin made the difficult decision to join ET’s band as a reluctant lieutenant. However, this decision made two girls very happy: Cholla and Bella were back together!

Have you been keeping track of who has who? We realize it’s a daunting task.

We now enter March of 2014, when a new stallion joined ET’s band: Rocky. Unfortunately for ET, it didn’t take long for Rocky to shake things up and unceremoniously remove ET from the band. You may be wondering, what happened to GT (Moon)? Well, ET had dumped him from the band back in January 2013. The good news for Cholla and Bella was that they were still together, and for Robin, he would stay on because he loved Cholla.

Rocky formed a formidable band with Robin. Together, they weathered numerous attacks from young bachelors wanting to stake their claim. The two stallions kept their band intact, allowing Cholla and Bella to stay together. What many casual observers saw as just two mares off to the side, resting, grazing, and sleeping… was actually two best friends who had been through multiple mates, witnessed the deaths of beloved stallions and offspring, and survived it all together.

Sadly, on September 19, 2024, Bella lost her best friend, Cholla. Due to a severe hip dislocation, Cholla was humanely dispatched. Bella struggled for several days, poignantly standing over her best friend. When Rocky finally asked Bella to move on, she stoically said her last goodbye and left Cholla’s side.
There are many stories like this one, and over time we will certainly share them with you. Some of these stories may even be about horses who are no longer alive, but whose spirits remain a part of the Salt River.

Their stories need to be told too. All horses’ stories need to be told. They live, they love, they grieve. Please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.