Marge Warder and Monty, Opening Meet, Tryon Hounds, 2005 / Erik Olsen photoMarge Warder has had a lifelong love affair with horses. As a child, riding was her favorite activity.
She traveled the world as a stewardess with Pan American Airways and lived the big-city life in New York.
After retirement, she moved to North Carolina, resumed her life with horses, and joined the Tryon Hounds and the Green Creek Hounds.
Last year, at the age of seventy, Marge Warder fell off her horse Monty. Something was wrong. A few months later she was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotropic lateral sclerosis, ALS). She moved into an assisted living home near her sister Carrie Bartlett in Louisiana. She decorated her room with horse stuff and told stories of her foxhunting adventures. She shared one heartfelt wish with a social worker visiting the home. She wanted to ride a horse one last time.
Her wish resonated with the workers at her facility, and they went to work. Google pointed them to New Heights Therapy in Louisiana and arrangements were made.
Although Bartlett was concerned about her sister—wheelchair bound—getting on a horse again, she couldn’t refuse. Warder was so excited that she got her boots out two weeks beforehand and couldn’t sleep!
When the day arrived, a limousine arranged by Casey, picked up Warder and her attendants. They sang songs on the way and drank non-alcoholic Champagne.
A lift was used to place Warder on Sunflower’s back and with people on each side, Sunflower was led around the arena and out to the field. (With a name like Sunflower, how could anyone worry?)
Warder was all smiles as she rode, waving at her earthbound audience who cheered her on.
“It’s important that she got back on the horse,” agreed New Heights volunteer Dan Casey.
“She is a brave and gutsy lady,” said her good friend Bonnie Lingerfelt, MFH, Tryon Hounds, who used to ride and ski with her.
See photos and read Suzanne Le Breton’s complete article in the St. Tammany News.
Posted October 4, 2011
Erik Olsen photo