Photo credit: Andrew RybackThe photo of Nash Gagnon in the Aug. 17 issue of the Gorham Times deserves a follow-up. This young man’s pursuit of his dream is impressive and, at this point, tragic.
Nash’s love of horses began when he was three and could not say the word “horse” properly. On a rainy Rangley area afternoon, Nash rode Daisy, an elderly white pony who basically slept as they walked around the ring. That one ride transfixed Nash. So Nash and his parents, Jenny and Marty Gagnon, found themselves barn hopping to neighbors and friends. Any horse would do. It didn’t matter if it was a draft horse, or a harness racer. Nash’s frequent trips to the library for any children’s book about horses were read and re-read, all the while the Disney movie “Spirit” played on loop. He wore out 2 DVD’s.
Fast forward to 2011. The horse world opened up substantially when the family moved from the Rangeley area to southern Maine. Frequent trips to the Maine Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) in Windham, a few lessons at Hearts and Horses in Buxton, and a weekly lesson and summer horse camp with Amy Libby at Vienna Farm satisfied Nash.
Photo credit: Andrew RybackNo stranger to animals, Nash learned about 4H in middle school, where he chose rabbits to learn about and raise. Befriending the Smith family through connections at Vienna Farm helped him win his first prize. Soon he was breeding, showing, and selling mini-lops to buyers as far away as Florida or Michigan. Money earned by Nash’s “Stream Rabbitry” went directly to new riding boots, breeches, more lessons, or his savings account for his next step: leasing a horse someday.
Nash finally realized his leasing dream with a great older horse Ferdinand and then later, a very spunky younger horse Caspar. Caspar was returned when Nash realized the horse needed more training than he could provide.
As soon as labor laws permitted, Nash started working at Junction Bowl and later for Faith Francis at Faith Dressage in Cumberland, all while attending high school. Nash met Jane Hannigan, a teaching professional and competitor in the 2008 World Cup from Riverfront Farm in Concord, Massachusetts in the summer, and Summer Breeze Stables in Wellington, Florida.
An agreement was made and Eros SSF, a 14-year-old well-trained, golden Warm Blood came to Maine. She was looking for help as a working student at Summer Breeze Stables in the winter of 2023 and offered this position to Nash, In order to take advantage of this opportunity, Nash realized that by taking two college classes during the first half of his senior year, plus a full course schedule, he could graduate early in January of 2023. With more shifts at the Falmouth restaurant, selling anything he didn’t need, and using his savings he could would get Eros to and back from Florida. He Graduated Greely High School on Jan. 17 with honors. Nash and Eros arrived in Wellington on the morning of Jan. 30. By 4 o’clock that afternoon, he had a job at a local restaurant that would afford him groceries, his car payment and show fees.
Photo credit: Jenny GagnonNash and Daisy
In the three short months at Wellington, Nash and Eros with Jane’s training moved up five levels in dressage to Prix Saint George and qualified for the August North American Youth Championship in Traverse City, Michigan. Opportunities often come with great challenges and when asked how he would get there, he said, “We’ll figure it out.” And figure it out he did.
Through the amazing dressage community, fundraising, graduation money, working two jobs and generous sponsors, Nash, Eros, and Jane arrived in Traverse City, Michigan on Aug. 6 along with the rest of the Region 8 New England Young Riders Team. In the freestyle event, Nash and Eros performed a choreographed routine to the music from the long-ago much-loved movie “Spirit.” A personal best, they placed 12th in North America.
The trip home proved tragic. Eros was normal on the way home from Michigan, even eating a granola bar on the last stop. But when unloading at home, he was in distress. Jane immediately got the vet. He seemed to be going in a positive direction until the early morning hours when she brought him to Tufts Veterinary Hospital at 3 a.m. Jane finally made the devastating decision to let him go. Eros SSF was humanly euthanized on Aug. 15. Eros had telescoped his small intestine into his cecum, a very rare occurrence.
The two are completely heartbroken and devastated. In one short year, Eros had become the horse of Nash’s childhood dreams. Through all of this, the hard work, the love of training horses, the drive and ambition, Nash has indeed figured it out, and with Jane and Team Hannigan he will figure it out again.