When Theo Needed Me to Be Brave
Seems like this has been a trying month for many people and I was no exception. While dealing with sudden loss and extreme heat, I seem to have lost track of time.
This article was submitted late because while in the throes of swinging at curve balls I had a bit of writer’s block. I see this piece as focusing on learning, growing, healing and life after 50. There are many topics to address and many thoughts and emotions to explore. But, nevertheless, I was a bit stuck. And then this happened…. My boy had a bit of colic, most likely due to the extreme temperatures in Texas over the past several weeks. This was my first encounter with this with Theo and I’m not embarrassed to say while trying not to panic, I cried. I couldn’t let him feel that negative energy, so I walked away, often. But I was scared and I was left with that awful feeling of, “I just don’t know what to do”. Ok breathe. He wasn’t bad, just not himself. My friend, Olivia, noticed he wasn’t taking his normal position at the hay in the morning, nor did he wander to his favorite tree for shade. His head was a bit low and he just looked sad. My immediate reaction- cry. Ok, that won’t fix anything, but it got some steam out. Next reaction- pray. ‘Dear God, please help my baby boy. Let me know what to do’. I hear Olivia yell over to me, ‘Doctor Bill is at the stables behind ours, do you want him to come over?” YES!! In real time I stopped and thank God for answering my prayer. The vet just happens to be around the corner.
Doctor Bill Anderson pulls into our farm, and Olivia warns him that “she’s a crier”. She’s right, I’m a crier and I hate that feeling of helplessness you get when you simply do not know something. Theo was examined and it was minor, but we took precautions to hydrate him and clean him out. We wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible, and quickly. I stood back; I watched. I prayed. And I didn’t cry. The last thing Dr. Bill and his assistant needed was to deal with me and my emotions. The last thing Theo needed was mom clouding the barn with tears. So, I sucked it up. Funny thing about me- I will act in an emergency almost on auto pilot. However, when there is an emergency around me and I can’t help, I get flustered and cry. But I also knew to just stay out of everyone’s way. Standing there watching all this unfolding I thought my article this month would be about faith and trust. Because, at that moment that was where I had to bring my mind to calm my nerves.
The words faith and trust are often used interchangeably, but trust demonstrates faith. Faith is believing that someone will do the right thing; trust is allowing the person to demonstrate your faith is valid. When things don’t work out with someone, we may say, ‘I had faith in you, and you let me down’. What we are saying is, “I had faith in you, but you broke my trust’.
Circling back to Theo and Dr. Bill I saw something happen. I had faith that Olivia, Dr. Bill and assistant would all do the right thing, so I stood back and trusted them to do it. Theo was visibly stressed. I could see the whites of his eyes and he was tense. But he had faith in me and he trusted me. When I stood next to him, he relaxed. So here we have a circle of trust. I trusted the Doc, and Theo trusted me, so Theo allowed the doc to do what needed to be done without fussing. During all this that is what melted my heart the most. Theo trusted me so much he relaxed when he saw me. My prayers were answered by God to have a friend who could see the beginnings of what could have been a big problem, a vet in my backyard and a horse who trusts me to do the right thing.
My faith in God is strong, and He will test that by allowing us to trust. Theo is back to his normal behavior of eating hay and standing under his favorite shade tree and I have another ‘horse girl’ experience under my belt. And… I hardly cried at all ….
Written by Kimberlee Delany
Kimberlee Delany is a multi-faceted athlete, technology professional, and writer based in North Texas. Whether commanding a room in the corporate tech sector, executing a precision lift on the national weightlifting stage, or working in the pasture with horses, Kimberlee brings an unwavering sense of "grit and resilience" to everything she touches.
Kimberlee grew up and spent the formative years of her career on the East Coast. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, she channeled her understanding of human behavior into a highly successful, multi-decade career in the technology industry. Demonstrating a classic trajectory of continuous improvement, Kimberlee built her tech career from the ground up—starting at the IT help desk and climbing through every technical role to establish herself as a high-level Technical Business Advisor.
An avid athlete for over twenty years, Kimberlee has explored a wide range of physical disciplines from triathlons to Olympic weightlifting, competing in local and regional events up and down the East Coast and across Texas.
Today, she is an elite competitive Masters Olympic weightlifter within the USA Masters framework. Coached out of Dallas, she won third place overall at the National Championships in Boise, Idaho, and went on to represent the United States on the international stage at the International Masters Weightlifting Association (IMWA) World Championships, posting 72 kg total. For Kimberlee, the barbell is both a passion and a vital release—a practice she famously calls "sweating out the crazy" to balance the demands of an intense corporate career.
After turning 50, Kimberlee boldly stepped into an entirely new world by learning to ride and handle horses. This pursuit quickly evolved from a hobby into a profound personal calling. Today, she is certified in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and has become a regular contributing writer for Equine Business Magazine.
Now in her vibrant post-career chapter, Kimberlee is exploring how horses act as mirrors to our souls, helping us embrace vulnerability and reshape our lives. She is a living testament to continuous evolution, proving every day that our most powerful transformations often happen after 50.
This article is from the September 2026 issue of Equine Business Magazine
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