At 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, Metchosinite Gary Kangas awoke with a start. It was an unusual occurrence for the typically deep-sleeping 78 year old, and he immediately knew what this sudden awakening meant.
Erik had passed.
“He just went. I knew it.”
The next morning, Kangas went to the corral and confirmed what he’d already believed to be true.
The 32-year-old pony that had become a quasi-Metchosin celebrity lay on his side, eyes shut with what Kangas called a smile on his face.
It was a fitting and peaceful end for a gentle, well-trained horse that loved to run and seemed to take pleasure in having the spotlight shone on him during regular “Wild West-style” performances at rodeos around the province.
Kangas purchased Erik and his uncle, Ron, in the fall of 1984 from the former Silver Spring Ranch in East Sooke. While both turned out to be great horses, Erik was particularly easy to train.
“When you’re breaking and training horses, there’s a bunch of steps in doing it. Erik, it was like he was one of those critters who ‘gets it’ … nothing was difficult for him,” he recalled, smiling.
One of the first lessons in Being a Horse 101 is learning how to be tied up. Typically a horse will start by fighting against the tie, before settling in and getting comfortable with their new reality.
“Erik never even fought the tie. He untied it,” Kangas said, laughing.
Despite getting loose, Erik didn’t bolt and calmly wandered around until Kangas brought him back and tied a tougher knot. “He was a natural.”
The Norwegian Fjord pony, who was just a shade under the required height to be classified as a horse, was also used to train many how to ride because of his calm and forgiving attitude. “If people made a mistake, he didn’t get anxious about it. He didn’t cause them any grief. He’d kind of gently walk them through it until they got it right,” Kangas explained.
Erik’s gentle demeanor and abilities to learn new skills were perhaps only matched by his sense of adventure. That allowed Kangas to comfortably take him on trips around the Metchosin wilderness, into the heart of the village and as far as View Royal, where Kangas’s mother used to live.
“If I was at a stop light (people) would get out of their cars. That used to be pretty funny.
“For a couple of years, I didn’t own a car after I retired and I rode everywhere. I rode to the village for lunch, I rode into West Shore to do my banking. Wherever I needed to go, that’s where I’d go,” he said.
And Erik’s regular outings made him a common sight on Metchosin roads.
“I would sometimes see him tied up next to the My Chosen Cafe. It used to bring back happy memories of my time with horses,” said Allison Marshall. “A lot of people really enjoyed him.”
The lasting impression Erik made on many in the community is also evident by the number of sympathy cards Kangas and his wife, Sybil, have received since their pony’s death.
“He was so engaging. People just loved him,” Kangas said.
Erik may have been small in stature, but few horses have stood quite so tall.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com