We were getting ready for a ride. Everyone was saddled up and warming up in the pen. Cambria was trying out an English saddle on Belle and was walking over the bridge in the obstacle course when suddenly Belle became agitated. She began stamping her feet, clearly distressed. Something was hurting her—and she was trying to manage that pain while carrying a rider.

I ran over quickly and started running my hands up and down Belle’s legs to see what was wrong. There was no visible injury, but it was obvious that something had stung her. The pain lingered even after the cause—later discovered to be a wasp’s nest under the bridge—was gone. We were able to remove the nest, but the sting and the experience stayed with us for the rest of the day.

That wasp sting mirrors the sting of grief.

Loss, whether it’s the death of a loved one, a major change in our relationships, work, health, or a traumatic experience involving our horses, often hits us unexpectedly. We try to wipe it away, move past...