This may be one of the most heartbreaking love stories since Romeo and Juliet so hold on to something.
about two male horses, Simonsig and Triolo D'Alene, and the strange bond they developed.
On their first encounter at Hillwood Stud, the two horses connected instantly, drawn together almost magnetically and they barely left each other's side.
This went on for a while, with Triolo and Simonsig spending most of the year separate, coming back to Hillwood during the summer.
Tracy Vigors of Hillwood described the pair segregating themselves from other horses, "They would stand together, eat together, walk together, trough together, eat out of the same food manger..."
The horses defied usual behaviour, even becoming roommates in the same stall which would usually result in the removal of their hind shoes. This didn't seem necessary in this case because the trainers were aware neither horse had any intention to cause harm to the other.
Despite initially being seen as an adorable mateship, the pair's behaviour was soon chalked up to love. Then, tragedy struck.
During a race in 2016, Simonsig broke a hind leg, an injury that would be too difficult to recover from. While the loss of Simonsig was heartbreaking for the trainers, the worst was yet to come.
Yet immediately, all the humans’ thoughts turned to the horse still standing in the stall with the big airspace, breathing it alone. “It crossed everybody’s mind, didn’t it?
Nicky Henderson, famed horse trainer, didn't embellish Triolo's grief saying, "You can’t say he cried or he did anything like that; we were all doing that bit. You’d be making up stories if you said that [he mourned]".
Still, that didn't stop people from sending letters and emails of support for Triolo after losing his love. Now retired, Triolo apparently acts as a nanny to younger horses nearby. But Triolo never developed a similar bond with another horse.
Now if you'll excuse us, we need to cry until our throats are hoarse.
