Letting go is the hardest thing any of us will ever have to do in our lifetime. Resigning from a job that you’ve come to know and love, getting rid of your old childhood toys, and even saying goodbye to the home you grew up in – it’s all bittersweet. While losing these things isn’t easy, what’s even harder is dealing with the loss of someone very special in your life and being forced to let go of them in a physical sense. For Sereno the horse, that loss of someone special was his Brazilian owner, Wagner Lima.
Some might think that from a horse’s perspective, his or her owner is nothing more than any old human being who’s willing to provide them with their basic necessities, someone they respect but aren’t necessarily emotionally attached to. But Sereno’s behaviors at his owner’s funeral after he passed away tragically from a motorcycle accident prove that there was a deeper connection involved as well as an understanding of Wagner’s passing.
During the funeral, the stallion was surrounded by numerous weeping family members and friends of Wagner. Surely, the distressed energy around him already gave him a clue as to what type of emotion to feel. Of course, nobody would expect a horse to know what a funeral is, but his family at least hoped that by attending the funeral, he would understand that Wagner wasn’t neglecting him; it was physically out of his control to be in his presence.
Then when Sereno was led to a vehicle carrying Wagner inside his coffin, he had a reaction no one thought they’d witnessed. Immediately, the mourning horse with sad eyes “hugged” the coffin with his long neck as a way to say goodbye.
The saddest part about the funeral was when pallbearers began to carry away the coffin to the cemetery for proper burial. As everyone walked towards the cemetery, including Sereno, the horse couldn’t help but whimper. Funeral attendees also witnessed him thrashing his hooves to the ground as his emotions grew stronger.
“This horse was everything to him. It was as if the horse knew what was happening and wanted to say goodbye,” said Wagner’s brother, Wando.
Since Wagner’s tragedy, Sereno has been passed down to Wando. While he’s in good care, the horse will always miss his original owner who he had spent the last eight years with and grown very close to.
Below, you can view images of Serano at Wagner’s funeral. His facial expressions say more than words ever could.
