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Cape Town - The horse that played Shadowfax in the Lord of the Rings trilogy's owner, Cynthia Royal, refused to let her horse die without her being present.
The 25-year-old horse, whose real name was Blanco, had to be put down after falling critically ill.
After a lengthy stay in hospital, and uncertainty about the exact nature of his illness, Cynthia received a call from the horse hospital where Blanco was being treated, informing her that things have taken a turn for the worse and that she should come to the hospital straight away.
She said that visiting him in his stall, she could see that he was in "an obvious state of shutdown and distress".
"...while kneeling down by his side, I asked Blanco if it was his 'time'. Without a second of hesitation, he turned his head to me, looked me straight in the eye and at that moment, I knew he was ready," Cynthia said in an open letter on a Lord of the Rings fan-website.
Due to a strict safety policy at the horse hospital where Blanco was being treated, the facility did not allow for non-staff to be present during euthanasia.
Cynthia said that she simply could not allow Blanco to die in "a room full of strangers", and arranged with the hospital for the horse to be euthanised in his stall so that she could be with him when he died.
Watch a video tribute of Blanco:
The 25-year-old horse, whose real name was Blanco, had to be put down after falling critically ill.
After a lengthy stay in hospital, and uncertainty about the exact nature of his illness, Cynthia received a call from the horse hospital where Blanco was being treated, informing her that things have taken a turn for the worse and that she should come to the hospital straight away.
She said that visiting him in his stall, she could see that he was in "an obvious state of shutdown and distress".
"...while kneeling down by his side, I asked Blanco if it was his 'time'. Without a second of hesitation, he turned his head to me, looked me straight in the eye and at that moment, I knew he was ready," Cynthia said in an open letter on a Lord of the Rings fan-website.
Due to a strict safety policy at the horse hospital where Blanco was being treated, the facility did not allow for non-staff to be present during euthanasia.
Cynthia said that she simply could not allow Blanco to die in "a room full of strangers", and arranged with the hospital for the horse to be euthanised in his stall so that she could be with him when he died.
Watch a video tribute of Blanco:
