Tribute.... M Jodee Snyder

Last night I lost a friend. I have known this day was coming and have been dreading it for at least a couple of years. As much as I am grateful she is finally at peace, I mourn her loss. There will never be another quite like her.

A kindred spirit,  M Jodee Snyder and I were connected by many things. There were commonalities in our backgrounds, our family life, and our love of Arabian horses. All of which formed a bond unlike any I have known.

Our lives had traveled  parallel rocky roads, the kind that either build character or  distinguish light, and Jodee had chosen character. Her integrity is what drew me to her. A refreshing model of ethics in a sea of self serving people, she helped me believe it was possible to be true to myself and the horses I love despite the politics around us.

A long time breeder of Arabian horses, Jodee was a vast resource on the things you cannot see on a pedigree or in a photograph. She introduced me to the Gamaar bloodlines that I have grown to love as deeply as she. Her involvement as a volunteer at the regional level and as a USEF steward, all the way to the national level, gave her a unique perspective which added to her  knowledge base. 

Freely sharing her experienced and her opinions, I relished our talks. She allowed me access to history before my involvement in the breed. People and horses only photographs in old magazines became real to me.  I heard stories of great courage, admirable ethics and dire consequences.


Jodee did not hold back. She shared it all, the good with the bad.  My time with her I will forever cherish.  She opened doors to a world I would have never known and helped forge the horsewoman I have become. She will be forever missed.