Carolina Rutz would say her life changed the day 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm kissed her on the forehead.
Rutz is autistic and met the winning racehorse when she was at a particularly low point in her life: her husband had just died, she was struggling to find work, and she felt disconnected from her church, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports
A lifelong fan of racing, Rutz visited Silver Charm at Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, Ky. in 2017. When the stallion reached out to kiss her, “a sense of joy and divine love” came over her – and Rutz said she realized that life was too short to feel worthless.
After leaving Old Friends, Rutz explored a new church and eventually met a man she was interested in dating – but he had to pass the “Silver Charm test.” When Rutz' date also got a kiss on the forehead from the old stallion, Rutz knew she could pursue the relationship.
Rutz gained much more than a relationship from Silver Charm's blessing: she says the stallion taught her to be more patient with others and to love everyone.
“Silver Charm inspired me to be a better human,” she said.
Rutz hopes to one day have her ashes buried next to Silver Charm's grave.
Read more at the Courier-Journal.
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