20 years!!! 
unbelievable how time has gone by.
Willem still has his place on one of my bookshelves, even after several moves.
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This it be right, indeed. 
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And thoughts of you and Willem always make me a little verklempt, my friend.
Willem was brought so much joy (and love 
) into many lives. He certainly knew you were his mom. There was a real, obvious connection there. Thanks for sharing Willem, and his blade sharp wisdom, with us.
~ Cindy
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Hard to believe it’s been that long.
I still quote him on a regular basis.
And the This It Be Right video (originally a Flash movie) is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vHErjoyFhnE
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My first post in forever:
I can’t believe it has been 20 years. And COTH is now populated by the next gen! Coreene, Willem meant so much to so many, and you and Aunt Esther were always the gentle voices of reason when things got tetchy. There will forever be only one Willem. A sad anniversary, but I still celebrate having been a tiny part of his world. Thank you.
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Time really does *FLY!*
I read Willem’s wisdom, smiled & shed tears.
I miss Aunt Esther & her purses.
So glad you have a new equine BF, they really are the best.
Small World: I considered relocating to Bear Valley Springs when it was still largely being developed.
@Risk-Averse_Rider1 my Buddy (Steppin,’ Out) is on the vid, along with DH who he belonged to - heart & soul.
So many names I recall & the stories that came with them.
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So many good memories of people and horses in this post. Willem is still doing his good work on this board.
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Dear Coreene: when I first came to COTH, I came across posts by a vivid character (like David Lee Roth, only chestnut) that made me laugh out loud and put a smile on my face all day. And Aunt Esther joined the pantheon soon after. I was glued to my computer following Willem’s last battle with stinking flounder.
Coreene you taught me so much about posting on this board, writing, and grace in the aftermath. Sincere thanks to you, Willem, Aunt Esther and your cohorts (Willems advice to Meir Little Ducster” still makes me laugh to the point of tears). Oranje boven!
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This brings back many good memories of Coreene and Willem.
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I was just thinking about “A Passion for Horses” yesterday! We grew together, so many of us. Wings is 25 now and Trixie still hacks him out on trails and he is still afraid of cows from his five year old self experience at Frying Pan jumping into their pasture and having one VERY insidiously ,with perverse intent, standing up!
So many wonderful people and incredible animals. Thank you Coreene!
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Completely and totally choked up. Thank you for the kind words and memories We had an amazing time!
No sad anniversaries, just happy that I had that handsome fellow in my life. What a blessing. And that he brought so many people together is a gift that keeps giving 
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For real?!? Twenty years? Sigh. I was on here with another name during the stinking flounder time. I couldn’t buy the model Willem because I’d get so upset looking at it.
Your posts were clever, touching, and pretty unforgettable.
And I always thought you were real!
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Hitchinmygetalong has always and will always be my favorite user name. So glad you are still around.
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I, too, am so glad to hear from you! Aunt Esther and Willem always brought such joy! I was on then with a different name (I goofed it up when my DH died and couldn’t sort it out) just about the same time you lost Willem. I loved your posts…thank you!
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Oh mein Gott in Himmel is still a frequently used phrase - so much so that now non-horsey friends use it too… You are a special person, and Willem was a very special horse. Love you and so happy to be able to call you a friend… (Ya’ll, she is just as awesome in person)
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Dang. 
Thank you.
Colleen, I remember Willem and you so well. Sending 
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You need to make your way through The OC again! Love you too.
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We “oldsters” had so many good times via the internet. What we spoke about, learned and grieved and celebrated! So many of us managed to cross paths in real life, wonderful! I got to meet and play with many of you. Coreene called me from Dulles Airport. She couldn’t disembark but she called because she was near me! Duffy and Heidi and Fairweather, Moesha, Robby Johnson, and those incredible members now passed.
On two occasions, I picked up our CoTH friends from Dulles Airport. Heidi and then Robby. Oh, the fun we had! Heidi got carried to a stallion showing at a fabulous farm near Charlottesville which included getting there in the dually with Heidi kneeling on the truck seat to reach out the rear window, open the cooler and get out the chicken salad. She also managed to win a stud service to any of the stallions at the showing. Canucks win again!
We have lost so many. So many wonderful people who had so much to share and were generous enough to do so in the time we had with them. I can’t list them, I will just bow my head and cry and remember. Young and old, we knew them.
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I still say “don’t not to cheap out”.
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Thank you all again for sharing your memories. Some of us oldies natter about Ye Olde Days, but you have to remember that it was a Really Big Thing when the BB got to 500 members. People still had pagers, Google didn’t exist, and the thought of posting a photo would have blown our minds.
Twenty-four years later (I think I have the year right, it was 1999, correct?), most of us are still around, we miss those we lost, and I am honored to call so many of you my friends.
Bless the steeds that brought us together. And Erin, who initially recommended to COTH that a BB would be a great idea!
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