This is the heartbreaking moment a distressed horse appeared to cry at his owner’s funeral.
Grieving friends and family of Wagner de Lima Figueiredo, 34, were amazed when his faithful steed laid its head on the coffin and whined and sighed as if mourning too.
Saddening footage shows the animal stamping his feet, whinnying loudly and shaking his head up and down as a pall-bearer gives a eulogy.
Heartbreaking moment horse cries at owner’s funeral
This is the heartbreaking moment a distressed horse appeared to cry at his owner’s funeral
Grieving friends and family of Wagner de Lima Figueiredo, 34, were amazed when his faithful steed laid its head on the coffin and whined and sighed as if mourning too
Sereno the horse was taken to the funeral by Wagner’s brother, Wando de Lima, on on Tuesday in Paraiba, north east Brazil.
The two had a very close relationship, according to those who knew them.
Thousands have been moved by the farewell from the horse and have shared the story online.
De Lima said: ‘This horse was everything to Wagner, it was as if the horse knew what was happening and wanted to say goodbye.
‘All the way to the cemetery he was whimpering and stomping on the ground.’
Figueiredo tragically died in a motorcycle accident on New Year’s Day after losing control of his bike while riding along a beach front in the city.
He was rushed to hospital and underwent two critical operations but died from his injuries.
The semi-professional cowboy performed in rodeo shows for eight years with Sereno, winning dozens of tournaments and cash prizes. He also worked as a local authority clerk.
The two had a very close relationship, according to those who knew them. Thousands have been moved by the farewell from the horse and have shared the story online
The deceased’s brother said: ‘This horse was everything to Wagner, it was as if the horse knew what was happening and wanted to say goodbye. ‘All the way to the cemetery he was whimpering and stomping on the ground’
Figueiredo tragically died in a motorcycle accident on New Year’s Day
A close friend of the family, Francielio Limiera, said: ‘It was an unbelievable thing to see the way the horse behaved. If I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have believed it myself.
‘As we brought the coffin out at the beginning of the funeral, (Sereno) sounded like he was crying and as if he recognised that his owner was finally leaving him. He pounded the ground with his hooves and kept on whinnying. It was very sad.’
De Lima, who is also a cowboy, organised the homage with other cowboys and friends of the deceased.
A photo posted on Facebook last year November showing Figuieredo with his white horse, was captioned ‘My horse and my friend.’
His brother said: ‘Wagner’s life was this horse.
‘He had a passion and a great love for him. Sometimes he would even stop buying things for himself to make sure he could afford to buy horse feed.’
A photo posted on Facebook last year November showing Figuieredo with his white horse, was captioned ‘My horse and my friend’
He added that many people had offered to buy the white stallion but Figuiered ‘always refused to sell him.’
With the death of his brother, de Lima vowed to take on the responsibility of maintaining and caring for Sereno.
He said: ‘Wagner will stay with our family forever.’
According to Marcelo Servos, a veterinarian with the Brazilian Horse Riding Federation, who has been caring for horses for 20 years, a horse can be aware of and mourn a loved one’s death.
He said: ‘I’ve seen more fantastic stories than this and I’m sure this can happen. I do not say it happened specifically in this case, but it is possible.’