Kiko Alonso prepares for a new beginning with the Dolphins

CALI, Colombia - After 15 years, Kiko Alonso is back to milking cows, savoring the smell of fresh guava and riding a chesnut horse across the field of his ancestors.

"Cereza (Cherry) is gone. My heart ached when I was told he was dead," said the Miami Dolphins linebacker, speaking in his native Spanish. He had promised his grandparents, uncles and cousins that he would return to the Hacienda Maranon Alto, in Cali, Colombia, where he used to spend his childhood summers and Christmas holidays.

Alonso separated a horse he believed was the most similar to Cereza from the herd, and left it tied to the fence. Later he would saddle it up and go out for a ride when the sun was setting. If it were up…