Dakota - Born June 2000 - Dec 13 2023
Sire - Joe
Dam - "tbc" :p
I bought Dakota in 2003 from Jean. She was 3 and had some training and we had a great bond - I was her human! A woman came to look and buy her, she threw the saddle on her and was really rough with her, I said to Jean - She's not buying her, I will. So the deal was done. , I had sold my house and cashing in the endowment policy I bought her. but unbeknown to me, she was pregnant, so a BOGOF! I would work more hours on the ranch to pay for her board and hay and I became Jean's right hand man on her ranch with her 30+ horses. Her ranch is huge , i think a 1000 acres , maybe more
I worked and imprinted all the horses and foals , moved hay, fed them all and looked after the older guys in the corrals. It was a busy fit life!
Since I bought Dakota our bond grew stronger, like she knew I had saved her from the evil woman! We have a wonderful partnership.
She is now 19 and still works well with me in the saddle, still tried it on, so she has life left in her !
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On December 13th my amazing Dakota died and sadly not a peaceful death for her. Which is still really hard to get over. (in detail , so skip if you don't want to know) For the past few years her arthritis has been getting worse but stable.
Over Thanksgiving she had suffered a big scare at night, whilst in the corral, and was freaked and as horses do panic, and try to flee. Naturally this cause extreme pain for her and for several weeks she was on increased pain meds as she could hardly walk. At the beginning of December I had bought her some leg wraps for extra support on her ankles/knees and tendons which helped a little and slowly was able to walk a small amount.
taken week before she died
On Dec 13 she had slipped on some ice, fell hard and bashed her head on the rails going down, cut herself and it looked like she convulsed and suffogated because she could not get up due to the recent injury . I went down with her porridge and found her
Alan had returned home from his trip to NV half an hour before and i ended up dashing back up to the house and I collapsed in grief and shock
So glad Alan was home , as the next part he took over. Getting Dakota out of the corral.
Using the JCB and forks . He also took Dakota down the canyon for me, as my decision had instantly changed on her resting place. Originally I have always wanted to bury her. But as we were not prepared for her sudden departure, there was no way of digging a huge grave in December and at dusk. So I gave her back to nature . Alan then spent 2.5hrs very slowly and crawling taking her down to near on the bottom of the canyon and making sure she was safe all the way down and placed her under a tree (it is now pitch black and the fog had come in. (plus no phone signal here at the ranch) So i'm in a right state of grief plus worry
Champ called for her all night and for the next week, it was wrenching and felt so bad so him . They had been side by side every day since birth . (Still trying today to get him adapted to being with Richie and Eddie so that he;s not alone)
She and I have been together daily for 20+yrs and the biggest bond I've ever experienced and I cannot stop crying over her. She didn't deserve to go that way at all. She was an amazing horse.
