09/05/2026
We have more sad news. I haven't posted it yet, as we had not recovered from losing Acapella so abruptly. "Recovered" isn't the right word; we never recover. What I mean is we haven't had time to process her loss before we lost Dama.
They had come in together and were buddies. Dama was so emaciated when she arrived. She was literally a skeleton with skin. You could have taught an entire bone anatomy class with her. She recovered quickly and had a great 15 months here.
She loved meeting you at the gate for scratches. She and volunteer Catelyn were a great team and won a bunch of ribbons in the online in-hand trail shows. Catelyn had ridden her some, but she was extremely hot under saddle, and with her arthritis diagnosis, we felt it was better for her to be companion only. She was so gentle on the ground and just easy for everything.
Our team is shattered by these back-to-back abrupt losses. We will never understand how these horses can survive some of the most horrific neglect, and then when they are finally living their best lives, they are lost.
We do not feel that their losses were connected. Dama had a colic episode; we could not get her stable. No amount of medication was helping, and her system had started shutting down. The necropsy showed multiple abnormalities, including tumors that were affecting her GI tract.
Run free, sweet Dama. I know Acapella was waiting for you.
Please keep our team in your prayers. These losses take a toll on us all, especially our younger volunteers who spent so much time with Dama and Acapella.
