03/13/2023
This next installment on Horses We Love is about Danny.
Danny came to me labelled as a “dangerous horse”. He had been with a competitive trainer who was excited about Danny’s bloodlines and evident talent for jumping, but his early training had not gone well, and there had been more than one accident with a rider being injured. His owner (and breeder) told me that I could have him, but I’d have to pick him up within 24 hours.
I used to work for Danny’s breeder, so I had known Danny since he was an unstarted 3 year old, four years prior to the day I got the call. He had always been an impressive, talented, but sensitive, “hot”and reactive horse. I could understand how an ambitious trainer could get excited about Danny’s potential, and how a horse like Danny could easily struggle if he were put under too much pressure. I was saddened to hear that he had gotten into trouble, but excited to have the opportunity to develop such an athletic horse.
I didn’t really have the time to work with Danny immediately, as I was managing a guest ranch, and working full-time. I knew Danny needed my help, and didn’t have a lot of options, so I talked the ranch manager into letting me have yet another horse on the property, and figured six months on pasture would be good for Danny.
I showed up with my rusty old stock trailer at the high class jumper facility where Danny had bucked off the prominent trainer. They were glad to have their problem (Danny) solved, but wanted nothing more to do with him. They made certain that I understood how dangerous Danny was, and they were so afraid of him, no one wanted to catch him. They didn’t even have a halter for him. I don’t think I have ever picked up a horse, before or since, that didn’t have a halter—it was shocking that a horse with this breeding and potential value could have fallen so low. Someone found a halter and rope that belonged in a garbage heap, and I squeezed Danny’s head into it, and proceeded to lead the unruly, unwanted horse to my trailer. I was parked on the side of a country highway, with no one to help me stop traffic, or shut the door, and somehow, I got Danny safely in the trailer. I remember promising him that things would get better, if he’d just come with me.
Once we got to the guest ranch, I stuck Danny in a pasture with my two mares, and left the three of them to their own devices all summer, while I took tourists on trail rides. Danny enjoyed his time running around and eating with his girlfriends, and began to unwind.
At the end of the season, I left the guest ranch and found a rental on a large property with over 100 acres of pasture. The horses stayed up on top, where the grass was, and I had to hike a mile up the hill to see them. There was a fancy gazebo on the ridge, and I left a yoga mat up there. I’d hike up, have my yoga session, watch the horses graze, catch one, and ride back down the hill, with the other three following behind me. I usually rode one of the two older, safe horses ba****ck with just a halter, since that was all I wanted to carry up the hill.
One day, after several months of this daily routine, Danny seemed more engaged than before, and I put the halter on him, lined him up with the gazebo deck, and slid on his back. I was a little worried about what this ”dangerous horse” would do, since the last time a rider was on him, he’d been thrown off and injured. I knew I was taking a stupid risk, riding this horse ba****ck with three loose horses down a steep hill through a vast pasture. At any moment, they could start galloping down the hill, and even just playfully, he could buck me off. The closer we got to the barn, the less worried I was. We arrived without incident, and I felt that Danny and I could trust each other. After this, I would bring Danny and a second horse on longer rides off of the property, wearing a saddle and bridle. The three of us would explore the Mendocino county hills all summer.
Later that year, the valley erupted in fire, and we relocated to the coast, and then south, to western Sonoma county. While I lived there, I had the opportunity to ride with Manolo Mendez, the honor of a lifetime. Manolo would visit the area from Australia several times a year, and I would attend his clinics with Danny, which was an unforgettably valuable experience. Over several years, Danny developed slowly and carefully into a low-level dressage horse. I aspired to jump, but Danny never seemed strong enough.
I received word from Danny’s breeder that several of the other horses that she had bred had been diagnosed with silicosis. Research was being done on the disease, and was I interested in having Danny be a part of the study? I agreed to allow Danny to have his blood drawn for some testing, and was told that he did not seem to have contracted silicosis, a condition that is related to the inhalation of silica, and can cause “miner’s lung” in humans. While I was grateful, I understood that the study was ongoing, and the findings were not definitive. The property the horses had been born and raised on had rocky soil that produced silica dust, so they had been exposed to the mineral to some degree. It was unclear how many horses were likely to develop symptoms of the disease.
Danny continued to develop as a riding horse, although his progress was slower than I had hoped. Although I was careful to work him properly, I struggled to afford the right equipment, vet care, and supplemental feeds that most upper level horses receive. I worried that possibly his slow development was related to my own financial shortcomings, and lack of time to devote to his training. Maybe I just couldnt afford to own such a nice horse. I also had nagging concerns that he could be suffering from the symptoms of silicosis, even though the blood test had been negative.
My ambitions for Danny waned, but he developed into a sweet, kind horse, and people always commented and what a good nature he had. I was proud that the “dangerous horse” now seemed so gentle and happy. He was an ambassador for new horses being introduced to the herd, and he loved to be groomed and get attention. He was safe and easy for everyone to handle.
When I moved back to Mendocino, Danny came with me, and a new friend of mine saw his potential as an eventer. Her daughter was an aspiring professional rider, and she took Danny and began conditioning him for some low level competitions. He was moderately successful for a couple of years, but although he was enthusiastic and showed talent, he could never maintain the stamina required for the job. He was eventually returned to be to be a trail horse.
Danny was a teenager, and had turned almost completely white, when I had to admit that his condition was not good. No matter how much I fed him, he couldn’t maintain his weight. He chose to stand in the shade of a tree unless he was laying down. He wouldn’t play with the other horses anymore, he was just a shadow of his former self. I reached out to the doctors that had been doing the study on silicosis, and sent them pictures. They said that it was likely that Danny had the disease, and that subsequent studies had shown that while the blood tests were inconclusive, there were other diagnostic tools available. I was invited to be a part of the study in another way—to allow them to euthanize Danny and do a necropsy.
I agonized over the decision for a few days, and reached out to trainers and vets that I had known personally, and understood what Danny and I had been through over the years. They all agreed that I really had no good alternative to euthanasia, based on the evidence. We felt that to allow Danny to help further the understanding of the disease was the best option. I stood with Danny until his last breath, as hard as it was to do. He did not appear to suffer, and I was told that the donation of his body to the study was a great asset.
I am so grateful for the time I had with Danny, he taught me so much more than I expected to learn from him. I am so proud of the transformation he made from an unwanted, dangerous horse into a kind and benevolent member of the herd. I think that if he had been born an average horse, and none of the expectations of greatness had been placed upon him, he could have been free to be happy from the beginning. We need to see the individual inside each horse, and not just their athletic capabilities, or monetary value. I feel a much greater accomplishment from having a happy, trusting horse, that is my friend, than from the prestige of winning classes at shows. I also learned the importance of being observant and making rational decisions regarding our horses’ welfare. Danny helped me meet people and learn skills that will stay with me the rest of my life.
