Wild Mountain's Onyx Nite

Onyx was the first foal we birthed and raised here at Wild Mountain Farms. He is the first of our horses to reach adulthood and start his career as a riding horse. We sold him this fall to a couple in the Bitterroot Mountains and we couldn't be happier with the match. They ride him every day (sometimes multiple times per day) and are constantly amazed at how calm and capable he is for a three year old - they say they often forget he is not a ten year old horse.

We are so proud of Onyx. He gets noticed on the trail and raved about by the trainer they have him working with as well. He is everything we are breeding for and the first of ours to really prove himself. He's found one of the finest homes a horse could ask for and he is making everybody proud.

Honey

We got some really sad news today. Its about Honey, one of our horses that we sold last year. She died suddenly this weekend, leaving a very sad-hearted family behind.

We sold Honey last year to a family with a 5-year-old girl named Makayla. Makayla comes from a family of avid riders and Honey was Makayla's first horse of her own. They adored each other. Makayla got a pink halter, pink saddle, pink brushes and lead ropes all to use only on Honey. She couldn't get enough of riding her or brushing her or walking her.

The only problem they had was that with Honey being very big, and Makayla being very little, they had to wait for Makayla's mother or brothers to come out and saddle Honey every day so she could ride her all around. Well, within the first two weeks of having her, Makayla decided that situation was just not satisfactory.

One day she drug a ladder over to Honey, leaned it up against her side, and proceeded to climb it to saddle and bridle her. Honey stood patiently through the whole process until Makayla climbed up the ladder and into the saddle, kicking the ladder away once she was on. And that was how they did it every day from then on out.

I loved getting updates about the two of them - they were the kind of match I am in this business for.


Makayla's mother called me today to tell me that Honey has died.

She was got sick and the vet said she wouldn't survive the surgery to try and save her, so they had to put her down. She could barely tell me about it through her crying. I asked her how Makayla was and she said, "She doesn't know yet. I don't know how I'm going to tell her."

We are sick at heart for them and for our faithful, loving Honey who gave so much to everyone she knew, and we are sick at heart for the loss of such a perfect, delightful match between a horse and her little girl.