On the afternoon of Thanksgiving in 2012, my father came to me and said there was a horse he wanted to show me after the Thanksgiving festivities. He had seen the horse on a dirt lot at one of his acquaintance’s properties. She had been starving to along with about 10 other horses.

When we went out and saw her that evening, she was severely malnourished eating sticks and scavenging the dirt for any food she could find. I could see a spark in her eyes when we entered the pen. It was like she knew her life would be taking a turn for the better.

We brought her home. Years of poor nutrition left her weak and fragile. She stepped out of the trailer at our house only to fall down, unable to get up. Luckily she fell in a grassy patch and laid and stuffed her face with grass. Something she probably thought she’d never see again.

After learning more about her, she had several names for the sweet little mare. The one that stuck, was Sugar. We found out she had had three foals. All three had died in the lot she was taken from. In the months that followed, Sugar started to fill out, showing how beautiful of a horse she was. A few months later, while my dad and I were working horses, we saw Sugars side moving. That’s when we learned she was about 4-5 months pregnant. She finished out the pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful filly. Dolly, her daughter, would not grow much larger than a pony as her growth had been so stunted.

When I left to Tarleton State University, Sugar came with me. We joined the Tarleton Stockhorse Team where we competed in the stockhorse shows. Sugar’s previous cutting training began to shine in the cow work. Though she was small, she could work a cow with the fiercest drive of any horse. She led me to win 5th place at the Hamilton, Texas stock horse show in the cow work event, as well as placing in other classes at various other shows. She has gone all over Texas, being shown with the team.

In our free time we ride all over Bell county. Whether it be trial riding by Belton lake or working cattle at my Dad’s cattle ranch in Rosebud, she has been a dependable mount. I will forever be grateful that my dad found her because I would not have any of the opportunities I’ve received without her.

What #RightHorse means to me

The right horse is a soul horse. They may not be the prettiest or most athletic, but something about them fills a piece of your heart that you never knew was empty. They shape you and make an impact on your life that lasts forever.