Saying Goodbye To Your Heart Horse

Such a goofy gelding

This has taken me a while to post for many reasons. Maybe it was too soon, too sad or just too hard to face. Regardless, I owe it to my bestest boy to share his story. If you've had the privilege of meeting your heart horse, you may want to grab a tissue.

If you aren't familiar with Sako, let me share a little about our senior gelding with the crabby old man attitude and young horse energy. He was our "King Of The Hill", who kept every other horse in line, day or night, He never saw a stranger and was a ladies' man, always surrounded by his doting mares. Sako was the center of attention and the heart of our herd. So, on June 12th of 2025, when he fell to the ground, our hearts shattered. To say the farm has not been the same without him is an understatement.

June 12th started like any other typical day, with hungry horses heading up to the gates for morning feeding. Of course, Sako was leading the way, with his massive stride and enthusiastic whinny. He shared the Golden Oldie pasture with three other senior mares who all knew Sako ate first and despite being very impatient mares, waited patiently for his food to be poured. He wasted no time diving into his his breakfast, taking his typical 45 minutes gobbling up every last morsel. When he was finished, he called out to me in his chipper way, persistent for morning scratches and when he'd had enough, broke into his dramatic sprint down to the run in shelter to spend the next couple of hours napping. Of course, his mares sprinted right behind him to join in on morning nap. The herd dynamic was alive and well.

No One Ate Before Sako

The day played out as expected, with the horses spending the hottest parts of the day in their shelters but coming out sporadically to graze. Sako was always the one to decide when morning nap had ended and morning grazing had begun. Even the horses from the other two pastures followed his lead so by 10 AM, all 10 horses were grazing. The day was hot and showing signs of much needed rain so the horses took several grazing breaks to seek shade in their shelters. By 5 pm, all the horses were starting to make their way to the pasture gates, letting me know it was getting close to dinner time. Sako was in his typical position, head of the herd, leading the way.

Now, Sako was well known for laying down in the pasture to take a nap, sometimes curled up like a puppy and other times flat on his side. His mares would stay close by and graze, never venturing far while he slept. I can't count the number of times I raced outside to check on him, so scared something bad had happened, only for him to pop his head up and look at me like I was nuts.

Sako loved to curl up and take a nap

The evening of June 12th was different. At 6 pm, as I started evening feedings, I noticed a horse laying down in the middle of the field. Napping at dinner time was unheard of and the middle of the field was not one of Sako's napping spots. Also, his mares were not near him but instead wandering around, looking lost and confused. Something was very wrong.

Heart pounding in my chest, I ran to him, terrified of what I would find. When I was about 10 feet from him, he lifted his head ever so slightly and for one fleeting second I felt intense relief but it was quickly replaced with a terrible sense of dread. Sako was drenched in sweat, panting with eyes wild and a foaming mouth. He was making the most heart wrenching groan I'd ever heard. The only thing worse than Sako having died, was Sako being in terrible distress and that seemed to be exactly what was happening. Even worse, I didn't know why or what to do.

The next hour was heartbreaking but I am so grateful for such amazing support.

My dear friend who advised me on the best way to comfort him if he was in fact dying. Keep him cool with wet towels and try to help him relax. If he is dying, his body will know what to do. Just talk to him gently. The cool water did in fact help and after a few minutes, he was no longer panting and his eyes looked normal. I clung to hope that he might be ok.

A very responsive vet who talked to me over the phone, advising me as she made her way to us very quickly, despite our "off the beaten path" location. I was so thankful she arrived in time to see Sako trying to stand.

A loving, supportive husband who stayed with me the entire time as Sako tried to battle his way off the ground over and over, falling back down again and again until at last he managed to stay up on all four legs. Wobbly and weak, Sako stumbled from the middle of the pasture to his run in shelter, where he pressed his body against it for support and finally took a rest.

As Sako leaned against his shelter, his eyes looked normal, he was no longer sweating or foaming and in fact, he looked relaxed. His mares circled nearby him as his vet was able to examine him. She confirmed he was not in pain but sadly informed us his prognosis was poor. Sako had suffered a severe stroke that evening which brought him to the ground and left him neurologically unable to control his hind quarters. At 29 years old, recovery was impossible and while it was miraculous that he had battled his way off the ground to stand, we knew it was only a short matter of time before he would go down again.  We knew our time with him had come to an end and wanted him to leave this world with dignity, surrounded by his mares, enjoying treats and scratches and standing like the King he was. So, on June 12th, around 7 PM, with the help of our vet, some comforting pain medication, with the entire herd close, we said goodbye to our old boy Sako, the heart of the herd.

For those of you who've met your heart horse, you just know. They bond with you, challenge you, change you and heal you. So, if you're fortunate enough to meet your heart horse, hug them everyday like it is their last, especially once they become seniors because when they pass on, they take a piece of your heart with them.

This well overdue blog is in remembrance of you, Sako. Our King Of The Hill. Our beloved boy. The bestest boy. While losing you was harder than I could have ever imagined, it pales in comparison to the joy you brought to my life.

With all the love in the world, I say goodbye Sako

Big Sis - GG Farms