We lost one of the river\u2019s older stallions.<\/p>\n
Not every wild horse is famous. Not every stallion leads a band. Some live quietly, in the background\u2014still part of the herd, still part of the story.<\/p>\n
Candlewick was one of them.<\/p>\n
When we found him, all signs pointed to a natural passing\u2014what is called natural attrition. In the wild, age comes without intervention, it’s usually organ failure.<\/p>\n
In his final days, he wasn\u2019t alone. He spent his time with Neiman\u2014the stallion we rescued from the cattleguard, who continues to do incredibly well. Somehow, they found each other.<\/p>\n
Candlewick was older than we even had documented. His long, worn teeth told the story of time\u2014of seasons survived, of a life fully lived.<\/p>\n
His loss is felt. But so is the gratitude\u2014for the life he lived, on his own terms, in his home he was never taken out of.<\/p>\n
He had no known offspring. No headlines.<\/p>\n
But he mattered.<\/p>\n
They all do.<\/p>\n
Run free, Candlewick. You will be remembered.<\/p>\n
Photos by SRWHMG Destini Rhone<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"His loss is felt. But so is the gratitude\u2014for the life he lived, on his own terms, in his home he was never taken out of.","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":85363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"yoast_head":"\n