Cudas Dandy Fritz (aka Dexter) April 22, 2006 - March 5, 2016

My beloved Dexter died senselessly when he slipped on the asphalt floor in the barn and hit his head so hard that he never regained consciousness. It has taken me two weeks to be able to write this post. I truly thought Dexter would be the horse to carry me into old age – especially given his talent for laying down when asked to let me get on. Some days it seems unthinkable that I will never play with that special little horse again.

It was divine intervention that took me to meet Dexter in the first place. I was looking for an untouched, uncomplicated horse to replace Nugget, who had become lame with arthritis. I was intrigued by the ad on Kijiji for a 4 y.o. quarter horse - even though there was no photo. When the owner sent me photos of a beautiful little chestnut, and a long history of his already complicated past; she also admitted he could no longer be caught. To this day, I can’t explain what compelled me to go meet Dexter but what I saw was a friendly, curious little horse that was extremely skeptical of people. It was a frigid 30 below that January day in 2011 so I was covered from head to toe with only my eyes peeking out. Intuitively, I sat down in his pasture and got very small. It took Dexter only a few minutes to come over and drop his head in my lap and from that day on, playing with Dexter has been pure joy.

When it came time to start Dexter under saddle, I enlisted the help of trainer, Rob Kroeger because I had never started a horse under saddle before. Rob agreed to let me do all the work under his guidance; with a caveat that I could speak up if something didn't feel right for Dexter or me. Since Dexter had a history of bolting when he got bothered, I worried he might do the same under saddle. My fears were completely unfounded as he never seemed to get bothered – except the time our friend Ron flew over our place with his helicopter while I was riding Dexter – even then I got more bothered than Dexter. After only 4 days under saddle, we were riding in the mountains through creeks and over Rob’s bridge from hell; and that was the way it was throughout our entire time together.

There were a couple of times when things could have gone horribly wrong but Dexter always kept his head and pulled us through. During one of our first rides, we were going up a steep hill that still had some early spring ice under the grass. Dexter’s front legs slipped out from under him, tossing me forward enough to kick my feet out of the stirrups. There I stood unharmed as Dexter slipped down the hill between my legs. He calmly stood up when he came to rest against a tree and allowed me to lead him to solid footing.

Another time, Gord and I were riding up a creek at Blue Rock looking for a trail head to take us to the waterfall. When we decided to scramble up a rocky slope, Dexter lost his footing and went over backward dunking me in the drink. Again, he calmly got up and never lost a step as we headed back to camp to get me dry clothes.

However, there was one ride that stands out when I honestly believe Dexter saved my life. My friend Lena and I were riding in the mountains; on a trail that runs along the edge of a gorge that dropped straight down hundreds of feet. We came up behind a couple of ladies walking their black lab who graciously moved off the trail to let us by. Dexter and I were in the lead and just as we came up beside them, the dog lunged at Dexter, growling and barking. The dog was on leash and the lady was able to pull the dog back immediately. Thankfully my brave boy did nothing but spook in place because there was no margin for error on that narrow trail. Lena’s horse had not been very relaxed on that particular day and we were both so grateful that Dexter was in the lead because we didn’t think Cash would have been able to handle the situation so calmly.

One of my students loved the story of my initial meeting with Dexter. While we knew Dexter’s registered name, and the name of the breeder in Saskatchewan, the AQHA couldn’t help me obtain a copy of his registration paper. Unbeknownst to me, Jen used the information I had, and googled until she was able to surprise me with contact information for the breeder. It took an affidavit, photos and two years, but when his papers finally arrived, I was bursting with pride as I added his framed registration paper to the “wall of fame” in my tack room.

Since November, I have been working with Ruth Ratcliffe, an exceptional riding coach who has been helping me improve my technical riding ability. With the combination of the glorious weather this winter and my newfound riding skills, I discovered a joy for riding Dexter I didn’t even know was possible.

In the end, things went horribly wrong for Dexter that fateful day but I will be forever grateful to have had him in my life – even if it was only for 5 short years.

There is still so much to be grateful for that will help heal this horrendous ache. The compassion of the ladies who were there when the accident happened; my dear friends Sherri, Uli & Jaclyn who came over immediately after the accident to sit on the barn floor and cry with me while I stroked Dexter; and the many other friends who came over for a hug or called throughout the week that followed; and of course my other beautiful, sweet boys - Leopold, Navar, and Fonzi - they are all such a joy to be with. The day after the accident, I was playing with Navar for some much needed equine therapy, when a bald eagle flew right over my barn roof. Since that day, I have seen a bald eagle every couple of days. Perhaps the eagles have always been around but I prefer to think it is Dexter encouraging me to keep soaring.

From the first moment I met Dexter, there was just something about that playful little chestnut horse that grabbed my heart a little tighter than most.

Say hi to Applejack for us all Dexter; and thank you for 5 years of pure joy!

I will forever be grateful to have met you!
Tovie