April 7, 1989 – July 15, 2024

Eulogy by Susan Wagner

It seems that there was never a time when Dallas was not in my life.

I founded Equine Advocates 28 years ago and Dallas was in my life for 27 of them. He was rescued along with 26 other camp horses and ponies from a bankrupt tourist attraction in upstate New York in 1997. It was the first high-profile rescue operation this organization was involved with. It became the launching pad that first brought public attention to the work we were doing.

I remember receiving an urgent call about six weeks earlier from two members of the New York State Humane Association. They said these camp horses and ponies would probably be bought by one of the owners of a New York slaughter auction if no one else was able to put up more money in court than he did. This story was already being covered by the local press, and when we got involved and began to expose that these horses would most likely end up in a Canadian slaughterhouse, I was able to start raising money and securing homes for them across five states. This story generated so much interest that it was covered almost daily for a month by the local press until the day of the hearing in Albany – And then we did it! I was able to raise $14,000 and outbid the killer buyer. All the horses were saved!

 

Later that year, the New York State Humane Association presented Equine Advocates with a Special Equine Protection Award for the rescue of those horses. Dallas stood out, particularly because of his adorable mischievous look common among many Appaloosas. He emerged as the celebrity of the group and everybody knew his name.

All 27 camp horses and ponies had to be placed into adoptive homes since we did not establish our sanctuary in Chatham until 2004. However, Dallas had a loving home and lived at a couple of lovely farms in nearby New Jersey. I got to see him as often as I could until he eventually came back to us soon after we moved to Chatham.

In 2010, a slaughter-bound former New York City carriage horse named Bobby II Freedom came to the sanctuary. Thus began one of the most wonderful and enduring friendships to develop between two of our rescued horses. We would always refer to “Bobby and Dallas” because they were always together. That continued until Bobby’s passing in 2022.

 

Dallas was kind and gentle, and despite the rough conditions under which he lived before, he was always the first horse we would introduce to adults and children who were inexperienced around horses. He was always even-tempered and enjoyed the attention. Everyone who came to know Equine Advocates also got to know Dallas. If we had decided to elect a mayor of Equine Advocates, he would have won by a landslide because no one filled that position better than he did.

I am sure you can understand why there is no way I could ever think about the very beginnings of this organization without thinking about the role Dallas played in it. He just was always there. And so every day when I would see him, the memories of that fateful day in 1997 would come back. Everything changed thanks to him and those other camp horses. We forever changed their fates and lives, just as they in turn changed ours.

Dallas was 35 years old. He lived a long, wonderful, and meaningful life here with us at Equine Advocates.

Still, for me, going into the barn just will never be the same. I will miss seeing his beautiful and familiar face as he greeted me every day.

Susan Wagner
President and Founder