Horse for Haylie

Losing a family pet is hard. But when you need that animal as part of your sport, it is devastating. Haylie has come to love barrel racing and her horse Wicked was a major part of that.

In December, we had to put Wicked to down because of a major infection that affected her brain. It was completely unexpected and has affected our whole family, especially Haylie.

Wicked came into our lives in the summer of 2022. She was gifted to Haylie by Hayden's girlfriend, Jordan. She took Wicked from a horse with an abuse history, to an awesome barrel horse. Now we didn't know the first thing about horses, but we were excited to learn. Haylie and Wicked bonded instantly and quickly became a team. Even though taking care of a horse is hard work, Haylie enjoyed every moment of it. I don't think I have ever seen Haylie smile so much as when she was on that horse. Wicked taught Haylie so much; Responsibility, Patience, Loyalty and Trust. After many months of training, Wicked and Haylie became a great barrel racing team. Terry and I also learned to trust both Wicked and Haylie to take care of each other.

It was so much fun seeing Haylie's smile when she was on her horse. She has turned into quite a cowgirl! But it was also fun to see Haylie have to deal with Wicked's Attitude and sassiness. They were two of a kind.

As we are processing this loss, we are also trying to figure out a way to get this cowgirl another barrel horse, so she can start smiling again and get back into the arena. Haylie has already starting to mention that she is ready to get back on a horse. Horses are not cheap, and it will take sometime finding a horse with some racing experience that Haylie will feel a bond with.

Some friends have expressed an interest in trying to help Haylie get another horse, so we have started a GoFundMe account.

Parents just want to see their kids happy and excited about something, so we are reaching out. Any donations will go directly in a horse fund for Haylie.