Corolla Wild Horse Fund Mourning Blind, 40-Year-Old Stallion Known as “King of the Beach”
A beloved wild horse that roamed North Carolina’s Outer Banks for more than 20 years died Friday.
Corolla Wild Horse Fund shared the sad news in a Facebook post Sunday. Amadeo, a 40-year-old blind mustang, is being remembered as “king of the beach” and the “heart and soul” of Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
The post explained that Amadeo, who worked as an outreach ambassador for the Fund, became increasingly stiff in his rear legs and hips a few weeks ago and began to “slow down significantly.”
“We'd been working with our vet to manage his pain and arthritis but despite our best efforts he fell on Friday night and was unable to get back up,” the emotional post reads. “His 40-year-old body just couldn't keep up with him anymore, and he died quickly and peacefully, and on his own terms.”
Amadeo, who spent the second half of his life at the Fund’s farm in Grandy, was in the company of his horse friends, Luna the barn kitty, his canine best friend Lucile, and the humans who loved him when he passed.
“His legacy will go down in history. He spent more than 20 years in the wild and leaves behind many offspring who will carry on his Banker genes,” the post continues. “Amadeo was one of the kindest, smartest, toughest horses any of us ever knew. He loved children and was endlessly gentle and patient with them, and despite his blindness he trusted those of us who cared for him implicitly.”
“Rest free and easy, sweet boy,” the Fund concluded. “We love you so much and you will forever be in our hearts, and in the spirit of everything we do here at CWHF.”
Our hearts go out to all those touched by Amadeo over the course of his 40 years of life.
