The Identical Photo That Stopped Her Heart

By: Brittany Bevis

Horse show photos hold a special place in our hearts, because they capture a moment in time that can never be recreated. Whether you’re showing a homegrown prospect at a weekend circuit or your longtime partner at a World Championship event, that day, that class, that ride, will never happen again. It’s part of what makes each moment so special, and so fleeting.

No-one knows this better than AQHA amateur competitor, Hanna Hussey. After the recent Dixie National Quarter Horse Show, Hanna was perusing the show photographer’s website when she came across an image that made her heart skip a beat. The photo was almost identical to one taken four years prior, of a beloved horse that passed away. With the exception of the background, the images are nearly identical. From the delicate bend of each horse’s front leg as it extends, to the cock of the left ear, to the headset and the neck height, to the way both horses hold the bridle- everything is almost exactly the same.

“I bought the sorrel gelding in 2018, sight unseen, after following his show career on social media for three years prior. He died unexpectedly in December of 2020,” Hanna says. “Two months later, I bought the bay mare. She was the first horse I tried after losing my gelding. She was four at the time and didn’t know very much, but I loved her from the minute I saw her. The first picture is from the 2018 AQHA L1 Championship Show. The second picture is from the 2022 Dixie Nationals. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw the picture with my mare, because it’s almost identical to the one taken four years prior with my gelding.”

The sorrel gelding’s name was Hes For Certain, aka “Danny,” also known as “Dan The Man.” He was only ten years old when he passed away, but he lived a lifetime of love with Hanna.

“I purchased Danny from Chelsea Carlson and Clare Swanson,” Hanna says. “Chelsea came up on my suggested videos on Instagram in 2015. I went to her profile and that’s when I discovered Danny. I followed her because I was infatuated with Dan. Chelsea and Clare would both post pictures and videos just goofing around with him. I saw videos of them riding him bareback and bridleless, videos of him giving the dog a ride, and videos of the dog leading him. Danny was also in a movie- ‘Lucky’s Treasure.’ I saw pictures of him on the set. I loved that they posted pictures of the joy he brought them and not just things about them showing him and what he had won.”

In 2018, three years after Hanna began following Chelsea on social media, she saw that Danny was being offered for sale. “I saw the post almost immediately, and I contacted Chelsea myself, without even talking to my parents first. I knew he would get away fast, and I had to have him. I was first on the very long list, and I begged my mom for him. She actually told me no at first. I prayed and prayed for him. Three days later, my mom told me he was sold. I was devastated, and I asked who bought him. She replied, ‘Well, I did.’ I cried and cried. I was so excited. He was delivered to my house about two weeks later.”

Although Hanna hadn’t ridden, let alone seen, Danny in person, she entered him in the AQHA L1 Championship Show. After riding him for one week, they headed to the event. Despite having so little time to get to know one another, the pair won a High Point title and three bronze championships. They competed as a team from March 2018 – December 2020 specializing in Performance Halter, Showmanship, Horsemanship, Equitation, Western Pleasure, and Trail.

“Danny was very much a ‘people’s horse.’ He wanted to be in the middle of everyone and everything all the time. Kids would come over that had never ridden before, and Danny would be the one I would put them on. I trusted him with my life.”

“His favorite thing in the world was Skittles. If you shook a bag of Skittles, he would come running. I would say his favorite person in the world was my mom, and he was hers. As much as I loved him, I believe they were closer than he and I. His death was harder on her than it was on me, really.”

Danny passed away on December 30, 2020. Hanna had just showed him two weeks earlier. “He passed away peacefully and naturally in his stall surrounded by people and horses that loved him dearly. He’s buried in the pasture at my barn, the same one that he loved to run and play in. It all happened in a matter of about five hours. We think his gut ruptured. He never showed any signs of pain. He was just dull and not like himself. We called the vet; but, when he got there, it was too late. I’m thankful he never suffered and that he passed at home.”

About two weeks after Danny passed, Hanna started her search for a new partner. She contacted trainer, Shannon Walker, and received word about two, 4-year-olds that were half brother and sister. Hanna and her mother drove to Cloverdale, Indiana to take a look.

“I actually thought I would buy the brother, because I wanted a gelding, and he was a little further along in his training. I rode him all day when we got there, and I loved him. I hadn’t even seen the mare. But my mom saw her and told me to try her just to be sure.”

“When we got to the barn that morning, she was tied out in the hallway just staring at me with her ears up like she was saying, ‘Pet me! Pet me!’ Just like Danny would’ve been! I rode her for about 20 minutes and absolutely fell in love. We left with her that same day after I had only ridden her for 20 minutes. I purchased her on January 23rd, almost a month after Danny passed.

The mare’s name is No Doubt Ima Cupcake, aka “Cupcake.” She’s by No Doubt I’m Lazy, and she turned five years old in 2022. The pair competes in Performance Halter, Showmanship, Horsemanship, Equitation, Western Pleasure, and Trail.

“Cupcake is the most quiet and laidback horse I’ve ever met,” she says. “Nothing bothers her. I joke and say that I could show her on the moon if I wanted to. She’s very feminine and can be sassy in the best way. She also takes as many naps as she possibly can.”

Just like the two photos, both Danny and Cupcake are similar in many ways. “Both of them try so hard every time they would show. They really gave you their heart. Neither of them wanted to ever get in trouble. Danny would actually mess up in fear of doing the wrong thing. Both horses loved people. When you would lead Danny to the show pen, you would hear little kids along the way saying, ‘there’s Danny,’ and they would run up and pet him. The same thing happens with Cupcake, now. They were both characters full of so much personality. The kids that would come to the house and ride Danny… the same thing happens with Cupcake.”

While the two horses do have some uncanny similarities, they are distinctly different and unique in their own rights.

“Danny was a little more high strung than Cupcake, in the sense that he would want to take over a pattern himself. He would try to do things too fast, and he would get ahead of me. Cupcake waits on me for everything. She has really taught me how to focus on myself and how I’m showing. I know I can count on her to be there with me every step of the way.”

“When I would show Danny, I just had to think about asking for each thing very softly and keeping him calm and consistent so it would appear that we were together and working as a team. Working as a team comes effortless for Cupcake and I. Danny took a lot more riding than Cupcake does. Cupcake gets tired easily. When she’s maxed out, she’s done. This is tricky since she’s an all around horse. We rarely ever longe her, but we spent a good bit of time longing Danny.”

Hanna looks at the two pictures often, as a reminder that Danny is always with her. Hanna believes that she couldn’t have taught Cupcake, if it hadn’t been for Danny teaching her. “It’s a constant reminder that Danny is always pouring into both Cupcake and I. It’s also a reminder of how far Cupcake has already come and a reminder that I can’t give up when it gets hard.”

Hanna is no stranger to grief. She knows what it’s like to lose a beloved horse, a once-in-a-lifetime horse, unexpectedly. But this young equestrian has some sage advice for her fellow horse-lovers as they learn to love, and ride, again.

“It’s really hard to lose a partner that you were close to and loved. There’s no easy way around that. Time and prayer help to heal all things and so does reflecting back on all the memories you share. I often find myself watching videos of Danny and looking at pictures. I also have to remind myself that some equestrians go their entire careers and never own a horse like Danny. I have to be thankful for the time we shared together.”

“The search for another partner can be long and tricky, but it’s so rewarding once you find the perfect one. It’s also important to remember that they’re all going to be different, and you can’t expect your new horse to be exactly like your old one… and that’s okay!”

“It’s okay to love a new horse. Your old partner would want you to. Everything the old horse poured into you, you will pour into your new horse, whether you realize you’re doing that or not. It just happens naturally. Lastly, I always tell everyone that loses a horse they hold dear: Do not worry. You will walk to that start cone again together one day and what a glorious day it will be.”

If you have a great story to share with www.EquineChronicle.com, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.