NORTH DAKOTA BADLANDS HORSE

REMEMBERING GUARDIAN

It is with a heavy heart that we must report that we lost another great stallion, Guardian. We were notified by a follower a few days ago that they found the body of a horse, after seeing the location we knew it wasn't Sidekick. From the pictures we were certain it was Guardian but we try to send someone to verify the deceased horse and possibly the cause of death. We were able to confirm that it was indeed Guardian and that he was most likely involved in a fight that lead to his death. Based off the condition of his body we are guessing he passed in the last 5-6 days.

Guardian was born in 2013 to mare Sumac and the late stallion Sidekick. He sired six foals but only 2020 mare Bender remains in the park. Guardian held a band off and on for many years. He went back and forth with Half Moon for a few years but was never able to keep mares for more than a few months. He was able to keep a small band from September of 2023 until early June of 2024 when he left his band to try and steal mare Snips's Gray from a few bachelors. He was successful in winning mare Snip's Gray but his band ended up moving on without him. Not long after stallion Illinois found them and Guardian was left with just one mare, Snip's Gray.

Mare Snip's Gray is now with 2020 stallion Banty (Frosty x Redface). It is possible that Banty was the one to fight with Guardian leading to his death. Sadly we will never know what truly happened but he was a strong and fierce stallion that lived his entire life wild and free. We may have only had 11 years with this guy but he made a huge impact on so many lives. You will be missed but thank you for the time and memories you gave us.
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Run wild and free forever with your brother Hayes and sire Sidekick.