WEALTH

Triumph and tragedy are two sides of life with horses, and we are so saddened to confirm the tragic loss of our precious, pink-nosed boy Wealth to colic. None of us imagined that this was how, or when, we’d have to say goodbye. We all had big dreams for Wealth, and he had them for himself. Whether it was being our first real public venture as a new nonprofit, the poster child for our mission, the ambassador of the breed that we believed he could be, or just finding him his very own equally talented person, everything was on the table when it came to this plucky boy’s future. On a professional level, we’re devastated that he did not get to realize those dreams. And on a personal one, we’ve lost a dear friend, a horse we would have been all too happy to care for, root for, spoil, and dote on for years to come. A million more kisses were meant for that pink nose, and we’re poorer for the loss of his presence in our lives. 

We never got to talk about or promote him as much as we hoped or he deserved, and that’s because he evolved into something of a medical mystery. Following a bout of colic in May of 2024, which resolved nonsurgically at New Bolton Center, he had milder but persistent GI episodes that proved extremely difficult to diagnose, though we didn’t hesitate to try. Our team followed the best veterinary advice, and at times it seemed we had it beat. Wealth enjoyed long stretches where he was as he appears in the video below, taken in August 2025—comfortable, cheerful, ready to tackle anything and everything. But those good times would eventually be interrupted by short periods of this disruptive and concerning GI discomfort.

After a recurrence this fall, and with Sydney abroad on a new adventure in England, Wealth returned to Meadow Spring for some R&R, with Ali and Dr. Erika determined to root out the cause of his problem once and for all, for better or worse. The hope was to find answers and solutions, having him waiting for Sydney upon her return or retiring him to our sanctuary program if those answers continued to elude us. Sadly, fate had other plans, and we were all robbed of either outcome when Wealth suffered an acute GI rupture on December 7th. Despite heroic efforts on the part of Meadow Spring and arriving at NBC just 30 minutes after symptom onset, examinations made it clear that there was only one option available to us.

Our thanks go out to Wealth’s regular vet, Dr. Erika Jo Beck, who worked tirelessly over the last year to get to the bottom of this, and all at NBC who cared for him in his darkest hour. And we send our deepest condolences to the people who loved Wealth and gave him their best each and every day. To the whole Sydney Solomon Eventing crew, who brought our boy out of his shell and helped him show the world, and himself, what he was made of-you loved him like your own and dreamed big for him as much as we did. There was nothing quite like seeing Sydney and Wealth fly around a XC course. To Ali and her team at Meadow Spring Farm who made sure he wanted for nothing and were at his side on the day-you made all the right calls, acting in perfect accordance with our shared welfare values. The last thing Wealth knew in this life was that his people were going to take care of him, and we’re so very grateful for that.

We have mourned horses before, but something about this one hit us all a little differently. Perhaps it’s because Wealth is the first horse we have lost since founding Pastured Place. Perhaps it’s that we used to have to mourn our horses privately, and this is the first time we’ve had a community with which to grieve. Perhaps it’s because of what an incandescent individual Wealth was, the sense of humor he had, his love for his people, and his gameness. Perhaps it’s the festive season and what it adds to how loss feels. Perhaps-and probably-it’s all of the above. One of the more poignant scenes in A Christmas Carol comes to mind, and we’d like to borrow from it now:

“I am sure we shall none of us forget Tiny Tim… or this first parting that there was among us.”