Curly has a special place in the hearts of her owners.
A 27-year-old Bashkir Curly, Appaloosa horse, Kayla Bendickson purchased him in 2015 to use as her high school rodeo horse. She said he was great at roping, goat tying, pole bending and barrel racing.
鈥淚 won a lot of events on him, and won my first buckle with him,鈥� said Kayla, a Grade 12 student at Lake City Secondary School in Williams Lake.
鈥淏ut I started noticing down at a barrel race in 100 Mile House he ran me into a barrel the first day, then the second day he ran me into two barrels 鈥� both on his right side.鈥�
Kayla and her mom, Twyla, took Curly to see a veterinarian in 2016 where it was confirmed their suspicion that Curly was, in fact, going blind.
Despite advice to retire Curly, Kayla continued to barrel race with him.
鈥淗e鈥檇 been doing it his whole life, and he knew what he was supposed to do,鈥� Kayla said.
After taking a spill on a different horse, and being knocked unconscious, receiving a concussion and subsequent seizure, Kayla said it was Curly who helped nurse her back to health and give her the confidence to compete again.
鈥淗e did so much for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e really boosted my confidence back up. I鈥檇 been out for six weeks but he helped me out a lot. I just got on him and started riding a lot again, and then I was able to ride a faster horse from there. I鈥檓 just really grateful for having him.鈥�
Twyla said it was amazing to watch the bond shared between the two while Kayla was recovering from her concussion.
鈥淚f she was off balance he would scoop her up, things like that. They just both love each other.鈥�
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Later, in 2017, when Twyla was competing at the Stampede Warm Up Barrel Racing event in Williams Lake, her horse came up lame.
鈥淚 needed a horse,鈥� she said.
鈥淜ayla said: 鈥榃hy not take Curly?鈥欌��
That was in June 0f 2017.
鈥淚 just thought he鈥檚 done it his whole life, he鈥檚 27, why not?鈥� Twyla said.
Twyla went on to successfully barrel race Curly that weekend.
鈥淚t was just a really cool feeling to know he could do it,鈥� she said.
鈥淭o see he could do it, and to know that he trusts you that much to race was amazing. A lot of people, before this, were telling us to put him down, but we couldn鈥檛 do that. He鈥檚 healthy, and he took care of Kayla when she had her concussion, so he deserves a good life.鈥�
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Curly still lives happily at Kayla and Twyla鈥檚 home in Miocene, east of Williams Lake, alongside his best pal, Fritz 鈥� another horse the family owns 鈥� and doesn鈥檛 have much of a hard time getting around the property.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 really run into anything,鈥� Kayla said.
鈥淗e uses his whiskers to feel around before he gets to a fence or around a tree. We put his hay in the same spot. We have a feeder with big hay bales around it, and he鈥檚 been in the same field since we got him, so he knows where to go.鈥�
Twyla said Curly still gets out on regular trail rides, and is just an amazing horse to have around.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just a really cool guy,鈥� she said.
鈥淛ust to see his willingness to adapt, and how he still runs out in the field, is pretty incredible.鈥�
sports@wltribune.com
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