Meet Dakota. While Dakota is not a mustang, this beautiful buckskin paint colored mare is an important member of our War Horse Creek herd. She is a unique looking horse with one blue eye and one brown eye, which makes her stand out among other horses. Her laid-back and gentle personality, along with her smaller size, makes her perfect for veterans who may be a little nervous around horses. Dakota is the personal horse of our staff member, Amara Wilson, and, at 12 years old, she has already led quite an exciting life. 

Before Amara joined War Horse Creek, she worked at a ranch in Hemet, CA. Under her care was Dakota and another horse, a gorgeous Friesian Mare named Zeva. At the time, both Dakota and Zeva were privately owned by someone else. Their owner loved horses very much but didn’t know anything about them. Neither Dakota or Zeva were trained to ride. Amara spent several months helping the owner work and train both Dakota and Zeva. She also soon learned that Dakota was pregnant. 

Unfortunately, Dakota and Zeva’s owner’s health suddenly drastically declined and she had to find new homes for both of them. She ended up giving both of them to Amara who continued training them. Amara knew she could ultimately only keep one of them. As she had grown particularly fond of Dakota, she eventually sold Zeva to a good home with a close friend of hers. 

Together, Amara and Dakota went on many adventures. One of the biggest adventures was raising Dakota’s filly (a female baby horse) who was born on March 13th, 2015. Amara cared for Dakota’s daughter, named Luna, for 3 years before finding her the perfect home. Dakota and Amara also went on to participate in many events, long trail rides, and a few parades. They would even take rides to get fast food together – with Amara ordering from the drive-thru window. 

Dakota has proven to be a faithful and trustworthy companion. Once, while riding through a river bed in Norco, CA, they hit a patch of quicksand. Instead of panicking, Dakota stayed calm, allowing Amara to quickly jump off. Dakota then carefully pulled herself out. 

Joining the team at War Horse Creek has been the perfect fit for both Dakota and Amara. While Amara uses her skills working with the wild mustangs, Dakota sets the example of how a well-trained horse should behave. Dakota is also a wonderful, quiet horse for any veteran who might be nervous around these large creatures. She has become a favorite for the veterans to groom, as she will happily stand for hours just getting brushed. Her calm demeanor helps soothe anyone who spends time with her. One veteran in particular has requested to work with Dakota on three different occasions – the two of them have formed a special bond.