"Bridleless Wonder Pony" Wyatt Dies from Lipoma

Wyatt "the bridleless wonder pony," a popular fixture around West Coast racetracks, died Oct. 27 after succumbing to a lipoma, according to owner Donna Keen. He was 20.

Keen shared the news on social media the morning of Oct. 28 and said surgery was not in the striking gray gelding's best interest due to his age and pre-existing conditions.

"He was my buddy and my partner, my right hand and my left most days. He took care of me," Keen said in a statement she posted to Facebook. "I know he had a lot of friends and fans, and I'm thankful for all of you."

Keen said the lipoma, a fatty benign tumor that develops in a horse's abdominal cavity, went unnoticed until the horse showed symptoms of colic.

"I rushed him to the clinic but … I couldn't put him through it," she stated. "We said our 'See ya laters' and I let him go peacefully, before the pain became too great."

Keen, president of the Texas-based Thoroughbred charity Remember Me Rescue, saved Wyatt from a Texas kill pen as a 2-year-old. She used dressage principles to teach the Quarter Horse gelding to work bridleless on the racetrack as a stable pony, keeping Thoroughbreds calm and safe by accompanying them during morning training.