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By Jennifer Garreau It's been a long haul on the road

to recovery for Wendy Halweg and

the fairgrounds. According to the police report from that portentous day, reports were made that two vehicles had been damaged by a
horse that morning and that a horse was tied to a vehicle. "When I found him I wasn't sure he would ever fully recover, the whole thought ofever being on him again was not even conceivable to me, let alone the idea of competing

on him again," said Halweg. "He

injuries were revealed.

had five tears in his suspemion tendon and on his back right leg there

m
SC

her cherished barrel horse Dually;

a journey

of

dedication

to their
roller

was hurt, rope burnt really bad. He was on two legs and sweaty with sweat marks clear back past his flank, there was a lot of blood and a lot of rope burns. He was
gaunt and missing shoes."

"On his front left leg he

partrrership and an emotional

coaster ride resulting in leaming invaluable life lessons. Theirs is a remarkable comeback story. Halweg lived through every hone owner's worst nightmare. After taking third place at the Ft. Pierre Rodeo, Fourth of July 2009,

Acting quickly Dually was rushed to Dr. Thornberg at Dakota Large Animal Clinic in Harisburg,
S.D., where the full extent of his

were rope burns fiorn a rope that had been wrapped around his leg twice, it had burned so deep that it had torn into the teodm sheath. He had a lot of rope brlnr on his stifle and it had srvelled up so much that the skin *'as jusr rigfit- ready to

sij

th fo

da .wi ha ba
EY

SY

burst. Thel had also made a war bridle for him our of a rope and all around his mouth and through
his mouth he u'as rope bumt," she
said.

and well on her way to her first spot in the Badlands Circuit Finals, Halweg awoke to find Dually missing from a secure pen at the
Stanley County Fairgrounds.

Dually a.lso suffered minor

lacerations and a quaner crack in a hoof. Dr. Thorn@ testified that "in 30 years he has nerer seen so many or such H rope burns on a horse." The horse spetrt nead)' a month at the veterina4' clinic before

In a frantic three-hour

search,

Ir
ktr

wt wt

by Halweg and the local deputy Sheniff, the story of Dually's fateful ride was beginning to unfold ending in finding the
Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who was valued at $75,(rc0, in a pen at the Ft. Piene sale barn with severe injuries. Sometime after 4:30 a.m., on July 5,2009, with Halweg sleeping in her horse trailer just 50 feet away, Flint Dahl rode Dually off

lil
8o
he he

ru

Quarter

to bring him home and begin the two-year

Halweg was aHe
rehabilitation process. ['hile at the veterinarl clinic. Hals'eg made the S5-mile trip dailr to see her horse every dar after s'ort. "Keeping him sound was our

bc

Hr

'1
Hc

Photo by Kim Forgey, Pink Pineapples

Dually and Wendy running barrels.

Continued on page 19

18

TODAY'S HORSE MAGAZINE. APRIL 2OI2

Wendy and Dually

Continuedfrompage 18
biggest problem, because he was lame on t\ilo legs and was only standing on the other two, which then he would go lame on. I truly owe a lot to Dr. Thomberg and the Dakota Large Animal Clinic staff because they were right on top of it, and because of that he healed fabulously. It was amazing," she said. Many sacriflces were made by Halweg

didn't run so well at Crazy Horse, but I wanted to run in honor of Annie," she said. Anne Ziolkowski Christensen, was the director of operations for the memorial. She passed away in May 2011. "She was one of the biggest supporters through this whole journey. I had never met Anne, but whenever I was having a bad day she always seemed to know it and
would send me an encouraging e-mail. She was about doing good things," said Halweg. Soon not only was Dually competing, he was also winning. At the Western Fest Stampede Rodeo in Granite Falls, Minn., they had a

winning time of 14.05, taking home a check for $1,303 and moving Halweg from 2lstto llth in the Badlands Circuit standings. While the pair was making progress in the arena, justice for the crimes committed against Dually was an emotional process for Halweg that fell as though they were many times at a
standstill.

"It was a drawn out process that I wish would have went much more smoothly than it did. We kind of had to fight our way through it," said
Halweg.

in order to

make Dually's rehabilitation

successful. His rehab consisted of regular exercise including the purchase of an oversized treadmill to exercise him during the winter
months.
JA

Continued on page 20

"Every morning I would get up and walk him, come home at noon and walk him, and walk him every night. I also had to wrap his
legs twice a day." she said.

Not only had Halweg lost her

L

rodeo

income and her circuit standings, working as sales representative for Midcontinent
Communications, she soon saw

her

sales

Clinics

Lessons

r Horses

For Sale

. Stallions at Stud

rad
1on

ere

hat leg

It it
He

ifle
ihat

to
\\rar and ugh
she

plummet because of the time she had to take off work to care for Dually. "I had taken time off of work from my job where I worked on commission. Thank God, my job let me do what they let me do. It hurt me financially to take care of Dually, but it was something I had to do," she said. Dually's step by step progress was slow to begin with. After six months the horse showed signs of improvement. Then in March of 201 1, the horse indicated to Halweg that it was time for more work and she began riding him again. "I started getting him back in shape. We had days that his tendons would puff up and I would sweat him before I rode him and ice him when I was done and these are just things I am going to have to do from now on to keep him sound. He has such a good heart. It's crazy he will work even ifhe's sore," she said. By June 20 1 1 , the duo was back in the rodeo
arena,

Horses for sale at all times from foals to finished horses. Specializing in erceptiona! ly well -broke performance prospects.

h ](rn**B,ot'*
YualDou*x,W,,*il
2000 Chestnut Stallion by First Down Dash & out ofTinys Effort (Special Effort)

l-ouo

2008 Brown Stallion by Dashin Elvis. Out ofTee Chant (foe lee)

7012 Fee $750

ffiW
Full sister to A Hunka Eurnin Love wins

nor

rin
rhat
1SO

ion
rnth fore him
Vear
I :

the the

orse

our

"The first rodeo I ran him at was Sturgis and I was so nervous andjust worried because I didn't want to hurt him. I was so nervous I could puke. I didn't tell anyone I was riding him, nobody knew. I warm him up and got him all ready to run and he goes to bucking with me. I was just like you omery turd! But I was so happy he felt good enough to do it. Before he was hurt, when he was feeling ornery and feeling good like that, he always ran well. We walked through the gate he perked his head up and was on the muscle. He knew what we were there to do. We placed seventh that day," Halweg said. That afternoon the team also ran at the Crazy Horse Memorial Rodeo.

1u*{}'^Ah

2012 Fee $1,000

3rd at 2012 Lance Graves Invitational

Open Race with fR Sullivan

Breeding available on-site or through shipped semen

-,UV

; ;i; ETEJE

Penny Webb

30883 457th Aye . Yolin, ; ; 57072 z;; SD

ff #B

;;;

e19

"He had some swelling after Sturgis

and

[Uffi $ljffi tr-$j.ffi ffi **Trs",iifl,ifi ]i::ro,"

TODAY'S HORSE MAGAZINE. APRIL 2OI2
19

Wendy and Dually

Continuedfrompage 19

,r ---tatt

Furr'-rx**-".

good to come out of all of this for me, and I hope for Flint as well. I hope it changed his life and that he chooses a different path because

Dahl was charged with felony

grand theft and

of it."
"No matter what you are thrown experience. I've learned that just because it's a bad day doesn't mean your life

misdemeanor charges for inhumane treatment of animals. He was sentenced to 570 days in jail after taking a plea agreement and pleading guilty to

it's a leaming

four

misdemeanors. With time served in jail and at an in-patient

is

upside down. You can't feel sorry for yourself because there
are so many other people in bad situations, too. You Iearn to put it all in God's hands and trust and
see what happens," she said.

alcohol treatment program and with 495 days suspended, Dahl will have to spend 15 days in jail
over the next three years, including every Fourth of July. He is also sente4ced to three years' probation

and has agreed

Halweg $25,000 restitution. In return, Halweg has agreed to not sue Dahl for Dually's injuries.

to pay

"Most of all it has strengthened my faith and has shown me that there are so many Sreat people out there. There have been so

Photo by Alisha Barry), Chutin FlicLs

Wendy

many supporters and so many

neat people

andTravis Bechen with Dually.

married bronc rider Trar is Bechen and moved to the Rapid City area. Dually will be 15 this 1ear. "We are going to run and u1 ro get some money won. We *'ill see how we do and how Duall.v holds up and pick and choose rodeos based on what he needs more so lhan what I need. I hope to make the circuit finals. I'd like to rrin the average, but it's a tough circuit and we will just put it in God's hands and see what happens," HaJ*'eg-Bechen

"Hopefully

in

some way the

event has changed his life and that he's not that person anymore," said Halweg. "I really started out

like why me! Why? What did Dually do to deserve this and I don't look at it in that way at all
anymore. There has been so much

I have met through amazing how out of the bad how many people are willing to help contribute. lt was amazing to me the number of people that stepped forward that may not have anything, but contributed $5 to the
this. It's
vet bill. Bogie and Penny Webb from Webb Farms. in Volin, S.D., let me borrow a horse all year.

He has really nice horses and is a great trainer and I've learned a lot

from them in the last Year," said

Halweg.

"I just can't say enough

all the support and what
a

about

created

family that has come out of this tragedy. They have no idea how

greatly they helped me in mY process of healing. I have really

been blessed in this whole ordeal," she said.

Halweg and Dually's future looks positive. Halweg recentlY

said.

")")

20

TODAY'S HORSE MAGAZINE. APRIL 2OI2