07/12/2026
Please keep one of our 4H families in your prayers. My heart brakes for them.
Today, our Dark Horse Inclusion family lost one of the people who made this organization possible.
Dan Horlander wasn't someone who sought the spotlight. If you visited the barn, you probably found him fixing a fence, repairing equipment, building something new, hauling horses, setting up for an event, or quietly making sure everything was ready before anyone else arrived. If something needed to be done, Dan was already doing it.
Dark Horse Inclusion exists because of countless hours of hard work, sacrifice, and love from both of us. Every fence, every improvement, every show, every dream we turned into reality—Dan had his hands and his heart in it.
This week, we stood together watching something we created grow into more than we ever imagined. Last night, before we each left with separate loads of horses, he kissed me goodbye and told me how proud he was of everything we had built. Those words will stay with me forever.
To our riders, families, volunteers, donors, and supporters: if you've ever been touched by Dark Horse Inclusion, you've been touched by Dan's kindness and generosity, whether you realized it or not. His legacy isn't just in the buildings or the barns—it's in every child who found confidence, every family who found hope, and every life changed through this program.
As a family, we are heartbroken. Our children have lost an incredible father, and I have lost the love of my life and my best friend of more than 20 years.
In the days ahead, we will lean on each other and continue moving forward, one step/hoof at a time. We will keep building the dream that Dan helped create because that's what he believed in, and that's how we will honor him.
Thank you for keeping our family and the entire Dark Horse Inclusion community in your thoughts and prayers. We know the road ahead will be difficult, but we also know Dan's love, strength, and legacy will continue to live on in this place and in every life it touches.
We love you, Dan. Thank you for believing in this dream and for believing in all of us. We will carry it forward—for you.