08/26/2026
For those of us who love horses, Dolly’s passing touches an especially tender place.
Long before the sparkling costumes, bright lights and sold out performances, Dolly was a little girl growing up in the mountains of Tennessee who dreamed of having a pony. Her family could not afford one, but she carried that childhood dream with her throughout her extraordinary life.
In 1988, Dolly Parton’s Stampede opened with 32 magnificent horses at the heart of the production. Through the years, those horses introduced millions of people to the beauty, power and grace of the animals Dolly so deeply admired. They were never merely part of the scenery they were celebrated as stars.
Dolly once described herself as “a workhorse that looks like a show horse.” It was the perfect description of a woman whose glamorous appearance could never disguise her grit, determination or humble country heart.
Her voice may have fallen silent, but the love she gave this world will continue through her music, her generosity and the countless lives she touched.
Tonight, we would like to imagine that little girl from the Smoky Mountains finally riding the pony she dreamed about so many years ago free beneath an endless Tennessee sky.
Rest peacefully, Dolly. The music world has lost a queen, and the horse world has lost one of its most beloved admirers.
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