The Sweet Friendship Between a Dog and a Horse

Image by @dally_and_spanky / Instagram

When horse Spanky first arrived at his new home, he made sure everyone knows he’s the boss. During his first few weeks, he caused chaos on the ranch but his new rescue family, Francesca Carsen and Steve Rother, were determined and after a year of patience, training, and love, Spanky transformed into a completely different horse. He was still hesitant to bond with others, until he met Dally.

Dally was the smallest of a litter born to one of Carsen’s friends and no one seemed to want her. When Carsen heard about the pup’s dilemma, she offered to take Dally. And when the tiny dog met Spanky, Dally instantly befriended the horse.

“At just 4 months old Dally would sit on the step stool and watch me work with Spanky,” Carsen told The Dodo. “He was severely overweight so I had to exercise him regularly. Wherever he was, she wanted to be.”

Spanky was at first aloof at Dally until the pup decided to try and ride Spanky.

“After about two months, she hopped up onto Spanky’s back from the step stool … and that day they became inseparable,” Carsen shared. “We noticed the next day she was more excited than she had ever been. She loves riding her pony and feels pretty important. She no longer needs the step stool, she jumps on Spanky’s back from the ground.”

From then, the duo became best buddies. They take naps together and hang out in Spanky’s paddock. Their mom decided to write a book about their sweet friendship and 20% of the proceeds goes to charity. Dally and Spanky have inspired many people through their incredible relationship.