Beloved missing rescue horse found dead in pond

MYAKKA CITY, Fla. - A horse that was involved in a trailer crash last November and disappeared in January has been found dead. 

The backstory:

Connie Smith rescued Cloud, a white mare, who got her name because she has a blue underlying when she is wet, 12 years ago. 

Cloud was a trained beach horse that was involved in a crash last November. 

While she was recovering from the crash, Cloud disappeared on January 9, 2025. 

RELATED: Trailer carrying eight horses hit, flipped killing one and injuring the rest

Smith and her family have raised many horses on their property in Myakka City, but she said nothing like this has happened before. 

Courtesy: Manatee County Sheriff's Office

"She’s not just a horse to us," Smith said in January. "She’s a family member."

Smith said they have security cameras around their vast property, but she said they took them down to charge the day before Cloud went missing.

After Cloud disappeared, Smith and her family searched their property and the neighboring properties, but saw no sign of Cloud.

Smith thought Cloud may have been stolen for her meat, but the sheriff's office said it saw no evidence of a crime connected with Cloud's disappearance. 

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After nearly a month of searching, Cloud was found dead in an overgrown pond located in the 30600 block of Betts Road. This area is less than a mile from the property where she was last seen on January 9.

Deputies believe that the 16-year-old gray and white mare wandered into the grassy pond area, became stuck in the soft mud, and ultimately died. There are no signs of foul play.

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