A horse in training to deliver sunshine
Plus: Top News of the Week — Candidates file for CMS board, city council, mayor; Plans change for Huntersville development; Sterilizations surge across NC; Big cooldown in office development
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Two months after the death of a popular Charlotte therapy horse named Brandy, a new horse is training to bring smiles to those who need it. Meet Soleil.
Once she’s fully trained, Soleil will travel around the region as a therapy horse like her predecessor Brandy, who was adored by many and regularly featured on local TV stations and in newspapers. Her owners, John and Kay Daughtry (right) change out the decor on her small house each season.
by Cristina Bolling
For more than a decade, Kay and John Daughtry’s life revolved around their miniature therapy horse named Brandy, with whom they traversed the region every week bringing light into the lives of the elderly, the dying, the young and the weary.
When Brandy died unexpectedly in May, both the Daughtrys and the countless people who loved her were bereft. In her living room one day in June, Kay was having “a really ugly cry,” and an idea struck.
“All of a sudden it hit me,” Kay says. “Well, you dummy — we need to get back to work. We need to start doing Brandy’s work.”
John Daughtry worried that it was too soon, but Kay was determined. She went online to research miniature horse farms in the area — the one that had led them to Brandy was no longer operational — and stumbled across a farm in Arkansas that bred horses to pull carts.
She messaged the owners, asking if they knew of any miniature horses for sale, and the owner replied that she did have a little “pasture buddy” who measured just 27 inches from the floor to the withers (the bone where a horse’s back meets its neck) — too small to pull a cart, but who had a calm, sweet disposition and was great with kids in public settings.
“It was a God-wink,” Kay Daughtry says.
The Daughtrys arranged for a vet visit in Arkansas to be sure the little horse was healthy, and after lots of back-and-forth questions and answers, a Dodge van from Arkansas pulled up to their south Charlotte house and out stepped the 14-month-old Palomino.
Just as Kay had felt an instant bond with Brandy, she fell in love with the new horse on the spot. She decided on the name Soleil — it means “sun” in French.
Soleil made herself right at home in the miniature house Brandy once inhabited in the Daughtry’s shady backyard. It has a shiplap wall “in the style of Joanna Gaines,” Kay says, a miniature chandelier, surveillance cameras, a skylight, a bed of fluffy wood chips and a portrait of the late Brandy.
Soleil is in training mode these days, earning high marks from John and Kay. (With the exception of potty training, which is coming along a little slowly — “she gets a D-plus for elimination right now,” Kay says.)
John, 76, takes her on walks around the neighborhood, getting her conditioned to stay zen when faced with leaf blowers, barking dogs, honking horns and other startling sounds. They’ve been inviting neighborhood kids, camp groups and friends to come over and interact with Soleil as much as possible, and within a few weeks they’ll start taking her to public areas like outdoor shopping centers to get her used to being around strangers.
Training an animal for therapy work is serious business. Soleil must learn to keep her head steady, walk backward comfortably, ignore loud and sudden sounds, and most of all, trust her handlers.
John says it’s clear she has the heart for the job. On a recent visit with a reporter, Soleil approached slowly and calmly as the stranger crouched down to greet her, nuzzling her face sweetly into the reporter’s hands.
When Soleil is ready, the Daughtrys will reach out to the places where they used to make regular rounds with Brandy, like nursing homes, the local Ronald McDonald House and rehabilitation centers.
Brandy averaged about 160 visits a year to nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools, private homes and the Ronald McDonald House, laying her head on patients’ beds and letting them stroke her head or her mane, or nuzzle up to their arms or neck. (Photo courtesy of John Daughtry)
They have a feeling Soleil will be welcomed with open arms. Condolence cards are still coming in from people whose lives were touched by Brandy.
“We had more flowers and dinners and cards and notes and phone calls and visits after Brandy passed than we have had for some (human) family members,” John said.
Kay, a 74-year-old retired educator with a penchant for costumes, is already thinking about how she’ll modify some of Brandy’s colorful seasonal outfits to fit the more svelte Soleil.
“We told her she has big hooves to fill,” Kay said.
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of The Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com
Related Ledger article:
“Miniature horse, oversized legacy” (May 15)
This week in Charlotte: CMS board chair won’t run again; DMV to install self-service kiosks; S.C. liquor giant plans to expand; Atrium CEO performs at music festival
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
CMS school board chair won’t run again: (Ledger) Elyse Dashew, who has chaired the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education since 2019, announced she will not seek re-election for a third term.
14 candidates for CMS board at-large seats: (WFAE) Fourteen candidates, including eight first-time candidates, are vying for three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board in the November election.
UNC system president receives big bonus: (Observer) UNC System President Peter Hans is set to receive a $475,200 bonus, which more than doubles his annual base salary of $424,350. Hans had requested bonus incentives to be incorporated into his contract when he took on the position in 2020, as his base salary was considered low compared to previous UNC system presidents.
Politics
Local elections: A host of local candidates rushed Friday to meet the deadline to file to run in November’s elections. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will face a challenger in the democratic primary, and a republican and a libertarian are also running for mayor. Eight candidates are running for four at-large Charlotte City Council seats, and the council’s seven district seats are also up for grabs. (Axios Charlotte)
Moore won’t run again for House speaker: (Observer) N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore announced that he will not seek re-election as speaker in the term starting in 2025.
Local news
DMV putting self-service kiosks in grocery stores: (Axios) North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles is installing kiosks in grocery stores and military bases this fall to reduce office wait times for services that require in-person visits.
Charlotte Prep gets big donation after fire: (WBTV) The Charlotte Preparatory School has received a donation of $150,000 from the Philip L. Van Every Foundation to aid in its recovery from a fire that occurred last month. The three-alarm fire, which happened on June 26, completely destroyed a building on the school’s campus, causing damage estimated at around $2.5M.
Business
Atrium Health partnership: (Observer) Germany-based Siemens Healthineers will be Atrium Health's first strategic partner for its $1.5B innovation district called The Pearl, providing medical imaging technology and curriculum development for the city’s first four-year medical school, as well as supporting the launch of a medical education center for surgical training.
Plans change for controversial Huntersville development: (WSOC) The developer behind the controversial Huntersville Lagoona Bay project announced big changes to the project, renaming it “Waterside,” and removing the proposed hotel, convention center and some residential units. Developer Jake Palilo will seek approval from the planning board in August and a decision from the town board in September.
City council turns down redevelopment in Mallard Creek: (WFAE) In a rare move, the Charlotte City Council voted against a rezoning request from a developer who sought to build up to 186 townhouses on Mallard Creek Road.
Good reads
Copyright infringement: (Assembly) South Carolina real estate agent Liz Shirley used a copyrighted photo of Wild Dunes Resort, leading to a lawsuit and settlement with Asheville photographer David Oppenheimer, who has filed numerous copyright infringement lawsuits across the country, raising concerns about “copyright trolls” who enforce copyrights not to protect creative content, but to extract payments.
The Ballad of the Weiner King: (NC Rabbit Hole) North Carolina Rabbit Hole’s Jeremy Markovich dives into the rise and fall of Wiener King, a Charlotte-based fast-food-style hot dog joint that was founded in 1970 by Ronald Howard and quickly expanded to 174 locations in 25 states.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
N.C.'s sterilization surge: Amidst new abortion restrictions in North Carolina, a growing number of women, particularly younger individuals in their 20s and 30s, are choosing permanent sterilization procedures as a form of birth control.
American and Citi raise club price: American Airlines is increasing the cost of Admirals Club membership to as much as $850 per year, while the annual fee on its Citi/AAdvantage Executive card, which grants club access, will rise to $595. However, the credit card is adding rebates on rental cars, Grubhub purchases, Lyft, and making it easier to earn points on flight purchases, along with better food and bar offerings in the lounges.
Atrium CEO performs at summer music festival: Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods checked off a bucket list item by playing electric guitar with his band, Soul Alliance, at the music festival Summerfest in Milwaukee.
Charlotte’s office cooldown continues: In the second quarter of this year, no new office construction began in the Charlotte region for the first time since 2006. But local office brokers remain hopeful about a future rebound, while some companies with uptown office towers are appealing their property tax valuations amidst high vacancy rates.
Southern Spirits ready to expand: The owner of popular Indian Land, S.C., liquor store Southern Spirits says the company plans to expand to multiple locations in South Carolina, with the goal of opening a second location within a year.
More people moving to Charlotte: The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance reported that an estimated 113 people are moving to the Charlotte region every day, which is the highest level in over a decade. Of those 113 people, some two thirds are moving to counties outside Mecklenburg, which points to big growth across the region.
Charlotte production company drops movie: Charlotte-based independent film production company, Pasha Entertainment, is set to release its first full-feature film, "Heir of the Witch," a psychological horror film shot entirely in Charlotte, next month.
Passing on the family business: After a 52-year career at T.R. Lawing Realty, one of the largest residential property management companies in the Carolinas, Tommy Lawing Jr., who joined the family business in 1971, is retiring. His no-fanfare, low-key approach to life and business has set him apart.
Southern Lion pop-up: The new Southern Lion home furnishings store will open as a pop-up store on Sept. 1, temporarily located on the top floor of the former Sears in Carolina Place Mall, while renovations continue on the permanent space on the bottom floor which is set to open Feb. 1. Over 75% of the merchants will be from the former Blacklion store, which closed last winter.
Charlotte FC faces looming Lattanzio decision: Head coach Christian Lattanzio finds himself under fire from fans, and if the club were going to make a coaching change, now would be a good time. But Fútbol Friday’s Carroll Walton believes that Lattanzio should not be fired midseason, as it would be the second coaching change in the club's first two years of existence, and there are several reasons why he deserves more time to lead the team.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project