The Conquistador Equine Rescue & Advocacy Program

Honoring Megan

1987 - 2008

A personal tribute to a beautiful horsewoman who left this world far too soon

May 30, 2008.  My friend Megan Malott left this world a few days ago.  She was only a few short weeks shy of her 21^st birthday when Megan quietly went to sleep and did not wake up. 

I honestly do not think there ever was a more exquisite horsewoman, a braver heart, a kinder champion for animals, and a better friend than Megan.

The first time I met Megan Malott was a few years ago when we were looking for a true star to be the finale for our yearly event for the Conquistador Rescue Program. 

A friend suggested Megan Malott, a young woman who was a Make a Wish Child because she had, since birth, faced a life threatening congenital heart condition.  The condition tired Megan sometimes but it never dampened her beauty, her drive or her spirit.

Megan’s one and only wish was to have a horse and, through Make a Wish, Megan received her horse, a lovely rescued mare named “Buttercup.”

The minute I was introduced to Megan, I knew she not only wanted a horse but that she KNEW horses, was trained and disciplined in horsemanship, and was a horsewoman to the core.  Megan graduated from the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center (AAEC) in Paradise Valley with honors in the Equine Program. I was embarrassed at what little I knew compared to what this very wise and talented teen knew when it came to horses.

Megan graciously agreed to be the finale in our first year show of rescued horses and their families.  She never really wanted the spotlight, was a little shy about it, but to help horses, Megan would overcome her shyness and ride gloriously into the arena, into the spotlight, to the sound of music and Fay Fredricks narrating to the audience the wonderful story of Megan and Buttercup. 

They were such a hit that every year I asked Megan to be part of our event, and every year, although she had to fight the shyness, Megan said, “Yes. I will do it for the horses.”

In fact, Megan and her horse Buttercup are caught forever on film because she and Buttercup led off the Conquistador Program Public Service Announcement that was filmed to help rescue horses in need. 

Megan will always be to me the Megan in that film, smiling, laughing and leading Buttercup through a breeze of small flowers fluttering around her.

I will miss you, Megan.  But I know where to find you, in every stable, in every barn, and in the heart and eye of every horse and I will celebrate you in each and every one of them.

Your friend,

Dr. Pat

Patricia Haight, Ph.D.

Donations celebrating Megan Malott can be sent in her name to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Meet Megan & celebrate her extraordinary life on Megan’s website http://palominopal.homestead.com.