By Bailey Aldridge as published on The News Observer

A horse that roamed the beach for decades on North Carolina’s Outer Banks died Friday.

courtesy of Corolla Wild Horse Fund

Amadeo, a 40-year-old blind mustang, ran wild on the Outer Banks for more than 20 years and was “king of the beach,” the Corolla Wild Horse Fund said on Facebook on Sunday. He spent the second half of his life at the Fund’s farm in Grandy after being rescued, and “touched so many lives.”

Recently, he started slowing down as his legs and hips continued to get stiffer despite seeing a veterinarian who was helping him with his arthritis and pain, the CWHF said.

“His 40 year old body just couldn’t keep up with him anymore, and he died quickly and peacefully and on his own terms,” CWHF said.

He was surrounded by friends and the herd manager when it happened and was “lovingly and respectfully” buried in his pasture the next day, the post says.

The Facebook post described Amadeo as the “heart and soul” of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

The Corolla Wild Horse fund protects and manages the herd of wild horses that inhabit part of the Currituck Outer Banks, which Amadeo was a part of.

The CWHF will rescue horses that are “severely injured or habituated” and care for them on the farm.

After Amadeo was rescued he served as an outreach ambassador for the Fund, the CWHF says. He loved children and was “endlessly gentle and patient” with them, the Facebook post said.

He also trusted the people who took care of him despite being blind.

“Being a part of his life was an honor that we will always cherish,” the Facebook post says.

Amadeo has a lot of offspring to carry on his genes, the CWHF says, and his “legacy will go down in history.”

“Rest free and easy, sweet boy. We love you so much and you will forever be in our hearts, and in the spirit of everything we do here at CWHF,” the Facebook post said