Kodiak was frequently described by his countless fans as a "gentle giant"; nearly 18 hands, he had dinner-plate sized feet, a strapping chest, and a head at least as long as the average woman's torso. Whether he was cantering down center line, carrying a therapeutic rider, or filling the draw at an Intercollegiate Dressage Association show, Kodiak positively improved the lives of everyone he met-all while battling PSSM.

When Ruth Hill-Schorsch of Stapleton Farm in Leslie, Michigan, first saw Kodiak as a yearling, he wasn't much to look at-he was gangly and awkward, and a funny dark dun color. But Kodiak's personality caught her attention, and she purchased him as a sales project. As Kodiak matured, he proved to be a willing learner. Late in 2007, he debuted with Hill-Schorsch at training level; in 2008, 5-year-old Kodiak and junior Rebecca Donaldson competed at First and Second Levels, including at the GAIG/USDF Region 2 Championships in Ohio that fall.

Meanwhile, amateur dressage rider Cindy Burke was horse shopping. With two young children and a full-time job, she was looking for a steady, reliable horse with some training, who would act the same whether you rode daily or twice a week. When she saw a sales video for a huge, sun-bleached horse doing a capable Second level test, Burke thought the gelding "odd looking", but sent the video to her trainer anyway.

"She called me and said, 'you put a deposit on that horse right now'," remembers Burke with a laugh.

And that was how Kodiak came to live at the University of New Hampshire Equine Facility, where Burke taught at the time. But Kodiak hadn't been with Burke long before he started to feel "off". It was hard to pinpoint-the elusive unsoundness moved around his body, and after thirty minutes of work, it resolved. After multiple vets and countless diagnostics, the only notable finding was an extra vertebrae.

One night at 3 AM, Dr. Omar Maher of Atlantic Equine Services had an "a-ha" moment, and Kodiak was finally tested for PSSM. Many management changes were needed to improve his health, but most significantly, Kodiak required daily exercise to keep his muscles healthy. Burke didn't have time to do that; instead, she began recruiting riders on the college's IDA team to help.

"Kodiak is the type of horse that only comes along once in a lifetime," says Cailee Palm, one of his many "people." "Having taken a bad fall, I struggled with anxiety and the fear of being hurt again. Kodiak took my fears away and replaced them with confidence, motivation, and pure joy, for which I'll always be grateful."

In the years that followed, Kodiak competed through Third Level, and proved a stalwart mount for riders of all levels of experience at both IDA practices and shows. Cindy's daughter Allison took her first lessons on Kodiak, and he eventually brought her successfully to First Level. Dressage legend Kathy Connelly described Kodiak as "the perfect adult amateur horse." With Cindy's trainer, Kodiak once scored a perfect "10"; at another show with Cindy riding, he happily lengthened down the long side and right out of the arena.

"Even if it was hard, he'd do anything you asked him to do," remembers Cindy. "He went as he was ridden. If you put somebody who knew what they were doing on him-he could be extraordinary."

But Kodiak also enjoyed bareback rides and visiting new friends. Cindy rode him to the town's Farmer's Market, brought him to the local library for children's reading group, and one time, painted the bottom of his shoe so he could give "autographs" to children in day care.

"He always liked the attention," says Cindy.

One day, Kodiak served as an emergency replacement in the college's therapeutic riding program; he soon became a regular, even participating in the New Hampshire Special Olympics.

"He was not an ideal therapeutic mount-he was too tall, and had too much movement," says Cindy, who is a PATH International Advanced Instructor. "But he was safe, and I knew he wouldn't hurt anybody."

Children with anxiety could lead Kodiak through an obstacle course; he ignored the spasticity of a rider with cerebral palsy in mounted sessions. He healed veterans in equine-assisted learning programs. Once, he even was ridden by an elite para-equestrian; despite never being trained to mount from a ramp, he stood as still as a statue while the rider's aides helped her aboard.

Thanks to Kodiak, dozens of riders became better horsemen, and the differently-abled experienced greater mobility and strength. But perhaps Kodiak's greatest legacy was his power to transform lives, simply by being himself-a larger-than-life equine ambassador.