Vanishing Knowledge (2022) - full transcript

November 19th, 1971.

At the age of 19,
Frank Combs returned

from serving in the Vietnam War

an addict with PTSD.

Surviving at home
in the United States

became a battle for Frank.

To make matters worse,
the exposure to Agent Orange

led to his cancer diagnosis.

Frank was looking to make
something out of his life.

He and his brother, Leo,

decided to buy the Nokota horses



from the Theodore Roosevelt
National Park.

Frank instantly realized

these Nokota horses were special

in the way
they behaved around humans.

These horses, after all,

were descendants of Chief
Sitting Bull's horses.

They were treated like family

by the horse-centered culture
of the Hunkpapa tribe.

Which allowed them
to interact with humans

unlike any other breed.

Frank healed from the addictions

and felt that he could
better cope with his PTSD

when he was around these
special, horses.

Today, Frank has the largest
Nokota herd in the world.



He continues to protect them
and their legacy.

Yeah, Frank, I think
it's time to move them horses.

Let's do it in the morning.

Good morning.
How are you doing?

I'm doing fine.

You, uh, ready to round them up?

Get them down
to that soft pasture?

Oh, yeah.

Well, let's get "er done.

We got, uh, a lot of day left.

This way. This way.

C'mon. Let's go.

I just talked to Christine

the other day and...

uh, told me she's got
three students

that want Nokotas of their own

and this way at least
I know they'll have a good home

and, uh...

we'll just haul them with us

when we go out
to the fundraiser.

That sounds like a good plan.

Um,
before we go to the fundraiser,

you have time
to sit with me and a, uh,

do a little paperwork

and we can figure out, uh...

um, a bill

for where you're boarding
horses on my land.

It's been about three
or four months

since we did that and, uh,

you know, there's just
a lot of expenses

with equipment and supplies, and

you know, hired help,
everything, you know,

just to get a little money
would be real handy right now

before I head out that way.

I promise you, Paul,
my next VA check

will go to my bill towards here.

I appreciate that.

I wish hay supplier Brock

was as understanding as you are.

Hey, buddy.

C'mon. Here you go.

My little friend.

Yeah, come on.

Oh!

Come on, bud.

Buddy, hi!

How are you?

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Lacy, honey,
we're going to have fun

with the horses
at Christine's today,

right, honey?

Here they come.

- Christine?
- Hey, Lisa!

Hi!
We spoke on the phone.

Yes, nice to meet you!

Thank you, you too.
And this is Lacy.

Hi, Lacy!

Lacy, we're here
to have fun with the horses.

Well, I'm sorry
we're a tad early,

so if you want I can pull up

- and wait in the car?
- You know what?

We can get started
with the session

if you want to
go ahead down and, uh,

park and just meet me
in the ring.

Sounds great.

This is going to be fun, honey.

Lacy?

It's her gloves,
she forgot her gloves.

- I'm going to go get them.
- Okay. Okay.

It's okay, Lacy, mommy's
going to get your gloves.

Uh-oh. Okay.

Hey, Lacy.

Honey, it's okay.
It's okay.

Okay, okay.

Ah.

It's okay.

Do you want to pet Rabbit?

- It's okay.
- Time to visit with Rabbit?

Oh!

There you go.

So, if she has them
with her she's...

Once she's got them on her,
she'll be okay.

Got it. Mm-hmm. Okay.

It's okay, baby.

- Here you go.
- There.

All good.

Comfort.

Oh.

Say hello to Rabbit?

He would love
to say hello to you.

Hello.

Dad inside?

- Hey, Krista.
- Morning, Dad.

Oh, just fixing stuff.

- Where's Beckett?
- He's at home with his dad.

What's going on
with the money again?

This is the second time
you've called me this year

to ask for money.

I promise I'll pay you.

Right after
Christine's fundraiser.

I'm sorry I gotta keep
borrowing from you...

but I have to pay Paul.

I thought this was for Brock.

I have to pay Paul first.

Without Paul's land,

there's nowhere
for the horses to go.

So, I'll pay Brock
after Christine's fundraiser.

My entire childhood
I've watched you borrow money

to take care of these horses.

But, what have you gotten
in return?

It's time to take care
of yourself now.

When's the last time
you were at the doctor?

I was there yesterday
for my monthly chemo.

You know how I get afterwards.

I know it's tough.

I'm late for work.
I gotta go.

Oh, Brock called me.

He was asking if maybe
you could sell Otto to him

for payment of the hay?

You need to get a hold of him.

So, are we going to
rebuild all of the dams?

Well, we'll see
how much time we got.

You know, see what
the weather does.

But, uh, yeah, we're gonna try
to get them all done.

Yeah, I know,
that's why I'm saying,

we're already combining
late at night...

Yeah,
well that's one of the jobs,

but the other job is,

we gotta take care
of these horses.

'Cause this has gotta be
about six feet deeper here,

to make sure
the water lasts all winter.

Those horses are gonna need it.

Who's that calling you
this early in the morning?

Just one of them telemarketers.

Hey, y'all.

Studs are fed.
So, you ready to go make hay?

You're on your own today, Jen.

Frank's babysitting Beckett.

- I am?
- Yeah.

Great, so we'll have
to call Brock again for hay.

I don't get to spend
much time with my grandson.

We'll get 'er done
one way or another.

You're the boss.

Don't get all upset at me

if there's not
enough hay this year.

Dang it!

My gosh!

Why can't we just get
some better equipment?

I got you!

I got it.
I got it. I got it.

I got it in my boot.

I see that.

Mama's still there.

Mom!

Mommy! Mom! Mom!

Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!

Love you!

Love you.

Brock called me today.

Why aren't you answering
his phone calls?

Okay, buddy, we gotta go.

See you, Dad. Love you.

Bye.

Morning, Otto.

You and I are not as young
as we used to be.

Not only that,
but our herd is growing and...

so are their needs.

How about you and I go
check up on them herd, hm?

Wanna go with me?

I'd love to have you, buddy.

Love you.

Jordan and I could've done this.

I seen that
hair hanging on the fence,

that got pulled out
of them horses.

Hope that didn't hurt them much.

Yeah.

- That structure ready?
- Yeah.

Okay, Paul.

Paul, I don't know
any other landowners

who do all the fencing
themselves.

You know?

Just trying to figure out

what your love is for the horses

that we're out here
doing Frank's work.

Is this
the silent treatment now?

We got work to do.

When you send us out
for the cattle

and the cattle break fences,

you send me and Jordan
out by ourselves.

But for the horses,
you want to be here.

What's so special
about these horses, Paul?

I'll tell you what, Ben.

Let's just get this job done...

get down to the yard

and we'll load that
up with grain.

Let's load them tools up.
We got work to do.

All right.

- There you are.
- Thanks.

Truck's over here, Paul.

- Got everything?
- Yeah.

All right.

- Touch it.
- Oh! There you go!

Good job!

- Move the bucket.
- Touch it.

Doing really good.

She loves you. Touch it.

Listen, buddy,
we have to take off.

There's somewhere we need to go.

You're doing really well.

- Touch it.
- Touch it.

Oh!

- Amazing!
- Hey.

She really loves you.

- It's okay. Okay.
- You're a total horseman.

- Michael's friend.
- Yes, absolutely.

- We'll be back to see her.
- No.

This is not the last time
you will see her.

- I promise.
- No. No.

It's okay. It's okay.
You did so good.

Gina's Michael's friend.

Yeah? Yeah?
Yeah! How about it?

- Gina's Michael's friend.
- Yeah.

- You did good, brother.
- Gina is Michael's friend.

Yup. She loves you.

Amazing.

He's doing great with this.
He really is.

We're going to do so much more.

Oh, good, good.
He loves it.

He looks forward to it
every time.

- Good!
- Yes.

- Good.
- So...

Oh.

We looked forward to it,
right, Mikey?

- You did good, brother.
- Oh. Yeah.

'Cause Gina is Michael's friend.

Good job.

You have
a great rest of your day.

Thank you.

You did really good.
I'm very proud of you.

Where's our friend, Rabbit?

Good girl!

I think Nebba is starting
to really bond with Lacy.

She seems... Lacy seems
really comfortable with her.

I can't tell you
how happy it makes me.

We have seen
absolutely amazing changes

happening with Lacy.

That's great,

and you'll continue
to see improvement.

I can't always predict

what's going to happen
in the session,

but, um, it's... it's really
kind of magical to watch.

I didn't have
a choice with Lacy,

but what made you
choose this path?

All right, Paul's money.

Now, we just gotta find
Brock's money.

All right.

Frank's here.

Oh. Okay.

Let's get this done, slick.

Yeah. I'm tightening.

Hey, Paul.

Frank, I'll tell you...

your horses got it made here.

They keep us working all day.

Actually, they were once
Sitting Bull's horses.

They were almost wiped out once.

I'm just taking care of them.

You mean I am.

Oh, Jesus.

He acts like he's a worker,
you know?

What are you up to today?

Oh, I just came by to give you
your monthly checks.

Sorry, I'm late.

Hey, I appreciate it, man.
That, uh, come in handy.

Got a lot of bills and...

a lot of upkeep out here
and stuff, so...

But, uh...

takes a lot
to take care of everything.

By the way,
horses are looking amazing.

Good.

Really great
set of horses and, uh...

you're doing a good job
of making them survive

and keeping them organized.

A lot of people
will appreciate it

many years down the road, so.

Nice set of horses
you got there.

Actually,
they're Sitting Bull's horses.

Oh, boy.

When does it end?

Gotta get that last word in

all the time, so, you know?

All right, I got
some work I gotta get done.

I'll see you guys later.

I can't blame you
for leaving there, Frank.

Take care. Have a good day.

Hey, Brock.

Why are you
not answering my calls?

I hate
chasing you down for money.

I... I promise you,
I'll pay you soon.

Did you think
I was gonna forget about it?

I could take him
as part of the payment.

He's... he's part of my family.

He's part of me.

Are you going to need
more hay this winter?

Make sure I get my money, Frank.

You know, Otto,

you're the only one
that gets apples.

Buddy, you know,
my VA shots are getting...

harder and harder on me
every month.

I know.

I say, Frank, you're late.
Is everything okay?

Huh.

Listen, Frank.
Are we haying today?

Uh, you are.

I've got to go to...

the veterans' hospital
to get my monthly cancer shot.

Oh. Well, why are you here?

Paul called and said

he thought there was
an injured colt out here.

Oh, well,
I could have come by myself.

I know, but I...
I need to see it myself.

I need to check it myself.

Mr. Kuntz,
the doctor will see you now

to go over your lab results.

Hey, honey.
How was your doctor visit?

What'd he say?

Honey, you're scaring me.

What did the doctor say, honey?

What are we going to do
about our horses?

The horses
will be taken care of.

We'll make sure of that.

Please tell me
what the doctor said.

She's getting so much better.

We are so proud of her.

Mom!

My! My!

My! My! My! My!

My! My! My!

My! My!

It's o...
It's okay, it's okay.

Buddy, it's okay.
It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay.

You're okay.

It's okay.

It's okay, buddy.

Hey, Mom, are you okay?

I mean, I am worried
about the client.

It's helping them.

Everything is going well,
I think.

Hey.

- Morning.
- Morning.

What are you writing?

Oh, I just want to make sure

we don't lose any information
about the Nokota horses.

That's a good idea.

What am I gonna tell the girls?

I don't want them to worry.

They need to know, Frank.
You have to tell them.

Krista's coming in this morning.

I'd like to be able to talk
to Paul and Christine first.

The horses have been
on Paul's land

for a very long time.

Do you think
he'll let them stay?

I would hope so.

Without land...

there aren't many options
for the horses.

We should tell
Krista everything.

I don't know why you guys

like mornings in this barn.

We need to talk.

I don't have
any more money to loan you.

That's not what you're here for.

Dad, I don't have it.

It would've helped
if you would have asked Paul

for more time.

Then, you could've taken
the check I gave you

and settled with Brock
for the hay.

My cancer has spread.

The doctors aren't giving me
much time anymore.

What?

When did you find out?

You've been fighting this
for 20 years.

There's nothing else
that they can do?

There's no other medicine?

They can't do anything else?

You can't leave us right now.

I need you.

Beckett needs you.

Hey, Frank.
How are you doing?

- I'm fine, Paul.
- Come on up.

Have a chair.
Enjoy the view.

Beautiful evening
out here tonight.

Oh, I knew that
you would be here.

Oh, yeah.

I understand the love
you have for your land.

I'm pretty fortunate, uh...

it's a blessing, I just, uh,

hope my grandkids
and their grandkids,

and everybody
for the next generations

get to enjoy it like I have,
you know?

Well, that's what I want
to talk to you about.

I just come
from the doctor and...

um, things don't look good.

The cancer's spread to my bones.

So, what are they saying?

They... What's...
What's the plan or...

What do they think
is all happening?

I...

I just have to be smart about it

and make sure... make sure
everybody's taken care of.

Um, boy, what can I do
to help, Frank?

Or, you know, is there
something that can be done,

or does your family...

Everything okay with
your family and stuff or...

Have you talked to them?

I'm just worried
about my horses, Paul.

They almost were extinct
at one time

and I just ain't gonna
let that happen again.

I can't blame you, Frank.
You've put too much into it.

I don't know if you,
uh, spoke to anybody else

about this
or anything, you know,

have you contacted
anybody like Christine or...

Oh, they need a home

and I'm looking for a 50 year
lease for these horses

on your land, um...

that's what I want
to talk to you about.

Boy.

That's a...
That's a big commitment.

They uh...

um, man I hope...
I don't even know

if I'm gonna be around 50 years.

I'm probably gonna have to...

depend on my grandkids
and my kids

to carry that on,

but you know I'm gonna
have to talk to Barb

and see what they
have to say about it.

If I'm here I'll be
glad to do it, but uh...

you know there's other...

Others things
could come up, you know?

Yeah.

After me...

they'll have no place to go.

These horses.

Yeah, you guys.

This is your home.

- I'm home!
- Paul!

You're home earlier than usual.

Yeah, I thought I'd get home

a couple hours earlier tonight.

It's 9:30 already,
so, what's happening?

Not too much.
Good to see you.

Good to see you.
What are you up to?

- Reading my book.
- All right, perfect.

It was a little dirty
out there today. Dusty.

Oh, it's good to sit down.

One of them days.
How was your day?

I had a good day.
How about you?

Frank heard
from his doctors and uh,

the cancer's into his bones.

A lot to uh,
just have them there.

And... and the exposure that
they, uh, will be bringing

I mean.

Okay, stop here.
You're gonna have to drive it.

Can you drive?
Can you close the hood?

Can you push that?

Not yet.

We're here.

Hi! Come on in.

- Hi, mom.
- Hello.

Hi.

What's up?

Oh, we just wanted
to talk to you about something.

Fit in your car.

Oh!

Well, I got to go
talk to your mother

so, you guys all,
I'll catch you later.

- Come on, guys.
- Okay. See you guys.

- Have a good day.
- Bye, Grandpa!

- See you, Paul.
- This way.

- Hi, guys.
- Hi.

- How are you guys doing?
- Good.

So, what's this about?

Well, thanks for coming girls.

Uh, last night,

Dad shared some
very upsetting news with me

and we wanted to let you know

what's happening
down at the farm.

Okay, so what's going on?

Is everyone okay?

Frank got news
from his doctor and physicians

he works with that they uh...

His cancer he has
spread to his bones.

They don't know how long he has,

but it doesn't sound good.

The big thing is is when

Frank is gone...

these horses
are going to be homeless.

He's looking at us...

to do 50 year commitment
with our farm and ranch

to take care of these horses.

50 years is a really long time.

That's a big commitment.

Yeah. You're talking about
affecting the next

two or three
generations of our family.

These horses
are gonna end up homeless.

I don't know. I think we should
try or do something.

Paul, you can't expect the girls

to make a commitment like that.

They've done...

so much for me.

You guys don't even understand
how much they've helped me.

Dad, I don't think
anybody's denying that.

We just have our own
careers and families that

we need to be
looking out for too.

The thought of those
beautiful Nokota horses

being homeless is gut-wrenching.

But, I don't know
if this is a problem

that you can fix.

I think this is a time

when you need
to put your family first.

And the time.

The time commitment
that this takes.

I think about how much
you're down at the farm now

and this on top of it.

The kids want to see you.

Your grandkids
want to be around you.

And I feel like
every time they say,

"Mom, is Grandpa
going to be there?"

I have to say,
you're down at the farm.

They just want to be
around their grandpa.

Well...

I think we're going to
make a decision here today.

I'm not sure what to do.

I don't want to take
from the kids.

I don't want to take
from you guys.

I don't know what to do.

And ask her to stop.

Awesome!
How did that feel?

Oh, it's Frank.

I was just about to call you.

Hey, Christine.

I just got to share
some big news with you.

Look at that. Awesome!

What?

Let's do that again.

Try to be little bit
more balanced this time.

Mom, are you okay?

No, it's Frank.

The doctors
haven't given him much time.

Erin, is it okay if we end
the session early today?

Yeah.
Is it the Nokota horse Frank?

Yeah, it is.

What's going
to happen to his herd?

Where are they gonna live?

I don't know what's going
to happen to his herd.

- Hey, Brock.
- Frank.

Do you have my money
or do I need to come

take your black horse
as part of the payment?

I'll get yo... I'll get you
your money, I promise.

Okay.

I run a business
here too, Frank.

You have until the end
of the week to pay me my money

or I'm gonna come
and get your horse.

All right.

So, how's this going, Ben?

Oh, pretty good.

I'm almost
finished up here and...

Look what I found
on Frank the other day.

You won't believe this.

Here.

- Yeah, I know.
- That's cool.

I didn't know that Frank's
been fighting his whole life

- to save this horse breed.
- Yeah.

Heck, him and Leo they, uh...

started this back in the '70s

after they got back out
of the service and stuff

and they have been,
you know, like,

breeding them, feeding them,

nurturing them, um...

getting this herd back
to a state of survival.

You know, so...

What's so special
about these horses though?

Oh, they're real people horses.

Good job.

Say hi to Indie at the end.

Lacy is doing so well.
I'm thrilled.

Ah, I can tell.

It's been amazing
watching the changes in her.

We've seen so many
improvements in Lacy.

Great. That's great.

- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.

There is one thing
that I've been so excited

to talk to you about.

Um, her dad and I
have been talking about

getting her a Nokota horse.

- Oh my gosh, that's awesome!
- Yeah.

Great. Well, whatever I can do

to help you make that happen,
that's wonderful.

We definitely know we want
to get the horse from Frank.

First of all,
Frank will be thrilled,

because you know,
every horse placed right now

means the world to him.

Um, its been really rough
the last couple of years.

- I understand.
- Mhm.

Yeah. Oh, Lacy.

Come here, sweetheart.

I love this girl.
Gonna have your own...

Aw. It's going to be
a great journey for you guys.

Oh.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

I love this girl.

Good job!

Yeah.

Nice.

Right to me. Perfect.

That was really good.

All the way around.
Good job!

Slide to me. Perfect.

Perfect.
That was really good!

- Good job.
- Good boy. Thank you.

I know, that was fantastic!

Good job, buddy.
Good job.

Hey, Brock.

Frank, I need you to sign this.

It's a bill of sale
for the horse

for partial payment of the money
you owe me for the hay.

I promise you,
I'll get it to you somehow.

I've given you enough time.

Please,
he's the only friend I have.

No. I really want that horse.

I could use him.

Don't come to me
to buy hay ever again.

He loves apples.

So, I looked
at the weather forecast, hun,

and it's supposed to be
pretty chilly out there,

so, make sure you pack
some long sleeve shirts.

So, the three of you are going
to put your heads together

and try to come up
with a solution for the horses?

That's the main reason
I'm going out there.

Um...

We gotta... we gotta
figure something out

for these horses, uh...

You know, but if we
don't figure this out...

I got a bad feeling.

Well, I'll be thinking
of the three of you

while you're brainstorming
and hoping for the best.

It's gonna be a big chore.

Here, let me do it.

I can do it myself.
I ain't no cripple.

I know you're not a cripple
and I'm not trying

to give you sympathy, I just...
I can get it done faster.

It's totaled.

You're gonna have to call Paul.

If not, how the heck
am I gonna make hay

when you're at a fundraiser
in Pennsylvania?

- Paul here.
- Hey, Paul.

We can't travel
to the fundraiser today.

Some of my shit machinery
broke down here

and I gotta get
my hay down, so...

any chance I could come
and borrow some of yours?

That's a shame
I was looking forward

to seeing you at the fundraiser.

But yeah, I got a tractor here
and I can get that

hooked up on that rig,
and I'll throw the keys in it.

All right, Paul.

I'll talk to you later.
Thanks. Bye.

He said okay?

Hello?

Hey, Frank!
How are you?

I'm fine, Christine, and you?

I'm doing great, I just
wanted to give you a call

'cause everybody here is excited
about the new horses coming.

How are they doing?

My tractor broke down

and I won't be able to make it
to the fundraiser on time.

We'll be there
with the horses a day later.

Oh, yeah Frank, you know,
it sounds important.

Um, you know what,
I actually do have to run

because I have
another session coming up.

Can I give
you a call after that?

All right, Christine.
Love you.

Love you too, Frank.

Bye.

Tractor ready to go, Paul?

I'm one step
ahead of you this time, Frank.

I got everything in the back
of your truck already.

How about you?

I had packed
the day before already.

I hope Christine's okay
with the fact

that we're late
for the fundraiser.

Maybe we should have
left sooner,

you know um,
she'll understand, you know?

We're doing the best we can.

Oh!

Hey, hey.

Give it back, buddy.
Give it back.

We're so proud of you, Lacy.

Here you go.
Peter, I'll be right back.

You finally made it!

Hey, Frank.

Hey, Christine.

How are you?

Hey! Wait a minute, wait!
Where's Paul?

Oh, he decided
at the last minute

- he couldn't make it.
- Oh, no.

We were all looking
so forward to seeing him.

Shoot. Oh, wait a minute,
I should've known better.

Hi, Paul.

- Good to see you.
- Good.

- How are you doing?
- Oh, good.

- How was your trip in?
- Not bad.

- Okay.
- Good drive.

- Pretty drive.
- Yeah.

How's things
out here for you guys?

Um, good,
I'm a little exhausted,

but um, you know, it's all good.

I mean this is...
This is the time of year.

So, you had
a big event last night.

Yeah, we did.

We had our annual
fundraiser here.

So, how'd the fundraiser go?

Um, honestly, Frank,

it could've been
a little better.

Um, this has been
a tough year for everybody,

I think, but uh, you know,

we're not gonna give up,
you know, we'll keep going.

You know, it's a...
It may be a small portion,

but, you know, it means a lot
to the people out here.

Yeah.

It's really appreciated,
you know, like you said.

Good or bad.

It always covers a portion
of what we use out there.

These horses are amazing!

He is so beautiful.

Yeah.

Your horse is here, Lacy!

Oh, wow!

Wow!

You can play with
them tomorrow, Lacy.

Thank you. Thank you.

You cannot imagine
how much these horses

have done for Lacy.

I wish we could do this
for so many more people.

- Yeah.
- Thank you.

Um, if you guys
have a minute, uh...

it seems like Donna in town

and I'd really like
to introduce you guys

Um, if you can stay
an extra day.

Uh, Donna has
a very generous spirit

and has a huge heart
for these horses

and I think it would be
an important time

to sit with her, um, if you can.

Yeah, it's good
for the horses and me.

You know, I have the time, yeah.

Okay. Great. Thanks.

No problem with me.
Whatever it takes.

Okay.

Hey, Lacy.
You wanna go in?

Should we go in together?

Here we go, buddy.

Here we go.

You'll be next, buddy.

Lacy, honey, we have to go now.

We'll come back soon, okay?

Michael. Michael.

Michael. Michael.

Michael.

- Hi, Christine.
- Hey, hi, Paul.

- How are you today?
- Great!

- Here sit down.
- Frank, it's your chair.

So, Christine, just out here
having some time to yourself?

Yeah. It feels good.

- Here's Donna. Hey, Donna.
- Wow.

Hey, have any
room for me up there?

Hi, how are you doing?

- Good. You must be Paul.
- I am.

So glad to meet you.

Hi, Frank. How are you?

I'm fine.
Nice to see you Donna.

Same here.

You know,
I've heard you've, uh, done

a lot for the Nokota
horses already,

you know, and, uh,
it's greatly appreciated,

but there's a lot
to get done out there yet.

You know, we could use
some help out there.

Paul, I don't know
if you know that I have

14 Nokotas and I know
how much work it takes.

I would love
to come and help you.

It's really appreciated,
so, thank you.

You know, we all want to help,
um, that's why I'm so happy

that Donna and Paul are here
and maybe we can come up

with a plan
while they're in town.

I had spoken
to Paul already about

a 50... At least a 50 year
commitment on some land, but...

you know, it's just
we need land.

I know, Frank,
maybe now's the time

that we... I let you know
that my one daughter...

She just wants me
to have more time with them

and her kids...

and my grandkids so, uh...

you know, this is a thing
that isn't gonna help.

My other daughter doesn't know
if she wants to commit her kids

and their kids
for three generations to do this

and they have no say
on the matter.

And at this point...

um, there really isn't a plan.

My God, Christine.
What are we gonna do?

We have to do something.

I hate this.
You guys gotta let me help.

Frank, you've been
doing this for 40 years,

helping the Nokota horses.

It's our turn to do our part.

Paul, is all this gonna fit?

Uh, well, if it doesn't...

you're gonna have to bring it
to Montana or North Dakota

or where you want to go with it
all by yourself.

How does that sound?

Christine doesn't go out
west in the winter time.

Oh, Christine.

Whoa!

Frank, we have the fundraiser
to thank for all this hay.

I know it's not much but...

Well, I know it's not enough,
but I'm very grateful for it,

and unfortunately
I'm going to need a lot more,

but every little bit's
gonna help.

I know.

All right, that one you bring.

Okay, that one I'll
put in the back of my truck.

But, I gotta tell you,
I cannot stop thinking about

these 300 horses and
what's gonna happen to them.

I don't know
what would happen to this herd.

Paul's in
the same position I am.

I know he wants to help,

but I understand
300 horses are huge,

and that's a huge
family commitment,

and they can't do it,
so I'm not sure what to do.

They need our brains
to come together

and figure something out.

The last thing I want to see

is these horses
are going to slaughter.

They've been there for us
and I can see it

on a therapeutic level
more than ever.

I feel like it's the least
we can do for them.

Christine,
that's what I want to do too.

I wanna do this
at my ranch in Colorado.

When will Grandpa be here?

Yeah, Mom.
How long do we have to wait?

Pretty soon, guys.

Okay.

Home sweet home.

Hey, Grandpa.

Hey, Grandpa.
We missed you.

- Hey, hun, how you doing?
- Good to see you.

Hey, Frank,
you need help with anything?

No, I'll be okay.
See you later.

All right, you take care.

I'll see you.
I'll give you a call.

How'd the fundraiser go?

Oh, boy.

It was horrible.

I don't know what he's gonna do.

What can we do to help him?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Grandpa, I'll take care
of Frank's horses.

Me too!

Hi.

Can I get you
something to eat, honey?

You must be so tired.

Or maybe you want
to clean up first?

The fundraiser
didn't go so well.

Why? What happened?
It went so well last year.

I'm not sure, just not that
many people showed.

We'll make it work.
You always make it work, hun.

Why don't you clean up
and relax a little bit?

It'll be okay.

Hey Ben, come over here.

We're going to break
the ice in this area

where the horses come down.

So, they don't have to be
in the middle here,

and, uh,
it'll be safer for them.

- So...
- Yeah.

Paul, seriously.
What happened in Pennsylvania?

As you know,

the fundraiser
didn't go well, you know,

and, uh...

everybody's, uh,
kinda holding back.

Nobody has any extra money
with the times are.

Are they gonna be
homeless when he passes?

I don't see a solution yet.

The more I read
about these "kill buyers",

the more worried
I get about Frank's horses.

Yeah. Have you seen
Frank's hay piles?

Yeah, it's very low.

Yeah.

He doesn't get a break.

It's been going on
his whole life.

I missed you, Grandpa!

I missed you too, buddy.

- Hi, hun.
- Hi, guys.

Dad, how was your trip?

How was your trip, Dad?

I'll get your money somehow.
I need to pay Paul first.

You've always figured it out.

I know you'll get me my money.

What is that?

That's my journal.

Everything I know
about the horses in here

and you care these
horses in the future.

It's about time
he let somebody else help.

I'll take care
of the horses for you, Grandpa.

Just in time.

Honey.

After all these years...

you think we made
the right choice

in getting a larger VA check

and not doing
your full cancer treatments?

We needed all the money
we could get

to help save these horses.

And who will save
the horses now?