Dusty W. Horner

Dusty W Horner, 51, of Virgil NY, passed away at home surrounded by family on August 23, 2026. 

He was born to Lois Case Horner and Glenn Horner on February 20, 1975. Dusty lived locally all his life, attending and graduating from McGraw Central School in 1993. He grew up riding horses at home and through 4H, started working around agriculture young, talked of enjoying hunting at an early age with family, and loved being in the outdoors. His love for horses and natural horsemanship continued to grow and would be at his core all the rest of his life. Dusty pursued his love of everything horse after high school at Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School, becoming a highly regarded and cherished Farrier. Dusty shoed and trimmed horses for 30 years. In addition, he worked nearly 20 years at Suit Kote supervising the specialty mill or the “mill on the hill”. 

Dusty’s passion for horses was indescribable. He enjoyed watching videos and looking at blood lines and would remember every single one even if only seeing them for a moment. He loved to come home from work and ride around the property, sometimes riding several a night; always saying it was the best part of his day. Aside from jaunts around the field and trail riding adventures across the state, Dusty loved to chase cows; sorting and penning. He beamed and laughed at the feel of the horses cutting under him and just couldn’t get enough of it. Many times, he said he was either born in the wrong era or should have been born in the West. He attended small shows, shows at fairs and local rodeos, and bigger events at RSTPA and RSNC. He would always be so excited getting ready to leave for a show, loading up his “girls” (Stormm and Manti), and Turbo. He was so very happy when going to a sorting event. It carried through when you saw him there; the smile on his face, the glint in his eye, the chuckle about “the cows” being good or bad, the frenzy of getting all his rides in before the books closed because he wanted to and would ride with everyone. He had so many fond memories of wins, of “almosts” and on the bubble moments, and just being there with the people and watching the horses do their thing. At one of his last sortings he was able to ride, both his children and granddaughter came to watch him ride. He was so happy and proud they came to watch and share with him what he enjoyed most and was overjoyed to see his granddaughter take right to riding his horses that day. He was a proud dad who loved his children very much and looked forward to his new role as a grandpa. He hoped to pass on his passion and knowledge of horses and have them tagging along at future shows. 

When he wasn’t riding or doing something with a horse, he enjoyed deer hunting, major league baseball, country music, reruns of Gunsmoke and John Wayne movies, and watching The Cowboy Channel and Rodeo. His first time to Vegas for NFR was a dream come true. He was so excited; like the kid in the proverbial candy store. That was the first of many trips for Dusty and Brenda. They were constant companions for 13 years, working on growing Dusty’s dream horse farm and enjoying life together. Though time was cut short and all the bucket list wasn’t completed, they traveled and shared many adventures. They enjoyed trying new restaurants when traveling to horse shows, going for ice cream, walking their dogs, an occasional and very competitive best 2 out of 3 games of pool, managing the farm together and of course riding together. If you were at a show, you probably laughed at their sorting banter when partnered up. It may have sounded fierce, but it never was, they both just enjoyed each other and pushed each other to be better and do better, always. 

Dusty is survived by his wife Brenda; daughter Chelsea (Lucas) Heintz; son Cody Horner; Grandchildren Presley and Oliver Heintz; sister Kathy (Scott) Mauzy, niece Shelly Mauzy and grandnephews Jace and James; as well as his Aunt Shirley and many cousins. He also leaves behind his cherished mares Stormm and Manti, and gelding Turbo. Special thanks to all of you who checked in on Dusty throughout his long illness, you will never know how much he appreciated it. Also, thank you to his crew, the “boys on the hill”, and close coworkers at Suit Kote. Your support allowed him to keep working and feeling his life still had purpose, which was very important to him and helped him stay motivated. 

He was predeceased by his parents and infant daughter, Chalea. 

Dusty was a kind, humble, happy, and lighthearted all-around great man and horseman who will be so missed by so many people. He fought so hard to stay in this life with over 30 trips for treatment to NYC, 24 rounds of chemotherapy, 3 surgical procedures, radiation treatments, countless doctor and clinic visits, blood draws and imaging scans. May he rest in peace now, looking down over us and chasing cows. 

Family and friends are welcome on Tuesday September 1, 2026, from 5PM to 7PM at Perkins Funeral Home, 55 West Main St, Dryden NY. A private funeral for family will be at Virgil Rural Cemetery on Wednesday September 2, 2026, at 10AM. Dusty loved his Barn Cats, several of which came from CNY SNAP. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to CNY SNAP at cnysnap.org/donate or your local animal shelter.