Horse killed even though he had fled?

[JackJT]

So I had a nice Thoroughbred he was brindle and level 3 or 4 on bonding and I’m extremely heated because he is dead after I had told him to flee. He fled and got out of there I stole the wagon for the doctor and died the first time. The second time I didn’t see my horse so I didn’t worry about it and left and when I got back to the doctor it said my horse was dead. I’m heated I paid a lot of money for him and I really liked him and I don’t know why he is dead after I took precautions and had him flee. Sometimes I think they took this horse perma-death too far. 

[Truth]

12 hours ago, JackJT said:

he is dead after I had told him to flee

I made the assumption that the "flee" option was a way to abandon the horse...

Could that be the case?