The five horses we meet in life
Dec 24 2009
I didn’t write this – just my “answers.” It was forwarded to me in an e-mail – if you know who wrote it, please let me know and I’ll credit them!
ETA: “The Five Horses We Meet on Earth is from a book (Horses in the Yard) by Joanne Friedman. There’s an excerpt from it here, in our latest newsletter. http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs009/1101533203510/archive/1102892619475.html
It’s a great book – I’m glad to see it get the exposure.”
Read it and tell me – do you have five horses that fit this list? Who were they? Do you own one now? More than one?
The Five Horses We Meet in Life
1. The Intro Horse.
We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…
FHOTD: Mine was Lancelot, a shetland pony belonging to a friend of my mom’s. Ironically, I seem to recall that he was a stallion so it’s entirely likely my first horsey experience was on a BYB pony farm. 
 Anyway, Lancelot was a flaxen chestnut with a gorgeous long mane and flowing tail. We would go out to their farm when I was about three years old and they’d put me up there and I’d hang on to the saddle horn and giggle. I have old super 8 videos of this that I’m gonna digitize someday so that you can all giggle!
2. The Experimental Horse
Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!” and “Wow! Can I try that?” you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
FHOTD: This would be the third big horse I ever rode. He was an ex-polo pony named China Boy and he quickly became my favorite school horse. I absolutely loved this horse. I wish I could go back and read his tattoo and find out who he really was, but he started my lifelong love affair with Thoroughbreds. After I outgrew him in terms of ability, I got hooked on a huge buckskin gelding named Chance, shown at left…ha ha imagine that. I didn’t own my own huge buckskin for 30 more years! (And yes, I was riding at a crappy barn and they really did have a martingale on with no neck strap. I was 12 and didn’t know that was wrong yet!
3. The Connected Horse
The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
FHOTD: This would be Harmony, the mare I still own today at the age of 29. Harmony was well down the road to flunking out of life as a polo pony. She had been bred for polo, out of a top Argentine mare by a domestic Thoroughbred stallion, and trained by Donny Healy, a professional player, but she was a rebel. When I met her, she was five years old and had just broken his groom’s collarbone, so he was not thrilled. She became ours for $1000 and she was that horse I had the automatic bond with. She would do evil, evil things to other people but I could and did ride her everywhere with a halter or a hackamore, bareback. I played arena polo on her, I jumped her, I ran barrels and poles with her. I just had so much fun with that horse! As she got older, she consented to use as a lesson horse (for the good kids with good hands) but ultimately she was always mommy’s girl. Today she lives in luxury on the nicest retirement farm I could find for her. She’s sound, healthy and clean legged. I hope she lives twenty more years.
4. The Challenger
Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
FHOTD: Oooh, good question. I’ve met so many at this point. There have been the ones I started out wary of that I ended up having no issue with, like Lacy who used to attack me in her stall before I owned her, and who would leap like a kangaroo if you attempted to slow her down with the reins. And then there are the ones where I decided the risk was too great and I didn’t care if I won this one – I just flat out didn’t want to do it and I left them to other people and decided I did not care if those other people gloated about being better riders than I am. I think it’s good to be challenged – but I also think she who sometimes says, uh-uh, no way, spends a lot less time in the hospital!
5. Your Deepest Heart
There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
FHOTD: This is easy…for me, this is definitely the VLC. I trust that horse absolutely. He’s just got a wonderful mind and personality. You know you have found a good one when your trainer, recovering from a bad injury, says she is starting back riding yours first because he is the safest one in the barn…and yours is a 4 year old stallion!  The VLC can be challenging in that he’s intrinsically lazy and does not want to work too hard 
 but I know he’s not going to explode 3 feet in the air, and my over-40 creaky, often painful body greatly appreciates that. When I say I would not sell this horse for a million dollars, I’m truly not kidding, and I hope everybody reading this is blessed enough to own, now or someday, a horse you feel that way about.
Happy Holidays to you all – whatever you celebrate, and if you don’t celebrate anything at all, hey, crack open a beer or a bottle of wine and enjoy the downtime! And if you have some last minute gift buying to do, remember those links on the right hand side for Lynn’s awesome book Beyond the Homestretch or a subscription to Horse Illustrated, where you can read my new column in 2010!
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My Intro Horse – Will, a mid-teens Arabian gelding. Just the most patient, wonderful horse. He would step on your toes if he thought you weren’t paying attention while grooming him. He had been a school horse, then my parents bought him for me. My poor old man, I miss him.
The Experimental Horse – Murray, a 7 year old Arab gelding. Green rider + green horse… we bolted, a lot. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. The poor guy. If I got on him now, we would have had no problems. I did learn how to fall though…
The Connected Horse – My first hunter, an early-teens OTTB named Harry. I was in love, and still am. He means more to me than anything in the world. He taught me the ropes, showed me how to ride, caught my tears of frustration in his mane and opened up to me in ways I still don’t fully understand. Also, he would grab my zipper on my jacket and unzip it as if to say “Let’s get going!” and would play Pick-a-Hand for treats. And he wouldn’t always go for the hand that he last saw the treat in, either.
The Challenger – My current project, a 6-going-on-7 OTTB named Digger. He has the face of an angel and the heart of a joker. We have our differences of opinion but he is such a good boy… we struggle but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, he broke my nose so that I got a free nose job. Bonus! I think?
The Deepest Heart – I haven’t found yet. I hope that Digger will one day be there. Otherwise, there are other horses in other lifetimes.
The Intro Horse–that is way too far back in the misty distant past and it likely was not just one horse. I was reading horse books as soon as I could read and constantly annoying my parents for pony rides when ever I saw one. The first horse I knew on any sort of continued basis was Rusty, a chestnut pinto, whom I rode while getting my Girl Scout horse badge. A small group of us took lessons at a local stable. I cried when the lessons were over as I would not be seeing Rusty ever again.
The Experimental Horse–that would be my first horse Buck, a buckskin of unknown ancestry. I got him the summer between 7th & 8th grade and had him until he died my Freshman year of college. I embarrassed myself in one little local show & decided showing was not my thing so we rode the trails.
The Connected Horse–absolutely that would be my first Morgan, Ember Bay Lady, whom I got when she was 10 years & never had been ridden. She had been shown in-hand as a foal & yearling & then had 2 foals & just was standing around at her breeder’s. She was 3/4 Lippitt, and Nekomia Lippitt at that, and had all the opinionated-ness a person could ever want (smile). She was fearless on the trail, would not cross water but managed to levitate above it, was sure-footed as all get-out, and just fun. She was failing and had to be put down just one week shy of her 30th birthday, back in the year 2000.
Challenger–SSM C Benjamin Ash, whom we bred. Out of two mild-mannered, pleasant, willing parents, Ben was strong-willed, athletic, bossy and just difficult. I rode him a few times but he was too much horse for me to be comfortable. My husband rode him with elan. His person showed up one day, not really looking to get a horse, but Jim was who Ben had been waiting for. Jim was tougher then Ben and when Ben got deathly sick while at Jim’s boarding stable, Jim moved into the stall with him and when it was done, Ben was sweet to Jim. They ended up moving to Vermont & are still together.
Deepest Heart–SSM Autumn Wind (the paly in my avatar) and SSM Spirit Seeker. Both foaled in 1996. Both are complex horses, especially Autumn who so often is a mirror of my issues. Spirit Seeker is the only horse who ever told me his name before he was born and in whose eyes one can see the cosmos. These two are my Heart Horses. I could not happily live without them.
1) Intro; Romper. A chestnut/sorrel shetland pony with a big flaxen mane and tail. Cute as a bug’s ear with the heart of a true shetland. He ran me over and kicked me on the chin. As a 5 year old I took off on him one day and rode him to the lake and back (5 miles). He took care of me that day. I guess he wasn’t all bad.
2) Experimental; Bourbon. A beautiful palomino pony that could run like the wind. His nickname: “Runaway Bourbon”. On our first ride he ran me under the clothes line. It was all downhill from there. He taught me the concept of “Cowgirl Up”. He was a great gaming pony (on the days he didn’t run off with me in every event). He put up with a lot of bad horsemanship from me.
3) Connected; Stoney. Varnish roan appaloosa. He was by a double bred Three Bars stallion (back when Three Bars was up close in the pedigree) and out of a grade app mare. Honest as the day was long. He’d do anything for me. I once got him high-centered on a log we were jumping. Poor horse. He was very fast and at one game show he got first in every event. I still occasionally have dreams about him and he’s been gone for nearly 30 years.
4) Challenger; Kite. Gorgeous chestnut QH gelding with a race pedigree. I bought him when he was 9 months old. I showered him with love and attention but he was always aloof and wouldn’t really bond with me. I started him as a 2 year old and he bucked me off and broke 3 transverse carpal bones in my back. I rode him for 2 years and he bucked me off 4 times. He would blow and buck like an NFR champion. The last time he nearly kicked me in the head twice and I decided it was time to part company. I was happy to see him go.
5) Deepest; Moxie and Bugs. This spot is shared in my heart by two horses. Moxie was a beautiful buckskin QH mare that I raised. She is/was the first foal I ever raised. She was awesome in so many ways. Sadly, she was kicked as a 3 year old and would never be sound again so I made the very difficult decision to have her euthanized. I miss her. I took Bugs on a trade as a yearling. The homeliest brown duckling you’ve ever seen but a real nicely bred racing QH gelding. The poor guy barely knew how to lead and had not been handled. From day one he had a heart of gold and would do anything you asked. The day I brought him home he allowed the breeder to catch him, trim his feet, clip his chin and bridle path and then he calmly loaded into a 2-horse straight load trailer and I never heard another peep from him on the 3 hour drive home. He has been a dream come true from that day forward. It was never my intention to keep him long-term but he still graces my pasture. He will be 5 this spring; big, tall, strong and oh-so handsome (? eeek) at 15.3. He has a kind eye and the Jet of Honor schnoz. When we trot or lope it’s like we’re floating. Did I mention he has the heart of a saint? I plan to keep him forever. (Even though he’s a poke-meister on the trails).
Merry Christmas
Intro Horse…well, this will have to be a mule. I was a crossing guard in grade school. My post, was at the corner of a pasture inhabited by several mules. One in particular would put his foot through the fence and stand there soulfully, until I went and got his owner and told her he was in trouble..she would free his foot and he would prance off. We finally figured out it was an attention ploy, and that if you ignored him, he would deftly remove his foot and off he would pout. She let me help around her place..and once or twice a month, she would let me ride him around the pasture. Nice old man, with no name..he was just “mule”.
Experimental Horse..that would be Chief! The first horse my husband and I purchased. Heart of gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And would let the kids do anything with him, or myself or hubby…but not the vet and not the farrier…they suffered! And, my lack of horsie knowledge didn’t help as I would feed him treats and grain as he danced around for the farrier or vet. We kept him until he died at the age of 36, had him for about 15 years and he did get better as we learned to deal with him. But, the poor guy, all four of us learned to ride on his back. We really, really were lucky having him in our lives, and really did luck out with his purchase. I read books, and studied and asked questions, but nothing really prepares you completely for that first horse.
Connected Horse. That would have to be Jewel, my now 20 year old QH mare. I trust her with my life. I understand every move she makes, every flick of her ear, every disgusted look she gives me from the corner of her eye..when I plop another green rider on her back. I showed her in breed shows, little dink shows, and now we are learning combined driving. Oh PLEASE let her live forever!
The Challenger. I would have to think that right now for me it would be Alyeska. She is Jewels daughter (as well as my dear departed stallion, Jim) and now 4 years old. Nice, quiet, very pretty, but just not alot of work ethic. Probably fostered by the fact that I have certainly not worked her enough this past year because of my not feeling well. But, she sure makes me work for each step as she is not forward at all, being rather lazy. I hope to someday have the Connected Horse feeling with her.
The deepest Heart. For a different reason than most I am sure. But when you say heart, it just leads me to Harry. I struggled alot with dealing with his care and the challenges to keeping him happy and healthy. But, he enjoyed life so very much, that he deserved a chance to live it as long as he could. So, I would have done anything for him, and many times I did. Did I ever get to run across fields with him …No. He was mostly ornamental, and caused me to cry each time I saw a beautiful draft horse in harness prance into the arena. But he taught me more than any horse ever could again. And I will be forever greatful to that big loveable boy. I miss you Harry.
Intro Horse: 16.0 HH morgan mare. Ginger colored. She was a total sweetheart been there done that in the saddleseat arena, and I was about as tall as her leg. I learned to walk/trot on her. (2) Streaker. Oldest TB I have ever met, bay, probably ugly as all get out, but he taught me to canter (at a new barn)
Experiemental: 12.3 HH Black welsh pony, 1 back sock. He was the essence of bratty ponies- me, being 6 loved his little guts and eventually learned to whip him around a 2 course. He was a total turd- escapee from his stall, reared at clippers, drug me around a show ring, because he wanted to eat the flower boxes, not jump them.
Connected: Probably my horse right now. Hated her guts when my trainer first told me I could ride her whenever I wanted to, and eventually she won me over, when she finally slowed down to a canter that I could control.. (she was a crazy mare when I started riding her). Now, I’m a hopeless pushover (although I do enforce strict rules) and she knows that everytime I come out, we will a) gallop around the ring at top speed, and b) she will get at least one treat, or an extra bite of hay.
Challenger: Between two different ponies: First one, little 11.3ish white welsh pony at my barn. You lunged him for 30 minutes, then got on with a crop. He barely trotted along the rail before I started. ( I was maybe
A few months of long, rides, he would finally jump a pole. The last time I rode him, he even jumped a whole crossrail on the bottom hole. (maybe 6 inches max in the middle)
My Intro Horse- When I was 11, I started volunteering for a horse broker and didn’t really fit in with the rest of the girls who worked there. I would wander around, talking to horses while the girls laughed in the barn. There was an old lesson QH gelding named Don who was always excited to see me and I spent hours talking to him and hugging him. Later, I would take my first lessons on him and he helped me to learn the basics and continued to be my friend until he died at 30 years of age.
My Experimental- When I was 13, I fell in love with a 2-year-old Paint gelding that we named Fred. Fred was bought out of the killer pen and he was the cutest little sorrel tovero gelding with two blue eyes. He was the most laid back horse I’ve ever encountered (thank God) and he put up with me when I decided to make him a 4H snaffle bit project. He put up with me learning about soft hands and when I decided that we needed to swim in the river. I sold him to a couple for their grandkids when I was ready to move on to something more challenging.
The Connected Horse- I met Slick Willy when he was 2 and it was love at first sight. He was the most crazy colored bay overo and he was so smart. Slick is the one who taught me that you have to stop and listen to what your horse is really telling you if you want to succeed in the show arena. We didn’t win very much but he taught me so much about horsemanship and sportsmanship. I had to sell him in order to pay for college tuition and I’ve been looking for him ever since. The lesson barn that I sold him to in Kansas City has since closed and the new owner has never transferred his papers into their name. I will forever miss Slick.
The Challenger- That would be my current horse, Zeke. Zeke is a coming 4-year-old Paint gelding and he’s a total spaz. I swear- if horses could be ADHD, he would be the poster child. He was supposed to be my laid back trail horse but that’s going to take awhile…. LOL. On top of that, Zeke is an extremely hard keeper (you would think that he was TB) and it’s been a struggle figuring out what grains (currently a mixture of Senior, Strategy, and a handful of beet pulp) and what weight gainer supplements will work best. The vet’s thrown his hands up…but I love him and he’ll be my spaz forever because he would definitely end up on the truck since he’s such a hard keeper.
Deepest Heart- I think that this would actually be my fiancee’s horse, Indy. Indy is a 3-year-old Belgian gelding that we also bought out of the killer pen. He had been used by the Amish and when we bought him, he was 200 pounds underweight and had strangles. Since then, he’s gained 300 pounds (I know, he’s fat!) and is absolutely perfect for my brand-new-to-horses fiancee. He truly reminds me of a big dog. He is the most laid back horse under saddle. Now, under harness that’s a different story for a later date….
(now we know why the Amish sold him).
2nd Challenger Pony: 12.1 Bay brat. Hardly been ridden. Couldn’t trot without freaking out, and he was afraid of his own shadow. He had been broken when he was younger, susposedly and not ridden since. I eventually had him jumping a few jumps in a row, complete with a mini lead change one time. He was half hackney, so he had a high step, but it was so smooth. And he could trot faster than I could ever imagine, and he spooked, bolted and jumped a 2’9″ jump before I could stop him. Crazy little bugger who was sold to a Mom with alot of time to work with him.
Deepest heart: My horse now. We do everything, from jumping to mini barrel races at the barn I board at. I brought her 250 miles to my home now, as a gift from my trainer, and I am going to die when I outgrow her. She is my first horse, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything
The Intro Horse - This would be a horse whose name I don’t remember. I was two and my parents took me and my brother for pony rides at 50 cents a piece. My brother got on the pony and cried. I got on the pony and cried every time my dad tried to lift me off. $20 dollars in 50 cent pony rides later, I fell asleep and was whisked off to the car.
The Experimental Horse - All of the horses at my Mounted Girl Scout Troop when I was 13. Bonnie, Honey, Hat, Tucker, Mr. Tibbs, Gemini, Charger, Duelle, Regan, Mink, Kramer, Windy, Bella, Drezden… All of them donated and with their own special quirks. Luckily, we had a good trainer who kept all of us, horses and 15 teenage girls in line.
The Connected Horse - Most of the horses above. Especially Hat, Windy, Duelle, Bella, much later Drezden.
The Challenger – Drezden, Drezden, DREZDEN! She’s mine now, and everything has been a challenge with her. Although she had come from a fancy barn, she just wasn’t broke. Too many people who were scared of her dealt with her and always kinda nervous, this made her downright neurotic. When I started riding her, it took three people, a stud chain, a crop, a pair of crossties and a clothes hanger to get her saddled. (The clothes hanger was for reaching under to get the girth. She’d kick forward at me. I wasn’t about to stick my head under there.) When I was on her we’d be trying to jump and she’d drop her hind end and slide like a reiner. Or she’d just stop normally. Ugh! I had a big patch of rug burn (mane burn?) on my chin from sliding down her mane so many times. Luckily, she has a huge neck and I didn’t go flying over it. I got teased about my goatee for weeks though. In the stall she’d slam me into walls, threaten to bite, terrorize the horse next to her, terrorize horses in the aisle. Leading was always interesting. She once dragged me a quarter mile in the mud with a stud chain on. I hadn’t fallen over, but I looked like I was water skiing, hanging on the leadrope and digging in my heels. (I wonder why they sold me this horse?
)
The Deepest Heart – Drezden. We worked through so many things together. She stands nicely to be saddled, is trustworthy over jumps, and when no one’s looking will lay her head on my shoulder. She’s still not terribly affectionate or a cuddly horse, but that’s just her. I can count on one hand the number of times she’s nickered to me, but that makes each one all the more special. Last summer, she got sick. The barn owner called me, I rushed to the barn and went to her stall. She immediately thrust her head into my stomach. She had been trying to bite the barn owner. It turns out she ate something, we’re not sure what, that didn’t agree with her. I’m thinking poke weed. She’s much better now. I can ride her bareback in an open field. I trust her enough to jump her cross country, which I’m chicken shit about. She carried me to my first fancy ribbons and my first rated shows. She knows I’m nervous at shows so she kind of holds my hand, if that makes sense? She’s just extra good for me then. I can put beginners on her, and she knows their beginners. She ignores what they tell her to do and hangs out at my shoulder, walking when I walk, stopping when I stop.
Intro Horse: The first horse I remember riding was Harry. He was a lesson horse, and my legs were so short that they did not reach below the skirts on the English saddle. I could squeeze and kick and thump all day long, and Harry just plodded steadily forward. I was in heaven.
Experimental Horse: Chip of Gold, another lesson horse. I was 10 years old, had been riding for 2 years, (once weekly at the public lesson stable!) and I was in love. I always asked to ride Chips, and on him I learned to jump. I knew Chips was a lesson horse, but I was CERTAIN he and I had a special bond and that he treasured me above all the other lowly lesson girls. Yeah, right.
Connected Horse: Irish Mist (Dublin). The first horse I ever owned, an OTTB Thoroughbred with all the baggage. I loved this horse with all my heart and he loved me — when I arrived at the boarding stable, his deep throaty nicker would rumble down the aisleway as he welcomed me. Dublin shaped my life in so many ways. He introduced me to the man who would become my husband (his farrier). And when Dublin needed to be retired, he was the reason we moved from the suburbs and bought our farm (which is called For Dublin Farm). He is buried there, and I know he still visits me.
Challenge Horse: Dublin! He was lame more often than he was sound. He was a delicate Thoroughbred. Most of my paltry new-grad salary went to farrier bills (his record for losing a shoe was 30 minutes — did I mention I ended up marrying the farrier!), heavy-duty winter blankets, and extra feed (fortunately, I am a veterinarian, so that part was less expensive). When he was sound, he frequently acted like he was back on the track, bolting down the trail in an uncontrolled gallop; or spinning 180 degrees without warning, dumping me on my butt. I was young and fearless and loved every minute of it: until one day he reared and flipped backward on top of me, shattering my pelvis. After that, our rides calmed down a bit.
The Deepest Heart: Ronnie Sky, my 13-year-old Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse. I don’t know if I would call him my soulmate, but he is definitely the horse I need at this point in my life. He is also the ugliest and stupidest horse I have ever known. But he has a heart of gold without a mean thought in his body (truthfully, I don’t know if Ronnie has too many thoughts at all…) and he has a ton of “try.” He is teaching me to slow down, take it easy, take each ride with no expectations. Unlike Dublin, I do not try to correct Ronnie’s every misstep with a new gadget or training step. I just enjoy the horse I am on.
Intro horse: A pair of sad old quarter horses that were used for lessons at the local Saddlebred barn. Mickey was a dark brown; Cody was a copper chestnut. Those two mares seemed to be the most beautiful horses in the world when I was six. Even though they were surrounded by all of the fancy Saddlebred show horses!
Experimental horse: Mike….My Arabian cryptorchid who, as a two-year-old, was my first horse. I was 15. I pretty much just climbed up on him and got bucked off everyday for about three months until he gave up and let me ride him:) From there on I trained him myself for country english, hunter pleasure, dressage, jumping… you name it. I wish that I could have him again as a two-year old with the knowledge that I have now.
Connected Horse: Probably Blaze, an arab-Saddlbred cross, the first horse that I trained professionally from breaking to winning A-rated.
The Challenger: There have been MANY. The one that made the biggest difference in me as a trainer was Whiskey, and Arab-pinto cross. He was the first really tough horse that legitimately tried to kill me everyday. We got through it, though and he won plenty at A-rated shows for me. I dreaded getting on that horse everyday for several months, but after he got through his issues, he ended up being one of my favorite show horses and a great amature horse.
The Deepest Heart: This is a tough one. I get way too attached to my training horses, especially the ones that I start:) Starbucks, an Arab-Saddlebred cross that was a bit naughty…. Gingerlee, an Arab-saddlbred cross that was beyond dangerous for some time, but ended being an amazing riding horse (sadly, both were lost suddenly at young ages)…. Flashin, an Arab-saddlebred cross who looked just like Barbie’s horse, Midnight, and did some big winning for me and for her junior owner.
Will have to reflect on this. My first response is my mare was all except the Intro, but that’s not correct. Ah, the memories. A Very Big Wish that Everyone has Happy Holidays.
Been reading and loving this blog for several months, and I still can’t figure out what VLC stands for. Someone enlighten me please!
The VLC stands for the Very Large Colt, so named because when I was debating whether to start him myself or send him out, all I could think of was OMG he’s huge. At the time he was 3 years old and 16.2. Now he’s 4 and 16.2 at both ends
so he’s not a colt anymore but that is pretty much how everybody who reads my blogs knows him.
I did start him myself and it all worked out well – I rode him lightly for a year and then he went to my trainer’s where he lives today, to be finished for the show ring. You will be hearing about his further adventures this year if you read my Horse Illustrated column!
I do still look down though, and go holy crap, that’s a looooong way down, so glad you’re quiet!
oh! Thanks! It all makes sense now. So I guess my 16.3 h 4 year-old is a VLG. It’s also a long way up, even with a mounting block.
I do get Horse Illustrated and was so pleased to see your first article. Congrats, and I look forward to reading many more.
True story: The last time I rode mine, someone else was at the mounting block and I didn’t want to wait so I got on from the ground. I pulled my groin muscle and literally hobbled around like an 80 year old woman for at least three weeks! I would stiffen up so much from driving that I’d get out of the car lame enough to shoot, LOL.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented, but here goes.
1. That would have to be any horse since the dawn of time that I’ve ever laid eyes on. I come from a non-horsey family, so we aren’t sure where it came from, but I was obsessed with horses since I was born.
2. Cherokee– he was my first horse, I’m still not sure if mom was trying to scare horses out of me or kill me off, but she did not succeed. Cherokee was a severly abused and neglected 3 yr old proud-cut appy gelding. He had never been touched except to be beat, and was so skinny the vet thought he should be dead. Well, it took me 3 years, but by the time I was 13 I had him broke (ok, he wouldn’t buck ME off, but other than that, he was still a crazy bastard!!) Mom sold him later that year and I’ve been searching for him ever since, though I’m sure he became some french supper.
3. Cherokee and I were definately connected, Sammy Jo would fit that catagory too. Sammy Jo was an older skinny qh mare. When I first got her I didn’t know how to ride correctly, I only knew how to ride Cherokee. Sammy put up with my horrible hands and seat and total lack of knowledge to a point. After she decided that I was getting better and wasn’t going to get hurt or something, she then decided that if I mis-cued her or did something else to piss her off, she’d dump me. I could put the 90 year old neighbor on her, or my friends who had never seen a horse and she was a doll, but if I got on and tried to cue for the wrong lead or got in her face, off I went…. She was a doll and we did everthing together. She taught me more than anyother horse ever. I saw her a few years after we sold her and she neighed at me from across the parking lot. We were buddies!
4. The challenge….. I have 2 that really stick out in my mind…. Diamond and Bella…. Diamond was a BEAUTIFUL black grade mare. I bought her and they said she’s a little hard to catch….. That was the understatement of the century!!!!!! It took almost 1 1/2 hrs to catch her in a round pen. But when you caught her, you were sorry. She would strike or kick or bite with no warning at all. She was a dream to ride, but the whole time you were on her you knew that if you hit the ground she’d come after you just for spite. I don’t know what made her this way, but I can imagine. She is living with a band of broodmares on a few hundred acres now. She is not bred, she just gets to live there. And Bella, oh, she is my dream horse!!!!! Double bred DocOLena/Peppy San Badger, $80K + in the first two generations in cutting earnings. She was smart! It only took telling her once and she remembered. She was scary athletic. You could feel the power and it would scare a lot of people. But she needed a job and with 5 little girls, I don’t have time to work her like she needs and deserves. I couldn’t see ruining her potential and keeping her around because she was pretty. So she went to a great girl for a barrel horse. She is doing great so far, hasn’t started the pattern at speed yet, but is very quick and she just loves her. Bella has a what I believe a forever home.
5. I haven’t met that horse yet, but I will. At this point in my life, I am just happy to help the girls get ready for fair and local shows. I am content to plod around on one of thier horses and occasionally play with some cows. I am young yet, so by the time the girls are gone I will have plenty of time to find my forever horse.
I spent most of my childhood horseless, so my into horses were The Black and Black Beauty. I can probably still recite Black Beauty, and I still re-read the Black Stallion series even now.
My experimental horses were at the trail riding stable I worked at for a winter and summer as a teen. There was Lace, a TWH mare, and Eagle, a cute chestnut pony with high white socks, a big wide blaze, and a flaxen mane and tail. They were used to people who didn’t know how to ride. I tried and thought I was pretty good, I suppose it could have been worse for them! I had my first canter on Lace, and Eagle’s constant spooking and crow-hopping on the trail helped me develop a secure seat.
My connected horse is my current horse, a 20 year old Arab gelding, Mr Nibs. I could gush all day about him. I hope I have him at least another 10 years. He’s just the best horse I could have possibly found, and he was the second horse I really considered, the first one I looked at, and he was free. He was perfect for bringing me back to riding after being out of it for 6 years after having my daughter.
My challenger had to be Sara. She was my first horse, I got her when I was 18 and she was a weanling. She proved the “green on green makes black and blue” saying, as well. She regularly kicked me, slammed me into walls, etc, and managed to buck me off pretty badly once as well. I kept her for 4 years, long after anyone else would have shipped her butt to the auction. But she was a nice horse. We just didn’t get along with each other. She taught me a lot though. She was never easy for me to handle, and I learned a LOT. I sold her to a friend of the people who bred her (with full disclosure about how she acted with me). She liked men and seemed to get along with him pretty well, so hopefully it all worked out between them.
My deepest heart is my Nibs. I just love that horse more than I can say.
None of these horses were mine.
1. My intro horse was Redman, a chestnut TB I learned to ride on. After him, Brownie and Golden Image, horses at the same barn. Image is the one who completed my “ride like a tick” training. No, she was very nice, and carried me through all the crazy stuff I asked her for, like galloping down a steep grade. I learned to post bareback on her.
2. Experimental? Could have been Image. Or it could have been Bangladesh, the little stallion I trained, using good seat & hands, experience riding, and book knowledge. (Podjhasky.) I think he was an anglo-arab. (This is a different barn, a sort of hoarder lady. BYB, too, thanks to Bang, before she gave him to someone who gelded him.) I only taught him w-t-c, and pleasure trail riding. He was smart, playful, loved people, and taught me a lot!
3. Connected horses: Laddie, an Appy at the same barn as above. He was too hot, and spooky, for most of the kids, but we had a real love affair going. He did several things for me that he wouldn’t do for anyone else. And we read each other’s minds, so to speak. He’s the one that taught me about subtle cues. Also Sunny, a palomino at boarding school.
4. Challenge: (Movin’ on, at this point I’m working in a Saddlebred barn.) Hidden Talent, a SB broodmare, who hated everybody. If you stood and looked into her stall, she would gallop around, biting the walls, which were scarred. I am not exaggerating. She had also bitten several people. She never attacked me when I went in her stall to get her, but she made it plain that she didn’t want my attention…
The mare barn was long, with stalls down on each side. The stalls had half doors. When anyone walked in (which meant going by the feed bins), all the horses would look at you. You could tell which was Talent, because she’d pin her ears and duck back into the stall. I decided to befriend her, which consisted of never doing the “watch this crazy mare” thing, kindness, and having a treat in my hand every time I got near her. When I was in the barn but not for her, I always dropped a handful of sweet feed in the grain box on the stall door – without stopping or making eye contact.
I knew the ice was broken the day her head came out of the stall when I walked in, and she pinned her ears and immediately brought them forward again, and did not retreat. Not too long afterwards, I was able to ride her with a lead rope. That astounded my boss – his son had tried it, and got bucked off and bitten for it.
5. The connection! The two that I would give my left breast to own must be dead by now. It’s been 30+ years since I saw either of them. They would be Laddie, and Prim Style, aka Lou. He was one of the stallions at the SB barn, and sheer delight to me. I trusted him with anything. (Which is why I know stallions can hike up one testicle at a time – I never worried about my head being underneath him.) He would always nicker at me first thing in the morning, when I came in. No, I never rode him. But I kind of expect to see them both in Heaven, assuming I make it there. Both of them trusted me more than anyone else that worked with them.
It’s Christmas Eve. May all of you and all the horses experience the joy and peace of the season, all year long.
Ruthie
Ruthie
Merry Christmas to you, Ruthie.
Joanne M. Friedman
(author, Horses in the Yard)
BTW I love this topic, these horses just jumped out at me!
1. An ancient Quarter Horse,lesson horse extraordinaire. This mare did everything from cutting cows, to dressage to packing kids around a jump course who shouldn’t be jumping yet (me!). She was worth her weight in gold, reliable, easy to ride, the definition of packer. She gave me the confidence straight out the gait that I needed to be a good rider. Bless you Sandy!
2. There were a lot of these, mainly because the barn owner didn’t have a lot of other solid lesson horses. They weren’t exactly kid safe, but I learned a lot-like how to ride spooks, bucks and runaways.
3. My first pony of my very own. He was given to me because he failed as a lesson horse consistently bucking kids off. I never came off (thanks #2′s!) and a bond was formed. He was dubbed “The Brat” by my trainer, but he’d do anything for me. He left me too soon as he contracted EIA and was euthanized. I was 13, he was my best friend. My hear still aches for him.
4. Is a tie, my Morgan, impossibly stubborn and spooky, and a horse I leased, a very hot TB who if you didn’t ride every stride, he’d be off like a bullet, displaying every acrobatic in the book. That TB helped develop my seat and my Morgan taught me to listen to the horse and find him a job he loves.
5. Is in my barn now. My OTTB, showing Third level, with potential for more. He has a generosity of heart I’ve never known. He means the world to me and will stay here forever.
Intro horse – His name was Red and he was a chestnut riding stable horse that I took my first lessons on at age 9 or 10. I just remember that he was easy to ride and that I was totally smitten with him.
Experimental horse – the first horse I owned, a buckskin stock type grade horse name Mike. We went from green as grass together to being respectable, even kind of good, at western pleasure. I probably made most of the mistakes a beginner can make with ol’ Mike – but he sure was a good horse. We sold him so I could get…
More than Connected Horse – our registered Morgan gelding, purchased at age 3 by my grandfather for me. Shown in everything under the sun by me and 3 of my sisters. We owned him for his entire life, which sadly ended at age 29. He won, won, won – anybody could ride him and win. He had a fabulous disposition, no quirks, beautiful gaits, and even though he wasn’t the perfect example of Morgan type, he definitely had that look of eagles and loads of presence. Truly the horse of a lifetime and as much a part of the family as an animal can be.
Frustrating Horse – a half Arab palomino gelding my husband bought me as a yearling. Beautiful, won a lot at halter, great disposition, but schizo in the show ring. You never knew whether the good horse or the evil twin would come forth on a given day. Judges would mark him almost immediately – he was that pretty and nice going – and then he would do something totally wacko like try to kick the every lovin’ stuffing out of someone else’s horse as we went around or decide to become a National Champion Park Horse for a day. Zap off the judge’s card!
Disaster horse – a Morgan mare I bought in 1994. Sweet on the ground, something really wrong with her in the head sometimes when ridden or driven. Took a well known Saddlebred trainer’s assistant through a fence and dumped the trainer out of the cart – after 4 uneventful months of training. I think she had ovarian cysts but we had her put down after she foundered. Very sad.
Empty nest horse – my current Arab gelding. Sweet as could be, fun to ride, both of us are green at dressage but we’re having fun doing it. Almost as great as the Morgan gelding above. Keeps me sane, nickers every time he sees me, a welcome escape from the craziness of life. It will be fun to see how he develops. It is also big fun to have something else to talk about than some of the very depressing topics than some of my middle-aged friends like to discuss.
I am so lucky to have had these horses, even the crazy ones, in my life!
Love this trip down horse memory lane fugs!
Intro Horse: Two 30 something yr. old horses, living on my friends-Grandparents farm. When I was on vacation every year, for 3 weeks, my friend and I would ride our bikes down to the “farm”, and groom and love on these old guys-they were too old to ride but we dreamt about climbing on their backs, bareback, and runnning across the fields.
Experimental Horse: Two stubborn Appaloosa’s. After the old guys died on the farm, at the age of 40 something-a week apart from each other-came the app’s. My friend and I finally got to try out our “great” riding skills on these guys. We would take them on rides down miles of dirt roads. We even tried to sneak them onto the beach, which was not allowed. As we were getting yelled at by the authorities one of them proceeded to dump a big pile of maure on the beach-ha.
Connected Horse: Percheron Draft horse named Winnie, (amoung the hundred other nicknames I named her). I met her as a weanling at my 1st. draft horse show I worked at. I fell in love with her. Little did I know I would show her 3 yrs later in Ladies cart, and proceed to travel with her, and several other horses that were part of the 6-horse hitch my husband drove, all around the U.S. The last time I drove her at a show, we were both pregnant, and I new I wouldn’t be working for her owners much longer. I found her years later, on a lay-over at a man’s farm, when we were moving across the country.
The Challenger: Electra a Thorcheron with lineage that went back to Secretariat. This horse was beautiful, but nearly killed me a dozen or more times. I didn’t blame her though as she had been “started” by a moron who tripped her, the 1st time he backed her. She would take off running like her Secretariat grandfather, until she and I were both dripping in sweat. When that didn’t work, she bucked me off over the top of a round-pen, jumped over a cliff when hooked to a cart-etc. We ended on a good note, when she got sold, and I’ll never forget the lessons she taught me about getting back on no matter how scared you are!
The Deepest Heart: Gene my 8 yr. old appendix. He looks like the most atheltic animal around, and was bred to the hilt to be a barrel horse, but alas, he is one of the laziest horses I have known-when he wants to be! Which is why I have him. We do everything from lower level eventing, chase cows, and give lessons to little girls. He challenges me a lot, but has a heart of gold, and I love him, and will have him forever!
1. The Intro Horse.
Mine was a Clydesdale named –what else– Clyde. I was two and we were trail riding in Colorado. My dad was on the horse with me and I actually fell asleep on Clyde. That’s where it all started…
2. The Experimental Horse
Noah, my first lesson pony. He was a sturdy little chestnut with a huge white star on his forehead. He was always a perfect gentleman, even when I was doing everything wrong. XP He still lives at the lesson barn. I haven’t seen him in years, and I’m dying to go visit him.
3. The Connected Horse
Noah again. He had so much more personality than any other horse I’d ridden before. I rode him at pony camp and I remember the tears coming on at the end of the week. I turned away because I didn’t want anyone to know I was crying. He’s still my all-time favorite pony.
4. The Challenger
Victor. My Thoroughbred. It was a disaster when I first brought him home. His temper was volatile, he spooked at everything, and I couldn’t take him ten feet away from the barn without him throwing a tantrum. When we went out on the trail, I was just happy to get back alive. He was the first horse that ever bolted on me, the first one that ever reared on me, the first one I ever fell off of, and the first one that ever scared the shit out of me.
5. Your Deepest Heart
Victor! He’s a different horse. Anyone who knew him before I got him wouldn’t even recognize him. Not only is he in better physical shape than ever, but his attitude has completely changed. He’s doesn’t pout after working anymore, he doesn’t run away from me in the pasture (even if I’m holding a halter and lead!), and we can go out on a trail ride and enjoy ourselves. Vic was also the first horse I ever jumped on, the first one I ever galloped on, and the first one that ever made me so happy and proud that I teared up. It’s the most difficult horses who teach us the most, and Vic is a prime example. I wouldn’t trade him for a million dollars. <333
My first horse…I have no idea. I’ve always loved horses and never loved a particular one. The first one I rode was a gelding by the name of Charlie, a blue roan appaloosa.
The experimental horse has to be Jasper, another appaloosa gelding who bit people and wasn’t fond of males. Never bit me but he tolerated being my teacher while I took my lessons.
I think both my connected horse and the challenger was my old horse Bear. I don’t have any horses after that, though.
By the way, does anyone have any idea what an American Warmblood is? I know someone who’s selling one for $20,000.
Intro horse: One of many ponies at the Woodland Park pony rides. I have pictures of myself age maybe three, grinning from ear to ear aboard a pony being led by one of the young boys at the ride stand. My favorite thing to do at Woodland Park.
Experimental horse: Any of the horses I have owned because each has had its own “new thing:” a broodmare never broke and very opinionated; foals knowing nothing and needing to learn from their two-legged; old enough to be backed for the first time and me doing that honor (;o); schoolmaster type, teaching me more than I would have ever realized until I got … the horse I have now who came from the track and was like a newborn, living an entirely new life and having to learn that life DOES have “whoa,” an important skill to demonstrate ;o)
Connected horse: Any horse I have ever owned.
Challenger horse: Probably my current one, the OTTB that was a puzzle to figure out until I found the tattoo, learned about him from one of the members of the bloodstock agency that brought him to California, and worked with him every day doing baby things in baby steps to show him that there WAS life after the track. Now he travels in the trailer to wherever we are going and has the pulse rate of a horse that just woke from a nap (a vet verified this for me ;o)
Deepest heart: My first horse, Uncle Nestor, an AQHA with a heart of gold; and my current horse, Echo Dancer, who has become the center of my life and has taken me on some wonderful adventures. We’ve progressed from a Training Level dressage horse about whom every judge’s comment was “tense, tense, tense” to a horse that is a real steady Eddy and does what his rider asks so beautifully it is obvious SHE is the one who needs to learn what she’s doing ;o)
Merry Christmas everyone!
1. The Intro Horse.
We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…
1) My “first horse” was a little bay gaited mare named Frisky. She belonged to my then future step-dad. She was very very similar to my current mare, Pixie. Same color, same temperament, same silliness. She was gentle as she could be, but she liked to nip at me. You could almost hear her laughing after she’s take a nip out of someone. She found it very amusing.
2. The Experimental Horse
Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!†and “Wow! Can I try that?†you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
2)There were tons of these in my life. Patsy, the “not so pretty” white mare I used to run full speed down the dirt roads where I grew up, Pitty Pat the shetland, Susie the shetland I barrel raced on until I was so big my feet drug the ground (eventually she was “rescued” from me by a family with much smaller children), probably many more whose names are forgotten…
3. The Connected Horse
The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
3) This would be Baby. Baby was 3 years old and had just lost a foal when my mom got her (too young to be bred!!!!!). While she healed from her ordeal, I spent hours in her turnout with her talking to her and petting her. I was maybe 10 years old. One day I was out there and I led her by her halter to the steps and got on her bareback and just let her walk around with me. My mom would’ve killed me had she known. I had no idea if she was even broke to ride at the time (she was, but just barely). From that point on she was MY horse. Once she was fully healed, Baby carted me all over the place and we stayed gone all day long most of the time. She was not terribly well trained, but she was so gentle, willing, and tolerant that a chimp could have ridden her. She was my best friend. My mom sold her when I was 12 or 13 because we could no longer afford her and we promptly moved to the city afterwards unfortunately ending my horse riding until two years ago (+/- 20 years). If i could find Baby today i would buy her in a heartbeat even if all she could do is stand in the pasture.
4. The Challenger
Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
4) Honey. First horse I bought as a “re-rider”. 8 yr old OTTB who had been started over low fences and then turned out for about a year. HUGE MISTAKE. She was a beautiful mare and would have been fantastic for someone with even just a little confidence, but she intimidated the crap out of me and she knew it. She went to a nice family to use for pony club. She was very gentle and sweet, but she was huge and she got my number immediately.
5. Your Deepest Heart
There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
5) I have had 3 of these. Sunny- the geriatric mare who i recently had to put down. Sunny will always have my heart. She was a cranky old broad- half TWH and half TB. She was bigger than Honey was and grouchy grouchy grouchy, but she was beautiful in her own way. She was so thin when we got her at the auction. i got her fattened up and reasonably healthy. She was sound and I did ride her a few times and she was extremely well trained, smooth, and gentle. I had Sunny nearly a year before I found out she was pregnant. She foaled on July 5th 2009 a beautiful little bay filly. This was the beginning of the end for her. That Baby drained the life out of her and she was unable to recover despite all my efforts. i will always love Sunny and regret that I just couldn’t pull her through.
Babydoll – this is Sunny’s foal- her legacy. Babydoll is almost 6 months old now and she is my little angel. She is so much like her mom. I will always cherish this little gift from Sunny.
Pixie- this was the horse i bought right after Honey. Not the wisest choice either, lol. She was 3 yrs old when I got her and just barely started under saddle. Fast forward 2 years and Pixie has had extensive training and is my little “firecracker mare”. She’s not wild, but she is spirited and has her own opinions. In the arena she can be rather lazy, but on trails she has the endurance and spirit of any Arab! I love this little mare! She is so much fun. She is also a great foster mom to Babydoll even though she has never had a foal in her life. Pixie and Babydoll are my “forever horses”.
Funny story… I got my monthly Horse Illustrated magazine and started reading it that day. I came across the new column and read who it was written by. I immediately thought it was you but was thought it was probably just another Cathy – since I wasn’t sure of the last name. Anyway, I read the article the whole time thinking “this is definitely Cathy from FHOTD.” I got to the end and underneath it said “… writer of the Fugly blog.” or something of that sort. I said outloud ” I KNEW IT!” I just thought it was funny and I really enjoyed it. I just renewed my subscription too. =)
I might come back and answer the 5 horses later, but right now I need to go give my 3 dinner.
Cathy, you have a column in Horse Illustrated?! Do tell! I might just renew my subscription!
I do – and you can renew your subscription at a super low price using the link here on the blog!
It starts with the January issue, which is already out in the stores if you want a preview.
Intro horse…Thunder, a silver dapple shetland. I had worshipped and adored horses before I ever met a real one. Thunder was a typical backyard pony with attitude. I was allowed by his owners to play with him and taught him so much they were able to sell him.
First horse…Missy, a 3 year old, 16.2 hand QH cross bought for me by my non-horse parents when I was 12. Broke by cowboys, she bucked EVERY time I asked her to canter. She only threw me once, and she taught me to ride. No one else but me could stay on her, I am proud to say!
Experimental horse…also Missy. We suffered through a lot of learning together.
Connected horse…Cuca, a Paso Fino we got when she was 5 months old and I was 15. She was my heart. Every horse is compared to her. None do.
Challenger…Desi. He is the son of Cuca and a Pinto Paso stallion I owned. He was a tough stallion, just as tough as a gelding, and when he and I finally saw eye to eye, a top notch trail horse. He isn’t afraid of the devil. I still have him, he is going on 28 next year and suffering from Cushings and Anhydrosis, but still tough as nails.
Deepest heart…Cita. Great granddaughter of Cuca. I love her to death. She is no longer ridable due to founder, which breaks my heart. She was the closest thing I have found to Cuca and I am bonded with her. I have since bought and sold numerous horses trying to get that bond again. This year, I am making my mind up if I can do this any more. I don’t think I can.
The Intro Horse:
A little black pony that lived up the street in our residential area. I got to ride him once, I think I was six or so. I remember sliding to one side, but didn’t come off…. plus my Marx horses I got for Christmas in 1967. They really started the insanity…
The experimental:
Brownie and Sunshine. Fella had a small barn in North Park (Pittsburgh) and I went out there in the summer of my 14th year. Brownie taught me how to canter…
The connected:
My Arabian Geymirad. By the end of his life I could think “turn here” and without touching the reins, he’d turn… rode him bridleless.
The Challenger:
Geym was that, too. I got him as a 2YO and he was pretty crazy. Took a few years, but gradually the Arabian crazies wore off…. man, I miss him.
Plus my current weanling American Shetland filly Classy. She jaw claps when you catch her or approach her, but will turn and fire those hind feet if she feels like it. Time will tell, but sometimes this filly SCARES me!
The heart horse:
That would be my gelding Sunny. He’s sweet but definitely opinionated. Drive him anywhere, he gives hugs, nickers and “bows” every morning when I feed. Stands by me when I just need a friend. Loves noogies and kisses. Can be silly, sometimes doesn’t like to be caught. Not to mention he also got me my first “win picture in the damn arena” and my first Hall of Fame.
My mare Pinkie is a close second. She was born knowing how to drive. She’s a doll, will try anything if she understands what you want her to do.
The Intro Horse: An old appy named Merrylegs who I used to take ‘lessons’ (being led around bareback through the woods) on when I was 3 or 4. She was the kind who would be perfect for hours and then suddenly leap five feet because that refrigerator by the side of the road just wasn’t there when we were ten feet away from it. I used to love joking around about the spots on her butt
the Experimental Horse: another leopard spotted appy named Pongo who was 31 and still jumping like a 4 year old. He was one of the first horses I took ‘real’ lessons on when I was 10. He was near lethargic during lessons but as soon as he was put in a show his ears would pop up and he would strut around like a star.
The connected horse, the challenger and my deepest heart: My first and current horse Dunkin, he’s a 9 year old buckskin(with dun factor so he looks bay) morgan. He’s not always the simplest horse to handle and likes to pull tricks every now and then (like standing in the corner of the arena and refusing to turn or move until I bring out a crop) but I couldn’t be happier with him. We’ve worked through herdboundness almost completely and every day he becomes better behaved. Even with his quirks he’s the type of horse that will let you sit on him backwards and bareback (with a helmet of course
in the paddock, and the type where if you fall off he’ll come trotting back and wait until you get up to make sure you’re ok.
Merry Christmas
just randomly – i read the column in horse illustrated lol. i didn’t know you wrote it (i never look at the authors) until i was like wait, no one in hi writes snarky stuff like this lol. i liked it!
Is it possible that one horse will fit into all 5 (well at least 4) categories?
Except for my intro horse which was reading Black Beauty when I was 8 or 9 which started my fasination with all things equine (or was it the My Little Pony toys that I had when I was 4 or 5 hmmm?) all the other “Horses” was the first horse I owned, Spike.
As The Experimental Horse he was the first horse that I actually “learned” how to ride on rather than the crappy “instructor’s” horse that just walked if he was in a good mood, or stood by the paddock gate the entire time no matter how much persuasion you used! Many of my riding lessons on Spike came from the issues of Horse Illustrated or Practical Rider and the like!
As The Connected Horse, I could go out into his field, yell at him, he’d prick his head up from whatever he was eating, and come trotting over. I would even rarely have to use a lead rope, he’d just follow me around, it made a lot of people nervous, especially if we were out in public, (I know I’m going to get flamed for this, but I was 16…yadda yadda yadda) I would just throw my reins over his neck and walk around our crappy schooling show grounds with him following me wherever I went.
As The Challenger Horse, early on in our realationship he was the exact opposite to what everyone else’s horse! While others were flighty, spooky, tempermental, he had the super-laid back type of mindset that if he was going to do something, he was going to do it, and if he didn’t want to do something, he wasn’t going to do it. He never bucked, or had any bad habits, but if today he was wanting to trot, all he would do is trot, if he didn’t want to pick his left hind foot up that day, it was not going to get picked up, if he didn’t want to take the bit, well I was riding in a halter that day. He really tested my patience and made me rethink creative ways to get him motivated and (sorry for the natural horsemanship reference) teach myself to be the dominant one in the relationship.
As The Heart Horse, I bought the best tack, best feed, best farrier service, best whatever I could afford for him so that when his final day came two years ago, I could say that I gave him all I could to make his days as great and wonderful as he made mine.
I have had other horses in my life, I currently own two right now but I find I don’t really seem to have the same connectedness, the same amount of challenges (maybe it comes with time that the challenges have to be greater) or just the same…..something-something….that I had with my first horse Spike.
I hope to have that same feeling that I once had, hopefully lightening will strike twice and I will find another Experimental/Connected/Challenging/Heart horse.
Yep, I’ve got those!
The intro horse: Prior to “real” horses, it was all about the My Little Pony’s, then graduating to Breyer’s, then convincing my non-horsey parents that lessons were in the cards. Then its a toss up between several school horses that all introduced me to riding. Brandy, a giant Fugly OTTB that was the greatest walk/trot horse for a 6 year old kid, and babysat me through my first show. Or Cotton, a 30-something shaggy pony who took off with me back to his stall when the arena gate opened, much to trainers horror. She ran to the stall, expecting to see child carnage, only to find me beaming ear to ear- I finally got to canter!
The Experimental Horse: Vivian, a short-legged, long backed so-called TB (I’d put money on Anglo Arab) that was my first horse. Vivian was the product of a hunter barn-awful on the ground, but went around the arena great, and knew her job cold in the Crossrails and Short Stirrup classes at shows. Never one to be satisfied going in circles, I decided Vivian should trail ride and do pony club- two experiences that blew her mind, and should have gotten me killed. Thankfully, Viv is part saint, and while she was extra careful to never enjoy or even much tolerate any activity that left the confines of a carefully groomed arena, she put up with it and made sure I got back to the barn in one piece. Until I got to about 13 years old, when she decided she had done her time putting up with me, and was over it. Now at 27 years old, Vivian still lives in a hunter barn (she absolutely refuses to retire, weaving herself into the ground if you try to put her out to pasture) and gives walk-trot lessons to a whole new generation of little girls.
Connected Horse: Chex, a big fat AQHA mare that taught this hunter-snob about a whole new way to ride. Chex came from a interesting situation, and by the time I started riding her, the barn considered her “dangerous” and at 15 years old she was still being cowboyed and sacked out, in an attempt to make her behave. Chex wasn’t dangerous- she just didn’t want to be told what to do, and resented anyone who tried. Once I asked her nicely, there was nothing she wouldn’t do or try. Neither one of us had any formal Western Pleasure training before this, but within 6 months she went to her first AQHA shows- and won circuit championships in WP and trail against horses an eighth of her age. Then she turned around and won the Flat Medal in the Hunter championships against Warmbloods twice her size, and worth more money than the average house. I retired her from showing after two amazing years, and she had 3 fantastic babies for me, all with incredible minds and lots of talent. She now gives beginner dressage (yeah, I know) lessons, after realizing that the minimal exertion required is worth it in the amount of treats that she is fed afterward by adoring children.
The Challenger: China, a TB-ish mare I rescued as a 2 year old filly from the kill pen. My first clue should have been when the hauler had to back up to the pen to chase her in that this was a little too much. I learned just about everything I know from her about starting horses. With lots of time and a lot of hard work over several years, she turned into a beautiful mare who was a cute mover and could kick butt in the hunter ring… sometimes. Like the saying goes, when she was good she was really good, and when she was bad, she was so very, very bad. It took me a long time, and lots of heartbreak to realize that more training was not going to solve her problems, that some horses just can’t or won’t pull it together. Her litany of habits that couldn’t be trained out of her- refused to tie, flipped over in crossties frequently, bucked me off on every trailride (and frequently in the arena, too), a dirty stopper, walked back to her stall on her hind-legs much of the time- coupled with almost constant soundness problems, finally convinced me to pull the plug on training. Her refusal to even let me catch her once she was turned out at pasture was the clincher on her for me for good. She went to go be a recipient mare for horses that deserve to procreate.
The Heart Horse: Dharma, Chex’s 2nd foal. The first one helped convince me that I actually could train my own horses, and that China was just crazy and not the product of my faulty training. Dharma’s only 3, but she’s her mother’s daughter- intelligent, quiet, and talented. Treat her with respect, and she’ll do just about anything. After Chex, I never thought I’d have another horse that I could take to the shows and fell confident about things coming together- but Dharma has changed my mind. I’m incredibly exited about the show year coming up, and Dharma’s getting a show-saddle for Christmas- the first one I’ve ever had.
Let’s see…
the intro horse would have to be my bestest friend’s pony, Pam. She was the one we would take turns on riding back and forth the field close to her house. She was the first horse I ever rode alone and it took me forever to get past the trot, but when I did! it was victorious! I just knew I would have to have one for myself someday.
The experimental would have to be Susan. She belonged to a city girl who kept her horse at my same friend’s place who owned Pam. (this actually gets better with the names…) So my friend had her pony, Pam and I rode the city girl’s pony named Susan (my friend’s name was Susan also. See what I mean??) Susan (the pony) was a skinny, rangy pinto that was all white with a brown head and black in her tail. But she taught me what true loyalty was all about. It was a friendship that lasted about a year or so and cut deep when it ended. She was relocated to another barn closer to the city where her owner lived. When the trailer came to pick her up she would not load…they had to call me to get her on the trailer. I was 10 years old.
The connect? as any young girl could pray for, I was 11 years old when my parents answered my plea for my own horse. She was 2 years old, just green broke, 14.2 hands, seal bay, part TB and the other part Shetland pony (no shit!) and he was the sire! Her name was Marysville known to us as Mary (see, that name thing again.) We just called her “Mare”. I had her til I was 16yrs and we learned every little thing there was about life, love and riding horses. We also did some of the dumbest shit ever done on a horse. If my parents ever knew about it they would have kicked my a**! But I lived to write about it and my horse never told any of her friends about it either. She was my first true friend and showed me the way to believe that horses will never let you down…as people will.
I now own my challenge. He is yet to be started under saddle. I don’t know if it’s because of my age or because of his super sensitive manner that worries me. But I guess I am in it for the long haul as I never sell any hose I’ve ever owned.
My deepest heart horse would have to be my pride and joy, Codeman (AKA WapSecret). I bought a TB mare in foal. I was also 9 months pregnant and hadn’t had a horse since I was 16 (Marysville). I was 30. When she foaled, there was this huge black bay that took me through the ins and outs of horses for the next 13 years. I could trust that horse with my own children.And I did. My kids would ride him in the arena and then gallop off over the hill in the field and he would take care of them like they belonged to him. I would ride him and he would think I was his mother. Once he got his tail stuck in a fence across the pasture and would stand there waiting for me. He would not budge until I came to pull his tail out of the wire. When riding he would spin to put me on the ground, and it would work. But once I actually landed on my feet. He took a shit right then and there. No kidding. He never did it again. I don’t know that I will ever get over losing that horse…it’s been 6 years and I’m still in mourning…
My trainer at the time told me I would never find a more befitting horse. And I never did.
Ironically, Mare, Codeman and a horse I currently have owned for the past 8 years (Boone) have all been the same dark bay, with same tiny star and the same white, right back pastern. All three of them are, of the five horses I’ve owned, one’s that chose me…
Sorry for ramblin’ on.
I had two intro horses — the horses I learned to ride on, Tar Baby and Toffee. They belonged to a family friend who took it upon herself to teach me how to ride. I was never particularly horsey before or even after that, but those were technically my intro horses.
I swear my current horse fulfills all of the other four. I wasn’t very experienced when I got him, so he is definitely my experimental horse. He’s also my connected horse, and I defy anyone who says it’s not possible to bond with the same horse you learned on! He’s been quite a challenge, too, as we rescued him as a yearling after he was in a horrible trailer accident that resulted in the death of his mom. And there’s no doubt that he’s also my soul mate, my deepest heart.
Looking back, it’s amazing I’ve survived it all, because I was fairly inexperienced when I rescued a scared, injured, WILD little yearling. Certainly I couldn’t have done it without the guidance of my trainer and other knowledgeable mentors in my life. But that’s why my horse fulfills 2 through 5 — he and I have done a lot of growing together over the past three and a half years.
My Intro was a scraggly old paint unimaginatively named “Patches”. He was utterly intolerant of kids, refused to let an adult anywhere near him, but for some reason he captivated me …
The “Experiment” was an unruly yet incredible athlete named Daan. I bought him on the advice of my girlfriend at the time, and regretted it almost from the first day. I persisted with that horse for two years before finally admitting defeat. Traded him straight across for my Connected Horse, with whom I shared 12 amazing years.
My Challenger lives out in the barn right now; nothing comes easily between us, everything we earn requires concerted effort & LOTS of work … but every bit of it has paid off, in spades.
Thought about this last one for a while until I realised my Deepest Heart has many faces, & names. (A HREF=”http://www.h-4.ca/falon.html”>Falon, Noel, Lily, Pride, Madre, & a host of others whose names are either forgotten or obscured in their dark pasts. They are the ones who we pry from the darkness, labour to rehabilitate & swoon over their miraculous recoveries. They are the ones we weep for when they don’t make it. They are the ones we haven’t met yet, out there waiting …
Kevan, I couldn’t have said it better myself. In fact, I dearly wish I had said in those words. LOL
Joanne M. Friedman
(author, Horses in the Yard)
The Five Horses We Meet on Earth is from a book (Horses in the Yard) by Joanne Friedman. There’s an excerpt from it here, in our latest newsletter.
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs009/1101533203510/archive/1102892619475.html
It’s a great book – I’m glad to see it get the exposure. If you can edit your post to include Joanne’s name as the credit as author I am sure she’d appreciate it!
Gina
http://www.hoofprints.com
Hey, Gina!
Thanks for the plug. LOL You can be my new BFF. The job’s open, and you’re the best qualified.
Joanne M. Friedman
(author, Horses in the Yard)
The intro horse? Any number of fugly, kind, and not so kind school horses who packed my horse-loving self around the arena and on the trail. One time I saved my money and leased a horse for the day. I still remember his name- Silver Dollar. For one glorious day, I was a horse owner!
My experimental horse? A foal that someone pulled off ‘the auction truck”. Bought him for 65.00, boarded him for a year, never actually got to ride him, as he grew up to be a whopping 13.5 hands high. Learned a lot about horse handling, and teaching ground manners though, and one day he found a good home.
My good horse, and my heart horse- a 22+- year old ex-jumper that I “rescued” from a college riding school for $600.00.(the cowgirl instructor was trying to teach the poor thing to do a sliding stop- fortunately for me,at least, he wasn’t interested). The two of us learned dressage together. If I am lucky enough, and good enough to go to heaven, forget the harps and angels. I only want to see him, and have another gallop on his back.
I want to ride again, so who knows, maybe there is another horse in my future. I just want to ride down the trail on a mellow TWH, and maybe just once in my life, do a little hilltopping.
The Five Horses We Meet in Life
1. The Intro Horse.
We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…
I’m not sure on this one. The horse that got me into riding was a pony and I think his name was Bear. He was my friend’s lesson pony. She had her birthday party at the barn and we all got to take a ride on him. My mom was late picking me up and my friend’s trainer asked if I wanted another ride. I said yes. She told me I looked like a natural and if I had ridden horses before. I responded saying there’s a shetland pony at Lewis’ named Joy that I ride all the time. But that is just lead line walk pony rides. The trainer said oh well are you interested in riding. I told her I was very interested and this trainer convinced my mom to get me into lessons. So I guess we can say that this medium sized pony Bear was the one that brought me into horses.
2. The Experimental Horse
Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!†and “Wow! Can I try that?†you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
This would most likely be Belle, the pony that taught me to ride. She dumped me 8 times with the first being my 3rd or 4th ride. She taught me how to use my legs and just how stubborn a horse can be. I remember one time I couldn’t get Belle to canter at all. I was kicking, clucking, and hitting with the crop. Nothing was working, so Kristen, my trainer, picked up a dirt clump and wung it at Belle. Well she missed Bell and almost hit me in the face. She apologized then tried again this time achieving her goal of hitting Belle in the butt, which resulted in her cantering.
3. The Connected Horse
The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
I would have to say that this is Princess. It took quite a bit of time to get there but I do feel a connection between us. She is the first horse that I owned, took care of myself, made all the decisions and everything that comes with horse ownership. I have only owned her for the last 2.5 years but it feels so much longer. She really is a great horse even though she can be a bitch.
4. The Challenger
Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
This would be Magic without a doubt. He is the horse that has been giving me the most trouble when being worked. He has broke cross-ties, he has broken free during a longeing session, and constantly calls for Princess when I go to ride. While I know these aren’t that bad and I will more than likely come across a much more challenging horse, Magic definitely wins this category so far.
5. Your Deepest Heart
There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal withThe Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
I think this one screams Tyde. He will be around for a while and never really gives me a hard time about anything… EVER! I had him walk in a stream in November and he had never been in a stream before. When I got on him for the first time in the middle of November, he didn’t freak. He turned around and looked at me as if saying “Whachu doin’ up dair on my back? Am I still s’possed to listen to you?” After he realized he was in fact supposed to listen to me and walk like I asked, all he wanted to do was jump in the mud puddles! Now he loves to lay down and cuddle with me. He sees me and wants to be all lovey dovey and will eventually lay down. I did cuddle the other night and watched the few clouds pass over. But then he fell into REM sleep and it was no longer safe to be laying down so I got up, then he got up and I gave him a hug and a kiss, and went home to go to sleep since it was freezing outside and 10 o’clock at night.
Oh I meant to add that I was given a copy of Beyond the Homestretch by Lynn Reardon for Christmas. Thanks Cathy for the blog post referring me to the book. I am very happy that I will most likely learn something and that I have helped a horse in the process. Hope you have a merry Christmas.
My Intro Horse – my intro horse was a horse that someone my dad knew would let me ride when ever we can over. so i always wanted to go over there. he was a chestnut pony with a star. i miss that little guy . he the reason i wanted a horse of my own
The Experimental Horse – jack he was a sweet guy unless you wanted to run. but he did put up with me learning alot of things with him. i learned to fly a few times while i was learnin things. but that happens some times
The Connected Horse – lakota. i got him not knowin a thing about him and right off the bat i knew he was my horse. the very first i saw him i said thats my baby boy right there and he aint gonna go any where. he knows when im havein a bad day and trys to make me feel better. lakota and i are alot alike. we both do the but i dont wanna do that thing. its cute when he does it but he knows in the end hes doin it any way.
The Challenger – that would have to be lakota again. he’s only 3yrs old and thinks he knows everything he has to know. hes fun to train he has tought me how to fly once. but that was my falt.. he thinks he only has to do what me or my mom tell him to do. if anyone else trys to get him to do anythings its “i’m stupid and have no idea what you are talking about.” the trainer found that to be a big pain in the but. but he learned.
The Deepest Heart – i would have to say lakota. he came from a hard life and didnt know who to trust. he didnt know anything at 2 1/2 yrs old. he had a fear of everything. but he learned to trust that i would never hurt him or do anything to that wasnt good for him. this guy has a huge heart. he is one of my kids in a way. hes that once in a life time horse that you dream about. i could never sell him he means way to much to me. hes the one guy that wont mean to hurt me when he does. you cant ever put a price on a horse like that
INTRO HORSE- The Misty books and a Shetland pony my grandma bought for us when I was ALMOST too big to ride her. Did for a little bit bareback then my little sister had her all to herself.
EXPERIMENTAL- A butt ugly Appy gelding my parents got for my 8th grade graduation. They had good intentions & I have to admit he taught me a lot about what I did NOT want in a horse. Sold him to his forever home the same summer I bought my horse with the
DEEPEST HEART, Nipper- he also was my first love-CONNECTED HORSE and my CHALLENGE horse-all in one! 7yr old green broke QH/Paso FinoX. He dragged my ass around on the end of a leadrope, had to be in the front on a trail ride, was hard to catch, lived up to his name and numerous other things I have blocked out of my mind. BUT he was all heart-jumped on a trailer to go anywhere, busted his butt around barrels and poles, smooth as butter on the trails & tried to slow down for the equitation/pleasure classes. He was rescued as a 2 week old along with his QH mom from a farm that didn’t believe in feeding. The older woman who raised him had numerous strokes & couldn’t handle him. She came for years to shows to watch him & was always happy with how he was doing at my home.
He ended up being a husband horse and my son rode him into his mid twenties until retirement. Nipper was the one who would yell for breakfast or when the trailer left without him. He lived until 32 and was put down here on the farm.
Had another CHALLENGE horse-sold him to a new home & realized my Paint gelding born here was going to be my DEEPEST HEART horse- good, good boy who does shows, parades, trails-anything! Now my 10 year old daughter rides him & I trust him so much with her.
In my barn is my next CHALLENGE horse with a deep heart! Can’t wait for spring!
Hmmmm
1.My intro horse- Mindy, a twenty some paint pony of my friends. She was all of 12 hands, but was the horse that taught me to always get back on, after the stubborn pony would leave me in the dirt. I miss her terribly, and looking back now, I appreciate her SO much.
2.The Experimental Horse- Delight, a retired endurance horse. Even at 19 this arabian mare loved to go. She never harmed me in any way shape or form, but green rider and a green horse made for many many mistakes. She had little brakes, and a VERY VERY touchy gas pedal. I remember her taking off towards the barn with me at what felt like a million miles an hour, and running right in while I held on for dear life:]
3.The Connected Horse- This would be Edition JB. He was a seven year old standardbred gelding that I took care of at the farm, when I worked for the harness trainer. After him having pneumonia, we clicked. I love this horse dearly. His is still racing at the age of 11, and I still feel that I will own him someday. For a race horse, he loved the occasional ride. This horse had more personality than any horse I’ve met since then, and it really sucks that right now he is not in my life.
4.The Challenger- Allie, the seven year old AQHA mare I sold a few months ago. She was offered to me, for free from the barn owner, so I tried her out. No sooner did I ask her to lope off than she flipped over, before I even had time to react. After about 6 months of fighting with her, getting thrown off, and a few broken sets of reins later, she was awesome. While she still had a temper, she learned to set that aside, and she became one of the sweetest horses I have had. Her owners now adore her, and she is their forever horse!
5.The Deepest Heart- I would say TRR Strait Natural, or lily. She is a four year old quarter horse mare from Texas (Tongue River Ranch). While I don’t own her, I will. When I started riding her, about a year ago, she was broke, but barely. Since then we sure have bonded. She was a shy little pony, and you could tell that she hadn’t had a good experience with people before coming to the farm, I still want to know how those cowboys treated her. Anyways, this filly would do anything I ask. She is by far the smartest horse I’ve worked with. Her jog is fabulous, her lope is smooth, and she loves to spin. I always look forward to riding her. She is also an amazing trail horse. I think I was the first person she ever trusted 100%, and she’s been attached to me ever since!
This topic activated so much nostalgia as well as future optimism, so I had to order the book. Every category calls to mind so many horses—so I’ll get back to you after I read it! Thanks for suggesting such an awesome Christmas present to myself!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked the chapter, and I hope the book resonates with you as much as that little piece did.
Regards,
Joanne M. Friedman
(author, Horses in the Yard)
Like the analogy of “The Five People we meet in Heaven” (which was a good book, too) are we horsepeople totally lucky, or what?
Merry Christmas everyone! i have really enjoyed reading about everyone’s 5 horses and i am hoping to see more posted when i get home this evening! I like this thread.
My Intro Horse – When I was 5 or 6 I would always go with him to his friends house. He had two horses. I would head straight to the barn when I got there. Sassy was a 14.3 grey arabian. I learned on her. At the time she was 16. She is still going strong at 33. While she’s been retired for many years, she is still sound and fat as a hog.
The Experimental Horse – This was ed, Sassy’s pasture mate. He was 20 at the time. He was euthanized a few years ago when arthritis made things to hard to bare. He was a 16 hand tb. He was my favorite gentle giant. He is the reason that size is not an issue. Especially when I was riding by 8 years old. He taught me all of the basics and was always a getleman through my learning process.
The Connected Horse – Cassy was not at all on my list of the perfect horse for me. I was looking for a 10+ year old broke to death, kid safe quarter horse. What I got was a 14 hand, grade, bay skinny mare that was 3 1/2 not broke and had a yearling baby already at her side. I spent a month on putting weight and ground work before I got on her back. She was the simplest horse to trail break. In a few weeks she understood the walk and trot, stopping, and was very light with direct reining. I have never seen her spook even through the 2 years I considered her green. She went on to master backing and neckreining over the summer. I decided to sell her to get a calmer, bigger broke gelding for my husband to ride too. I never stopped regretting that choice. Ironically I bought her back last week. She will not be leaving this time.
The Challenger – My biggest challenge was a friend of the family’s horse. He was a 16 hand solid paint. He was and still is the flightiest horse I have ever seen. The first time I rode him in the arena, he threw a wild buck. Though I ended up in front of the saddle on his neck, I didn’t come of. He never bucked after that. He did still spook at cats walking around, birds and the wind moving flowers.
The Deepest Heart – This is Ms. Ruby. She has been there and done that. She’s dealt with being a brood mare, a large man for her 14 hand frame running the tar out of her, a 10 year old showing her in 4H, mule trains, parades, and trail rides. She is a very fast and energetic 20 year old qh. While broke to no end, she is not a kids horse. She is light to cues and will move out like no other. She has one issue from all of her breeding and growing older, and that’s a sway back. She has never placed an unsound step underneath her, and is always ready to go.
My intro horse?:
The horse that pulled our milk delivery cart. He bit me so hard I had teeth marks on my belly. It was love at first bite (OK, lame, I know, but true!!)
Experimental horse: Half Shetland daughter of the devil, taught me all I know about riding, including how to stay on absolutely anything.
The connected horse:
Amira, my first and my last Arab. She cost me more than I could possibly afford, she repaid me three times over. I was the first and the last person to ride her, she died in my arms.
The Challenger:
I have had three, all stallions, all “lifers”, all, finally, friends.
The deepest heart:
A colt I have now, who will also be a lifer. He toys with me constantly, but he knows he is mine!
Ahem…Hi, all! I just had to jump in here after Gina Keesling (Hoof Prints owner) sent me the link to this thread. I’m the author of “Five Horses…”. Gina edited it down to a manageable size from the chapter of the same name from my book, Horses In the Yard (and Other Equestrian Dilemmas). I am getting a real kick out of reading about your personal “five”. I’m delighted to know that the concept struck such a chord with so many of the posters on this, one of my all-time-favorite blogs.
May you all find your Heart Horse!
Joanne M. Friedman
The Intro Horse: A donkey. We called him Peppy, and he is the same age as me now. I learned how to brush and saddle and bridle a horse with peppy. He was a spunky little thing. He would stand tied, and put up with all sorts of crap from me. Once a friend and I rode double bareback, with her facing forwards and me facing backwards. He bucked but somehow we both stayed on. Another intro horse was Bo, a bay Arab gelding. He was so kind to me, but he saw things and would bolt, and was simply too much for me. We gave him to an adoption after he was trained a bit, but they lost his papers in a fire. We later tracked him down, and he is an Endurance horse, although he still bolts sometimes.
The Experimental Horse: Ah, my pony, my pony. Sweet little M&M. She was a pinto of unknown lineage, possibly welsh and paint. She was an interesting little pony, a definate packer. She had a horse’s body with legs about 6 inches too short. Her neck was also short and thick, and did not allow her to flex vertically. But either way, she taught me a lifetime of good things, like how important a good seat was. She never really spooked, but she was a loudmouth who always seemed to be in heat.
The Connected Horse: My current horse, A gray Arab gelding bred out the wazoo. We did a complex sort of trade for him that I don’t quite fully understand involving a homebred warmblood filly and my pony. He and I worked together for two years to untrain and then retrain him. He looks for me at feeding time, and sulks when I work another horse. An absolute sweetie that will do anything for me. He is also, I believe, my Deepest Heart. Ah, Sterling, he has taught me so much about soft hands and a good seat. Riding any other horse feels so strange.
The Challanger: Definately the Curly mare I broke when I was 13. God, but she was a lazy old cow. She was smart, too smart for her own good, very social, and very lazy. She was also very level headed. Once, my mom was line driving her and she threw a fit and got herself tangled up in the lines, so badly that she slowly tipped over, heaved a great big sigh, and lay there waiting to be freed. We eventually sold her, because she was not the right fit for what I wanted to do. Another Challanger I have a feeling about is the daughter of my pony mare mentioned above. She is a handfull, all brains and spunk and impatience. I see tieng lessons in her future.
Deepest Heart: Besides my Sterling mentioned above, there is a weanling we have that I just have a feeling about. We halterbroke him in a week fresh off the range at four months then took him to a show. He was better than some of the seasoned show horses! He is very trusting, and loves to be with people. I can lead him around with just an arm over his neck no problem. He’s going to be big, too, despite being 7/8 Arab.
My intro horse – was my cousins Bay TB mare. I couldn’t get near her in her 50 acre paddock but I would sit and watch her all day when I went out to visit my uncle.
The Experimental Horse – This was my first horse Strides. He was a bay 15.3hh bay TB gelding. Poor bugger put up with a lot up but also taught me a lot. He stayed with me until he was 24 years old. We had to put him down due to us moving 2000kilometers north, he had had a minor stroke so I think the travel and the heat we were going to would have killed him. He looked a millions dollars the day I said goodbye. I still think about him everuday but do not regret my decision. I regret a lot of things I tried to do with him but he put up with it and told me in his own way when what I was trying to do was really wrong!
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The Connected Horse – Jacki, a brown/black TB mare 16hh. I trusted her with everything yet other people refused to ride her. They thought she was crazy. She was a hot TB but you could gallop your heart out and then walk on a loose rein!
The Experimental Horse – Charlie a grey TB gelding, scared me to death! I tried natural horsemanship, I tried lessons, I tried everything I could think of. Unfortunatley I had to admit defeat and I sold him to another girl. She had to admit defeat as well but he ended up in a life time home with another girl who clicked with him.
Deepest Heart – Sam Chestnut TB Gelding. Still have him now! Even though I have lost a lot of confidence he puts up with me and helps restore my faith in horses. He gets the best of everything and he deserves it. Yet another horsey soul thats puts up with a lot from me and we do a lot of walking or in hand grazing but he loves me and I love him!!!! There will be another horse after him but he will always have a special place in my heart. I already cry when I think of loosing him and he is only 10!!!!!!! He will be with me for life!
The intro horse – my darling Fezzy. Arab cross basuto pony. Strawberry roan, tough as nails and would jump anything. Survived all the challenges that life in Africa offers, and finally was pts at age 32.
The experimental – Equity – Egyptian arab mare who was the first horse I started as a teenager. Brave, and versatile. She did everything from polocrosse to showjumping and dressage.
The connection – Two horses fit in here. The first was Spaniard’s Close, a very useful European sprinter who won twice at Ascot. I just loved this horse. He was a bugger to ride and would bolt if you grabbed him short. I would ride him on a long rein and sing to him on the gallops.
Sir Kendall – my first Australian horse who I got for $200. An OTTB, Kendall was such a trier and so smart. Unfortunately his racing days took their toll on him and he is now a much loved paddock ornament. We educated ourselves to Medium level dressage. He was also the bravest horse cross country.
The challenge – Fred, OTTB who almost died from one asshole hitting him over the head with a shovel at the track. He was a complete basketcase when I got him. It took years to cure him of severe headshyness and to this day you still cannot tie him up. Brvest horse I ever rode cross country but also the most difficult horse to ride. Getting too old and my relfexes are too slow to stay with him anymore, so he has joined Kendall as a paddock ornament. I think he is finally happy too.
Deepest heart – My new boy Willtony Tarago (Mr Mucky McFuckit, as he is perpetually covered in mud or dust and loves wrecking things) – an Andalusian cross warmblood grey gelding just turned 4. Absolutely beautiful horse to ride and a complete sweetie. Hoping to go back to competing in higher level dressage on this one. He will be the horse I ride into the sunset on (all things going well).
The Intro Horse was ANY horse – real, or not. I came from a non-horsey family so even the mechanical horses at the grocery stores were a thrill!
My first horse, Pal was 2, 3, 4 and 5. I bought him for $85 (my babysitting money) when I was 13. I couldn’t afford a saddle so I learned to ride bareback and with a hackamore. He was a 4 year old Welsh cross that was green broke and had been abused. I was a 13 year old with no clue (green broke) and also abused. He taught me patience (it would take a minimum of 45 minutes to catch him – every single time); he taught me how to love (he never refused me unless we could both be hurt and would only allow me to do anything with him); he taught me freedom (full gallops down dirt roads – just him and me); and he taught me to trust (he always took great care of me and never betrayed me and I like to believe I did the same for him). He was my best friend and refuge through some very difficult years – we spent many hours together and there were many tears shed into his mane. He lived to be 34 years old and I am so thankful for every single day I had with him.
I went many years without horses and then 6 years ago, got involved with a horse rescue, bought a farm and have adopted and fostered rescue horses. However, I still seem to have gravitated to horses that are 2-5.
Gayla, my Arabian mare and first rescue, has taught me how to listen (if I don’t – she is NOT going to do what I ask), has endlessly challenged me (and rewarded me) and will always hold a piece of my heart in her big soft eyes. She is 23 and is my favorite to ride – some days nice and easy – others – not so much! I know when I get on her back, what kind of ride we’re going to have.
Monique (32 years young, Egyptian Arabian) is another rescue who would not allow anyone to touch her when she arrived at the rescue I volunteered at. At 26, she was pregnant with her 16th baby! She would bury her head in the corner of the stall when you entered and would not allow anyone near her rear end (can’t say I blame her). Monique was a challenge and did not trust anyone – she now allows anyone to catch her and groom her. I promised her that she would live with us until it was her time safe and secure. She is one of my greatest successes and she has taught me that it is never too late.
Ruby (Arabian mare) was a seizure from a bad situation that I fostered. From the time that we picked her up until the day I lost her (colic), Ruby was my girl. The day she arrived at our farm, she never took her eyes off of me. She was thin, covered with burs from head to foot and was afraid of her own shadow. During the 6 months that I had her, she became this beautiful mare that would do anything I asked (even if she wasn’t sure it wasn’t going to kill her), would come when I called and would allow my husband to walk out to catch her (she was terrified of men when she first arrived). She would tolerate other humans, but she trusted me – and I did not break that trust – even when I had to make the decision to let her go. Of all the horses I have fostered, adopted and/or owned, Ruby touched my heart in a way that goes beyond words. She picked me as her special person and for that I will always be grateful.
I have more horses, but the above 4 are the ones that were the most challenging and the most rewarding (so far). My OTTBs and others have been a breeze compared to them!
Intro Horse- A barrel racing pony named Dakota, if you kicked him he would be off like a rocket.
Experimental Hose- Motion, a 29 year old roping horse who went to nationals. We got him for free from a farrier who was either going to give him away or put him down. He was the first horse I ever trusted when galloping, and taught me a ton about riding. After about a year my trainer and I decided he was too old and needed retirement, so we donated him to a kid’s horse camp.
My Challenger came before my connection- Thunder, a 8 year old grade horse. My trainer said he would be awesome, but he was a butt. I was only 10 when we got him and he would scare the the death out of me.
Connection- Lucy B.- 20 year old thoroughbred mare. She was the best jumper, she would jump anything for you. At every show, the judge would tell me what a cute face she had:) ( it was slightly dished with a huge white star). We did a lot, but we had to sell her because I was working her too hard at age 26.
My Deepest Heart- Shadow, a 16 hand “smuddy” Buckskin appendix quarter horse. When I first got him he would round up like an Arab, and was a mess at the canter. Now, he is amazing at English , and is turning into quite a nice western pleasure horse. He tries so hard to do everything I ask, although we get into arguments about once a month, and is perfect at shows. I trust him so much, that I can do anything on him.
1. I would have to say my intro horse was one of my family friends. I don’t remember exactlly when I started loving horses, I have been riding since I was 3 and I think the first horse I rode was a little shetland. I don’t remember though so I would say my intro horse was a palamino mare named Kelly.
2. I’d have to say this one was a bay gelding named Tully. I miss him, he was brilliant, we bought him from my friends brother for $300, he was bombproof and I although I already knew how to ride before I had him, he was a great horse and never led me wrong. I wish I could have him back, he was amazing. But if I kept him I probably never would have gotten my mare.
3. I’ve gotta say this one is my mare – Lady. I sure loved Tully but I never really spent much time with him when I wasn’t riding tbh. I was young and didn’t understand the joy horses can bring you when your not riding them as well as when you are. Lady is 17 this year, and I got her as an early x-mas present on October 21st 2009. She was the best x-mas present ever. We had some rough patches at first as I was not so confident after my big break from riding, but now we are doing better than ever.
4. I’m not sure if I’ve had this one yet. The rescue mare I have – Sunny may be it. She occasionally bucks when I ride her, but only when something scares her. I actually learnt to sit a buck on her. She can be a little intimidating sometimes, but she’s not unrideable. My bf’s mare at one point was a big challenge, but that was something my mum handled, not me.
5. Lady. I trust her more than anything. She’s like my soul mate. I can’t even explain how much I love her. Unless you experience it, you’ll never know. I sometimes wish my friends could know what it’s like, then they would know why I prefer to ride or clean tack then to go out clubbing.