Farwraff
reg 3/4 arab/TB cross, bay gelding with 4 socks, May 1, 1973- Sep 1, 2000
reg 3/4 arab/TB cross, bay gelding with 4 socks, May 1, 1973- Sep 1, 2000
(HA-Farwa x Molly B)
Wraff was in my life for 16 1/2 yrs & what a life we had! In Jan 1984, I moved to a new stable & saw Wraff for the first time. He was in the arena with a redhead trainer (unaffectionately called Big Bird by some) trying to ride him. He was fighting every step of the way, rearing & even throwing himself on the ground. This was definitely the result of someone trying to do a 90 wonder job on a 10 1/2 year old, unstarted horse. Unfortunately the trainer didn't win & after 3 gruelling hours, the horse was put away in frustration. The first time I set eyes on him it was the proverbial love at first sight. I remember telling my boyfriend that if that horse was ever for sale, he was mine. Chuck's Crazy Horse, the only name anyone knew him by, put Chuck in the hospital. No one had actually been successful in having a good ride on him. Finally everyone gave up. One day the arena gate was broken & I was told Chuck's Crazy Horse ran through it. It wasn't long after that I overheard Chuck telling someone he was taking Crazy Horse to the Chino auction. My heart sank because I had no money & that horse was mine. I approached Chuck on a Sunday & told him I wanted his horse, but first I wanted to work with him for a week. At least I wasn't so blinded by love that I'd buy a crazy horse without knowing if there was any chance of salvation. This was a horse that had to be thrown to the ground for shoes & clipping. Could I even get through to him? I spent Sun & Mon just hanging out in the stall, out of teeth's way because he would try to get anyone who went in his stall. I groomed & fed treats. I told him of all my plans for him. I had a dream to one day ride Tevis (100 miles in one day) & I told Wraff that I thought he was the horse I needed. I also told him of my dreams to ride cross country jumping & with the way he jumped out of the arena, I knew he was the horse for me. On Tue I decided to see if I could push one of his buttons & have him respond positively. I got the clippers out & he allowed me to lay them on his shoulder. Next I turned them on & he again allowed me to lay them on his shoulder. That was it! I borrowed the money & wrote Chuck a check. That's when I found out his name, Farwraff. Everyone thought I'd lost my mind but I knew we'd be ok. He'd given to me when he allowed me to touch him with the clippers. On that first Sat together I decided I was going to not only ride Wraff, but to take him out on trail. Two friends went with me. We'd only gone a couple of miles when I found myself sliding down the trail with Wraff on top of me. We had been doing a slow trot & my friends said his legs just tangled & down he went. Guess he wasn't very coordinated under saddle yet. My boyfriend wanted me to get my check back. Chuck even offered it back. But I knew Wraff & I were meant to be together. Even though he'd fallen, he didn't get crazy & he let me back on him with no problem. This from a horse who reared when mounted. My faith in Wraff proved to be well founded because we truly were partners. We shared many years & many miles together. I still miss him today & am going to enjoy sharing his many stories with everyone. It's not often that someone is lucky enough to have such an incredible horse. They say horses like Wraff only come around once in a lifetime. Some people never find their once in a lifetime horse. I was extemely lucky. Wraff was my once in a lifetime horse.
Wraff was in my life for 16 1/2 yrs & what a life we had! In Jan 1984, I moved to a new stable & saw Wraff for the first time. He was in the arena with a redhead trainer (unaffectionately called Big Bird by some) trying to ride him. He was fighting every step of the way, rearing & even throwing himself on the ground. This was definitely the result of someone trying to do a 90 wonder job on a 10 1/2 year old, unstarted horse. Unfortunately the trainer didn't win & after 3 gruelling hours, the horse was put away in frustration. The first time I set eyes on him it was the proverbial love at first sight. I remember telling my boyfriend that if that horse was ever for sale, he was mine. Chuck's Crazy Horse, the only name anyone knew him by, put Chuck in the hospital. No one had actually been successful in having a good ride on him. Finally everyone gave up. One day the arena gate was broken & I was told Chuck's Crazy Horse ran through it. It wasn't long after that I overheard Chuck telling someone he was taking Crazy Horse to the Chino auction. My heart sank because I had no money & that horse was mine. I approached Chuck on a Sunday & told him I wanted his horse, but first I wanted to work with him for a week. At least I wasn't so blinded by love that I'd buy a crazy horse without knowing if there was any chance of salvation. This was a horse that had to be thrown to the ground for shoes & clipping. Could I even get through to him? I spent Sun & Mon just hanging out in the stall, out of teeth's way because he would try to get anyone who went in his stall. I groomed & fed treats. I told him of all my plans for him. I had a dream to one day ride Tevis (100 miles in one day) & I told Wraff that I thought he was the horse I needed. I also told him of my dreams to ride cross country jumping & with the way he jumped out of the arena, I knew he was the horse for me. On Tue I decided to see if I could push one of his buttons & have him respond positively. I got the clippers out & he allowed me to lay them on his shoulder. Next I turned them on & he again allowed me to lay them on his shoulder. That was it! I borrowed the money & wrote Chuck a check. That's when I found out his name, Farwraff. Everyone thought I'd lost my mind but I knew we'd be ok. He'd given to me when he allowed me to touch him with the clippers. On that first Sat together I decided I was going to not only ride Wraff, but to take him out on trail. Two friends went with me. We'd only gone a couple of miles when I found myself sliding down the trail with Wraff on top of me. We had been doing a slow trot & my friends said his legs just tangled & down he went. Guess he wasn't very coordinated under saddle yet. My boyfriend wanted me to get my check back. Chuck even offered it back. But I knew Wraff & I were meant to be together. Even though he'd fallen, he didn't get crazy & he let me back on him with no problem. This from a horse who reared when mounted. My faith in Wraff proved to be well founded because we truly were partners. We shared many years & many miles together. I still miss him today & am going to enjoy sharing his many stories with everyone. It's not often that someone is lucky enough to have such an incredible horse. They say horses like Wraff only come around once in a lifetime. Some people never find their once in a lifetime horse. I was extemely lucky. Wraff was my once in a lifetime horse.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.