DC Mohegan Sun

Registerd arabian gelding

I detested his registered name so refuse to use it.

He will always be DC Mohegan Sun to me.

In August 2005, I was browsing sale ads on the internet when I came upon a picture that “spoke” to me. Or should I say the bay horse in the picture “spoke” to me. Now it has to be remembered that “window shopping” didn’t mean I was looking to buy. As luck, or bad luck, would have it, the horse in question was only a couple hours from me. I called & talked to the owner, finding out the horse was a registered, 12 ½ year arab gelding who was halter broke at 11, & had been with a trainer for 30 days the previous winter. At that point I was figuring he had maybe 15-20 days under saddle months ago, & I wasn’t interest in an older, unbroke horse. I thanked the owner & said I’d think about the horse. For two sleepless nights I thought about that bay gelding. I had no idea how I was going to buy him, but I KNEW he was mine. I called & went to see that gelding the next morning. There were three horses tied to a trailer when I got there, two of which were bays. Don’t ask me how I knew which bay was the one in the poor quality photo I had seen. But I walked up & and said “Hey Sun, wanna come live with me”? Forty-eight hours later Sun was home. He was everything I could have hoped for. He was intelligent, wanted to please, had a lot of try, & became my best friend. He had a heart of gold & he filled my heart. There was just something about him that made my heart flutter like a horse hadn't done in a very long time. It’s not often that a connection happens, but when it does, follow your heart.

Sun & I spent a lot of time together. We did a lot of ground work to gain trust. We spent many hours wandering the trails. Finally the time came when I took him to his first Limited Distance ride. It was a great ride. We did a couple more with Sun improving after each. I began to think I could once again compete in endurance. I'm not sure when the realization came to me that while I loved Sun, I had to admit that he wasn't quite the horse for me. Sun is a very soft & gentle horse, bold on the trail but very timid in nature. I'm anything but soft & timid. In the four years Sun & I rode together, I was always very careful to suppress the real me. I began to feel I wasn't doing either of justice. It broke my heart when I realized Sun would never be my Tevis horse since this was the dream I had for us.

I truly believe that things work out the way they're supposed to, even if it's not what we have in mind. A friend of mine had been looking for an endurance horse for quite some time. I kept trying to help her find the right horse. My friend is a very gentle, soft person who whispers to her horses & kisses their noses. It took some time, but one day it dawned on me that I knew the perfect horse for her. Unfortunately for me her perfect horse was Sun. I offered to loan Sun to her. I told her each & every one of his little quirks. They sounded a match so she picked him up for a trial. I warned her that he might take some time to settle in & adjust as he'd down with me. That proved to not be the case. Sun moved in & immediately took to following her everywhere. Today they enjoy riding softly & gently down the trail. Endurance is in their future & I hope I'm able to ride with them on their dream journey to Tevis.

While I gave up the horse who grabbed my heart to someone better suited for him, I will always love him & hold him dear.