Stacy & The Red Horse

The Red Horse

Chestnut, QH type gelding, born late 1990s

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by a couple I know if I'd help them place some of their horses. They had a number of geldings they no longer wanted. I guess I forgot to tell them I was going to ride in 2010 & not concentrate on rescue. But being the "fallen off the rescue wagon" person that I am, I said no problem & told them they could deliver on Thurs.

I barely got to know The Red Horse (he came with this name & who was I to change it?). As I pulled into my driveway on Wed, I found a big, chestnut, QH type gelding in one of my front paddocks. He was happily eating grass & ignored me when I went in to see him. He was a little thin & his feet were in desperate need of a trim. I had been told he was stand-offish, not caring much for people because he'd been "cowboyed" quite a bit. I'd also been told he needed an experienced rider because he was quick. He could work cattle, spin on a dime, break out in a flash, & slide stop fast enough to put you on his neck if you weren't glued to the saddle. When I was first asked about taking him in, I had no idea IF I'd be able to find him a home because I didn't know anyone who wanted, or could ride, a quick cowhorse. But here he was & I had a prospective adopter coming the next morning.

When I knew I was going to be getting The Red Horse I happened to mention him to a friend because I just knew I was going to have him for a while. Her eyes lit up & she said she knew someone who was not only looking for a horse, but who had ridden reiners. Could The Red Horse & I be so lucky? When my friend arrived the next morning with Stacy in tow, I made sure everyone understood that The Red Horse was for an experienced rider only. I told them he didn't like people & wasn't personable; that if you didn't have glue on your saddle he was liable to leave you in the dirt; you needed to ride with quiet legs to make sure you didn't cue him by mistake & end up in the dirt. Did I mention I had been told he didn't like people & wasn't personable? Maybe with most people, but he sure wasn't that way with Stacy.

I was happy to see the way Stacy smiled when she went in to check out The Red Horse. She liked everything about him. She turned him out in the roundpen to watch him move. He wouldn't stop & come in to her when she said whoa so she sat on the mounting block to wait him out. It wasn't long before he'd walked up to check her out. Pretty soon he was following her. He hopped in her trailer about as fast as I've seen a horse load. I think he wanted to make sure she wasn't going to change her mind.

I heard an update a couple days later & The Red Horse had been renamed Taz. Stacy had gotten a taste of his blazing speed (I had a fleeting thought that she would return him after coming off him) & had decided that he was as fast as a Tasmanian Devil. From what I hear, she laughed at hitting the dirt & said she wouldn't let it happen again. Since then she & The Red Horse, aka, Taz have been out on the trails building a partnership. Two weeks later, yesterday, I had a phone call telling me that Stacy has renamed her new horse again. She says he's so sweet that she calls him her sweet Donut. That's right, The Red Horse is now known as DONUT!

Many happy trails to Stacy & Donut. I just love happy endings.