Recently I went to a PATH international conference in Charlotte, NC. At one point, there was an award luncheon. One of the categories I saw and began to think about was “Horse of the Year". There were several horses that were nominated from across the United States, which led me to reflect on my herd. While I continue to state that I am blessed to have every horse in my stable, there are some that stood out this year.
“Jack”
He is a 16-year-old quarter horse. We call him “The Best Worst Horse”. He is the only horse that lies down on command, opens gates, and loves to play! If you go by his stall, he will usually put his head out and pretend that he is going to eat your hand. It is a bluff. He is constantly looking for someone to mess with. In unmounted therapy sessions, he teaches people about boundaries and what it looks like to be confident. When he is at liberty, he ignores other horses (who squeal and kick at him) and people. He is confident in who he is and wants to see if you are provocative and interesting before he engages.

On the other hand, if there are fireworks going off, a plastic bag shooting across the arena or the air is frigid, he is your man. He rarely spooks and can be trusted to take care of riders. He shines when he is carrying around small riders with little control of their body. He doesn’t take a misstep– now he might be secretly messing with the leaders– but his riders never know it.

Finally, this year we noticed he was limping a bit. We waited, waited some more and then found out that he has been suffering from Navicular for years. No one caught it. He has been covering it and doing his job without complaint. He is now on limited activities while we wait for corrective shoeing and medications to make him comfortable again. He is not happy that he is missing out on all the fun. He is special to us. We have had him 14 years and hope he is around for that many more!

“Tori”
Tori is a 20-year-old quarter horse. She is a former reining horse. She was leased to another therapeutic riding center who didn’t have the facility or funds to maintain her. She has bad legs, and breathing problems. She came off the trailer, limping and sore. We gave her time and meds. Within 2 months, she quickly became a kid’s favorite. She also was the same whether it was 100 degrees in the sun or 35 degrees in the cold. She has long curly hair that children love to brush and braid. We were all amazed at what a kind, sweet mare she was.

She worked until March and then was retired to get ready for her FOAL! She gave us a beautiful colt in May. We named him “Clark”. It was her first foal and she was the best mom. We recently weaned Clark and everyone is looking forward to some time with her soon.
“Piper”
We bought Piper this spring from a farm in Virginia. Through mutual friends,

we heard of an owner who had cancer and was downsizing her herd. We went and rode Piper and within 2 minutes I knew I had to have her. She is also a former reining horse, but had a rear leg injury that put her out of competition.
She came home and was able to begin carrying my smallest riders immediately. She is reserved but will win your heart over with her kind eyes and steady footsteps.
She recently took some of my former riders to a horse show where she won many ribbons for them. She is a rock star and at 9 years old, is one of our youngest horses.

There are many other horses at our farm– I wonder who will shine this upcoming year? Selah, Faith, Hope, Izzy, Lady? They are all special and doing work with me weekly!
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