I will construct this lust as chronologically as I can. These are the horses that have helped shape me into the person/rider I am today.
Sugie: reg. AQHA mare: my parents bought Sugie around 1981-2 as a brood mare for their paint horse breeding. She was near her late teens, blind in one eye, had navicular , and had been in a trailer accident leaving two large indents in her neck. I learned to ride on her when I got my first saddle at 8 months. My parents strapped me in to the western saddle with a piece of leather snapped to the saddle, through my belt loops then snapped to the other side of the saddle. Sugie never cantered. I think I got her to trot twice. I fell off of her once when my friend was riding double and slipped and took us both off. I played many hours with her. I rode her constantly, dressed her in every item of tack or blanket we had and just spent a good amount of my childhood with her. I rode her until I was about 10. I took care if her as best I could until her time came when she was about 32-33.
KO: Ima Nok Out : my heart horse before I knew what one was or that she was mine. I learned to trot, post, canter, everything there was to know about riding on this mare. I started riding her when I was about 9 and she was 14. My parents bought her as a two year old and had shown her all over at paint shows as well as bred her. She excelled at the English disciplines and did well enough in the western classes. I did so much with her. We jumped up and down banks, went to summer camp, trailered to group rides, trail rides, taught my hubby the basics, she was awesome. In her later years she became neurological. We treated her as best we could but when she was 29 and two years retired from any riding, she fell and sustained several hernias, other injuries, and more nuro than normal we let her go over the rainbow bridge.
Gunny: 1992 OTTB gelding whose registered name is One Run Sonofagun. Gunny was a 16.2h bay/ dark brown 4/5 year old when I got him. He came from Montana and lost a bit of weight on the trip to
California as well as arriving with cold like symptoms. I spent the winter and spring riding him, fattening him up and just getting to know him. When summer came my parents let me put him in training for a month and I also got lessons. At the end of summer we competed in a West Coast Series show in the Long Stirrup division. We earned Reserve Champion and my best friend received Champion! School started and Gunny came home to little work as I was not sure what to do with him or handle him properly. Our relationship slowly spun out of control to the point that Gunny was rearing under saddle and on the ground. One day a trainer from down the street was riding by and asked about him. I told her he was for sale. She took him to her place about a quarter mile away and started working with him and shining him up for sale. He sold in a couple of months. I was very sad but knew it just was not going to work without professional help that my family could not afford. Anyway the purchaser fail to pay in full and the trainer went to pick him up from their barn. She called to tell me he was in bad shape. He was dirty, lame, sore everywhere and suffering from moon blindness. He had worn a rut from walking in circles in the small windowless stall he was being kept in. Trainer took him to her ranch and called the vet. Gunny had fractured withers and also messed his shoulder up ( I don't remember the details). It was believed he must have flipped over with a saddle
on. Trainer nursed him back to health and happiness and finally sold him to a well know hunter show barn where he has remained since as far as I know.
Sierra: 2002(?) Mustang: I sold Gunny when I was in my senior year of high school. I still had KO and we also had one boarded horse too. I felt after Gunny maybe I should try a different aspect of riding. I still did not have the money for being in full time training but after graduation I did have the time and money for a horse and a few lessons here and there if need be. I started researching adopting a mustang. As I do with must everything I read every bit and piece I could on mustangs, training everything I could find. I met all the criteria and had all the materials needed. My dad and I built a pen out of stud corral. Then our local community collage was going to host and adoption weekend. I went 'just to look' ( this is actually a big theme in my life). Anyways Sierra arrived the next day. He was smallish, maybe 14 hands. He was supposed to be around one and a half years old. He was skinny and definitely not an alpha horse. He had an adorable face, nice build and beautiful color. He was a line back dun with the faint stripes on the upper leg. He had a funny strip on his face with smallfuzzy ears. He had some feathering on his legs also.
I had planned to *train* *desensitize* *sensetize*, use whatever word makes you happy! for trail riding. I had him for almost two years and barely got to pet him. I tried numerous methods, multiple trainers and I never felt like we got anywhere. I called a gentleman, who the BLM had referred me to. John came and sat with Sierra for a little while, then said he would take him. I checked on him after a month and Sierra was doing great. I heard from John after three month and his grand kids were riding Sierra in the arena. I always felt I never got anywhere, but he sure did come along well for the right person.
Jake: 2002 MFT/QH gelding: I purchased Jake from his breeder when he was 19 months old. He was a beautiful Sabino ( minimal) with unique facial markings. I had him for six years. We had somebrilliant moments that I will treasure like trail riding him all by himself and both of us enjoying it. Other times he was dangerous, bucking off a rider for no apparent reason, bolting and slamming his own body in to the fence. He was great at learning free work such as clicker training. Jake was a in-your-pocket kinda guy. He had such a personality. When he was young I used to pony him off KO and we would ride up to the back of the property and I would let him loose. He would run and buck and play and whinny. I could call him back at any time and he would come trotting back. I sat on him the first time bareback and in a halter. We were able to trail ride by ourselves and he was very good. We always had a hard time with water crossings. He was always 100% but either for or against was always the question. He also showed signs of tying up often, lameness for no reason, always a health problem. He ended up with colic on and off (minor symptoms) for a week. We had two vets out and
we took him to the hospital. Nothing was found to be wrong. He laid down the seventh day and we
knew it was time. It I horrible to lose them so young. I still believe it may have had something to do with muscle disease.
Sugie: reg. AQHA mare: my parents bought Sugie around 1981-2 as a brood mare for their paint horse breeding. She was near her late teens, blind in one eye, had navicular , and had been in a trailer accident leaving two large indents in her neck. I learned to ride on her when I got my first saddle at 8 months. My parents strapped me in to the western saddle with a piece of leather snapped to the saddle, through my belt loops then snapped to the other side of the saddle. Sugie never cantered. I think I got her to trot twice. I fell off of her once when my friend was riding double and slipped and took us both off. I played many hours with her. I rode her constantly, dressed her in every item of tack or blanket we had and just spent a good amount of my childhood with her. I rode her until I was about 10. I took care if her as best I could until her time came when she was about 32-33.
KO: Ima Nok Out : my heart horse before I knew what one was or that she was mine. I learned to trot, post, canter, everything there was to know about riding on this mare. I started riding her when I was about 9 and she was 14. My parents bought her as a two year old and had shown her all over at paint shows as well as bred her. She excelled at the English disciplines and did well enough in the western classes. I did so much with her. We jumped up and down banks, went to summer camp, trailered to group rides, trail rides, taught my hubby the basics, she was awesome. In her later years she became neurological. We treated her as best we could but when she was 29 and two years retired from any riding, she fell and sustained several hernias, other injuries, and more nuro than normal we let her go over the rainbow bridge.
Gunny: 1992 OTTB gelding whose registered name is One Run Sonofagun. Gunny was a 16.2h bay/ dark brown 4/5 year old when I got him. He came from Montana and lost a bit of weight on the trip to
California as well as arriving with cold like symptoms. I spent the winter and spring riding him, fattening him up and just getting to know him. When summer came my parents let me put him in training for a month and I also got lessons. At the end of summer we competed in a West Coast Series show in the Long Stirrup division. We earned Reserve Champion and my best friend received Champion! School started and Gunny came home to little work as I was not sure what to do with him or handle him properly. Our relationship slowly spun out of control to the point that Gunny was rearing under saddle and on the ground. One day a trainer from down the street was riding by and asked about him. I told her he was for sale. She took him to her place about a quarter mile away and started working with him and shining him up for sale. He sold in a couple of months. I was very sad but knew it just was not going to work without professional help that my family could not afford. Anyway the purchaser fail to pay in full and the trainer went to pick him up from their barn. She called to tell me he was in bad shape. He was dirty, lame, sore everywhere and suffering from moon blindness. He had worn a rut from walking in circles in the small windowless stall he was being kept in. Trainer took him to her ranch and called the vet. Gunny had fractured withers and also messed his shoulder up ( I don't remember the details). It was believed he must have flipped over with a saddle
on. Trainer nursed him back to health and happiness and finally sold him to a well know hunter show barn where he has remained since as far as I know.
Sierra: 2002(?) Mustang: I sold Gunny when I was in my senior year of high school. I still had KO and we also had one boarded horse too. I felt after Gunny maybe I should try a different aspect of riding. I still did not have the money for being in full time training but after graduation I did have the time and money for a horse and a few lessons here and there if need be. I started researching adopting a mustang. As I do with must everything I read every bit and piece I could on mustangs, training everything I could find. I met all the criteria and had all the materials needed. My dad and I built a pen out of stud corral. Then our local community collage was going to host and adoption weekend. I went 'just to look' ( this is actually a big theme in my life). Anyways Sierra arrived the next day. He was smallish, maybe 14 hands. He was supposed to be around one and a half years old. He was skinny and definitely not an alpha horse. He had an adorable face, nice build and beautiful color. He was a line back dun with the faint stripes on the upper leg. He had a funny strip on his face with smallfuzzy ears. He had some feathering on his legs also.
I had planned to *train* *desensitize* *sensetize*, use whatever word makes you happy! for trail riding. I had him for almost two years and barely got to pet him. I tried numerous methods, multiple trainers and I never felt like we got anywhere. I called a gentleman, who the BLM had referred me to. John came and sat with Sierra for a little while, then said he would take him. I checked on him after a month and Sierra was doing great. I heard from John after three month and his grand kids were riding Sierra in the arena. I always felt I never got anywhere, but he sure did come along well for the right person.
Jake: 2002 MFT/QH gelding: I purchased Jake from his breeder when he was 19 months old. He was a beautiful Sabino ( minimal) with unique facial markings. I had him for six years. We had somebrilliant moments that I will treasure like trail riding him all by himself and both of us enjoying it. Other times he was dangerous, bucking off a rider for no apparent reason, bolting and slamming his own body in to the fence. He was great at learning free work such as clicker training. Jake was a in-your-pocket kinda guy. He had such a personality. When he was young I used to pony him off KO and we would ride up to the back of the property and I would let him loose. He would run and buck and play and whinny. I could call him back at any time and he would come trotting back. I sat on him the first time bareback and in a halter. We were able to trail ride by ourselves and he was very good. We always had a hard time with water crossings. He was always 100% but either for or against was always the question. He also showed signs of tying up often, lameness for no reason, always a health problem. He ended up with colic on and off (minor symptoms) for a week. We had two vets out and
we took him to the hospital. Nothing was found to be wrong. He laid down the seventh day and we
knew it was time. It I horrible to lose them so young. I still believe it may have had something to do with muscle disease.
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