A Real Life Story of a Rider and her Horse
It’s easy to look at people around us and wonder why we can’t seem to get our act together like they do. And it’s insanely difficult to get out of a rut when our hopes and dreams seem so far away. What you don’t always see in other’s lives is the real, day-to-day struggles and effort it took to get that person to the place of your admiration. No one’s life is perfect, and neither are their equine journeys. For the middle-aged, casual riders out there, here is a tale with all the lumps and bumps that I can fit into a single article. This will be the story of my relationship with Christy and Poet; thus far a four year journey…
How I Met Christy
So “Poet’s” story doesn’t actually begin with Poet. It begins with her current owner, Christy. I first met Christy on a phone call in March of 2021. She explained she had two horses at home which she had not ridden in years. With her kids getting out of high school she wanted to turn her attention back to riding. Since her horses had not been ridden in so long it was logical to take some lessons and get to know each other on reliable lesson horses.
It would be fair to say that Christy was an advanced beginner level rider. She had decent balance and good instincts but little or no formal riding education. After a few lessons we proceeded to set dates to restart her horse under saddle. “CB” was sixteen year old Quarter Horse mare who hadn’t been ridden in approximately eight years. Christy’s other horse, “London” was a companion only, made un-rideable by multiple old injuries and medical conditions. Christy had adopted him strictly for the purpose of living out as comfortably as possible while keeping CB company.
The very first thing we to needed to figure out was where on Christy’s property to actually ride. She basically lives on a hill. The only semi-flat space is actually the yard between her house and her barn. It wasn’t intended as a riding area in their plans but that’s what we had to work with. In later months we would expand to riding her pastures as well but the yard still serves as our primary “focus space”.
Restarting CB
We began from the beginning with CB, as you would an unbroke horse, to see where she was. As it turned out that is exactly where we needed to begin. CB saw no reason for her pasture pet life to end. To complicate things, CB was pretty obviously foot sore, which varied in severity from visit to visit. After some weeks with no real improvement Christy had the vet come out and determined that CB was struggling with navicular disease – a degenerative disease similar to arthritis located inside the horse’s front hooves. This is very common condition in stock type horses like Quarter Horses. Though genetics can play a roll, these horses are often thick bodied with smaller feet and also expected to do high-impact repetitive moves such as sharp turns and stops. CB was supposedly used for some barrel racing in her youth which likely contributed to her condition.
Though the condition is manageable to a point, CB would be continually lame for the rest of her life. We recognized that CB would be greatly limited in how far she could take Christy on her journey. Regardless, this was the horse Christy had, and she still had some lessons she could reasonably help Christy learn. So, we pressed on with respect for CB’s comfort level any given day.
Progress with CB
Due to schedules and financial restraints, we got together to work CB once per week and Christy came for lessons at my workplace once a week. Additionally Christy did what she could at home with CB in between to keep the momentum going. CB was so unaccustomed to wearing tack that simply tying her saddled for measured periods of time was a very valuable. Christy also practiced lunging and a variety of other leadership-building ground exercises while we were getting better organized for riding… At this rate it took several months working CB within her physical ability to accomplish fairly reliable behavior.
One of the biggest hindrances to riding CB was Christy’s lack of suitable tack. As she hadn’t ridden in so long, Christy had very little tack that was still useable. I loaned her a saddle for a while and eventually we got together a bridle. I believe it was around November before Christy had gathered a full set of tack of her own. This process all took a number of months but by the time it was getting cold outside Christy was beginning to ride CB on her own gently between our visits. After years of not riding her own horse she was very pleased with the progress.
Christy Built Her New Barn
When I first started visiting Christy she had a small two stall shed-row style barn which she had in place for over ten years. It was July of 2021, shortly after we met that she began building a new barn which would be three stalls, with an enclosed tack room, hay storage and additional space for equipment. The horses expressed that it was a total game changer for them when it was complete later that summer. The barn was positioned so that the horses could go in and out of the stalls freely from the pasture. Where they had rarely used their stalls in the old barn, the new barn became the favorite down-time hang out! The roomy, airy stalls with good visibility through the barn made it very inviting. She also added fans up high to circulate air on hot days.
I include this particular victory in Christy’s story because it was such a big win. She could store her tack cleanly and neatly and tie her horses in the barn isle to groom and tack out of the sun and weather. Even cleaning her stalls could be done from inside the barn, no matter the weather conditions outside. No more fighting a wheelbarrow through mud! Also her hay could stay dry and easy to access and feed and there was extra room to store their tractor and other items. And for the first time she had water and electric in the barn itself. No more hoses and extension cords from the house!
Christy finally had a nice personal barn, she had started back to riding her own horse, and also improving herself on lesson horses. It felt like we were rocking and rolling!
Introducing Poet
However, CB was struggling with her soundness. It was becoming evident over that first winter that she didn’t have all the much further to carry Christy in her journey. The next summer of 2022 Christy learned of a horse for sale through the friend of a friend. It was a monster of a horse standing nearly 17 hands. Christy is all of about 5’2”, so perhaps a little oversized, but on every other point this horse seemed to check the boxes. She invited me to come see “Poet” for a professional opinion. Poet was exactly what she was reported to be. Big, solid, quiet and safe. Nothing much bothered her. She didn’t ride any kind of fancy, but she was honest and very, very safe. For Christy’s leisurely trail riding ambitions, she appeared to be perfectly serviceable.
Though Poet was priced affordably, Christy felt best having a vet exam with x-rays to confirm that she was what she appeared to be. The vet exam proved to cause a bit of chaos though. The x-rays showed that Poet, at age fourteen, had arthritis developing in her stifles and hocks. The vet considered Poet lame on physical exam. Neither Christy or I saw overt lameness in our riding trial the week before and Christy said she couldn’t see what the vet was referring to on the day of the exam. Not to argue with the vet, that is. I recognize that this horse lacked fluidity of movement and exhibited some stiffness in her hind end. However, what a vet might view as clinically lame does not always mean unserviceable. With years of teaching on aged horses for lessons, my eye is trained to see serviceability.
Fun Fact:
It is estimated that over eighty percent of horses are considered lame on veterinary exam. This might sound extremely high, until you consider that many horses are aged, or have been injured to some degree. By comparison to the perfect ideal movement they may appear “lame”.
The Decision
The results of the vet exam also caused some tension with the seller – which is uncalled for but nonetheless does happen. Christy ultimately ignored the drama and used her own judgement. Weighing the vet’s input as well as our own experience of riding the horse walk, trot and canter she decided the amount of arthritis the vet discovered would not likely hinder Poet from serving her intended purpose. In July 2022 Poet came home to Christy’s house! Nearly four years later and we still do not regret this choice. Poet has been a gem! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Getting to Know Poet
It took us a couple weeks to begin riding Poet. It was admittedly messy at the beginning. Poet tried so very hard but she was extremely unfit and overweight. Additionally, she was fairly uneducated – which had also been evident at her trial ride, so no surprises really. It was still safe, but not very pretty to watch.
Understanding that Poet was not going to be a fancy horse and that her purpose was for trail riding we kept things simple. Our focus was on getting a consistent pace at the walk and trot and making our riding signals clearer to her. We also incorporating slow hill work into our exercise routine to help build her hind end and stamina. For more information on how hills are helpful click here. Christy typically rode two to three times per week around her full time work schedule and weather conditions. Within about six months we had Poet back down to a healthy weight.
In The Meantime,
Christy found a cheap synthetic saddle that fit Poet well enough for the time being. Though it was too large for Christy herself, at least it didn’t pinch Poet’s withers like the saddle she had from CB. Poet being a Percheron cross is a very thick horse. It can be difficult to find good fits for such horses on your typical trip to the tack shop and custom ordering a saddle was not in the budget. It wasn’t until early in 2024 that we finally found a saddle that fit both Christy and Poet. We did learn that on steeper hills the new saddle benefited from a breast collar to keep it up in proper position but otherwise it stayed beautifully in position while riding – which had been an issue with previous saddles we had tried.
For riders out there who may be struggling with saddle or other tack related decisions here are a couple of articles that may be helpful:
How Much Should I Spend on My Saddle?
So then by early in 2024, Christy had a decent relationship established with Poet and tack issues had been resolved for this over-sized mare. Christy had become involved with a local riding club and was itching to get out and see more of the world from Poet’s back! But she didn’t have transportation. And though some other club members offered to come pick up and Poet up at their house, coordination was always difficult. Not to mention Poet doesn’t fit on all trailers. She really is quite large.
Getting Transportation
After some months of mulling over this set of challenges she took the plunge and purchased an older, but well-maintained horse van. You don’t see these things around much, but it was a great solution for her because it was “Warmblood” sized and didn’t require her to purchase both the trailer and large truck to pull it. It was one self-contained vehicle.
Around the same time she signed up to attend a three day camping trip with Poet along with others in her riding club. Thankfully she had a full six months until that actual camping date. The deadline was set!
Working Towards The Goal
They would need to get accustomed to the horse van including loading, unloading and of course actually riding in new locations by the end of the summer. Christy did a fabulous job of putting in the time with Poet. They slowly figured out how this giant horse could maneuver in and out and jointly gaining confidence in dealing with the horse van. Mind you this was all just as new to Christy as it was to Poet. Poet had been on trailers before, but vans have a very different layout and much taller ramp in and out. It is not even certain she had seen a ramp before. Poet is a very calm natured horse and that does help. But when 1,600 pounds of horse puts its feet down and says it’s not getting on you have your work cut out for you convincing it otherwise!
Over the summer Christy followed through and went out several times to local riding trails with her riding club buddies. They got some successful trips under her belt, albeit there were some rough days getting Poet loaded back up to go home after their ride. But ultimately Christy kept her positive mindset and kept working it out as challenges arrived.
Lumps and Bumps
She also had to find out how CB would handle being left home alone on these trips. London, the other horse Christy had when I met her had sadly taken a dive in the weeks after Poet’s arrival and had to be euthanized. This was not due to the stress of a new field mate, or being bullied as one might ponder. He had been struggling for quite some time and had been given several “second chances”. It felt much more to all of us involved that he felt that he had done his job and was allowed to quit fighting now that CB had another buddy. His duty fulfilled, he was ready to rest. It also seemed that Poet was put in Christy’s circle at just the right time to pass the baton.
So, moving right along…
Christy had made some significant updates to her field fencing in the first year after Poet arrived. There’s nothing more passively destructive than an itchy draft horse scratching on your fence posts! After a few adventures with her mares visiting the neighbor’s horses down the hill she had new electric run around the top of the fence and installed new gates, etc. Now that CB had to be contained alone while Poet was out on riding trips it proved very useful. CB already had a renewed respect for the fence by the time Poet started going out on day trips. The camera showed some pacing and hollering but thankfully CB seemed to keep it together well enough.
In our lessons we focused on building Poet’s fitness so she would not struggle on the long trail rides expected on their camping trip. We focused on hill work, what to do in emergencies and some groundwork specific to handling her van-loading challenges. We also incorporated some “trail obstacle” type tasks to improve Poet’s maneuverability should they get into a tight spot on their adventures.
The Big Event!
Ultimately the camping trip arrived and Poet was fabulous. Though she is typically pretty slow at home, she preferred to be in the lead on their camping trip. She even helped some more timid horses get across scary obstacles and participated in multiple rides wading in the river. The camping trip presented plenty of challenges from the horrendous storm that washed over base camp to other ill-mannered horses. Christy reported that though it was all new, she and Poet felt pretty ok with the whole deal. I could not have been happier for them.
A Bright Future Ahead
After nearly three years with Poet there are still things to be learned, such as developing a neck rein and further improving maneuverability, but Christy and Poet are getting along great and having a blast together! They expect to attend the same camping trip again this year. They now have reached so many big milestones that they really do appear to have it all together most of the time! – But it’s been several years of persistent effort getting there.
I will add that while I have always made myself available for advice, trouble shooting and general support, this entire process has been driven by Christy herself. I could not have presented her with all of these opportunities on my own.
What I have appreciated about Christy throughout our several years long journey (that yet continues) is that she remains realistic about her horse and her goals. I find it rare for riders to be genuine with me and honest with themselves. It makes a rider not only pleasant to work with but also saves the horse a lot of grief.
Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step! Wherever you are today, pick a direction and start moving that way. If you stick to it, you will eventually arrive at your goals!
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