Our Geldings

 

Phoenix was a 15.3 hand trotting-bred Standardbred gelding, son of the famous racing stallion "Prayer I Am". He was purchased as an ex-race horse, and arrived at our place with numerous issues that made me wonder if he would ever amount to anything. He was wild, scared, jumpy, lacked any trust of people, and couldn't do the gaits he was bred for worth beans. We was stiff and hard mouthed and hard headed. I said we should just sell him for dog food before we waste any more money on the hay to feed him, as he was likely to never be a safe horse, and we made a mistake buying him. But my sweet wife, Heather, spent the next two years teaching him to trust people, relax and be ridden safely. She spent numerous hours teaching him to be soft, supple, responsive and respectful...and confident. Then she started hounding me with wild ideas that I should take him over and telling me I'd love him. I respect her opinions, but thought she'd lost her mind. One day she finally talked me into riding him, although not known to her I only gave in to get her to quit asking me to give him a try. I didn't think it hardly possible that such a nut case of a horse could be changed into anything of value. Boy was I wrong! I have trained several hundred horses, worked with thousands in my gaited horse clinics and raised many wonderful horses throughout my life. Phoenix quickly became one of my favorites, and within the next year I grew to love him as much as any animal I've ever known. He was the most obedient, in-tune with my every thought, high energy but focused on pleasing me horse I've ever ridden. He was an incredible athlete! He had more endurance than any other horse I've ever ridden and I always wore out before him, no matter how far we went. I could jump on him and with my saddle, gear etc. he'd carry over 300 pounds at 10-20mph for 20-30 miles without ever wanting a break! He did all this through any terrain, surefooted and agile as a deer in the hills, up an down the mountains and always trying to please me. I was often tempted to endurance race with him, as I'd read the winning times and compare them to my gps logs, and knew I could beat almost every record I found, but my interest was in the joyful solitude of riding the wild lands with my family and my horse. He became the most trustworthy animal I've ever been on in rigorous, dangerous places and was totally non-spooky, very obedient and just more fun to ride than I can put into words! I can say that I've never ridden a more smoothly gaited, well mannered, gentle natured, high energy, endless endurance, amazing animal in all my life. In addition to all this, he and I developed a bond...a friendship that is hard to put into words. He knew my thoughts, and often did what I wanted before I gave him the ques to. He'd leave his horse buddies to run up to me from the field. He could race like the wind, so full of energy and excitement, and the next minute when I stopped to enjoy the scenery, he'd lay his head on my shoulder and shut his eyes as I stroked his forehead. The day he died, we were not even on a hard ride, but just going along having fun and I felt his energy drop, like a deflating balloon. I stopped him to let him rest and told my wife, "Wow, Phoenix wants to stop and rest!" This had never happened before and he'd only stop when I told him to... We waited for him to be ready to go again, but he just kept breathing harder and harder and sweating more and more...and never recovered, then lay down to die. I don't know what organ failed and killed him, but the day of his death was a heartbreaker for me. I loved the miles we spent together and the friendship we shared. Phoenix has been one of the best experiences of my life...and I'll love him forever. If we can be with our special animals in Heaven, I look forward to once again sitting in the saddle and racing through the pines and cresting the mighty mountain peaks together! 

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