My-Redheaded-Boy

My Redheaded Boy

Hey everyone! I finally got Hoosier’s last scope and it didn’t hold quite as well as we hoped but still held enough that it should make a significant difference, or at least keep the arytenoid from collapsing over his airway. Also, it looks like his body is rejecting the sutures and he has now had a repetitive abscess where his incision was for the past 4 weeks. We haven’t figured out the next best step for him, but I do know I do not want to do another surgery, nor will I put him through another one. I will just continue to pray something good finally comes out of this. While we think about Hoosier’s next move I thought it would be fun to tell you about some of Hoosier’s quirks.

But first I want to tell you the interesting story of how we got him. When I was in high school I had a very good friend who decided that she wanted to get into eventing and found this cute, young chestnut on the Internet in Prospect, Kentucky. I went with her and her mother to go look at him, and the horse was cute—didn’t seem like anything particularly special, but he seemed quiet and easy enough for my friend. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so wrong about something in my life in so many ways. It wasn’t a month later that he had bucked off my friend and sprained one arm and broke the other. They tried to sell him but he continued his reputation by bucking off a trainer that tried him, and was from then on known as the “crazy horse.” My friend’s mom called my mother and said, “Please come get this horse!”

My mother, Mike, and I went to go look at him, and after a lot of time trying to catch him, Mike says, “This is a really nice horse.” Mike said the only condition of us getting this horse is if we can change his name from “Hoosier Daze” to “Hoosier Daddy.” So that’s how we got my special redheaded boy.

Things that make my redhead special:

1. Hoosier was actually my mom’s horse first and she won Octoberfest with him at starter.

2. He spent the first year bucking every time you asked him to pick up his right lead.

3. Hoosier didn’t always jump really nice, but quickly learned.

4. He won every move up from starter to prelim.

5. He is EXTREMELY hard to catch; I missed several lessons on him because it would take me over an hour to catch him.

6. He is a very sensitive and skittish horse. If you goose him with your leg on accident he may buck, or jump.

7. He is one of the most loving horses I’ve ever encountered, especially with kids. He loves kids!

8. Don’t ever ride him bareback, because he spends the entire time trying to buck you off.

9. He’s bucked with every trainer (except Missy) that has ever been on his back, including Karen O’Connor.

10. Karen tried to buy Hoosier from me after I took a couple of lessons with her. She told me this horse will take you as far as you want to go.

11. Hoosier has the biggest heart. He is a trier and the most honest horse I’ve sat on.

12. When we first got Hoosier he cow-kicked badly when he got mad. He still cow kicks when I give him baths. He really hates getting wet.

13. He is extremely herd bound, like EXTREMELY.

14. He hates staying in; he is an outside kind of boy.

15. At away shows he takes his people on walks.

16. He is a double dipper.

17. Until his paralyzed flap, he used to nicker every time he came across the finish flags on cross-country.

18. He loved my gray horse Rhythm so much that every time we go somewhere and he sees a gray horse he nickers at them.

19. Hoosier is terrible to trail ride; he spooks at everything!

20. He cannot be vacuumed. Breaks loose every time. He can barely handle to be in the crossties next to another horse being vacuumed.

 

Until next time, safe rides!

 

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