I can't believe it's been so long. I still remember the first day I brought him home.
About You
Name?
Caitlin
Age?
24
Height?
5'1"
What started your interest in horses?
I went to a riding camp when I was five. I think my parents just wanted me out of the house...and I fell in love.
How long have you been riding?
Well I haven't ridden the last few years since my horse is retired now, but from the time I was five until about 19 I rode regularly.
Do/did you take lessons?
Yes, I did for many years.
Can you remember the first horse you rode?
Maybelle  She was a New Forest pony. I loved her to death and knew her until I was 16 and we moved stables.
What's the smallest horse you've ridden?
Kahlua was about 10 hands.
And the biggest?
Dylan, he was 17.3 hands, a Thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross. I looked like a baby on him.
How many times have you fallen off?
Pffft, I stopped counting.
What's the worst fall you've had?
I can think of two, both with Secret, my second horse. She was a bit of a nutcase and had issues with jumping because of the things her last owner did to her involving jumping (long story, but we basically had to retrain her). Anyways, both incidents happened because she took a big "scary" jump on her first try and was so excited she took off galloping and bucking. The first time was at home and she threw me into the boards at the side of the arena. I cracked a huge dent in them and my coach though at first I'd broken my back. It was several minutes before I could even stand. The second time we were in the warm-up ring at a show and she jumped a 3' oxer (two fences placed close together that are jumped at the same time) and threw me in front of her, couldn't stop in time, and crunched my leg beneath one of her big shod hooves. I also hit my head hard enough I blacked out for a few seconds, because I remember falling and then the next thing my coach was bending over me and my friend was holding Secret at the opposite end of the arena. That ended in a trip to Emergency.
What about the funniest/most embaressing?
Not sure about that.
Have you ever broken a bone because of horses?
I fractured my foot from being stepped on, but that's it.
Have you ever shown - and if so, in what classes?
Yeah, I've shown many horses/ponies so it's varied. I showed mostly in Hunter classes, but did some Hunter Hack and In-Hand classes with certain horses. Secret and I did Trillium Hunter; she was better suited as a jumper but wasn't confident enough when I had her that we could have done that.
What's your favourite show memory?
The one time Secret cleared every fence without a single refusal. Everyone says I had the biggest grin on my face through the whole thing LOL. I was so proud of her. We got 2nd, but only because the horse who placed first was actually shown regularly at a much higher level, and they basically brought him to a schooling show so he could sweep up all the ribbons.
Have you ever won a class? Which one(s)?
Oh yeah, tons. I still have all my ribbons stored in my closet.
Have you ever won a championship?
No.
Have you ever come last in a class?
Yup, the one time I tried to show Duke. He has anxiety problems and was panicky all day because he was somewhere new.
Have you ever had a groom, or have you acted as groom yourself?
I've never had one because I'm not a snob....I used to work at the stable I rode at longest, so I guess one of the jobs was grooming.
Have you ever worked with horses?
Yes, see above.
If not, would you like to?
I'd love to again.
Do you read horsey magazines? Which ones?
Not anymore. I used to be subscribed to Horse Illustrated though.
What's your favourite horsey book (fiction)?
As a kid I loved The Saddle Club, but now I really like Heartland (yes, I know they're kids books!). It's hard to find adult books about horses.
Do you have a good non-fiction book to recommend?
I can't remember what it's called, but the official Big Ben biography. He was a fabulous horse.
What's your favourite horsey film?
National Velvet
Do you ride English or Western?
English, although I can do the basics Western.
Do you drive horses?
Nah
Do you wear a helmet when riding? If not, why not?
Yes. I've smacked my head enough to know my brains would be scrambled if I didn't.
Do you wear flourescent gear when riding on the roads?
I don't ride on the roads.
If not, why not? If you do, do you wish more riders would?
It seems like a smart idea if you're riding at night...but then, riding on the roads at night is a really stupid idea to begin with.
Do you carry a whip?
Nope. I had a crop with Duke because he was a lazy ass when it came to trotting, LOL, but it was never more than a little tap on the shoulder to remind him "hey, I'm supposed to be giving the instructions here".
Can you open a gate from horseback?
Yeah of course.
Where do you usually ride - in the arena or out on hacks?
Outdoor arena is my preference.
Are there many bridleways in your area?
No. There are a lot of conservation areas where you'd allowed to ride, but they all require transport to get to them.
Do you ride out alone or in company?
In my later years of riding I preferred riding alone because stable girls are bitches and I couldn't stand listening to them all backstab one another and brag about their expensive horses.
Have you ever had problems with cars or other road users?
Nope. If people around here see a horse on the road, they're careful.
What's the longest ride you've been on?
*shrug*
Do you have any goals relating to horses?
I know it won't happen in Duke's lifetime unfortunately, but eventually I'd like to get a few acres and have my horse on my own property. I would also love to start riding again, but I can't afford to board Duke and then lease another horse that I can ride.
What's your favourite thing to do with them?
Well with Duke now, we just play and whatnot. I go out and give him a good grooming and visit the other horses and stable animals (which are all obsessed with me for some reason).
Your Horse(s)
Do you own, loan or share?
I own him.
How many horses do you have?
One.
What are their names?
Duke
Ages?
He's 24. Old guy.
Height?
15.1 hh
Breed?
Morgan/Arabian (which is called a Morab, but every time I say that's his breed to someone I get a blank look).
Colour and markings?
He's a chestnut that changes with the seasons. In summer he's a very bright, reddish chestnut. In the winter when his winter coat comes in he turns quite dark. He has a star, stripe, and snip and one sock on his left hind leg.
How long have you had them?
It will be 12 years tomorrow! Tomorrow morning I'm baking him some homemade treats and going
to to visit.
Do you know anything about them before they came to you?
Not a whole lot. I mean I obviously went out and rode him - the first time just with my mom, and the second time I brought my coach along for her opinion. He was being sold by a girl just a few years older than me who I think was looking to get a show horse instead.
Do they have any vices or bad habits?
Oh does he ever. He's far too intelligent for his own good, and that means he can be a total brat a good deal of the time. He also cribs, even through a cribbing collar, so we've given up trying to stop it.
Are they novice rides or not?
He's not difficult if you're confident, but if he senses any hesitation in you he will just do whatever he damn well pleases instead of listening to you. One of my favourite examples: for about a year just after I got Secret he was used as a lesson horse for the farm I boarded at. The kids all loved him because he has such a personality, but he knew he could get away with anything with them because they weren't big enough to control him, so when they brought him in from the field he used to literally drag them into the nearest stall and then stand there refusing to budge until an adult came along and hauled him out. It was a game for him.
What kind of things do you do with them?
Now I just pet him and groom him and give him a ridiculous amount of treats. He's an old guy and retired now.
Have they had/do they have any illnesses?
He has some teeth problems now that he's older because he cribs (which is when they rest their upper teeth on a fence post or something similar and draw in air in a loud hiccuping noise - they start doing it young usually if they spent too much time in a stall as he probably did, and the nearest thing I can compare it to is smoking - you can't get them to stop), so we file them down every year or two. Apart from that though, and the fact he's always had trouble gaining weight, he's been healthy.
Are they insured?
No
Have they ever been involved in an accident?
No
Are they shod?
No. No point, since he doesn't leave the farm.
What do you feed them?
Hay and grain. He's boarded so I'm not in charge of that. I bring him a bag of carrots every time I go and hang it on the stall, and Sherry puts one in his food every night when she feeds him. I also have apple-flavoured horse treats and will bring him apples, bananas, and the occasional candy cane.
What are their personalitys like?
He thinks he's a big dog. He comes to his name, he's fidgety and playful. He likes to grab my arms and shoulders and hair with his lips, or nudges me playfully and nearly sends me flying. As I said he's very intelligent, so he notices everything and that makes him nervous a lot of the time when things are different or noisy. It also makes him very saucy.
What's your favourite thing about them?
He has such a unique personality that in so many ways is so typically horse and also so very different. I've never met a horse like him.
How much did they cost?
$2500. This was in 1999.
Do you intend to keep them for the rest of their lives?
Yes, he will remain with me.
Would you keep them even if you couldn't ride them anymore?
I can't ride him anymore. I'd be so terrified about what would happen to him if I sold an unrideable, 24-year-old horse. He's been good to me, got me through a lot of difficult years, and I could never do something like that to him.
Does anyone else ride them?
No. A friend used to lease him part-time when I wasn't able to ride him often, but that was before university.
What made you decide to buy them?
He was my first horse, so I was just so drawn to his great personality. Also, he is gorgeous LOL.
Past Horses
How many horses have you owned?
Two, including Duke.
Are there any that you no longer have?
Yes, I sold Secret.
Were they sold? If not, what happened?
Yes.
What were their names?
Secret
Age?
She would be 20 now, which is crazy! I got her when she was 10 and sold her when she was 12.
Breed?
Thoroughbred
Height?
16 hands
Colour/markings?
Fleabitten grey
If you sold them, why?
Because she was a high-energy horse that required riding 6 days a week to maintain her training, and I just didn't have that kind of time. It wasn't fair to her because she had so much potential.
Did you compete with them?
Yes
Do you still own anything that belonged to them?
Yeah I still have all her show stuff and her polos. |
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