Throwback: Perfect Precious

Most equestrians when they picture the perfect show horse, they see something bright, flashy. Lots of socks, perhaps a big white blaze. Not me. I think of Precious. Solid brown. The tiniest single speck of white, a penny sized bird catcher spot on her cheek. She was a liver chestnut, brown like a chocolate bar. Only turning the slightest hint of red in the summer sun by mid July.

Precious was my favorite lesson horse. She was flawless. Built like an athlete. She'd carry you over anything you pointed her at. Sturdy and fearless. Extremely versatile. She taught me how to jump. She never refused a fence. I also did play-days with her and once did a local pole bending completion with her. I was convinced she could do anything.

She wasn't anything special. Very plain to look at. No special blood lines. Not a special breed. Just a simple colored Appendix Quarter horse. But she was special to me.

Precious

 

And now, as an adult re-rider, I wish she was still around. She's the kind of horse that could help me get back to being the rider I once was. To help me rebuild my confidence. That's one of the hardest struggles for me now. Trusting myself in the saddle. I feel like my instincts have dulled in the time I was "off". I could really make some progress in improving my jumping if she was still around. But she is old now. Past her prime. Retired. And I miss her.


Precious out on the trail

 

It's one of the saddest things, for me, about being an adult re-rider. You missed those remaining bright and beautiful years with the horses you loved because you stopped riding. I could have continued to learn from Precious, for years, before I would have had to watch her grow old. And, in a way, it's that thought that reassures me.

 

I know I won't ever quit again. Apache, she's only 6 years old. If I quit now, she would likely revert back into "wild mustang mode". Apache has at least another decade of things to teach me. How could I just let that go by the wayside? 

 

I plan to start teaching Apache to jump this summer. She has all the potential to be wonderful at it. I'm not giving up on my passion again. And looking at pictures of Precious reminds me of what I'm working towards. That feeling of being at home in the saddle. Trust. Companionship. And, of course, happiness. 

Jumping warm-up