Let me tell you all a story.
It’s a long one, so settle under some blankets.
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| Such a handsome boy |
There once was a little horse. I’ve been thinking about this
horse a lot lately. I had a dream about him the other day that really had a
strange effect on me. I dreamt that I was at a horse show but none of the
regular horses were there but all the people were. I went into the dressing room
to get my hair and makeup done like usual before a class and the room had all
of the usual things in it. I looked up to call for help with my hair and I saw
a horse looking over the stall wall.
It was Soldier.
The weird thing was that, even in the dream, I realized that
he was gone and has been for a while now. He just kept staring at me over the
wall and I kept staring at him. I eventually walked out of the dressing room at
looked at him through his stall door. He just kept looking at me, bobbing his
head around, then going back to staring at me. I never tried to pet him or
anything because, again, I realized that he should not be there. I wanted to pet him and talk to him but I could not.
I woke up crying. Not the gentle rolling of tears either, it
was the puffy eyes and runny nose and inability to breathe.
I have never had a dream like that and I’m not sure I liked
it. I love the idea of him watching over me and seeing what I’m doing but the
fact that I couldn’t speak or touch him was really hard, just like it is in
real life.
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I don’t know if I have ever written down how he came into my
life so I guess after contemplating our time together for the past three days,
today would be a good day to do so.
He came to Centre Pointe sometime during the beginning of
winter in 2010. We took him in and Jennifer called me and told me that we had a
new horse come in and that he was very cute, an Arabian. I was curious but not
too enthused because I was hoping that we’d get a super cool new school horse
that I could potentially take to a few shows.
Do not judge me. I know it was shallow but show season had
finished for me and I was already looking forward to the next show.
The first time I saw Soldier, I was somewhat shocked. He was
so skinny- to the point that I’d call him a bit scrawny. His little ribs were
showing, his coat was dull yet he was tremendously shaggy, and he seemed so
scared of anyone touching him. Normally when I visit with a new horse, I’ll
talk to them and they’ll come and see what I’m about. Solider went to the back
of his stall and just stared at me. He was also called Army at the time with the registered name of B Allyoucan B (which, to this day, sounds like a Ke$ha song to me).
At this point, I was curious about him. He had the most
adorable face and I could see why we had taken him in. I asked around and no
one really knew his story. Later on, we would figure out that he was MN bred,
had gone to Nationals and won, had excellent training, and then seemed to
fall off the map.
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| Look at that adorable little bug face! |
One day I went out to have a lesson and Angela informed me
that I would be riding Solider. I was tentative at the time because he was so
small and I didn’t really see the point in riding him since I had also been
informed that he was a hunter. At the time, I was just starting to ride Buzz so
that was intriguing to me and made me somewhat happy to have another horse to
practice on but I wanted to be riding a saddleseat horse too.
That horse challenged me more than any other horse had
during that first ride.
I could not figure out his steering, his speeds, his
headset, or even how to sit in the saddle. Even though all of my fumbling,
Solider was as patient as he could be expected to be but I was still baffled as
to why I could not figure him out.
So I signed up for another lesson on him.
This time, I brushed him and tacked him up before the
lesson. We had a good talk and I figured out some of his “quirks”. He did not
like any fast movement, didn’t like his ears touched, and didn’t like anything
aggressive. Even pushing at him to move him over made him jumpy.
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| After about one month of trying to pack on the weight. |
This next lesson went far smoother once I had figured out
that he was not a push horse, but
more of an ask horse. Through all my rides on him, he always gave more than you
asked only if you asked politely. He never wanted to give you a reason to be
mad or aggressive with him.
Of course, it was during these continuing lessons on him
that the bug was planted about conditioning him into show form for the next
season. We had been beefing him up by
giving him all the food he wanted so he needed to develop the muscle tone again.
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| Spring and starting to bulk up on muscle! |
I didn’t have the money to be taking a large amount of
lessons but I wanted to be around him. Something about him was special. As we
know today, Soldier had been through a
lot in his life up until he came to Centre Pointe yet he still had a spark
about him and the willingness to please. I was given the privilege of riding
him and working with him to get him in show shape.
In the months leading up to Sahara Sands, I learned so much.
Between Buzz and Soldier, I was riding a lot and able to take my time and try
different things to see what the results would be. The two of them had
personality extremes too so the same things did not work for both horses.
Sometimes I would just take Soldier out of his stall, work
on one thing for 30 minutes, and then lead him around the arena and let him eat
a bucket of oats.
I think it was in that time that I started to think of him
as mine in a way- that little horse held my heart. Between figuring out that
Smarties were his favorite candy and coaxing him to accept me touching his ears,
a bond had formed.
That little Arabian wormed his way into my Saddlebred loving
heart enough to want to take him to a show where I’d be in a new division, at a
new show, on a new breed.
He looked so handsome all groomed up and bathed at the show
in May. With his mane all braided, his neck that had developed some extreme
muscle could be seen and I could not have been more proud of all the work we
had accomplished together.
I went into that show knowing that the numbers were huge for
classes and that I was on a school horse against champions with multiple titles. Unknown to me at the time, Soldier had acquired his Legion of Honor but had never had his points paid for so they were just sitting there inactive until someone forked over $700. My goal for that show was to go into the ring and have a clean class
and to prove that we had what it took to not look like total idiots.
Of course, Soldier had to surpass the goal when we came in 5th
out of 15 in our first class.
There have been a few moments at horseshows that I will
never forget. Hearing his named called out for a ribbon is one of them. My
little engine that could had proved to us all, yet again, to never doubt him.
There was something so relaxing about riding him in the
ring. He knew his job and would never do anything stupid yet you still had to
work at it.
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| My failing attempt at studying |
We made it to two shows after that first one- the State Fair
and Sahara Sands again in 2012. Each time I had memorable rides, some better
than others but none that I ever regret because no time or money was ever
wasted on him. One of my favorite pass times with him was at shows when we were
not getting ready for a class or to work. I would pull a chair up to the front
of his stall and open his door and curl up and read or eat lunch. He would come
over and rest his head on the top of my head or set his nose on my shoulder to
see what I was doing and then go do his own thing.
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| Solider liked to share my food. |
It was that quiet
serenity of being in the same space as him that made me the happiest. It made
me feel like we had an understanding of each other and a bond that would never
be gone.
The downside of showing and riding the one Arabian hunt
horse in a barn full of saddleseat Saddlebreds is that, as a school horse of
many horses, Soldier had to be sent away every now and then. The first time was
before the State Fair which was fine because Winstead took him into his home
farm. I was told that I could visit whenever and work him and then, before the
State Fair, he’d come back to Centre Pointe so he could get hauled with the
others.
Soldier developed a major crush on Winstead’s mother’s Arabian
mare, Gracie. I loved Solider dearly but let me tell you, he was a nasty little
beast to deal with when he wants something. Working him was a pain because he
was always looking for Gracie. He was also temperamental when another horse
would try to come near her.
He may have been perfect in my eyes, but he definitely had
some flaws.
Running away from anyone who tried to catch him from his
pasture was one of his favorite games and my least favorite. It would take a
bucket of oats to get him anywhere near me when I had a lead rope. The nasty
habit of flinging his head when being bridled stopped being a problem for me
but, alas, not for anyone else (y’all, I had to bribe that horse with treats
for MONTHS). He had a habit of taking off trotting when I would get on because
he was so anxious all the time.
That little horse, I swear.
Then the time came, after my final show with him at Sahara
Sands, when he was sent to live permanently with the lovely ladies over at
Golden Ridge. I knew he would be so happy there and get to go to many shows
with oodles of riders to love on him. I was excited for him, but still,
heartbroken that he would be gone.
I was taken to visit him towards the end of January. I was
so happy to see his face that I started crying and hugging his neck. I brought
him out of the stall and just stood with him. The calm that filled me whenever
he was near me was still there. I think we stood there for a half hour just
watching lessons; he never moved or tried to get away. I smothered him with all
the love and treats I could without looking like a total freak (which, I mean,
have you guys met me?)
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| "Do I get my Smarties and granola bar now?" |
I left promising I’d visit him again soon.
I got a call from Todd on Valentine’s day while I was on a
bus out to visit Erin. I called him back as soon as I was off the bus in a
total panic.
Soldier had died.
My little man’s great heart finally gave out.
It’s thought that he was out in a pasture playing in the
snow and he had a heart attack. There was no sign of thrashing around or
anything. It looked like he had just laid down and passed away.
I think about the fact that I never had the opportunity to
say good-bye to him every single day.
I look at pictures of him and remember how he loved kisses
on his nose, how he was always looking for a treat, and the way he liked to
rest his head on my head and breathe.
There are so many people who made our time together so
special for so many reasons and you know who you are because you miss him too.
There will never be another horse like him- that much I
know.
I miss my little Soldier and his heart of gold but I believe
he is in a good place and I’ll see him again eventually.
