Years ago at Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, I stopped at the Rocky Mt. Horse booth. The breeder explained to me how “people-friendly” & giving their temperaments are. Their rocking-motion gait does not jar a rider’s aching bones. He invited me into the stall to meet his stud horse. The animal leaned towards me as I pet him & even let me hug him. The breeder did say, however, that he would never dream of letting me ride him because this particular horse had too big of a “motor” for me. I liked his honesty. Two years ago (time does fly!), I came to the realization that I had to divorce myself from my present horse, Snoopy. After 2 big accidents & the horse not respecting me or any rider on the trails anymore, it was time to call it quits. Joel said that this time around I should look for my “dream” horse, a Rocky. In April of 2005, Joel & I started on our trek for a Rocky Mountain to be my next trail buddy. We met a lot of good Rocky people along the way. Through word of mouth from one Rocky owner to another in Ohio, we were led to Dan Weber’s place in Morrow, OH. Within 15 min. of being called, he had Charlie saddled & waiting for me to
try. I must admit that it was not love at first sight on my part. Charlie’s feet were too long & he still had his dark, bushy winter coat. I rode him at a walk around the property with Dan walking beside us until I felt more confident & continued on Charlie by myself. When I asked why he would consider selling Charlie to me, I was given the answer, “Because I think you need him more than we do!” And, of course, I got emotional & started to cry. Two weeks later, Joel hooked the trailer to his truck & we started out on our week-long Rocky Mt. horse quest. We had appointments from West Virginia, to 3 parts of Kentucky & finally ended our quest back at Dan Weber’s on Wednesday of that week. Dan & his friend, Shonda, took Joel & me on a 2-1/2 hr. trail ride at a park near them. This was the best way for me to experience how Charlie handled himself on a trail ride. We both did just great as a team! We even walked by his dad, Dusty, giving Dan a hard time because he wanted to go swimming in the creek that we crossed over. At one stretch, we all broke out in the Rocky gait so I could experience how smooth this breed’s gait is. Yes, it was love then! Joel said that I was grinning from ear-to-ear. On May 12, 2005, we brought Charlie Horse home to Pittsburgh. We had a few “rocky” starts with mounting & spooking on the trail. Riders beware - of horsey eating bunnies on the trail, ha-ha (inside joke with Cutter)! Charlie is a great trail horse as well as my buddy - he looks out for the both of us on the trail. When he gets into his gait, we float! I will always be a timid rider, but he has helped me to overcome a lot of the fear with trust on both our sides. Charlie & I have come a long way in the two years that we have owned each other. His motor is just fine for me!
Years ago at Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, I stopped at the Rocky Mt. Horse booth. The breeder explained to me how “people-friendly” & giving their temperaments are. Their rocking-motion gait does not jar a rider’s aching bones. He invited me into the stall to meet his stud horse. The animal leaned towards me as I pet him & even let me hug him. The breeder did say, however, that he would never dream of letting me ride him because this particular horse had too big of a “motor” for me. I liked his honesty. Two years ago (time does fly!), I came to the realization that I had to divorce myself from my present horse, Snoopy. After 2 big accidents & the horse not respecting me or any rider on the trails anymore, it was time to call it quits. Joel said that this time around I should look for my “dream” horse, a Rocky. In April of 2005, Joel & I started on our trek for a Rocky Mountain to be my next trail buddy. We met a lot of good Rocky people along the way. Through word of mouth from one Rocky owner to another in Ohio, we were led to Dan Weber’s place in Morrow, OH. Within 15 min. of being called, he had Charlie saddled & waiting for me to 
try. I must admit that it was not love at first sight on my part. Charlie’s feet were too long & he still had his dark, bushy winter coat. I rode him at a walk around the property with Dan walking beside us until I felt more confident & continued on Charlie by myself. When I asked why he would consider selling Charlie to me, I was given the answer, “Because I think you need him more than we do!” And, of course, I got emotional & started to cry. Two weeks later, Joel hooked the trailer to his truck & we started out on our week-long Rocky Mt. horse quest. We had appointments from West Virginia, to 3 parts of Kentucky & finally ended our quest back at Dan Weber’s on Wednesday of that week. Dan & his friend, Shonda, took Joel & me on a 2-1/2 hr. trail ride at a park near them. This was the best way for me to experience how Charlie handled himself on a trail ride. We both did just great as a team! We even walked by his dad, Dusty, giving Dan a hard time because he wanted to go swimming in the creek that we crossed over. At one stretch, we all broke out in the Rocky gait so I could experience how smooth this breed’s gait is. Yes, it was love then! Joel said that I was grinning from ear-to-ear. On May 12, 2005, we brought Charlie Horse home to Pittsburgh. We had a few “rocky” starts with mounting & spooking on the trail. Riders beware - of horsey eating bunnies on the trail, ha-ha (inside joke with Cutter)! Charlie is a great trail horse as well as my buddy - he looks out for the both of us on the trail. When he gets into his gait, we float! I will always be a timid rider, but he has helped me to overcome a lot of the fear with trust on both our sides. Charlie & I have come a long way in the two years that we have owned each other. His motor is just fine for me!
2 comments:
My Mom said Charlie looks alot like a horse my girl knows! Sierra is a Belgian/Quarterhorse mix with the same coloring. My girl rides a Tennsee Walker named Jake. Mom likes him because he's polite and doesn't try to dump her off. Silly animals! HARROO!
ECHO
I love the pics of all the horses, especially the head shot of Charlie.
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