Jake who's alias is Cherry's Chance, is a special horse. He came with many issues that have been a challenge for anyone who worked with him. My dear friend rescued him from standing alone in a pasture for years. She spent some time healing him and sent him out for training for a month with a friend of hers before she sent him to me. He suffered separation anxiety from other horses to such an extreme level that made it very difficult to nearly impossible to allow us to work with him, or use him to any capacity with our students in our program. He has always been a ride for my most experienced of students. The students who were drawn to him learned much about compassion and love. He is registered AQHA and has Secretariat close up in his pedigree.
The first student who was drawn to him was
+Cassidy Johnston. She spent years schooling and riding him to her parents chagrin. They wished that she was attracted to a horse with more training that was ready to win in the arena of Barrel Racing. He was so frightened it was all he was able to do to leave the gate and negotiate the pattern whether barrels, poles, cones or the other events of the games. We started using him in the hunt field with always a caveat to the rider to never try to leave the field.
Cassidy rode in lessons with me for months and Jake was not even able to be ridden on the other side of the arena away from another horse in the lesson. Cassidy would be forced to ride right behind that other horse. We slowly started to peel him away and were also working on his weak left hind that was such a challenge to correct. It was nearly impossible to canter on the left lead with out cross-firing which was not correct but easier for him. Cassidy had the patience love and care of Jake to work on the same simple principles every week in her lessons and to take the tiniest of improvements to heart. She was unfailingly patient and showed her love to him with every "Good Boy" and hug and kind pats when he was able to do the right thing no matter how small the try was.
Fast forward
New student Britnee Hanton starts riding and has been riding only a short time, when the steady lesson horse she has been learning from and showing, is temporarily injured and no longer available for her to barrel race or lesson on. We have other more experienced horses. but she is drawn to Jake. He is a challenge to a beginner rider from the first moment, as he moves more quickly and with less intent and warning than a more seasoned lesson horse. We are perplexed as to why she is drawn to this difficult, but much improved from when he arrived, model.
We went from lessons in our small arena at home to the big arena at Indiantown working on trotting all around the big arena following the other horses. Then we set simple circles in each corner to allow them to bond and help him to feel safe enough to complete the simple cloverleaf pattern, without just racing back to the safety of the in-gate and his herd friends. Britnee had to learn very quickly, to be a extra quiet rider with a still seat and soft following hand. She had to learn to be a confident enough rider, to allow him a safe space with her. She had to learn to not fall off and to stay on, in spite of the fact that he might not complete the pattern with little or no warning, and attempt to race back. He was a frustration to her many, many times. She had to learn to be patient with him and learn to be patient with herself, as this was way more than she was ready to take on.
thanx Pear & Thorn
She has been showing and working with Jake for more than a year now and has learned much. She has been running 2 shows a month at both
Big Lake Trailriders saddle series in Okeechobee and Indiantown Riding Club in Indiantown, Florida. She wrote a nice note of thanx (see below) on Facebook and this is what prompted this short write about a horse who needed help and understanding and found it at with 2 of my wonderful students. I am very proud of my students, my instructors, and my horses (who are the best teachers) over the years who have learned much about themselves and about horses, from the great horses that I have had over the years in my program.
Looking at this picture makes me think back to the past two years and how far I've come. If there was one thing I had to think of to say about the experiences I've had so far that I am so thankful my parents taught me to work hard and I'll get what I deserve. These past two years I've realized that my parents have taught me one if the most valuable things a person could know. Just about every dime that has gone into this passion has been mine that I had to work for. I can't thank Tara Hanton Jon Hanton for everything you have taught me. And thank you Katelyn Gitschier and Joyce Chartier for providing me with the opportunity to begin my journey in the equestrian world.
Her note of thanx and mine and my other great instructor barrel racer 's response.
