He really was a piece of cake that way…

“He really was a piece of cake that way, he naturally carried himself in a frame and he loved to show off. I would rarely ride him at home between competitions. I’d turn him out and work him on the long lines with his surcingle to keep him fit. 

Arabs physically mature slow anyway, and since he was so big I didn’t start doing much with him till he was five. The first time I got on him, he turned his head around and nibbled on my toe. I just gave him a huge hug around his neck and told him he was an angel for not hurting his Mama. 

I spent most of my time laughing at him. So many people over the years felt the need to tell me that I shouldn’t let him do this and I shouldn’t let him do that – I’d just tell them to lighten up. The best thing about him was his personality, I wasn’t going to squash it.

I got a lot of grief for not showing him until he was six but he was just so goofy that I didn’t want to push him. I think I could have crushed his heart with my pinky. He was such a softie. The last thing I wanted to do was break his trust. If he wanted to be a yearling his whole life, more power to him. We could all take life less seriously.

He died suddenly two years ago from colic. He’d never been sick or lame a day in his life. He wasn’t exactly young, he was 20 years old, but he still looked like he was three and was getting ready to compete at the national level again. It was definitely a shock. 

Can’t complain though, when you get the privilege of being around a soul that beautiful, you feel like an ass complaining that you only got 20 years.”