mallet's Blog

I'll be the first to admit that I've rarely met a horse I didn't like. But today I rode the most terrific horse I've ever been on. I was at a place called HIdden Talent Farm in Jackson Wisconsin. Marnie Reynolds, the owner of the stable, put me on a retired thoroughbred racehorse named Richard. Nobody knows what his racing name was because the tattoo on his gums is completely unreadable. Jockey club was of no help to Marnie. But his racing career is unimportant now. He won a Gold Circle Award (I think that's what its called) as the best lesson horse in the nation. He has also competed at the top levels in show jumping and dressage. The point is this: the horse is amazingly well trained. He was absolutely push button. I asked for a canter and got one from a dead stop immediately. He trotted perfectly. He jumped like a seasoned athlete. He made me look like I know what I'm doing. He is really awesome and made me feel the same way. The best thing was the way he fit me. He is a full 17 hands tall and just a rippled mass of equine muscle. The amazing thing is that he looks like a 7 year old who could still be racing on the track. But he is 23 years old. He's been around for exactly half of my life. It was a great morning. It was a great way to clear my head before my first day on the anchor desk here in Milwaukee. That went well too. But the high point of my day was surely meeting Richard in the ring at Hidden Talent Farm. I'm going to ride him again next week. I'll try to get some pictures at some point and post them here on my blog.