Last spring, I lost my old gelding named Awesome to choke. He was my babysitter and at 35 years old he would do anything for my little girl. She told me then that I had to find a horse for her that looked just like Awesome.

Time went by, she continued to ride my 16h Appaloosa/Thoroughbred cross gelding in leadline and peewee showmanship but I knew she was getting older and wanted to be more independent in the saddle. I lost my mom, my best friend, in January 2017 in a horse related accident so I was hesitant to let Savannah continue riding such a big guy, even though he seemed to be like a big puppy dog most days with her. I wanted to find something smaller, older and  more predictable.

The Copper Horse Crusade kept popping up on my Facebook page, so I decided to look and see what horses were available. The first horse I asked about was a little buckskin Quarter Horse gelding. When I asked about seeing him he was not available because he was sick. A week passed and then I found out someone else was looking at him. Sad, I asked if there was anyone else that would fit our bill and Julie suggested this little Arabian pony they had picked up mid-December. My first thought was “Oh, an Arabian” but after I saw his picture I decided to make the long trip to meet him.

I put my daughter on the bus one Wednesday, not speaking a word of this adventure, and hopped in the car with a good friend to make the almost three hour drive to Cambridge. At first sight I knew there was something special about the little red guy with his big white blaze and stockings. It was Awesome in little Arab form! I brushed him, loved on him and watched Julie ride him. I walked him around and taught him to go over the bridge that seemed really scary to him. I knew at that moment he was the one and I put a deposit on him.

When we went to pick him up it was one of the coldest days of the year. Savannah was so excited about her new friend she could barely stand the three hour drive. It was love at first sight and now the two of them are inseparable. He is so patient with her. She brushes him, picks his feet out by herself and even rides him without Mom holding onto her most days. She rides him western and English and has even trotted him over a little baby jump. Last weekend they went to their first show as a team and after getting over his “this is scary” jitters they completed a showmanship class and leadline. He did great for his first show.

He continues to get the supplements and the “groceries” he has been lacking as well as lots of special cookies, apples and all the love he can absorb. I thank Julie and her crew at the Copper Horse Crusade for all that they do and thank God for leading us to them.

What #RightHorse means to me

#RightHorse means finding that perfect fit for a soul that needs saved. Our broken hearts needed mended and I think he is the one who will do that.