Doobie was the first horse I got to pick out "on my own", my first horse (Tucker) was my mom's & my second (Sam) I inherited when his owner died of cancer. We sold Sam to the woman who was share boarding him from me and bought Doobie because more than anything in the world, I wanted a jumper. A very, very hot jumper. BOY did I ever get one!
He came from Laura Stern & was currently retired with her, just hanging out. My trainer then, Heide Casciaro was at Laura's farm looking for horses for my friend Beth and I. She found a hunter for Beth, and this skinny, fine-boned bay TB was hacking around (apparently for the first time in months) being a TOTAL idiot and Heide said "Who's he? I want him." and she took him home for me to try!
The first day I tried him I just absolutely fell in love. I walked him into the indoor arena at old Tievoli and while I tried to tighten the girth, he trotted circles around me. When I asked him to stop, he reared. He was 900lbs of fire-breathing fury and would not be tamed. He was 16 years old. He'd done the Jr/AO jumpers his entire career and was taken from the track and trained by Chuck Waters. I didn't care about any of that. He was wild and MAN could he J-U-M-P. And I loved him.
He taught me how to ride, I mean really ride. We were immediately champion or reserve every weekend in the 3' and 3'6" jumpers on the B circuit. Heide thought it was important that I still do equitation, as did my parents, so we did that too. Looking back, I don't know how this horse was such a trooper, I showed the hell out of him and just about jumped him to death.
Every time we had a lesson, people would get off their horses and untack so they could sit in the club room to watch, because he was so magnificent. He was so wild and loud (bell boots, do it every time) he would scare the socks off any horse in that indoor with him, so they'd all just leave. Even the quietest school pony, Whisper, was afraid of Doobie's feet form time-to-time.
After only a year and a half of showing together, Doobie had to be retired. He had a career ending injury that resulted in a surgery at Madison Clinic and a year of stall rest. That year brought he and I closer t0gether than I ever could have imagined. He was so mean to everyone, and really kind of hated life unless he was ripping and tearing around the jumper ring, but in that year of bonding, he completely came out of his shell. I got another horse (Slim) to show in the "A" children's and eventually Jr/AO jumpers, but we kept Doobie because he was more than "just a horse" to me, and my parents knew it. Everyone knew it.
The last 6 years of his life he spent outside in a field and occasionally bumming around on trails with me (which he really hated, he was a total idiot on trails..I mean, REALLY an idiot) and we just kind of hung out together. When I got Jimmy, the two of them attached at the hip and I swear on my life, Doobie taught Jimmy everything he knows. He was the best big brother I ever could have asked for Jimmy to have. Today is all about Doobie. Please remember him with me :-) He's definitely still watching over us from Heaven.
Our first Christmas together, 2001.
We dressed up for Halloween, I was a butterfly, he was a caterpillar.
He, Jimmy and I dressed up in 2008 as the "Three Kings". Haha. He really thought he WAS a king, too!!
I told you, he REALLY hated trail rides, and frequently ran me into trees.
We took Christmas card pictures together
We enjoyed sunny days together in the summer, just lounging around
He let Lucy lunge him, and always made sure he didn't pull too hard on her, or ever come close to stepping on her
He let her lead him around too. He was so good.
And finally, he let me torture him up until the day he died with hacking him in a frame and doing all the lateral work he did so well. He was absolutely an angel, and he still is. This is him, last spring, at age 24, 1 month before he died.
Oh, and IDK if I mentioned this... but he always had epic teeth :-)
This is my favorite photo of the three of us. My "children".
We dressed up for Halloween, I was a butterfly, he was a caterpillar.
He, Jimmy and I dressed up in 2008 as the "Three Kings". Haha. He really thought he WAS a king, too!!
I told you, he REALLY hated trail rides, and frequently ran me into trees.
We took Christmas card pictures together
We enjoyed sunny days together in the summer, just lounging around
He let Lucy lunge him, and always made sure he didn't pull too hard on her, or ever come close to stepping on her
He let her lead him around too. He was so good.
And finally, he let me torture him up until the day he died with hacking him in a frame and doing all the lateral work he did so well. He was absolutely an angel, and he still is. This is him, last spring, at age 24, 1 month before he died.
Oh, and IDK if I mentioned this... but he always had epic teeth :-)
This is my favorite photo of the three of us. My "children".
God Bless you, my angel. I still love you and miss you everyday.
4 comments:
He looks so wonderful - he sounds a lot in personality like our Lily, who only loved to jump, fast and high, and hated trails. I know the pain of losing a horse right in front of your eyes - I lost my wonderful mare Promise to a fractured leg in turnout and I was there to see it happen. He's at peace now, as you say - it was lovely that you had him for so long.
He definitely is :-) He changed a lot of lives in his 24 years, mine being one of them. He's forever missed.
Aww Doobie. What a champ:D I think he would have jumped anything, from anywhere. I always used to wish Quinn had some of his confidence! And I had no idea he came from Chuckie Waters! He's a laugh riot, and a really genuinely great horseman. It's awesome that Doobie had that experience:D
He seriously would have. He loved jumping SOOOO much. I remember my mom and I had to watch him when we first bought him so he wouldn't jump out of Heide's paddocks :-P My next horse, Slim came straight from Chuckie. He's a great guy. When he heard that we 'saved Doobie' & gave him that surgery, he basically GAVE us Slim. He's an unbelievable horseman!!
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