Teddy and Catherine

Buying a young horse is like reading a mystery novel. You know some basic facts when you start out:  There will be twists and turns, and, if the writer is talented, you’ll discover some surprises along the way. You also know that the mystery will be solved at some point, there might be some romance and generally a hero will emerge to save the day.

When I purchased Teddy as a yearling, I hoped he would some day be my next show horse. Over the past 3 1/2 years there have been successes, disappointments and surprises along the way. He excelled in the show ring as a hunter breeding horse, we struggled for about six months with an injury, and, surprise, he grew a lot taller than I expected! One of our heroes along the way, Larry Jones of Jonesborough Farm, broke and trained him under saddle, providing me with a wonderfully trusting and responsive partner.

Today, I was finally able to watch Teddy jump with professional rider Catherine Thompson of Haven Hill Farm. Up until now, I’d been the only rider to jump him and hadn’t been able to take any photos or see his style first hand. It was wonderful to see him so happy and engaged, obviously enjoying the challenge and adapting to Catherine, who was just the third person to ever ride him.

As the chapters of this mystery continue to unfold, I’m more confident that Teddy and I will make it to the show ring this spring. We will see where his talents take him, but the romance has already been well established—no matter whether he becomes a hunter, jumper, eventer or dressage horse, I will always love my horse.