This blog entry is devoted to my sweet endurance mare, Princess Buttercup. She and I enjoyed 7 years together, camping and competing in endurance and orienteering. Now I'm in Germany and I just got news she's for sale. I'm kind of devastated that I can't be there to take her, and I'm afraid she'll end up somewhere bad or worse. Somewhere they won't let me visit her when I visit America, or worse. *sigh*
She is one of those push-button horses that anyone can ride. This is a few weeks after I started riding her, our first trip to Bridle Trails State Park in Kirkland. I didn't even know her, as I rode her in this picture. She didn't know or trust me either, but she didn't give me any trouble.
She was the rare horse at an endurance ride who would walk, head down, loose rein, over the start line. In fact, a ride manager once laughed at me, for she looked western pleasury, strolling over the startline while I tried to organize my snacks in my pockets, and all the Arabs were on fire with race-morning drive. But as soon as we'd walked a ways, and camp was out of sight, I'd pick up my reins and cluck to her, and she would just FLY. Her awful rapid beat trot would whisk us past all the others one by one, and her humble little face would look up the horizon for the next person to pass. This picture was taken at the start of an endurance ride. See how much trouble she's giving me?: )
She is an amazing endurance horse, in that she knew her job so well, she'd go 50 miles and get increasingly faster all day, knowing exactly how long 50 miles is, she would be cantering at the end. What a work ethic she has!
She takes care of herself, mare fashion. She once was following a group of riders down middle Oregon's hills and she went off trail. I wondered why and let her go. She had become thirsty, and smelled (sensed?) water. She simply trotted over to it and drank, letting all the other horses leave. That's rare for a horse to take such care and show such sense.
Baasha and Princess are such lovers. They have no personal space with each other. They are always touching. Even snorfing and grooming each other, mare and gelding, heavenly looks in their eyes.
Here we are camping in Salmon le Sac, and I didn't have to tie Baasha cuz there was no way he'd leave her.
Here they are at Tami's place in Carnation, they got to spend the whole night loose together in her big paddock!
I did a lot of ponying Baasha from Princess. Anytime I'd stop, he'd be naughty and come around and start nibbling on her or nuzzling her. Those were good times: )
My husband never had to worry, riding Princess. She carried my husband on his first orienteering ride, and while all the other horses were whirling around excitedly, she was standing motionless while my man studied his map. He steered her around with one hand in the flurry of misbehaving horses fighting their riders. I was so worried about him, but there was no need, she took care of him. He could work with his Garmin or map and let her carry him down the trail. (No we did not use the GPS on orienteering rides.)
I don't know how I was able to get a photo of the moment a deer jumped out of the trees in front of us. She gathered herself together, in her QH/Arab style, but didn't spook or run off with my man. You can see he's not scared, he just patted her. Are those dapples on her coat!?? I didn't know she had dapples.
She's such a pretty thing. We're standing near the edge of a very steep cliff, and I'm not worried about my man, Princess has got him: )
Watching my man get her ready before an orienteering ride, I couldn't get enough of the cute overload: )
He spent about 5 minutes straight on her forelock alone. She's a princess, afterall.
Oh, I hope someone will love her and comb her mane and tail and polish her copper-reflecty coat til it's gleaming in the sun.
Dainty Princess doesn't even trip or stumble, ever. I made jokes that she had an embarrasing fall as a foal in front of all the other foals, and never wants to repeat that mistake. Technical trails are no problem, I could sit back and read my map, even cantering. She's such a princess, I've never even heard her fart, and she never gets dirty. This is in contrast with my gelding, who is a true boy in this regard. Here we are at an endurance ride, 10 more miles to go, and I'm too exhausted to stand up and feed her. She's modeling that crappy Schneiders blanket I talked about earlier this week. That blanket, *shakes head*...
I am so attached to her, I wish we had our own place. I just can't afford to board two horses. She never does a naughty thing, and does her job well. I hope someone will love her like I do.
This blog entry is devoted to my sweet endurance mare, Princess Buttercup. She and I enjoyed 7 years together, camping and competing in endurance and orienteering. Now I'm in Germany and I just got news she's for sale. I'm kind of devastated that I can't be there to take her, and I'm afraid she'll end up somewhere bad or worse. Somewhere they won't let me visit her when I visit America, or worse. *sigh*
She is one of those push-button horses that anyone can ride. This is a few weeks after I started riding her, our first trip to Bridle Trails State Park in Kirkland. I didn't even know her, as I rode her in this picture. She didn't know or trust me either, but she didn't give me any trouble.
She was the rare horse at an endurance ride who would walk, head down, loose rein, over the start line. In fact, a ride manager once laughed at me, for she looked western pleasury, strolling over the startline while I tried to organize my snacks in my pockets, and all the Arabs were on fire with race-morning drive. But as soon as we'd walked a ways, and camp was out of sight, I'd pick up my reins and cluck to her, and she would just FLY. Her awful rapid beat trot would whisk us past all the others one by one, and her humble little face would look up the horizon for the next person to pass. This picture was taken at the start of an endurance ride. See how much trouble she's giving me?: )
She is an amazing endurance horse, in that she knew her job so well, she'd go 50 miles and get increasingly faster all day, knowing exactly how long 50 miles is, she would be cantering at the end. What a work ethic she has!
She takes care of herself, mare fashion. She once was following a group of riders down middle Oregon's hills and she went off trail. I wondered why and let her go. She had become thirsty, and smelled (sensed?) water. She simply trotted over to it and drank, letting all the other horses leave. That's rare for a horse to take such care and show such sense.
Baasha and Princess are such lovers. They have no personal space with each other. They are always touching. Even snorfing and grooming each other, mare and gelding, heavenly looks in their eyes.
Here we are camping in Salmon le Sac, and I didn't have to tie Baasha cuz there was no way he'd leave her.
Here they are at Tami's place in Carnation, they got to spend the whole night loose together in her big paddock!
I did a lot of ponying Baasha from Princess. Anytime I'd stop, he'd be naughty and come around and start nibbling on her or nuzzling her. Those were good times: )
My husband never had to worry, riding Princess. She carried my husband on his first orienteering ride, and while all the other horses were whirling around excitedly, she was standing motionless while my man studied his map. He steered her around with one hand in the flurry of misbehaving horses fighting their riders. I was so worried about him, but there was no need, she took care of him. He could work with his Garmin or map and let her carry him down the trail. (No we did not use the GPS on orienteering rides.)
I don't know how I was able to get a photo of the moment a deer jumped out of the trees in front of us. She gathered herself together, in her QH/Arab style, but didn't spook or run off with my man. You can see he's not scared, he just patted her. Are those dapples on her coat!?? I didn't know she had dapples.
She's such a pretty thing. We're standing near the edge of a very steep cliff, and I'm not worried about my man, Princess has got him: )
Watching my man get her ready before an orienteering ride, I couldn't get enough of the cute overload: )
He spent about 5 minutes straight on her forelock alone. She's a princess, afterall.
Oh, I hope someone will love her and comb her mane and tail and polish her copper-reflecty coat til it's gleaming in the sun.
Dainty Princess doesn't even trip or stumble, ever. I made jokes that she had an embarrasing fall as a foal in front of all the other foals, and never wants to repeat that mistake. Technical trails are no problem, I could sit back and read my map, even cantering. She's such a princess, I've never even heard her fart, and she never gets dirty. This is in contrast with my gelding, who is a true boy in this regard. Here we are at an endurance ride, 10 more miles to go, and I'm too exhausted to stand up and feed her. She's modeling that crappy Schneiders blanket I talked about earlier this week. That blanket, *shakes head*...
I am so attached to her, I wish we had our own place. I just can't afford to board two horses. She never does a naughty thing, and does her job well. I hope someone will love her like I do.
4 comments:
What a lovely tribute to a lovely mare. Sorry to hear that she is being sold! :(
If I were not a starving student, I would be interested in her. I take it she is for sale here in WA?
yah, she's in washington. i wish she could have been on that plane with baasha and me!
I hope one of your blogger buddies in WA can take her for you. The sale market is a scary, desperate place these days. She's lovely.
oh, that is so sad that you cannot get her back. I hope she gets a good owner. I know how hard it is to sell a good horse. My father was military and when we had to move, the horses couldn't come with us.
Post a Comment