A bit more about Butterball

How we met:

Butterball has been at JT's barn on and off for the past two years. I thought he was PERFECT the first time I laid eyes on him a year plus ago when he was popping over some fences with a working student on board. He was one of the three horses AT rode in BN at Majestic a few weeks ago and his owner was there. I was standing next to her watching Goggles go and mentioned how delightful and adorable I thought BB was. She responded that he was for sale. I had NO IDEA that he was for sale and once I heard that, the wheels started turning. I went home and told Ryan that I wanted to sell Goggles and buy a pony named Butterball. He responded "Why don't you?" 

"Yeah, why don't you (feed me that cookie)??"

We set up a trial ride a week later. AT brought him out and jumped him around. She described him well, "He's straightforward and trustworthy over the jumps. If he starts to get wiggly in the bridle then just kick him forward." Then I popped on him. I was honestly hoping there would be something unpleasant about him. I don't love horses that are really wide, and I don't love kick rides. But... he was neither. He was perfectly sized under me and responsive to the leg. And he was so freaking trustworthy. I just felt completely at home. We jumped around some fences larger than I've seen in 9 months. 

The next week we set up a day for me to take him XC. He arrived at Majestic solo and walked off the trailer and started grazing. He called once while we were walking out to the jumps, but then settled down to business. Again, it was just delightful. We popped around with one oops at a corner where I didn't get him straight to it and he realized at the last second it was wider than he thought. But when I opened my left rein to correct a runout, he dove back between the flags and over the corner. The next go round he read it perfectly. The one adjustment will be his gallop and fitness. On the thoroughbreds it is, obviously, so easy to just let them open up and flow forward, BB needs... a bit of encouragement and would happily canter pleasantly around without realllllly moving into that forward XC canter/hand gallop. On the other hand, he goes XC in the same french link full cheek that he jumps at home in and is a perfect gentleman with no diving down into the hand or spooking at other fences (ahem Ben). 

From there, there was a PPE, which he passed with flying colors*, and then a wire transfer, and then I was the proud person of one Butterball. *I did get told that there was some fat around his sheath and on his crest that was not ideal. I will be going through a massive adjustment period learning how to feed (or not really) this dude. 

Now a bit more about him:

He has several names - his registration papers say WPF Who's Your Daddy. His USEA is WPF Westerlie. His USEF is WPF Golden Boy. His owner and I agreed that there was no way we could ride in the ring to the announcer saying "...riding Who's Your Daddy." I'm not sure whether he'll be WPF Golden Boy or WPF Westerlie going forward, might also depend on how much money USEA wants to change his name. He also has gone by West as a barn name, but got nicknamed Butterball when he came to JT's and I kinda love it. 

He was bred by Whispering Pines Farm and sold as a three or four year old. Since then he's had the same owner. He is by the Hanoverian stallion Westporte and out of a Welsh mare, Lorelei Socialite. (Sorry Jen, I don't know more about his dam's breeding, maybe you do?? Or know where to find such things?). He's 15 hands and seven years old. Funny enough he shares his birthday (March 26th) with my dad. He's competed at beginner novice and done jumpers including at WEC in the indoors. 

He is just a delightful, easy, charming creature. He is just pleasant to be around in addition to being incredibly talented. In our trial ride, I did get a little lecture on not letting him poke around in a pleasant but not through trot. He's got a nice floaty trot so it is easy to get lulled into just enjoying it rather than asking him for what he is capable of. But man, when he connects, both in the trot and canter, it is just amazing. And the vet who did his PPE kept commenting on what a great walk he has and what great feet he has. I'm so excited for our journey together. 

And this does mean that Goggles is for sale. I seriously do not need (do not have time for... do not have money for...) three horses and he's at a great age and stage to find a new person. He has turned into quite a fun, trustworthy horse himself, but he'll always be 17.1+ hands and he'll always be a bully in group turnout, two things that just don't necessarily work with my horsey lifestyle.