California Dude

Ben returned to California over the weekend. He's Texas bred, but came off the track to his prior owner in California as a three year old. He lived there until he moved to the east coast for a lease when he was ten. Two years later, he headed down to FL with me and the rest is history, documented here on the blog.

His previous owner messaged me in early January. He hasn't featured on my social media much since I don't #keepitreal there; there hasn't been a lot to document with a horse who was living his best pasture potato life. We chatted some, and I sent her videos of him frolicking in the pasture with his friends. She said, as she had when I bought him, that she was always happy to give him a cushy retirement home. We also chatted some about his feet and his struggles for the past year plus. I rolled our conversation around in my head for a few weeks. 

Then while reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, a book about simplifying ones life to the essential parts and focusing all your energies on those, I made a decision. While I ADORE Ben and want him to have a fantastic home with top notch care, I am not the only one who could provide that care. But if I got him sound and sold him, I was rolling the dice on that home. I'm not big-headed enough to think I'm the only one who would stick by him through various hoof challenges, but I'm also not stupid enough to think that every person would. He's also 15 and has some neck soreness, potentially from his long-standing foot soreness. And while he is an incredible athlete and DELIGHTFUL to ride, he has his quirks that make him not the horse for everyone - but then again what horse is. I was more than willing to provide him that retirement home for years to come, but his old owner was also more than willing. Both of us independently had thought that perhaps the dry California climate would make his sensitive feet happy. With those thoughts in mind, we started to make plans.

It was weird. As soon as the decision was made, I felt at peace with it. I had a few moments watching him frolick in the pasture thinking how good he looked and feeling like maybe we could get it together to be back out there. But I have discovered that I do best with a single horse in work. While Ben and I definitely had our share of VERY COOL adventures together, Butterball is more my kind of horse - I LOVE trail riding and Ben DOES NOT!!! love trail riding. With exclamation points and everything. He did it because he is a certified GOOD BOY, but it was never his cup of tea. Butterball also seems totally content to travel solo and nom down on his alfalfa on the trailer while Ben always had a very well contained level of anxiety when he was going places solo. 

And there was not a doubt in my mind of the kind of home he was going home to. There is something beautiful about that. He is THE NICEST person ever and to have more than one option for cushy retirement home is a testament to that. 

Ben took me around my first training level course. Through our journey together I learned what it SHOULD feel like galloping around cross country although it took us time to find that together. He helped me rediscover what true connection feels like. Our dressage tests at the TB Expo stand out in my mind as just being so in sync and steady together. I thought something and he would do it off that thought. He also taught me that it's fine to miss your distance, even at a meter, as long as you don't scream about it. Sit up and close your leg and commit! We had SO MANY adventures together. He is a generous, kind, goofy, big hearted horse who taught me so much. I am definitely going to miss him, but I am SO happy he will be in another place where he is deeply loved and appreciated. 

Our first recognized together

Fancy prancing his way to a 26

Look at that shine

I think the first training level fence I'd ever jumped, and potentially the start of our love affair with wedges

Getting all the attention and needles at Chi

His second training level with JT in the irons

Seriously model level gorgeous

Stadium practice

Our first training level together at Rocking Horse

Wheeee

With the herd at GY's, featuring his BF front and center

Always putting up with all my shenanigans

The cutest reindeer

Reindeer splish splashing

Always down for a nice cuddle

Sporting his fetching winter clip at the GY's

Begging for cookies

More wedges!

GOT IT!

Sailing our way around Rocking Horse. He looked SO GOOD braided

Post-braids! 

Splish Splash 

More wedges

Testing out studs at Majestic

Love the studs

Next go, conquering our nemesis

Clever feets

Warwick's retreat and advance

The least thoroughbredy thoroughbred - grazing while AT did gallop sets around him 

Aquatredding

Handsome boy

Our novice trip at Stable view - stadium was SO MUCH atmosphere but he did it for me

And then we had a BLAST XC 

Ponying from his BF - certainly not about to nibble...

Back at Rocking Horse popping around stadium, one of the best pictures I have, ever

Weeeee! 

Brushing the brush 

Saying hello to his "little" brother 

Pretty TB expo winnings - since I started roaching his mane after he stopped doing things in spring 2024, it is so funny to see these pictures with a tidy pulled mane 

Quiet nights at the GY's braiding with Christmas lights 

Saying goodbye

Back home in California ❤️

January 2025 Wrap Up

 

	Ben	Butterball
Training rides	0	0
Lessons	0	5- 4 jump, 1 dressage
Hacks	0	2 bareback walk hacks, lots of walk hacks to start flat rides
Ground work, lunge, long line	4- 2 Equiband lunges, 2 ground work sessions	1
Flat rides	0	8
Conditioning rides	0	1
XC school	0	1
Shows	0	0

January was a month of a few big changes/decisions as far as horse keeping goes. Butterball got his hind shoes pulled at the beginning of the month. Then we switched to a new farrier the second week of the month. I consciously decided not to do much with Ben until we got him into his glue on composites in February. Instead we played a little bit on the ground. He LOVES the blocks that I learned from the cowboy who helped with Goggles. Not surprisingly, Ben is very, very in tune with his person, and being told exactly where to place his body and how to follow along brought him a lot of security. We marched all over the spooky parts of the property with him directly in line behind me but at a respectful distance. It was pretty neat. All I had to do was stop and he would immediately halt square behind me. Instead of needing to fully step back, a small pump of both arms backwards would have him backing up directly in line. He's gone over it before, but we marched right over the wooden bridge in line like that with the line loose and me not having to direct him in any way other than walking over it myself. 

He also did have two lunging sessions. One of those sessions I was trotting him through a bounce exercise I had set up for Butterball.  He rightly recognized that the bounces were set to canter and bounced himself through at the canter a few times; it was adorable. 

Ben and Butterball continue to go out during the day with three of the barn owner's horses, two yearling colts and a two year old filly. Occasionally the filly gets sick of the boys, but otherwise they are all pretty delighted to be together. It's really interesting to watch the older horses interact with the yearlings. Occasionally the yearlings get snapped at, but generally the lessons my boys give them are pretty gently reinforced and well received. 

Excuse us, do you happen to have cookies?? 

Butterball had a great month, albeit a slightly easier one than normal. He took the removal of his hind shoes completely in stride. In December we stopped using the Forestier jump saddle and switched him to Goggle's Custom Monte Carlo. He seems much happier, but it still wasn't a perfect fit. At the end of the month we had a saddle fitting with a British Master Saddler who came highly recommended. I ordered a new jump saddle from her and am getting the tree changed in a dressage saddle that I bought from Jen. Come March when the fitter comes back up from Wellington, I'm hoping we will be all set on the saddle front other than annual checks. 

We also met with a new dressage trainer and had one lesson which will hopefully be the start of every other week lessons. Towards the end of the month, in spite of a fall and a sprained ankle, it seemed like everything was clicking for us with some lovely jump schools. 

Looking ahead...

February started with our trip to Three Lakes. We're headed to a Majestic schooling show in the middle of the month. BB is seeing his new farrier for a second time. Ben is getting composites put on and will hopefully TRULY go back to work. 

Love this pony so much!