Tour through The Geriatrics- Maggie

 


In the walk through The Geriatrics, A Hot Toddy, “Maggie”, has to come next. She is a 2001 APHA mare. She's a dun with blue eyes, a blaze, and the rest of her solid colored. She was purchased in 2006 on a whim, because my dad mentioned that he wanted to try reining. Taking that as a request to find a horse, my mom and I found her in Cheyenne. She had been started in Texas as a working cow horse. She seemed like a great fit, mostly because she was for sale and close. We didn't know better then.

We took the responsible route and had a pre-purchase on her. One vet suggested that we pass on her due to her pigeon toed conformation. We didn't like the answer, so we went to another vet, who recommended we buy her disposition and the fact that she was sound at the time and just enjoy her. After many years, we can say that both vets were right. Her conformation did eventually lead to unsoundness, but it took quite a while, leaving plenty of time to enjoy her.

We call her Maggie because that was the name of her breeder. It seemed fitting for her, too. Maggie also went to clinics with Jack Brainard. She was always lovely to haul, quiet and easy to have, but she did tend to become tense if too much was asked of her. She would always be as gentle as could be until that moment her threshold was crossed, then she tensed and progress was lost. She eventually overcame that, but it took a few years.

We had a lot of fun with Maggie. She was highly sensitive and responsive, quick and athletic, and a solid mind. She liked learning tricks, so she could bow, kiss, dance (shake her butt back and forth), and do Spanish walk. The Spanish walk also helped her shoulders stay a bit looser, as she was naturally more on her forehand. She loved to jump, even though she never went above 18”. We went to schooling shows with my students and had a grand time in the pile of poles and 18” divisions, most often competing against children.

Maggie also served as a confidence builder and teacher to many students. Her smaller size of 14.2 made her more appealing for most students versus Dancer, who is about 16.3. One of my working students at the time leased her to ride at county fair. That working student went on to stay with the business and is now serving an integral part in keeping the business growing and running!

Maggie also got me back into riding after I broke my leg. Her small size and small movements made it more comfortable for awhile. I simply couldn't get on Dancer for quite a few months.

She had one colt, who we called Butters, by one of our previous stallions, He's Got Shine. He was a cute little colt that went on to become a trail horse in Montana.

Maggie never called it quits, but her body did. Her conformation caught up with her, leaving her with arthritis in her fetlocks and foot issues, as her coffin bones are also at an angle, despite all of the best hoof care over the years. Sometimes that's how it goes.

She's reasonably comfortable and happy with her little herd of older horses, including her best friend of sixteen years, Dancer.

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