JWR Sophies Choice

Blah, blah, blah!!

Also known as Horse Girl.  Now this mare came to us with the name Horse.  Oddly enough, it fits her.  Although she really has a great pedigree as far as Halter/WP horses go and a loud coat pattern, there is nothing fancy about her.  This mares sire is a son of the great Jetaleto and earned his own superior in halter, as well as points in WP, and some English stuff...I can't find my APHA stuff to access his accomplishments...but Jetarebel is his name and if you are so inclined you can look him up yourself!  ( :  Her dam is the Grand Daughter of Impressive...not that I ever intended on getting an Impressive bred horse, but she is N/N as is her mother...so its all safe on that front.  Her dam is a Quarter Horse mare who has some halter points and I believe went to the Worlds. Her Grand sire Negotiator did some stuff in halter...None of her Grand Dam's really did anything as far I know, but I don't really know that much about them. I just know bits and pieces of info on her pedigree.  Her name is Negotiators Fancy.

By all rights Horse Girl should have a really nice head and clean throat latch, but she doesn't.  Her head is big and kind of blocky, her ears lack refinement, and her throat latch is thick and also lacking in refinement, but she does have that halter horse build.  Big forearms, gaskins, butt, and loads of muscle.  She also has that loud overo coloring which I do love!!  And shes a sorrel...love those redheads!!  ( :

I sooo love her chest!!

Chad and I bought Horse Girl or Big Momma in 2005 as Chads riding horse.  She was in foal when be bought her to a blue roan Quarter Horse stallion named Blue Drifting Smoke (who is Fiona's daddy).  The colt was born with a partial blue eye, large blaze, a sock or maybe two, and loads of roaning.  He was really fancy bay roan Breeding Stock Paint.  He was really big boned and a pleasant colt to be around.  We decided to sell the him as a yearling.  He went to a family in Oregon...they seemed nice and excited to have him.  His barn name when he left her was Easy...he was really easy going...his registered name was What Are You Smokin' (of Smoking I can't really remember).  So if anyone knows of Easy, I'd love to hear how he is doing...or if he needs to be rescued...( :

This is one of my favorite pictures...Easy and his momma!

Back on track now, she is hot...really hot, and gets herself worked up into a frenzy if pushed.  As a matter of fact when we were looking at horses at my (really good) friend's house she had two mares for sale.  One was a black Bunny Bid bred mare and the other was Horse Girl.  Marie tried to talk me into the black mare because she felt Chad and I could both enjoy her, were as she and Horse Girl had never really clicked...and Marie flat out called her a dingy old bitch.  But I told her that this would only be Chads horse, no sharing...Marie warned us again about her issues, then we took her to the hay field for a test drive...it went fine, not great, but good enough to stick her in the trailer for the 8 hour drive home.

She is wondering what the hell I'm doing!!  ( :

She is kinda dingy and worries nonstop about things that are unknown to me, but you can see it in her eyes as soon as the halter is put on.  She will even hyperventilate until she gets her mind right and some sort of plan in place.  She was pushed pretty hard by some kids in gymkhana early on and I am confident in saying that is the reason why she stresses under saddle.  She was a 1D barrel horse when she ran good and an absolute runaway the rest of the time. She may have continued down the competition path longer had she not fractured her left hind ankle in a pasture accident.  Her owners decided that she could just heal in the pasture...and well it healed pretty good with very little medical intervention.  She does very well when turned out on pasture, too much confinement really gets her stiffened up and uncomfortable.  We have her on Legends shots every three months just to help her maintain her joints and hopefully her comfort level.  So far so good with that!!

She is funny...isn't she?  (You'd better say yes! ( : )

Chad has no interest in barrel racing and doesn't ask much in the way of performance out of her so all of her issues aren't really issue for him most days.  He asks her to stand for him to get on, walk, trot, and lope....sometimes.  And when she does start acting like a spaz he is a heavier guy so he can use his weight to help correct her, and they do pretty good together.  He doesn't ride her as much as I'd like him to, but I like riding her.  And try to get on her at least once a week during "riding season" to make sure she is in some sort of shape other than fat and to try and keep her reminded of the easy life we have now given her.  I also use her to pony off of...her size and general attitude towards other horses is perfect for this kind of work. (After I have ridden her for about 20 min. to make sure she has her head on straight of course!)  She makes me mad and laugh all in the same ride.  I have to help her get past the OH MY GOD WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME...sometimes its easy sometimes not...but I do enjoy riding her.  I seem to have that OMG response when riding her more than Chad does...he is sure that its his calming nature, I wonder if she doesn't associate women with competition.  Just a thought!! 

This fall...I had her a little bit fit, but she does love to eat!

I love a horse that walks like she has purpose and this mare does just that!  She will walk over and through anything...Chad calls her the "All Terrain Horse".  She also naturally works off her hind end.  She can go down hill like the horse on The Man From Snowy River.  Not that I would ever go down hill that fast, but this mare can do it!  Even if you don't like going down hill, you will safe as can be on Horse Girl.  She can also almost spin a hole in the ground....not that I know how to properly spin a horse, or that I think its a good idea to push her bad ankle with fancy moves....but she will turn over her hocks every time she gets the chance...I love it!!  Her foals learn it from her and do it on their own too.  She also has a great jog, its soft, naturally collected, and fun to ride.  If it weren't for the ankle injury she would also have a great lope.  Again lots of collection naturally.  This gate is where you can feel the fusion of her ankle bones...but the vet says he thinks shes pretty much pain free as the gate isn't really a limp...just a lack of flexion.

You can see her "big" ankle pretty good here..and the scar that runs over it.

In general we really do love this mare and she has a forever home with us.  She has super expressive eyes and soft feelings.  I can be laying into Tari, Fiona, or anyone for that matter and she starts fretting just like she is next on the punishment list.  Some days just yelling at her brings her to a flurry of sorry moms.  She knows her name, and knows Horse Girl Come means move your big booty towards me...usually for treats, but hey...she knows what I want!  She is near the bottom of the pecking order here at the farm and that I don't love, but she gets to push Fiona around...and the mules.  When Chad and I grow up and get our own place I will be able to protect her from the Tonys of the world, but for now we just cope!  ( :  I would like to breed Horse Girl once more (to the stud of my choosing) before she gets too old for kids.  I would like to breed her to a western pleasure stallion.  Not that I EVER intend on competing, but she has the bloodlines for it and maybe a laid back WP bloodline would make a good riding horse for Chads next All Terrain Horse.  ( :

Mindy and Breeze, Olivia and Horse Girl, Me and Tari!

As a side note, if you take this mare, drop a kid on her and a halter and lead under her bridle...she shuts off the OMG thought process.  She is calm, cool, and collected.  She follows the horse she is being ponied off of like a shadow.  That horse stops so does she.  That horse trots, so does she.  But if that horse shys...she stands her ground...and that is priceless!!  My niece is on her in this picture...and Mindy is not the mom...Kacey is...and although we told Kacey to bring the kids riding helmet, she forgot it.  And yes we took her out with out her skid lid...  But that is a discussion for another time!!  ( :

Toodles!!