#4 - A True Gentleman - The Squire
Shortly after my first trainer moved away, I met Barbara. She was asked by a member of the mounted drill team I rode in to give us some pointers. Before she came to our practice, my mom went to meet her and by the end of their conversation, she had agreed to give me riding lessons. Barbara was from California, but had moved to Montana, built a fabulous indoor arena, and brought her dancing stallions with her. Throughout my time with her, I had the privilege of riding many horses, including Grand Prix level stallions and a Thoroughbred who later became the star of The Electric Horseman. Barbara didn’t give riding lessons and to this day I don’t understand why or how it came to be that I was blessed to ride her amazing horses.
She started me off riding Squire, an Arabian stallion, in a dressage saddle. My love affair with dressage and all things fancy began there. Squire was so incredibly sensitive that with the slightest touch or shift of weight he would be moving sideways. I never realized that a horse could respond to such a light touch. Unlike horses I had ridden previously, Squire was an excellent teacher. He didn’t just carry me around and respond if I “kind of” asked for something. He required me to refine my cues and body awareness. When we were in sync, he would perform beautifully!
Before long, I was at the barn daily riding him in preparation for show season. Squire was such a versatile horse, that I was able to show him in saddle seat English, western, dressage, park horse, and even jumping. My first few shows were all Arabian affairs out of town. Squire was such a gentleman, that him being a stallion really went unnoticed, as we blended in with the other beautiful show horses. However, when we showed at our first local open show we ran into a lot of problems. I wasn’t allowed to show a stallion in youth classes, nor was I allowed to ride in adult classes; so my only option was to show in open classes and there was quite a protest about that. Mind you, there was never an incident, never a display of stallionhood; we were never even remotely close to being out of control. I was a better rider at 12 than most of the adults at our open show and Squire was always a true gentleman. I really felt attacked by our horse show community. Even though we were limited, we still showed up and did great!
Soon after the hubbub began, Barbara introduced me to a Quarter Horse gelding who carried me through my show career, even though I continued to ride Squire over the years. We went on to qualify for the Arabian Nationals and he was my mount in a rodeo queen contest. Squire even lived at our house when I was a senior in high school where I spent hours riding him bareback with a halter out on the trail.
Looking back on my experience with Squire, here are the lessons that I learned:
Horses are very sensitive. A horse can feel a fly when it lights on his back. He can also feel everything that you do and even things you intend to do. Squire taught me to be precise, light, and aware of my body position.
Horses can be excellent teachers. Once again, Squire wouldn’t do the “right” move unless I gave him the correct cue. He always responded with an answer to my questions, which helped me develop precision and an independent seat.
You must have a thick skin to survive in the horse show world. I’m still not quite sure why there was such a difference between my experiences at Arabian shows and our local shows. I suspect that it was all fear-based. For some, the thought of a stallion in the hands of a youth was scary, for others it kept their children “in the ribbons.” No matter the reasons, I felt personally attacked. Because I yearned to continue on in the horse show world, I evolved from a very sensitive child to an invulnerable, guarded pre-teen in a very short time. It has taken years to unravel this tough exterior to become vulnerable again.
A stallion can be a gentleman and a trusted partner. Squire was expected to be a gentleman at all times and he was. He was ridden, trailered and stalled right alongside mares and geldings because he had boundaries and he was socialized. He was never handled in fear, but rather with confidence and respect.
Skills with horses are not age-specific. While I wouldn’t recommend a stallion as a child’s horse, some young riders are quite capable of handling horses that would not be a good fit for an older person. Each horse-person partnership is unique.
