Once in a lifetime, we, as riders, are given a horse who lacks in talent but makes up for it with the size of his heart. My trainer used to tell me, this horse shouldn't be this good. He isn't scopy, he isn't fancy, and he is half crippled when he gets home from a show. But that horse will do anything for you. It didn't matter the distance, the height, the degree of difficulty, if I said jumped Troll answered with how how.
Troll as he was known around the barn was a homebred Quarter Horse. A racing Quarter Horse to be more exact. And yes, he raced, he raced ten times. Failed, but tried. He was not the typical Quarter Horse type. He looked like a Thoroughbred, all 16.3 hands of him, and he was as narrow as a rail, but quiet minded and honest like a Quarter Horse. He was originally intended to be sold, but had a tongue problem and would hang it out of his mouth while you were riding him. Thus, no one wanted him. I had out grown my first horse, and the other option was a moody Hann/TB mare that I would soon out grow as well. Troll was the logically option. The first time Meighan, my trainer, saw him it took me 30 minutes to saddle him, and another 15 minutes to get a bridle on him. She looked at my mother, and said you let your 12 year old child ride this?! My replied with a yes. Meg soon realized that Troll and I shared something deep. Even though he dumped me 8 times in that first lesson. I kept getting back on. We did our first Novice in 2003, with the hopes of moving right on up to training. But his lameness issues held us back. He had horrible hocks, and his stifles were starting to go as well. But he kept on trying. In the spring of 2004, we did 1 novice, and moved up to training and from our first Novice at Holly Hill in April, to Holly Hill in October of 2004 we went from Novice to Prelim. And not only competing at Prelim but competitive at Prelim. He ran around that track like it was another Novice. Spring of 2005 we did a few more Prelims, and then contested our first CIC* in June. He wasn't sound. He shouldn't have passed the jog, but he tried his heart out for me, and we made it through to show jumping. Troll was retired at the completion of that show. His joints couldn't hold up to the stress of competition. He happily lived out in my field behind my house or over at my grandfathers. Giving the occasional ride to my family members, my best friend Emily, or my mom. Who tried to bring him out of retirement last fall, but couldn't get him to walk let alone make it through a dressage test. Always loved, and never forgotten.
My first Novice, my first Training, my first Prelim, and my first International event. Troll was there from the start. He taught me how to ride an average horse, and make him exceptional. An event horse doesn't have to be fancy, they don't have to be scopy, they must love their person and love their job. Only the good die young.
May 6 1993-September 2012
