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Jackie McManus who is a board member of the Standardbred Showcase Riding Club has sent this video to us.....enjoy!!! The photographs in the video were taken at the Standardbred Showcase show that was held in August 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__8Uomqnm0I Kootenay BJ's Story:  When I first saw BJ on the website, my mom asked me to pick apart his confirmation as she was looking for an extra horse for me to ride. I couldn’t find any major faults and as he is red (my favorite color) I gave him thumbs up. The headshot showed intelligence and he looked as though he had a kind eye. I met him shortly after my mom brought him home. I thought that BJ was such a nice horse since he let me catch him from the field without any difficulty. As I groomed him for my first ride I was pretty anxious since I had in my mind that any horse from the track must be totally brainless and I would undoubtedly end up on my rear somewhere. BJ didn’t really stand still for brushing and kept checking out my pockets. I was pleasantly surprised when BJ let me have his feet no problem. He also took the bridle with ease and I was starting to think he was okay.
For the first time in my life I used a mounting block. BJ is only 15.3 but I always rode little quarter horses. (Even though my dream horse was going to be no shorter than 16.2. Was I crazy?)
As my mom and I set out for our first ride. I totally expected to have all sorts of problems, although my mom had already ridden BJ and told me he was great. Mom’s horse was a young guy and he was pretty spooky about all sorts of things like shadows, wind and horse eating squirrels. Right after we set off we cross a bridge, mom’s horse spooks and BJ looks at it and goes across as soon as I tell him it’s alright. Not much like the fight I was expecting. The road we traveled on is a nice country back road with lots of trees and a windy path. I relaxed after a few minutes in the saddle and gave BJ his head, well he walked right into the ditch and landed smack on his nose! I calmly turned him back onto the road and proceeded to give him his head again to follow Mom and Sancho. At the next corner BJ walked into the ditch again! I took him into the bush a ways and had him walk around trees and over logs then which he did with absolute obedience and ease. I didn’t know why he fell into the ditch. Then when I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing, we were caught up in a tree with branches scratching my face and BJ just kept trucking through. I realized at that point that he wasn’t accustomed to picking his own way and needed to be steered along the correct course.
Since I was used to horses just following their friends and being able to turn with the obvious course of the trail I decided to apply myself to my new mount with more diligence. BJ took some getting used to but gradually over the summer he started to watch where he was going and I was able to relax and look at the scenery myself. We live in a beautiful area of BC and I loving taking it all in.
We took a clinic last summer and I was impressed with the way BJ was so willing to do everything I asked, even side passing. I almost thought he just came trained already but was assured this was not the case. The best thing though was when we were asked to canter, BJ did it! Not only did he canter, he picked up the right leads! I cannot say enough just how impressed I am with him. He always amazes me and is without a doubt the best horse I have ever ridden. I just know that in my future I will look no further than the adoption site for my equine needs. The book that is given with each adoption horse is a wonderful guide for letting us know what the harness horse has experienced before we get hold of them with all our big ideas. It has helped me make his transition easier and to understand why he acts the way he does and I love that he can trot for miles without breaking stride.
This spring I had the most exciting experience in years! I was riding alone down a nice long road and I asked BJ to trot. This is something that I am still working on being able to sit. (Yeah, that’ll happen) BJ trotted and was gaining speed when he just broke out into a canter. Now cantering in the ring is one thing but out in the open, he is so much fun! He’ll go for as long as I ask, and when I want him to settle down again he just pokes his nose out and goes along like we just haven’t raced against the wind. He didn’t even spook when a grouse flew up under his feet. Having a reliable, fun mount is so much more that I thought possible. Who could ask for more? Why does anybody go any other route when looking for a horse?
I know that our experience adopting a horse from Greener Pastures is one of the best moves we ever made. Not only did we end up with a good mount, but we also got a horse who we all love. I definitely recommend getting one of these outstanding horses for whatever discipline you may be in. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
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