Happy Birthday Argo!
Argo - Taken Winter 2011
Today is a very special day – it is Argo’s 24th Birthday!
The gray thoroughbred horse running circles in his stall and screaming in protest of confinement that winter day in 1997 was not the horse I was expecting to see. At the time I was competing on the hunter/jumper circuit and was looking for a new horse. My coach had arranged a try-out for two horses at a nearby farm – one horse was for me to try and the other was being tried for a friend. I was sure the placid, unexciting bay horse quietly munching on his hay was the one I was supposed to ride. For some reason I had been on a kick of riding quiet horses and while that was probably smart, it was beginning to bore me. The gray, however, drew my eye – not only was he high-strung and excitable, he was exactly my idea of a beautiful horse. When the bay was tacked up I gathered my riding stuff only to be told ‘This isn’t yours, you’re trying the gray one’.
As my excitement soared I led the gray horse to the grooming stall and started getting him ready. While he was still reluctant to stand still he did settle enough to enjoy being brushed with the curry comb which is a requirement of mine for any horse I have – they must enjoy being groomed.
Argo - Taken Fall 2005
If I hadn’t fallen in love with him already the ride was the clincher. I had never been on a horse who was so much fun to ride. He had a gait that was easy for me to follow and when it came time to jump he actually jumped me out of the tack – I landed in front of the saddle and on his neck. I was laughing by the end of the ride. This was my horse, no doubt about it, and I still didn’t know his name!
I left the barn that day certain, as only a horse-crazy teenage girl can be, that the gray horse would be mine and would be arriving at my coach’s barn shortly. I went back to school for the afternoon and couldn’t stop raving about this amazing horse to my friends. Before leaving the barn I had been told the gray’s name was “T.C.” and my friends agreed with me that a change of name was needed.
But, as the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end and I was brought crashingly back to earth later that afternoon. I had gone to my parents’ office after school and had only been there a few minutes when my father broke the news. T.C. would not be mine. After we had left the barn my coach was told the gray had bone chips in both front ankles. At that time I did not understand how common bone chips are and did not have arguments to make regarding the severity when my coach advised my parents not to buy my dream horse.
Argo - Taken Winter 2008
My world had crashed. Normally the eager student who enjoyed school, I found myself drifting through the day, not paying attention in class. I refused to go to the barn to ride – I didn’t want to exercise other people’s horses. I went home every night and thought of how close I had been to ending up with my dream horse, only to have that dream yanked away from me at the last moment.
Then one day while I was moping about at home the phone rang. I answered and heard my mother saying to me “Get your riding stuff together, we’re going to the barn.”
“But I don’t want to, I don’t want to ride Mirage or any of the others,” I had replied. What she said next was something I had not expected.
“You remember that horse you wanted? Your coach spoke to the owner today and it turns out the horse is available for lease, not just purchase, which means we won’t be taking such a risk. He’s going to be at the barn in an hour. He’s yours for the year.”
I honestly don’t remember what I said after that but I remember gathering my riding gear quickly and running to the door to wait for my mother to get home and drive me to the barn.
We arrived the same time the gray did and I was able to walk him off the trailer into his new home. He was still as silly as I remembered. Screaming and prancing and arching his neck as he checked out everything around him. Even as I type this I can feel the emotion running through me, remembering how incredibly happy and amazed I was to have my dream horse with me. I knew we would never be parted and eventually that was confirmed when we finalized the purchase. Maybe it sounds silly but I believe we were meant to be together.
The matter of an appropriate name was solved shortly thereafter and my gray was christened as “Argo.”
Argo, Taken Fall 2010
Since that day Argo and I have been through a lot together. We spent a couple of years in the show ring before he came home to my family’s farm where I was able to be with him everyday. We have been through a fractured skull (his), a fractured leg (also his), an untold number of abscesses (poulticing his feet cost a lot money) and other adventures along the way. In return he has been there for me when I needed to cry and when I needed a quiet presence to reassure me things would be okay. When I went through the toughest time in my life he was a rock. And while we are no longer able to live on the same property I am able to see him on a daily basis. The joy he brings to my life cannot be fully explained.
So Happy Birthday to you, Argo, my great friend. Thank you for everything and I hope we will be having adventures for years to come.
argosgirl
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Nice post, glad you’ve had such a good friend. I used to ride when I was younger, Western and bareback on trails, but if the opportunity arose I’d enjoy swinging a leg over again. Be Safe, Alex (linked to you via BassParade, nice rod you won!)
There’s nothing better than riding the trails. Thanks for visiting!