Post by anthonyblake on Jul 16, 2012 5:43:13 GMT -6
Show Name: Call Me Handsome
Barn Name: Twitch (also frequently addressed as Idiot)
Age: 9
Gender: Gelding
Color: Chestnut
Breed: Holsteiner
Breed Registry: American Holsteiner Horse Association
Height: 17.1 hands
Personality:
The fact that Call Me Handsome's stable name is Twitch gives an indication as to his personality. He is the proverbial elephant afraid of the mouse, for though he's 17.1 hands high and nothing but muscle, he is unnerved by pretty much everything. Convinced that there are monsters hiding behind every single bush, fence and umbrella, he can take offense at absolutely anything (puddles, plastic bags, a dog a long way away...), and has a tendency to take off for the other side of the paddock bucking when he thinks something scary is going on (Tony's seat is much improved, as he has learned that falling off Twitch really hurts). Being 17.1 hands and rather large, he has weight to throw around, and frequently drags Tony off his feet, or knocks him over, for he's as spooky when being led or worked in-hand as when being ridden.
His belief that the world is out to get him aside, it cannot be denied that Twitch is talented. When he's not being distracted by every rustle in the bushes, when he actually puts his mind to his work, then he's practically unstoppable, jumping anything you put him at (entirely unbothered by height) and floats through dressage movements, hardly seeming to touch the ground. Unfortunately, it's rather rare that he actually is concentrating, and more than a few people have told Tony that he should give up with the gelding and find a more sensible animal that he'll actually get somewhere with. Tony, however, adores Twitch, and is convinced that with the right environment and the right training, that Twitch will come to terms with life, and that they will do great things together.
History:
Bred from talented parents, Twitch has had his future planned out from the day of his birth. Unfortunately, he threw something of a spoke in those plans when he turned out to have no inherited the willing, level-headed nature of his parents, and instead proved to be a nervy, easily distracted animal. Though initially patient, Twitch's breeder did begin to get a little heavy-handed with the young horse, a tactic that only back-fired, as Twitch learned how to use his size to his advantage, discovering that he could easily throw his weight around when he was being pushed.
Disheartened, his breeder sold him on, and from there he spent several years passing through the hands of several trainers, all of whom saw his talent and believed they could 'fix' his mental attitude towards life. None of them had any success though, and they either fell into the trap of trying to force him (at which point he got thuggish and took offense to everything) or they ignored him (at which point his nerves would worsen and he would become scared of everything) and so when he was eight his trainer at the time threw his hands in the air, and basically gave up on him.
It was at this point that Tony came into the picture, present at the stables because he was riding another horse. Attracted to Twitch, he wrangled a ride on him, and proceeded to bemuse everyone when Twitch proved to be having a fairly sensible day, and so didn't try to buck him off. By the time that Twitch's issues with the world and most everything in it came to light, Tony had fallen in love with him, and was therefore doomed to spending his time hugely improving his abilities at not falling off, and attempting to convince Twitch that life wasn't really as traumatic as he thought.
He has had limited success with this, it must be admitted, but Twitch is coming to trust him more (and is showing some improvement, clearly responding to the TLC), and Tony hopes that Blue Ridge will give the gelding the confidence he needs to be comfortable in life.
Discipline: English Riding - mostly eventing, though Anthony also takes him out on the trails.
Owner/Rider: Anthony Blake