Everything I know about riding and training a horse I pretty much learned on him. He's huge (about 1200 pounds), but losing weight rapidly due to the hard work of Karoline (his previous owner...I bought him for my 16th birthday!!) and I. I don't know how happy he is about losing weight and not getting much food, but I can tell you that I am quite pleased with the results! He's got more personality than almost everyone I know (sans my best friends and a few other speech buddies :-P), and he's just a lot of fun to be around. He's also very much the pansy. He wouldn't hurt a fly and has this whole human thing figured out! In the summers when there is a horsefly on his big (beautiful!) rump, he won't waste energy trying get it off, he just swings his butt my way as if to say "Mom! GET IT!".

Technically Shakespeare is trained in Driving and Dressage, but he's just an all-around good mount. He'll never be a show horse, but he's so mellow and has this "whatever" attitude that kind of puts you at ease. On top of that, he's darn comfortable! Once people get over the inital apprehensions of his size and actually get on, they find he is very much a pleasure to ride!

We attempted to do 4-H for two years. The first year was both his and my first shows, so you can imagine how that was :-). We mangaed to take home one third place ribbion, which I tied on his stall for people to see, and he promptly tasted. I walked back to his stall to find only half of our ribbion remaning. Does that mean we got first and a half? This past second year I ended up getting Mono and had to drop, but it was so hot that I don't know if my body could have handled the heat anyway...especially being sick. I still plan on working with him this summer, maybe even taking him down to a horse camp that I hope to work at. Who knows what the future holds??

 

Shakespeare and I are joining the United States Pony Club!! I got my dues paid for Chirstmas (Thank you SO MUCH Steve and Catheleen!!! I don't know what I would have done without you!!!) and it's going to be such a learning experience for both of us!! I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!