The Quantico Kid

“I knew Kid's race trainer through a mutual friend and first rode him when he was still in race training. I loved him immediately! He popped over a few small jumps and even went on a trail ride. I got to watch him race a few times (not very successfully) before he retired and I bought him via his trainer and co-owner, Suzanne Stettinius.

We got a few rides in but then he got injured, I got injured (seriously, by a different horse, but now I'm okay), he got injured, he was diagnosed with gastric ulcers (probably from all the stress and meds from his injuries), and then he got a nasty abscess. So I've had him since October but here we are in April and I feel like I am restarting him all over again!

We've moved him into a smaller field with only one friend so hopefully he won't get injured as much. He is the equine version of the annoying little brother who is always instigating roughhousing, which is adorable, but expensive when it comes to vet bills!

Between all of our injuries we have trail ridden, crossed streams, jumped a couple cross rails, and worked on his tricky left lead. We've done lots of desensitization with crutches, extra blankets, or whatever is lying around the barn. Kid will basically walk through fire for a treat. Any treat. He loves food and will try to convince you he's starving even though he gets alfalfa 24/7, plenty of grain, and a fat supplement.

I started to teach him how to bow but had to stop because now he thinks if he bows every time I touch a front leg he'll get a treat, and sometimes I just need to pick his hoof! We've also been working on standing still — both ground tying and in the cross ties, which makes it easier to get a cute photo”.