Ode to the Red Headed Step Child

This is still my favorite picture of Uno. It really shows his character.

It is a running joke that Uno is the 'red-headed-step-child' of our horses. And, well, its not wrong.  I realized that he turns 9 this year. NINE.  I have had him for over 6 years!!  And it took like 5 of those years for me to feel like he belonged.

He was cute - but didn't feel like MY horse

As good as Uno is now, we STRUGGLED through his 4 - 7 years.  I think a large part of that was that I did not love him.  I liked him, I cared for him, I gave him everything he needed. But, I did not want to snuggle him.

Such a small pony when we first moved him in.

It is hard when you have to move on from your heart horse, even harder when that heart horse is sound enough to play around with, but will ultimately not hold up to heavy or regular riding.  As Dutch has transitioned to trail horse only, and Uno's training has reached the fun stage, this feeling has slowly shifted.

The backstory for this picture isn't as sweet as the image, but I do believe that I first fell in love with Uno at the Horsepark.

I think probably on this hill.

Dutch still holds my heart - I look for him every morning when I wake up and go out to check on him before I go to bed.  He is the snuggliest silliest boy.

Both my boys.

However, I now find myself looking forward to riding Uno.  I like spending time with him.  I have started to add nightly Masterson Method massage and stretching with Uno to my night checks. I always double-check to make sure that I have extra treats for him in my pocket. 

You can't help but love the horse that holds your hand and is still game to try stuff when you are scared.

I think that there is always room in my heart for all my animals, but it has taken time to grow and adjust to this new phase in our lives.  When I tell my husband I  am going out to ride my horse - I mean Uno and he has stopped being surprised by that.

You do not understand how awesome it is to have a horse that just DOES the scary things.

Uno is so radically different from Dutch, but he slowly but firmly made his way into my heart.  He has become just as much of a touchstone.  The cool thing is, I think he is enjoying his time with me as much as I am enjoying my time with him.  Yesterday we went for a 3-mile hack, then had the loveliest flat school back at home.  He was so soft and trying.

Just a little canter. So easy. So nice.