08/23/2026
River is a 15-year-old, 15.2 hand grulla registered Shire Sport Horse mare, and she is every bit as striking in person as she is in pictures. She has a big blaze, plenty of white, dark points, and that gorgeous grulla coloring that changes with the light. She is thick through her body with good bone and a big hip, but she is still athletic enough to look completely at home going around an English course.
River has done a little bit of everything, and not just in an arena. She has been ranched on, roped off of, worked in a feedlot, and used to drive cattle. She knows what a real day’s work is and has the feet to match it—big, solid bare feet that have served her well.
Western, she will neck rein and ride one-handed, or you can pick her up and ride her with two hands. She is handy, uncomplicated, and comfortable being used outside.
English, River is a blast. She has been ridden, jumped, and shown, and for as substantial as she is, she is surprisingly athletic over a fence. She uses herself well, makes a pretty picture, and has enough experience that someone could go have fun with her without feeling like they were starting from scratch. I could easily see her enjoying a lower-level hunter home, cross country, eventing, or simply being someone’s all-around English horse.
What makes River especially neat is that she doesn’t have to be just one thing. You can ride her western, go move cattle, trail ride, put an English saddle on her, or take her over fences. She is happy having a job, but she doesn’t need to be in a program six days a week to be manageable.
She is also not at all mareish. River is easy to catch, handle, groom, tack, and be around. She has been used in animal behavior science classes and a groundwork training lab. She is very accustomed to different people handling her. Just about anyone can manage her from the ground.
Under saddle, I would call her best suited to an advanced beginner and above. She has plenty of experience and is straightforward to ride, but she is still a big, capable horse rather than a completely dull beginner type.
River has also had a couple of lovely foals and has been a good mother.
She is a really cool combination of big, pretty, broke, useful, and athletic. There aren’t many horses you can picture pushing cattle in the morning and looking this good over a fence in the afternoon, but River fits comfortably in both worlds.
Located in Athens, Tx.
Video link:
https://youtu.be/7vAxzY0J5_c?is=mJNPRYUXtTGnssaS
