08/07/2026
♠️ Final Required Post ♠️
🖤 "Bringing Back Nine" aka Nine
🖤 5 year old 14.1hh Tennessee Walking Horse
🖤 Rider Level: Intermediate with Trainer
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Mark Twain
Y'all, I love this horse.
I knew when we started that he was reactive, and he has worked so hard this summer to overcome his natural fears. Looking back, he isn't the same horse I brought home in April. He still likes to take his time and look at new things, but he is facing the world with so much more confidence than he started with and I'm so incredibly proud of how far he's come.
Nine is kindhearted, loving, curious, sweet, and hardworking. When I take him out of the field, he goes right into work mode and stays there until the saddle comes off. He has a quiet kind of bravery - he is not bold and fearless, but instead he shows a willingness to face his fears head on, ears up and on alert with an attitude that says "I'm not sure about this, but I'm willing to try." And I respect that so much about him. He is willing to place his trust in his person to get him through when he doesn't trust himself, and I know that he can become a confident and self-assured horse given time and miles. This is the reason I have him listed for adoption by someone who is at least intermediate with a trainer: I want to be sure that he continues to get confident, clear handling that will help him become the best he can be. He has the makings of a push-button trail horse; he is simply young and still learning, and a hundred days will never be enough for a young horse to learn all there is to know.
Nine rides out on the trail with other horses like a pro. Walk/trot/gait/canter, he covers a lot of ground but isn't in a rush. He's happy to walk along on a loose rein with everyone else. Yesterday we rode out between thunderstorms and even with weird weather, flailing around at horseflies, shouting at deer, and all of the general shenanigans I put horses through, he was lovely. He is surefooted and will cross anything. I would love to see him in a trail or endurance home, as this is where he really thrives. When riding with other horses, just about anyone could probably ride him. Riding alone, though, he does take it upon himself to be the "lookout", which is why he needs a confident rider to build trust so that he can relax and have faith that his person will guide him safely. I have ridden him out extensively, but he is much slower and more apprehensive alone compared to his relaxation around other horses.
Nine will do anything you ask him in hand, and we continue to do lots of groundwork to translate that confidence under saddle. This has helped him improve in leaps and bounds.
Nine's areas of improvement simply come with time and miles. He is a wonderful mover, a willing partner, and a big puppy dog. He loves people. He does everything a young horse should - he ties, trailers, bathes, you name it. He needs his training continued by someone who is kind but firm and clear in their instructions. If he believes you know what you're doing, he will trust you to guide him. He is sensitive to cues and incredibly intelligent; he loves learning new things and retains information so well.
It all boils down to this: Nine is a lovely young horse and he will go on to become lovelier with a person he can trust to lead him. If you think you might be that person, please send me a message. As you can probably tell, I love talking about him!
