UPDATE 12/31/2020:
Copper sold today to a very nice young couple in Fairview, Utah. They have several gaited horses and love to do trail rides and horse pack trips. Copper is going to have a great life with them!
UPDATE 12/25/2020:
I have owned Copper almost a year now, and I have decided he’s ready for a new owner. I will leave all the prior information on this post, since it contains what I know of Copper’s history and the training I have given him. This short update will include any changes that have taken place in the meantime. I am more than happy to answer any questions that may remain after reading this post.
Copper is now 7 years old (2013 model). He has now been trained to pack and does so very well. Copper has proven to be an excellent trail horse and does well on extended pack trips. He is careful on the trail, not prone to spooking, and handles even the most extreme terrain with confidence. I have yet to find an obstacle that he will refuse (at least not one I’m willing to ride a horse through!)
Copper under packs
I have truly enjoyed owning Copper, but I have had little time to work with him, as I have been engaged in training horses for other clients. I decided to sell him to make room for another horse I am training for a client (see Missy).
As you will read below, I obtained Copper last January for the purpose of putting him through my trail training regimen, however, he was already a wonderful trail horse, so what I worked on with him was improving his bridle manners and tuning up his gait. He was sold three times in quick succession, but returned each time, because he wasn’t the right fit for the riders. However, I liked the horse so much I decided to buy him for myself. Since I have had him, Copper and I have shared a number of excellent rides, including an extended pack trip in central Utah. Copper has been up to every task I have asked of him.
I have had one instance in which Copper fought me on the bit and pushed to go faster and was difficult to control, while on a group trail ride. Some horses left the group early and got out ahead of us. I think Copper thought he was getting left behind. I figured out later that the new curb strap I had put on the bridle was too loose and had gotten down around his lower lip. I think that allowed him to push against the bit with no adverse pressure to discourage it. Once I figured out what happened, I have not had that problem since. I find him to be very willing and comfortable on the trail. He will still occasionally push a little, but responds readily to pressure on the bit. He is easy to control. Copper is calm and non-aggressive around other horses and does well in group settings. He is sound in every respect, has good hooves and conformation, and is well-mannered around people. Copper is easy to catch in the pasture, loads and unloads easily in the trailer, and is good for the farrier. He is current on Coggins and vaccinations and was recently wormed. Copper is appropriate for anyone who has some experience and is a confident rider. He may not be appropriate for a first-time horse owner.
I now offer a 15-day trial period, rather than the 30-days I originally offered. I have found this is sufficient time for a prospective buyer to determine whether he/she is a compatible partner for Copper.
He is offered at Salem, Utah at $7,000. Please contact me by text or email for further information or to schedule a viewing/test ride.
Tony Henrie
tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com
385-424-9788
UPDATE 05/23/2020:
This morning I sold my favorite saddle horse, Apollo, thus opening the way for me to purchase Copper Sunset. So, as of the coming week, Copper Sunset will be my new primary horse. He will receive the bulk of my personal riding time and mileage until Chief is of sufficient age to be able to share the mileage more equally. I’m pretty excited about that!
UPDATE 05/17/2020:
Copper is back at my place. He has been returned to me three times for various reasons. Most recently, from the information I have been able to gather, Copper spooked at something and the new owner fell off and was severely injured. In over 200 trail and training miles I have put on Copper, I never experienced anything like this, so it was entirely unanticipated. However, it should not have happened, so Copper is no longer for sale. I have said a number of times that if I could afford it, I would buy him myself, so I’ve spoken with the owner and we have reached an agreement. I am putting my money where my mouth is. I will be buying Copper.
I recently returned from a good couple days of trail riding and training near Moab, Utah, during which my sister, Crystal Barton, rode Copper. He performed very well on some very difficult and technical terrain, both in the red rock desert and the high pines and aspens. His gait has continued to improve and he is a pleasure to ride. I love the horse and expect to travel many happy miles on his back.
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Copper is back on the market. He was recently sold to a buyer who was a first-time horse owner, who found him to be a little above her comfort zone. She exercised her option to return him under my 30-day money-back trial period policy. He was then sold to another couple, who found he did not want to slow down to walk with the non-gaited horses their grandkids ride, So, he is being re-listed and is again available for sale at my place in Salem, Utah.
The complaint from both buyers was that Copper tends to walk faster than they desire and tosses his head when they try to rein him back. Copper does, in fact, have a very nice walk, but it is faster than the average non-gaited horse, particularly when heading toward home. He responds with pressure on the bit and will slow down, but immediately gets back to his normal walking speed once it is released. His head-tossing is an old habit that seems to have resurfaced while he was with the above buyers. I am working on resolving that issue and teaching him to slow his walk. If you are riding with other gaited horses, there appears to be no issue. His run-walk is very smooth and he has a nice canter.
Copper Sunset is a 7 year old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding, date of birth 05/24/2013, not registered but purebred. He stands 14-3 hands (measured) and has a nice build and good conformation. Copper has excellent hooves and is sound in every respect. Copper is microchipped. The owner is out of the St. George area, but I have Copper available in Salem, UT.
The story behind Copper is that the owner, shopping for a top-grade trail horse, paid $8,500 for him in Tennessee and had him shipped out to Utah during September 2019. It turned out the horse, though he was 6 years old, wasn’t well trained. Other than being soundly broke, he was pretty green. On one occasion late last fall, the owner and the horse got crosswise, and the owner, who is in his 60s, ended up on the ground, injuring his arm upon landing. During January 2020, the owner got in contact with me and asked me to put Copper through my trail training program. During the month of February, I put Copper through 100 miles of trail training, in which he did very well. I spoke with the owner toward the end of the training to report Copper’s progress, and he informed me that his situation has recently changed with a move of residence and more involvement at work. He has asked me to offer Copper for sale through Western Trail Rider.
We have agreed on a sales price of $7,000. The owner has agreed to my standard 30-day money-back trial period. Take Copper home and try him out for a month. If he’s not the horse for you, bring him back in good health and I will refund your money 100%.
Now let me tell you about Copper.
I picked up Copper on January 24, 2020 at Hurricane, Utah. My first ride on him was with a group in the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada that same day. As this was a get-acquainted ride, I did not wear spurs and was quite careful initially. After just a mile or so, I realized that Copper is a very willing trail partner and is absolutely courageous! We hadn’t made many miles before I began to test Copper to see if I could get him to balk at any obstacle. Not once did he refuse to go forward on anything nor did he spook at anything. Plastic bags, hikers, dogs, no issue at all. We climbed ascents that made other riders think we were nuts! He dropped off ledges and rocks almost without hesitation. In fact, on some obstacles, he went a little faster than I like. We found a narrow culvert tunnel that passed under a two-lane road. After a little coaxing, he went right through and never flinched. Copper proved himself very confident and sure-footed on that ride.
The following day, I rode Copper with some members of the same group on the Cottonwood Trail in the Red Cliffs Conservation Area near St. George, UT. Toward the end of this ride, I tested Copper by riding away from the group for a while. While he would have preferred to stay with the other horses, he put up very little argument, and we had an enjoyable half-hour or so by ourselves, rejoining the group at the trailers.
My evaluation of Copper after those initial rides was that he was already an exceptional trail horse, well-mannered around people and other horses and not spooky at all, but that he had very little training as a saddle horse. He loaded and unloaded to a trailer very well and was good about handling his hooves and his head. He had no understanding of neck reining, was resistant to pressure on the bit, and was unschooled in his gait. Nor did he have any knowledge about leg or heel cues to move his body. Never at any time did he make me uncomfortable or concerned about my safety or that of others. If he did any misbehaving at all, it was simply being resistant to the bit. So, my efforts with him have focused on improving his abilities as a saddle horse that is to be ridden on trails, with groups and alone.
I have spent the past 100 miles working on Copper’s bridle manners, leg and heel cues, neck reining, and smoothing out his gait.
I am happy to report that Copper has proved to be an excellent student. He has made great strides (excuse the pun) in his gait and in his other training. He is now learning to be supple and compliant to the bit and to flex at the poll. He neck reins very well and responds well to leg and heel cues. He moves his front quarters, hind quarters and side-passes when asked. He is just now learning these things, so he will become more precise at performing them over time. He stops and backs well. His run-walk has smoothed out and presents a very comfortable gait at about 5-6 miles per hour. He will take the lead, middle, or rear, at your pleasure. Copper will leave the group without problem. He is fine to take out alone for those solo rides.
I have also been training Copper to “park-out.” This is asking the horse to stretch his front legs forward, thereby lowering his back several inches to make it easier for the rider to mount-up. Getting on a parked-out 15-hand horse is almost like getting on a 14-hand pony. For those riders in their “golden years,” this is a very nice little convenience. I find that teaching a horse to park-out is much more useful on the trail than teaching it to sidle up to a stump or trailer fender.
As already mentioned, Copper is very good with his hooves, he is not head-shy and is easy to bridle. While he does not come to me in the pasture, he is easy to catch and halter. He leads well and stands very well to be saddled/unsaddled and mounted/dismounted. Copper trailers well and does not get anxious when separated from other horses or trailered alone. He is calm and and personable. Copper loves to have his neck scratched but does not have that obnoxious rubbing habit.
Copper has not been broke to packs, but if the buyer wishes, I can do that for them.
Here is a Youtube video from my channel:
Copper Sunset, Tennessee Walker Gelding
My evaluation of Copper now, as I offer him for sale, is that he is an exceptional trail horse with all the training and abilities I value most in a trail horse. He is fearless on the trail and willingly goes where he is asked to go, no matter what. Just hang on and he does the work! He is easy to ride and easy to control. He can be relied upon to get you where you want to go and back again safely. He can take as many miles in a day as you can. He can handle extreme mountain trails as well as the leisurely ride along the road near home. Copper would be an appropriate trail mount for anyone with some horse experience, from a youth to a senior citizen. . Simply said, he’s a good horse.
Copper may not be appropriate for someone with no horse experience, although a little tutoring in riding knowledge and skills would remedy that. He may not be the right horse if your riding partners normally ride non-gaited horses, as they will not be able to keep up and teaching a Tennessee Walker to walk slow is like trying to teach a Labrador retriever not to fetch a ball; it defeats the whole purpose of their breeding.
Again, Copper is offered at $7,000 at Salem, UT. I will deliver him within a reasonable distance (by agreement for the cost of fuel). He comes with my standard 30-day money-back trial period.
If interested, contact me by email at tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com, by facebook messenger, or by text or voice at (540) 422-1990.
Tony Henrie
Western Trail Rider
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