Chance is a 12 year-old registered Tennessee Walking Horse gelding, registered name, Gen’s Little Wonder. He stands about 15 hands and has a very nice build. His papers show nice breeding. He has an exceptionally smooth run-walk and is a very comfortable ride on the trail. He will walk with the Quarter Horses or gait with the gaited horses, at your pleasure.

Chance has been getting some long miles on the trail and has proven to be an excellent trail horse. He leads or follows, is gentle and non-confrontational around other horses, and works well in a group setting. He has shown no propensity to kick, bite, or buck. Chance handles difficult and technical trail obstacles easily. He crosses water, ice, mud, bridges, and dropoffs with no trouble. He is very sure-footed on the trail and inspires confidence in the rider.

Chance stands well for the farrier and loads and unloads well in a trailer. He has been trailered to distant locations and handles the trip well. He will back out of a trailer or come out forward. He meets me at the gate and is easy to catch, even in a large pasture. Chance is very personable and loves attention.

Chance has a minor conformational flaw, in that he twists his hind legs as he walks. This does not affect his gait and is not a soundness issue, but it causes a little imbalance in the shape of his left rear hoof. He is perfectly sound in every way. I have ridden him 20 miles through rough and difficult terrain in a day, barefoot, with no issues. If I had not mentioned it, you would likely never know it. The sales price listed is reduced for this conformation flaw. It might be an issue in the show ring, but has no affect on his value on the trail.When asked about it, I have replied, “Some folks are bowlegged, some are not.”

Chance is offered for sale at $3,500 in Salem, Utah. As with all my horses, I give a 30-day money-back trial period with the sale of all my horses. If he proves not to be compatible with the new owner in that time, return him in good condition and I will refund the full purchase price. Contact me by email at tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com.

I will be posting further information and video footage of Chance as soon as I have them, on this post and on facebook at Western Trail Rider.

Here’s a short clip of Chance gaiting in an arena. The weather outside was bad, so we enjoyed a nice training session in the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds arena.

Here’s a short clip of Chance becoming acquainted with Miranda Wiley, of Richfield, UT, who is his happy, smiling new owner. Miranda recently had a bad experience on a horse, that shook her confidence. Chance put her at ease pretty quickly. After a short get-to-know-each-other period in the arena, we took a trail ride out near Elberta, UT, just to make sure.  Chance performed flawlessly. I’ll be delivering him to Richfield on Monday. This was a day well-spent.

So, Chance has a new home.  This is what I hope for with each horse I sell. I try very hard to make sure the client is comfortable with the horse before committing to buy. I think these two are going to make a great pair of friends and trail companions.

UPDATE:

Chance has proven not to be the right horse for Miranda, so he is back on the market. I will pick up Chance on Saturday, 03/30/19 and return him to Salem, Utah. Chance has exhibited some separation anxiety (herd bound) when he is ridden away from his trail partner and his anxiety makes Miranda uncomfortable. I will re-evaluate him, to make sure there is no other issue. He will again be offered at $3,500.

04/02/19:

I have Chance back at Salem, UT now. I rode him about 9 miles through Capitol Reef last Saturday (see writeup and photos on facebook) and had no trouble with him. He gets a little antsy when he is ridden away from other horses, but no more so than most horses. I am working with him to correct this issue. He will be going with me to Moab, Utah the weekend of April 3-6, where I will break him to pack and start teaching him how to be a good pack horse. I will also be taking Chance with me on the Spike 150 Wagon Train sesquicentennial commemorative wagon train and parade at Brigham City, Utah on May 4-8, 2019. If he is not sold by then, Chance will be going with me on my pack trip from Flagstaff Arizona to the Grand Canyon National Park May 13-25, 2019, as well.

UPDATE 04/25/19:

Well, Chance won’t be going with my on my pack trips in May. I’ve sold him again. He’ll be going to a very nice couple from Oakley, UT, who were looking for a nicely gaited Tennessee Walking Horse for their personal trail riding. Both he and she rode Chance and were able to experience his bit of separation anxiety. They both felt like they were completely in control even when he misbehaved, and they very much liked his gaits and personality. I think they’ll be a good match. As always, they will have 30 days to make sure.

TH