Tag: trail horse

SOLD – Calypso, a Rocky Mountain Gaited Horse mare

August 6, 2020 / Tony Henrie

SOLD.

Calypso has been sold to a very nice lady from Cedar City, Utah.

Calypso is a Rocky Mountain Gaited Horse mare, not registered, about 14 years old*. She stands 15 hands and has a medium build. She has nice conformation and is sound in every way. Calypso is gentle and calm around people, leads very well, and is very good with her hooves. She ties well and does not pull back. She loads and unloads in the horse trailer easily and trailers very well. She has well-formed hooves that are hard and tough. She has been barefoot most of her life, but is easy to shoe for those longer backcountry trips. Calypso is easy to catch and halter from a pasture, as she usually comes to the gate when I approach. She loves attention from her “people.”

Calypso is a very experienced trail horse. She has served as a pack and saddle horse on multiple long-distance pack trips in Arizona and Utah. She has also been hauled to Alaska, where she was a pack and saddle horse on a moose hunt in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. She is a tough, strong, competent trail horse. I have ridden Calypso through some very rough country and I am never concerned about my safety with her. She is among the most sure-footed trail horses I have ever ridden. She will cross rivers without hesitation, mud is no problem, steep ascents are easy, she carefully handles steep descents and drop-offs.

Calypso really steps out on the trail, but does not push. She is not the horse for you if you like to lallygag on the trail! She has a very nice walk, a flat-walk, a foxtrot, a rack, and the nicest canter I have ever ridden. She is a very pleasant saddle horse. She will ride out alone or with other horses. She is a horse that loves the trail.

Having said all that, Calypso is best suited for a rider with some experience. I have owned her for about a year and a half and most of that time she has been pregnant**. You can see from the photos that she threw a beautiful colt out of a Missouri Fox Trotter stallion.

Her colt is now four months old and is being weaned, so I am again riding her regularly. During the time I have owned her, I have introduced her to some new things, as her prior training was lacking. She is learning to move her fore-quarters and hind-quarters independently and she side-passes well. She is learning to allow me to open and close gates from the saddle. She backs and stops well.

Calypso is somewhat herd-bound and tends to “mother” other horses around her. She does well in a herd environment, but does not like to be alone. I have been working steadily on that and I normally ride her alone. She tends to want to turn around at the beginning of a ride and gets a little anxious as we leave the other horses, which is why I suggest an experienced horse person for her. However, once away from the barn, she turns her attention to the trail and becomes a pleasure to ride. She is very gentle and affectionate with people, but occasionally gets anxious, which causes her to fight the bit and toss her head. She is much improved since I have owned her. She has never offered to buck with me. She rides with other horses very well and is not a kicker.

: Calypso on left

Calypso is a wonderful, trouble-free pack horse. She stands to be loaded and leads perfectly in the tracks of the lead horse. She does not lead a pack horse quite so well. She doesn’t like to have a horse close behind her, as she has had her heels stepped on a few times. She prefers to have a pack horse to the side of her hind quarters. She will haul game without problem. On the trail, I now use a neck rope on her, rather than a halter, because she has learned to slip the halter in a matter of minutes when tied or high-lined at night.

I as I said above, Calypso has the best canter of any horse I have ever ridden. I love her canter! I could ride around all day in her sweet little canter! She also has a very nice foxtrot, but keeping her in that gait will require some tune-up. She has a nice, smooth rack, but tends to slip out of it and get a bit pacey. She just needs more miles to get her tuned-up and smoothed out. I am working on that and she gets smoother every day. Calypso occasionally fights the bit when she gets anxious, but more and more she is becoming compliant and soft on the bit. She is learning to flex at the poll and give to the bit. She will handle well with or without spurs (I normally ride and train with spurs).

Calypso is offered for sale in Diamond Fork, Utah at $3,500. As usual, my 15-day money-back trial period applies. If she’s not right for you, bring her back in good health and I’ll refund your money 100%.

Here is a video link to my YouTube channel for a video about Calypso:

*I advertised her in 2019 as being a 14 year-old. Since then I have located a previous bill of sale on her and been able to calculate she was then 12 years old, making her 14 years old now.

**Last year my registered Missouri Fox Trotter colt, then 18 months old, jumped a gate and bred to Calypso. In May she produced a beautifully gaited dark bay colt. I expect I’ll keep him. She was an excellent mother. The young stallion is now a gelding. 🙂

SOLD – Chance, A Registered Tennessee Walking Horse Gelding – Back on the Market

February 13, 2019 / Tony Henrie

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.

Sold – Dusty, A Registered Missouri Fox Trotter

February 10, 2019 / Tony Henrie

Sold.

Introducing Dusty.

She is a blue-papered registered Missouri Fox Trotter mare, coming five years-old, registered name: Dunny’s Strawberry Delight. She was sired by the excellent stallion Dun Got It All (formerly owned by Alma DeMille). Her pedigree is excellent and she has beautiful conformation. She stands a very well-built 15.2 hands (approximate). Dusty is a rare red-dun with a thin blaze on her face. She has a very nice natural Fox Trot gait that needs just a little fine-tuning to be perfect. She moves out very nicely on the trail.

Dusty was bred and raised by an owner who subscribes to the “barefoot is better” doctrine, so Dusty has very healthy, strong, well-formed hooves. She has never worn shoes, but stands quietly for trimming. Her hooves have proven durable even on the roughest of trails. Dusty is sound in every respect and has received the best of care since birth.

Dusty loves attention and is very personable, but not pushy. She sometimes requires a little patience to catch her in the pasture, but she is not difficult. She loads and unloads very well and has been trailered throughout the State of Utah. She has been ridden on some of the roughest, toughest trails in the state. She is very solid and sure-footed. As with most Missouri Fox Trotters, Dusty has a calm demeanor and a good head. Being that she is young and full of spirit, Dusty is suitable for all levels of rider above the rank beginner. With a little coaching, even a beginner could handle her well.

The owner is quite particular about his horses and wants to ensure Dusty goes to a new owner who will use and care for her in the way she deserves. If you are looking for a beautiful, solid, reliable, safe trail horse, this may be the one.

Dusty is offered for sale at $6,500, located in Bountiful, Utah. For the owner’s contact information, please contact me by email at:

tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com