This is my 4th Christmas greeting to include my Mountain horses. I always look forward to the insanity that eventually produces the final holiday family photo. I met this loving breed of horse almost 5 years ago after reading an article in the local paper about an upcoming gaited clinic. The article included a photo of three small girls walking horses; one of the horses was Toby. I reserved my spot to ride in the clinic to experience first hand what a true gaited horse was all about. (By the way, I was NOT buying another horse, my days as owner were over; I just wanted to continue taking lessons to improve my riding skills in several disciplines.) I kept on taking lessons because I discovered that I really liked the Mountain horses, and several months and at least 40 gaited lessons later, I assisted at a Mountain horse open house. At this time a large number of the Mountain horses were for sale, and one of them was Toby. Over the course of my lessons, I rode Toby many times

and enjoyed him a lot; he has a very playful and mischievous personality. I was NOT buying a horse, but by the middle of the open house, I had become the proud owner of Toby’s Sargent. My husband Steve was at the open house and did not discover that I had bought Toby for over two hours, when eventually I confessed, he gently said “It’s about time you finally got a horse” and offered to buy him for me on the spot. Toby has taken me from the trails to the show ring and parades to competitive trail rides and he seems to enjoy all the different avenues of riding we choose especially pole bending and trail obstacle courses. I decided we should try everything we can together. Our motto is “Have FUN, LAUGH and ENJOY” - and we do. Next year we may even be off to the hunt. Mountain horses are like potato chips, you can’t have just one, so 2 years ago along came a very wild-eyed little weanling with a big head and a very fuzzy and unusually drab colored coat. Did I need another child to raise? The answer was “Yes”, and Klondike Clancy is now my other Mountain horse that I was NOT going to own. Well, Clancy will be 3 in February and I have him under saddle, he is in what I call 1st grade on the trail. His drab coat turned into a beautiful dark chocolate, and the white mane and tail? Well, say no more, he is my swan.

Happy Holidays !!!
Dot, Steve, Toby’s Sargent, Klondike Clancy, and Barney the dog !