Shooter (horse stories)

I bought Shooter from a friend one night. After a few beers I was feeling generous. Bought him for one of my city-friends (who would never meet him).

Shooter is a coloured Clydesdale cross. He is a character. A lovely funny fellow. Sweet but sometimes a bit nervous when we are out and about. He likes to be with a mate, to always see one of his own nearby.

He is a cuddler. A senstive horse who seems to know when I am feeling down. I put my arm around his neck and he pushes his head into my back. There he stays. He doesnt move until I move. It is lovely.

We know each other well. He knows his name and calls back to me when I call him. I know his little eccentricities. The way he jumps into the air when I ask him to move from trot to a canter. The way he swipes sideways when he sees something terrifying along the trail like a log or a rock.

Shooter as a foal.

He has been with me since he was six months old. He buddied up with my old girl Molly (another Clydesdale). She looked after him, showed him the ropes.

When he got to about three years old a friend and I ‘started him’. It used to be called ‘breaking in’ but this is not what one does anymore. It used to be a rather mean process and focussed on dominance but now it is about trust. And, as far as I am concerned, building a relationship.

Used to just sit on his back without a saddle. Do nothing more than pat him and talk to him. He would stretch his neck around and nibble my boot. And we would just stand there.