Tex

Tex is 2004 Quarter Horse with the registered name Wiley The Drifter.  Brett bought him in October of 2012 to be his riding partner.

Tex spent the first years of his life as a competitive team roping horse.  The story we were told was that he wasn't fast enough out of the box to suit his owner, who moved on to a different horse.  We noticed right away that, despite his very kind eye, he was skittish about his face particularly on the right side.  We learned that at rodeos some team roping horses are hit with the rope on the side of the face while in the box, to get the horse amped and ready to burst out when the timer starts.  We don't know for sure if that happened to Tex but his behavior is consistent with being hit.

Tex has a long scar across his chest and across his front fetlock, ending in a quarter crack.  He is sound, thankfully, but there was definitely some trauma in his past.

Tex and Brett did some trail riding together.  Tex was an excellent trail horse; steady, calm and curious.

Brett took Tex to a Mark Rashid clinic in March 2015 and they made good progress in working through Tex's fear.I don't think Tex was sold because he's slow; I think he was sold because he can't handle pressure.

In the summer of 2015, Brett decided to stop riding Tex (with my full endorsement).  Tex spooked while Brett was getting on and Brett came off.  It was his third unplanned dismount from Tex.  Brett was 66, with the accompanying loss of flexibility that goes with that.  He no longer felt confident riding Tex, who  lost confidence easily.  When Brett took Tex to the Mark Rashid clinic, Mark said "There's a really good horse in there.  He wants to be good.  He wants to trust people.  He needs to learn that he can."  We decided to see if we could find a new owner for him; a better match.  In the meantime, I started working with him.  The idea was for me to provide the stability, regular interaction, and confidence that he needed and then find the right new home for him.  But, a funny thing happened.  I fell hard for Tex.  We've done a lot of liberty work and we ride around the ranch, on a loose rein, just hanging out.  He's gone from a short, choppy, nervous stride to one that is relaxed.  He hates when we finish a ride.  I consider that success.  I never thought I could love a horse as much as I loved Jackson, but Tex is teaching me otherwise.